Creating effective call-to-actions might sound like such a banal task, you’ve perhaps completely eliminated any need to learn about CTA’s in your content marketing plan. If you place more creative time on perfecting the actual content, you’ve only done half of what draws readers to convert. A call-to-action requires more than just contrived statements at the end of the content to gain a possible sale.
The problem is that it’s easy for a CTA to fall into a uniformity, only because some companies copy others. After you see one CTA, you likely feel like they all work the same.
A CTA is arguably the most important of all because it’s the last thing a reader sees before they decide whether to click on a button to buy something. However, while it’s usually good practice to make these generic rather than flashy, you need to pay attention to some of the aesthetics behind the presentation.
Here’s some ways to make your call-to-action compelling without being over-the-top.
Changing the Point-of-View in CTA Language
Evidence seems to show using the word “you” isn’t always the most effective way to reach someone in any marketing language. For a CTA, marketing analysts say changing the point-of-view to first persongets far more effective results.
The reason this works so well is because it helps audiences visualize themselves taking action. If you’ve already convinced them your products or services can solve problems for them, using the words “me” or “my” helps the conversion process turn more personalized.
What Color Should Your CTA Be?
You’ve likely already studied the use of color in marketing and the psychological effects. It’s somewhat the same with call-to-actions where color shapes emotions, and brings perceptions about a product or service you’re offering.
Despite sites available that continue to debate what the psychology is behind color, obsessing over which color to use on a CTA isn’t always as important as you think.
You should do an A/B test first to see what color works best with your audience. Regardless, the best course of action in choosing a color is simply to find something standing out.
A major mistake with call-to-action buttons is making them a color that gets lost in a website’s color scheme. You have to make your CTA easy to spot so it isn’t overlooked.
Details on Language in Your CTA
Marketing analysts have written for years about what kind of words you need to use in a CTA. Don’t get too bogged down with this, because it may stifle you on being able to think creatively.
The important thing is to keep text short and, according to Hubspot, use more subjects and verbs. More than anything, it’s best to make the language you use more practical than technical. Even if you’re selling a technical product, you want to prove in the simplest terms that taking action toward a purchase solves a major pain point.
CTA Placement
Some have written extensively about CTA placement and disproving the myth about what’s called “the fold.” In reality, it doesn’t matter where you place your CTA, as long as the surrounding text is compelling enough to lead people to it.
So don’t spend too much time trying to analyze whether to place your CTA below your headline, next to a form, or in the above-mentioned fold area.
Another thing to keep in mind is the more you make your CTA look like a button, the more apt people will find it. As with the color, not making a CTA look like a CTA button only confuses readers on where they need to click.
Visit us at Small Dog Creative so we can help you with all your digital marketing challenges.
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