The Features and Benefits of Having a Call to Action (CTA)
A call to action is a phrase or statement that encourages the audience to take action according to the writer’s purpose. It is also known as a click-through or click-to-call link. This link triggers an immediate response from the audience, and as such, it should be used carefully and only when appropriate.
A call to action (CTA) can be utilised in different ways, depending on its purpose. If the purpose of the call to action is to encourage the audience to buy a product or service, you should place it where it will likely catch the attention of potential buyers.
For example, use CTAs at the end of an animated commercial, a sales letter, or some other persuasive document to urge people to make a purchase.
If you are selling your product online, you can place a call to action on your homepage and all other pages promoting your products and services.
Features on Call to Actions (CTAs)
A call to action will include a statement that gives a sense of urgency for the audience to take action. It should prompt, motivate, and even force them to move to the next step simply by following what the CTA is about.
There’s no basic guideline or strict rule on how to use certain words in CTAs. However, some include suggestive and strong words that help the audience grasp the message right away.
Here are a few examples of common calls to action in many businesses.
- “Contact us today and get your free consultation.”
- “Learn how you can increase your income by 20%.”
- “Buy now and save 50% off the retail price.”
- “Register today to get a free product demo video.”
These sentences include suggestive and attractive words that capture attention at first glance. If the audience reads these CTAs above, they learn that clicking on that link and making a purchase can save their money by half. It’s also implied that readers can get a free consultation by contacting the brand today.
These statements give a sense of urgency to readers as they need to take action to get the benefit described in the CTAs.
The Benefits of Using Call to Action
A call to action makes a great marketing tool that can easily and effectively drive traffic to your website. It helps in improving customer experience as it encourages visitors to take the next step.
This can be achieved by providing information on how readers can benefit from the product, service, or blog content that you are offering.
There are several benefits that come with using a call to action:
1. It shows your audience you care about them
You tell them that you have something good for them, and they should check it out right away. If they are not interested in what you have, they will simply ignore it and move on to another site or page of yours.
If visitors come to your site and don’t find anything that interests them, they may leave the site without checking out other pages or products of yours. This can lead to a poor user experience which is bad for business.
By using a call to action, you eliminate this risk by encouraging visitors to engage with your content even if they do not find it interesting in the first place.
2. It allows you to re-engage with your customers
It is proven that the more often visitors come back to your site, the more likely they will make a purchase from you. They have developed trust in your business and feel comfortable doing business with you.
A call to action helps in re-engaging visitors who have already been to your site before and may have left without making any purchases or engaging with content on your website. You can offer incentives such as discounts or free shipping on repeat visits which will encourage them to return and make a purchase or engage with your content again.
3. It helps in improving the customer experience
When visitors see a call to action button, they feel like they are being guided through the website by someone who cares about their needs and wants to provide them with information that will be useful for them right away. This makes them feel valued.
Also, they will feel like the site owner is transparent about his intentions and is not hiding anything from them. This experience can be an ultimate marketing strategy because some other websites often have hidden agendas, such as phishing and other scamming methods. Having CTAs on your sites helps visitors to trust you more and feel comfortable buying from you.
4. It helps visitors share your content on social media
Adding a call-to-action is an excellent way to get your content shared by other people and increase your reach exponentially in a short period of time at no extra cost.
When people see your CTAs that offer more benefits, such as discounted prices or free consultation, they are urged to share the content with their closest ones. This is why it’s essential to craft compelling CTAs that encourage readers to take action by contacting your salesperson or simply sharing your content.
With social media platforms on the rise, it’s time to amplify your campaign and makes them viral by encouraging the audience to share your content. For example, you can use social media buttons on your landing page to encourage people to follow you on social media platforms or subscribe to your channel, which will help in increasing your reach even further in the long run.
Wrapping Up
A call to action is not just a simple statement used by marketers to get conversions. While the main purpose of CTAs is to get customers, there are many ways these suggestive links help businesses achieve their goals.
CTAs can help boost corporate branding and improve brand awareness to a wider audience. Moreover, CTAs can be used to collect valuable customer data, which can be used to further your marketing efforts and help you improve your campaign.
When establishing your business as an expert in your field, CTAs are also important in shaping the impression of your company by improving your credibility with the audience.
About the Author
Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, the award-winning explainer video services. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order).