Your call to action (CTA) is the chance to motivate your audience to take real steps toward becoming a customer or client. It can be the determining factor between a lead and a conversion. Many argue that the call to action is the most important part of your site or ad campaign. Skipping the CTA is a grave mistake that won’t bode well for your company. There is a reason the CTA button has become such a staple on site content and in ad copy – three reasons, in fact.
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- CTAs Motivate Your Sales Funnel
CTAs and sales funnels go hand in hand. The calls to action serve as transitions between the phases of the buyer’s journey. They instruct the user on what to do next, prompting them to take immediate action. Whether you want your user to visit your blog, give you their contact information, download an e-book, or subscribe to an email list, you must provoke this action with a well-placed CTA in the sales funnel. Use CTA best practices such as wording the copy on your button in a way that highlights the benefits. For example, use “Get More Tips” instead of “Subscribe!”
The easier you make it to take the next step, the more people will do so. Your CTA creates a better user experience. Instead of making your audience guess and wonder about how to proceed, you give them the answer in an eye-catching, brightly colored button to guide them to the next phase of the buying process. You’ve given your buyers the easiest route to the next step, eliminating the need to solve a problem. Buyers are conditioned to seek out and use the CTAs. Facilitate a smooth buying process by giving the people what they want.
- Customers Want Them
Calls to action aren’t just important for business – customers want and expect them. Many people depend upon the CTA at the end of the page to take the next step. They’ve read your ad copy, are interested in engaging with your brand, and look for the CTA button to learn what to do next. Omitting the CTA can confuse readers and hurt your chances of sealing the conversion. CTA buttons make it easy for customers to do what you want them to do. That’s good for them and good for business.
There are some circumstances when you want your brand to be predictable. Predictability makes your company trustworthy and easy to engage with. The CTA is one area where it pays to be as predictable and intuitive as possible. Visitors look for your “Call Now!” or other CTA button, and feel confused and disappointed when they don’t find it. Strong calls to action on social media, websites, the end of videos, copy messaging, digital advertising, and elsewhere are expected parts of the campaign.
- They Boost the Success of Digital Advertising
Digital advertising is all about generating hype about your product or service, grabbing the attention of consumers, and encouraging them to seal the deal. The call to action is the missing puzzle piece that emphasizes the power of the ad copy. Without the CTA, your copy messaging will fall flat. It won’t have the final hook that inspires customers to take the next step. CTAs are especially important in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Adding a call to action to your PPC campaign will help you convey the intent of the campaign to your audience.
You often have just one chance to make a good impression on your target audience. With PPC ads and other forms of digital advertising, there is no time to waste. Even the smallest missed opportunity can lead customers to pass over your brand in favor of the competition. Emphasize the importance of a strong, inspiring call to action on your marketing team during the creation of ad campaigns. Make the CTA a focal point of your ad creative. Otherwise, you run the risk of your campaign falling on deaf ears. For most companies, this isn’t a risk they can afford.
The Takeaway: Don’t Ignore the CTA
A call to action is the finishing touch on any type of content. It is the cherry on top that every user (consciously or subconsciously) wants. Your lead has read or at least scanned your content, and may be on the fence about taking the next step. The right CTA at the perfect moment can push the person in the right direction, sealing the conversion and ideally creating a loyal customer. The CTA can be a subtle or blunt way to tell your customer that he or she should take action now for the best benefit.
Whether you use your CTA to create a sense of urgency or to gently steer your users toward the checkout line, the important thing is that you use it. Ignoring the CTA is a rookie mistake that could make your numbers drop drastically. Next time you’re creating site content or ad copy, let your call to action shine. The results will follow.
At Vizion Interactive, we have the expertise, experience, and enthusiasm to get results and keep clients happy! Learn more about how our status as a Google Partner, along with our PPC Management, Google Shopping Ads, Social Media Advertising, Amazon Advertising, and other Paid Media services can increase sales and boost your ROI. But don’t just take our word for it, check out what our clients have to say, along with our case studies.
