Well the difference between the above ad banners are apparent. One calls the user to take a particular “Action”, while the other simply announces something. The “Order Online” button is the Call-To-Action here and it is a cue or direction indicator for the user to take, to progress to the next step if they are interested in what they are looking at.
Call-to-action or CTA in Digital Marketing is in-fact a “Signboard” informing the user about what would happen ahead and also a motivation for them to perform the activity that you as the site owner desires from them.
Now one might ask: Is it that important that we tell the user what action needs to be taken? Isn’t it always obvious?
Well the answer to this question is an emphatic “No”; it needn’t always be obvious. And this article below will explain why it is fatal to not have a CTA accompanying your Digital Promotions, especially if this is an activity you are doing to solicit a Direct Response.
CTA’s are also important to have on your website, especially if it is an ecommerce website or if you desire a particular action to be taken by users who visit your website or even your blog.
CTA’s remove guess work:
Regardless of the objective you are trying to achieve, it is always important to make the user’s journey as effortless as possible. By using the best Call to Action practices, you are facilitating the user with directions and removing the hassle of making choices based on their guess work.
Good use of CTA on ads and website content, gives clear directions and sets the right expectations with the user, thereby helping users reach their objective without stumbling over all the wrong paths that wouldn’t take them to where they want to go (or where you want them to go).
Effective Call to Action Phrases:
“And all it takes is a little push”.. so said a much loved antagonist somewhere, but he could very well be talking about one of the tenets of marketing.
Although an in-your-face “Buy Me” is also likely to evoke a negative response, no marketing effort is complete without a subtle motivation for a buyer to progress further in their purchase journey.
Effective and subtle use of CTA in Digital Marketing can bring a whole lot of changes in the user experience and ROI.
On websites and in online advertising, the Call-To-Action is this motivation that encourages users to take the next step in becoming a customer.
“Learn More”, “Enquire here”, “Signup”, “Book now” and even “Watch this space” when used appropriately work as a motivation for users in their journey to become your customers.
CTA’s helps you increase ROI:
This point is the summation of the earlier two points, because if you set clear directions for users motivating them to fulfill the objective you have set, then this should equal a return on the investment you have put into attracting that traffic and bringing them onto your website.
No use or improper use of CTAs could result in a wastage of that investment (time + money). So keep wise and make sure you protect your investments with appropriate use of CTAs.
Now let’s look at a few CTA examples.
CTA Marketing Examples:
If reading this article is the first thing you did today after opening your laptop or phone, then our estimate is that in your journey to this article, you must have seen no less than 3 CTAs.
CTA’s come in different sizes and in different temperatures, with each serving only a particular stage in the Marketing Funnel.
CTA temperature refers to the sense of urgency it creates with the audience, but more on this in a later article.
Below are few of the effective Call to Action phrases that bless our screens occasionally:
- Know more
- Read more
- Sign up
- Register
- Submit
- Share
We also do see a few high temperature Call to Action phrases examples such as:
- Book Now
- Sign up Today
- Join Now
- Order now
- Sign up for Free Trial
- Reserve your Seat
- Download Whitepaper
- Get Free E-book
And then there are these ecommerce specific CTAs that we never miss:
- Buy Now
- Add to Cart
- Add to Wishlist
- Checkout
CTA in Digital Marketing come in a lot of shapes and sizes, but the best CTAs are short yet provide clear instructions and stand out on the screen.
The next time you see one of these, you know what they are called and you should also realize that they have been placed there by an intelligent marketer to enhance the user experience and get the most out of his users.
Now, you could always “ sign up to our newsletter“ to stay in the loop when we release the next article on “CTA Best Practices” .
Have you seen any intelligent CTA’s lately?
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