Writing content for digital marketing comes with its unique traits and strategies, and certain elements are, quite simply, a must. When addressing your customer base or target audience, one of the things content should include is a call to action (CTA).
But…what exactly is a call to action and why do you need it? And how do you write one?
Don’t worry, we’ve laid out the facts and compiled some of our top tips to help you write your CTAs in the best possible way. Let’s dive right in!
What is a CTA?
Within the context of marketing, a call to action is a phrase telling consumers what to do. It, quite literally, calls the target audience into action, so that they do a specific thing at the time of seeing the CTA.
The phrase can be plain copy, or a clickable link, with the latter being the more popular and effective option. Usually, it will be positioned at the end, as a natural way to move the audience from consuming the content to acting on it.
You can usually identify a CTA quite easily. It will be a short phrase, focusing on a verb that encourages a certain action. For example: ‘Subscribe here’, ‘learn more’, ‘get in touch today’, or even ‘buy now’.
Why should you include a CTA?
Now that we’ve clarified what a call to action is, you might be asking yourself why it’s needed. Marketing aims to get your target audience to do something, and a CTA is an incredibly effective way of steering them in the right direction, prompting them to act before they get distracted by something else.
Including a call to action can often be the difference between getting the audience to engage further, or them clicking away to somewhere else. The main benefit is that you gain control over what the audience does next, helping you fulfil the content’s main purpose, whatever it may be.
But beyond getting the audience to engage with your business, the CTA also helps make their experience smoother. A lot of the time, online content can become overwhelming, and even confusing. A straightforward call to action gives audiences a clear direction on what to do next, reducing decision fatigue.
Writing a CTA – our top tips:
Having a CTA can solidify your control over how audiences engage with your content and business, so how do you write a good one?
Here are our top tips:
- Keep it short
When it comes to a call to action it’s important not to overcomplicate it, or else you’ll lose the target audience’s attention, and miss out on getting them to engage. Instead, keep it short.
Simplify the action.
Be concise.
Stick to under five words.
See how much more impact it has?
- Emphasise the verb
The call to action is all about doing, and should therefore be powered by a strong verb. Get straight to the point, and tell your audience exactly what to do in as few words as possible. The template should be something like: “VERB + WHAT + WHEN / WHERE.”
For example: “Buy + our products + today.”
- Tap into emotions
The stronger the response or reaction you create in your audience, the higher the chance of them doing something about it. That’s why using emotions in copywriting is such an effective strategy! Hype up your call to action by imbuing it with excitement.
For example, instead of “book your holiday now” try “book your holiday now!”
It’s amazing how much difference an exclamation mark can make, right?
- Convey urgency
Giving a sense of urgency can encourage the audience to act sooner rather than later, giving your call to action that extra level of effectiveness.
For example, instead of “get in touch”, use “get in touch now”. You might not think it’ll make much of a difference, but trust us, it does!
- Provide motivation
Sometimes, a call to action by itself isn’t quite enough. Some people might read “do this” and immediately think to themselves, why should I? That’s why pairing your CTA with a reason can be an excellent way to further motivate your target audience to do what you’re asking. A good way to do this is by linking it to a strong selling point or benefit.
For example: “Book now for 40% off!”
- Make it clickable
It’s fine if your CTA is plain text, but it tends to work best when it’s a clickable link that takes the audience to a new page, where they can fulfil the action you’re detailing. Plus, links can be pretty tempting, helping further ensnare the audience into following the prompt!
- Help it stand out
If you want to draw attention to something, make it stand out. Pretty obvious, right? This applies to your call to action. If you want to make sure the audience doesn’t miss it, stick it in a box, or have it be in a different font or colour. Play around with the design to make it more appealing.
As with everything else in digital marketing, the key to CTAs is trial and error. Test out different options, and finesse what works for you and your target audience. Hopefully, our tips can help set you up for success!
For more digital marketing insights, head to the It Works blog. Alternatively, if you’d like to learn more about our services, get in touch today! (See what we did there?)