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Have you ever seen an entertaining and memorable commercial only to realize you can’t remember which brand it was for? If so, the ad did not serve its purpose. Digital marketing without a call to action (CTA) is much like a commercial with no mention of your brand.
An effective call to action guides your target audience to do something. For a campaign-specific landing page, your CTA encourages them to sign up for a webinar or white paper. It might also encourage them to buy something or subscribe to your social media feed. CTAs provide context for your social media posts, landing pages, videos, and more. Effective CTAs create a sense of urgency and compel your audience.
This article delves into high-converting CTAs, including what they are and how to write them.
What Is a Call to Action?
A CTA is a sentence, button, or other piece of text that tells your viewer the action you expect them to take. Your CTA encourages the person reading your post, opening your email, or clicking your landing page to take the next step. Your CTA can generate leads by telling people to “Sign Up” or improve sales by telling people to “Take Advantage of This Deal.”
How To Craft a Call to Action That Works
If you’re pressed for time, you might want to write “Click Here” and call it a day. But putting more thought into your CTAs makes them more effective. It's important to understand your audience in order to know what they value and create content that converts. Use these insights to craft benefits-focused CTAs:
- Make it unforgettable: Use design elements such as color or contrast to make the CTA button stand out.
- Ensure absolute clarity: Be concise and use clear verbs such as “get” or “download.”
- Explain the next step: Tell your viewer what to do instead of making them figure it out.
- Choose motivational language: Create a sense of value or urgency to inspire your viewers to take action, such as “save” or “limited time.”
- Refine, test, and repeat: Create multiple CTAs for each campaign and run them with small sample audiences to see which work best.
Most Common Types of Calls to Action
Use your goals to guide your CTAs and choose from these common types:
- Lead-generation CTAs: Encourage people to give you their contact information in exchange for something such as a white paper or a demonstration.
- Clickthrough CTAs: Guide viewers to click to another page.
- Sales and sign-ups: Encourage people to buy or sign up for something.
- Click-to-call: Initiate a phone call by clicking a CTA button.
- Social engagement: Encourage people to engage with you on social media or share your content.
How To Decide Which Call to Action Is Best to Use
First, you need to know which part of the customer journey you’re targeting. People who know your brand and want to find out more are more likely interested in a sales meeting, case study, or demo. New visitors likely want to learn more or follow you on social media.
Write a CTA to help you meet a specific goal. If you’re building brand awareness, encourage people to view or read your content or follow your social media. If you’re interested in making sales, add CTAs that motivate people to buy.
15 Powerful Call-to-Action Examples That Convert
Once you’ve chosen the right type of CTA, you need to write a strong one. Use these call-to-action examples as inspiration.
Call-to-Action Examples for Landing Pages
Getting people to your landing page is a great first step, but you want them to do something once they get there. These CTA examples highlight how to get more from your landing pages.
- LinkedIn’s landing page features two simple but effective CTAs: "Post a job" and "How it works." Visitors can easily click the right button for them based on their needs.
- Domino's has multiple landing pages that include CTAs to “Order Now.” Each CTA button is positioned close to photos of food that trigger hungry customers.
- Survey Monkey’s landing page has separate CTAs for new customers and existing users. Its "Go premium" button uses design elements to stand out and is paired with benefits-oriented language.
High-Impact CTAs for Email Campaigns
Email marketing is an effective way to build relationships with customers. Compelling CTAs encourage them to share your content and engage longer.
- Charity Water: This nonprofit organization improves access to clean water throughout the world. In its emails, CTAs encourage you to learn more, read a blog, or look at a map to see the company’s impact.
- Rent the Runway: Rent the Runway engages existing customers by sending seasonal emails with curated outfits for specific events. Its CTAs are fun plays on themes, such as “Dancing Queens” for a wedding guest.
- American Airlines: This airline sends monthly deals emails to rewards members. Each contains a CTA such as “Book Today” or “Search Fares” placed underneath images of picturesque destinations.
Engaging Blog Post CTAs That Drive Interaction
Whether you’re a blogger looking to build a following or a company using a blog to promote yourself, a good CTA can improve your engagement.
- Wit and Delight: This lifestyle blogger covers multiple topics. Under each blog is a CTA to share with a friend.
- Apple: Apple’s Newsroom promotes various products and services. Each post encourages customers to learn more or sign up, along with prompts to share posts.
- Food Network: This network’s blog goes beyond self-promotion with food and lifestyle tips. Posts include multiple CTAs to check out promoted merch, read other blogs, and follow the author. Instead of writing “Buy now” underneath product listings, this site includes the retailer and the price of each item.
Effective Pop-Up Calls to Action
Popups load when a person comes to your website or landing page. Most of these CTAs will encourage people to sign up for something on your site.
- Fabletics: This site gamifies its pop ups with the CTA “Tap a gift box to unwrap your exclusive discount!"
- Skullcandy: Upon entering Skullcandy’s site, you can enter your email address for an exclusive deal. The CTA says “Score 10% Off.”
- LoveSac: Visitors to this homepage are prompted to “Join Our List” for a discount — simple and easy to understand.
Social Media Call-to-Action Examples That Convert
The best companies use social media to enhance their brand image and encourage people to buy.
- Duolingo: With a cheeky and fun social media presence, Duolingo has more than 4 million followers on Instagram. Its CTAs encourage followers to swipe to read or sign up.
- Spotify: This streaming giant uses social media to promote upcoming lives and events. Its CTAs are simple: “Tune In.”
- National Geographic: Known for quality photography and videography in its magazine, National Geographic has attracted 9 million TikTok followers. Its CTAs encourage viewers to “Read More,” which drives them to the website.
Writing Tips To Craft High-Converting CTAs
Content optimization also applies to CTAs. The best CTAs are action-oriented. Using verbs such as “act,” “get,” or “subscribe” tells people exactly what to do. Brands such as Skullcandy use CTAs to highlight benefits of taking action in the form of a 10% discount. Create urgency with time-bound language such as “Act Now” or “Limited Time.”
Tools and Strategies To Optimize Your CTAs
Use A/B testing and other tools such as analytics on engagement rates and click-through rates to refine your CTAs. Note any patterns and use them to draft future CTAs. Certain keywords may get more engagement. Track these trends and aim for similar words in future CTAs.
Apply These CTA Examples To Boost Your Results
Stop trying to write high-performance CTAs on your own. Let Compose.ly do it. Our trained writers have experience crafting action-oriented CTAs that get results. Find out how by scheduling a call today.
