How to Craft Your Best Call to Action
Every piece of marketing material you receive has a call to action (CTA). What is a call to action? Simply put, it inspires the reader to take action based on reading the blog post, article, or social media post.
If you manage an e-commerce company, it asks the person to “add to cart,” “Buy Now,” or to look at similar or supplemental products. If you manage a services-based business, your call to action might look more like “book a call” or “request a demo.”
Read on to learn how to craft an awesome call to action in your next blog post or social media post.
Create a Sense of Urgency
Most people can remember when they were homesick and watched the Price is Right and caught mid-day commercials. Everything from the Sham-Wow! to Oxyclean had a call to action — “call now and purchase for X easy payments of Y — supplies are limited.”
You knew what the price was, you knew there was a short supply, and the voiceover likely had a persuasive tone. It’s easy to relay urgency with voice and video, but how can you do it with the written word and breakthrough to potential customers?
For B2B-based industries like software or consulting, include a call to action about a promotion. “For the month of January, we’re offering three complementary sessions/trainings for new customers. Click here to book today.”
For B2C-based industries like eBay or Best Buy, a countdown is a good psychological alert that inventory is lessening, therefore the potential customer should click to buy now.
What are the Desired Actions?
When crafting a call to action, consider the sentiment or intent of the piece. Is it informational or a sales piece? If it is informational, a good call to action might say, “Click here to sign up for our next complimentary webinar.”
If your desired audience is a buyer with a long buying cycle, consider using these action words in an informational piece:
- Download our recent case study
- Click here for our testimonials
- Call our sales representatives for a free demo
- Click here for a limited time offer
- Click here for a free trial
Words or Phrases to Avoid in a Call to Action
Often, much can be “lost in translation” when considering the written word. The intent is lost or misunderstood. Your content should appeal to your target audience from start to finish — and that includes your call to action.
A compelling call to action isn’t purely sales-motivated. Phrases like “buy now” for a high-ticket item will likely turn off a potential buyer. The higher the price tag the more helpful your call to action should be — they want to know they’re not just an invoice but will have access to a team that’s on their side.
CTA copy does not have to be complicated. One sentence is sufficient; two sentences is likely too many. No one wants to be sold to or feel like a commodity. Speak to your customers rather than at them, and you will likely see a higher click-through rate.
Lastly, ensure the call to action makes sense for the platform. As of writing this article in January 2024, you cannot click URLs within an Instagram post so saying “click here” isn’t aligned. Instead, direct the reader to click the link in your profile or your story, and ensure the link works and the page you send them to is impeccable. This is particularly important for e-commerce companies where the goal is to sell with a short sales cycle.
Marketing Campaigns and CTAs
Every marketing campaign should have consistency in branding, voice, and intent. If you create blog posts, newsletters, social posts, or emails, ensure there is a common theme throughout and ideally written by one person or a cohesive team with branding guidelines.
If your focus is on email campaigns, ensure you’re including a call to action button. Ideally, the CTA button brings the reader to your website, and the landing page is functional and aligned.
When you create a call to action for social posts, keep in mind that people buy from people, not companies. So the more personable you are, the more of a chance you have to appeal to your target audience.
Lastly, do not use the same call to action for all methods of outreach, or the same CTA in every blog post. People tend to relate to people on social media, so be personable there. On email, remain friendly but professional. On blog posts, be informational and proactive. Again, keep it aligned with your branding, and you’re halfway there.
To learn more about content, intent, and the best call to action contact MDINC today.
