Call to action - effective recommendations and examples
In modern marketing, calls to action are used very often. It is he who, after we read a brochure or watch an advertising video, “forces” us to do what they want from us (buy a product, go to a meeting, etc.). A well-crafted appeal, clearly focused on the target audience (TA), is worth its weight in gold.
Types of calls
The type of call to action also depends on the target audience. The fact is that people perceive information differently. For one, a video will do, and for another, a radio message.
There are four types of summons:
- text,
- sound,
- vision,
- team.
You may ask, what does this have to do with it? team? This is also a type of call. But it lies not in the way of perceiving information, but in the very structure of the human psyche. A person, even without reading an advertisement, but simply listening to friends, will want to purchase a product.
Collective conscription is extremely effective for young people, since they are the ones who are most oriented toward their peers.
Even if a person doesn’t like the information, he will still do what is needed. "Because my friends said so."
When choosing the type of call, always focus on your target audience. The same appeal will work differently on teenagers and older people.
Summoning context
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, a lot depends on the context. It should evoke emotions and “force” a person to do as we want. A good and illustrative example here would be politicians.
How do they suggest we go to a rally? First they are printed in newspapers, played on the radio and shown on TV. They tell us what problems we have (dirt in the city, unfair police, etc.).
This is the “seed” that evokes strong emotions in us. And the stronger, the better. And only after we begin to be indignant and “fidget” do they call us to rallies. Naturally, “morally prepared people” attend them with joy, hoping to change something for the better.
Emotions do not have to be negative, as in our example. They can be positive, empathetic, etc. In general, anything that can motivate us to action.
Psychology of the target audience
Before you start creating a call, you need to decide on your target audience.
What are her interests? Financial situation? How much does it depend on friends?
We will not repeat that a lot depends on the choice of the target audience. This is already clear. Just remember: the older a person is, the less susceptible he is to emotions, and therefore more difficult to manipulate with them. People, for example, the elderly, have a more developed sense of duty. Therefore, naturally, it is more profitable to “pressure” on him than on other feelings.
Call to Action Methods
There are many call-to-action methods, unlike types. We will analyze the most popular of them. All of them, as we will soon see, are suitable for strictly defined purposes. But before that, let's look at it general plan any call:
- advertising block or “seeder”,
- call,
- push to action.
If we have more or less sorted out two of them, then the third point requires a little explanation.
Man is an extremely lazy creature. Without a "push" he will not do anything. This could be, for example, a threat of dismissal from work - he immediately begins to work harder.
But how can a “push to action” be implemented in a call? If you are selling a product and if someone buys it today, have it delivered straight to your home for free within two days. Or offer a discount for a limited time.
And if you, for example, are a blogger, for the most interesting one you can offer a reward like “VIP account for a month.”
Now let's get back to the methods. Let's look at four main ones.
Active discussion
This is exactly the example we looked at last. It calls for discussion of a specific topic or event.
This option is mainly used in social networks news resources.
They talk about a problem and then offer to discuss it in the comments. If the topic is serious enough, real debate begins, which affects the popularity of the resource. Not a bad way of PR!
The more serious the topic being covered, the stronger the discussion will be. But don’t forget about the “push” to it!
Joining on social networks
“Subscribe to my channel, there are a lot of interesting videos on it every week. When this video gets a thousand likes, I will immediately release a sequel!” How often do we hear this and similar phrases? All of them are standard, but they contradict the rule “boilerplate phrases are not effective”, because these phrases in our context are truly effective! There is both a call and an impetus for action...
If the information a person has received is interesting to him, he will share it and do what is asked of him. Viral content in the flesh!
Making a purchase
The most difficult call to action.
A person never wants to part with his money. The task of marketers is to make sure that he not only wants it, but also does it as quickly as possible.
For example, Nikolai never planned to buy a VIP class car. He believed that this was unnecessary “show-off”. But suddenly the price of the car dropped by 20%, and there was also the opportunity to buy it on credit without paying for as many as five years! Nikolai did this without hesitation, although he did not initially plan.
When creating a call to action, play on the emotions of your target audience. Try not to give her time to think, because after thinking, she may refuse!
Participation in the event
There are not only calls to action that have a specific benefit. There is also entertaining. For example, flash mobs.
They are aimed at the most active part of the population - young people and are created only for entertainment. The main factor that makes people participate is the energy of the crowd and the call of friends.
Therefore, when creating such a call to action, focus on originality and the promise of bright emotions. The target audience itself must want to participate in the event!
Informational benefit of content
Call-to-action text locations
The text with a call to action can be placed either at the top or at the bottom of the information block.
Let's give an example. "The girl Masha needs urgent medical care! Please don’t pass by and save her!” The person became interested. Next comes a block of information that he will read. And then again a call to action. This technique is very effective!
But if the appeal is located before the information block, it should attract attention and force people to read the text to the end, where the person will already make a decision.
Conclusion
How can you tell if a call is working? Unfortunately, you can't do without experiments. There are no standard schemes that work for everyone at once.
Periodically change the calling method and see how many of those who viewed the information bought a product or subscribed to your group. This percentage of the total will be the conversion. The bigger it is, the better.
It is believed that a good indicator is 10%.
Don't be afraid to experiment and achieve your goals. Good luck!
A call-to-action is how you persuade a customer to do something. For example, when you put a button that says “click here,” “buy now,” “register,” or something similar, it tells the user what action he needs to commit.
This is a chance to unite website visitors or TV advertising viewers so that they can move to another level (customer level) and purchase a product or service.
Why does a call to action work?
People often follow directions: if you tell them what to do, many will do it. An effective “call to action” creates a sense of urgency to take action right now. Or, a “call to action” may offer a solution to a problem. Or, simply suggest how the client can make a purchase.
A call to action works when:
- evokes an emotional response (“I must have this,” “I need this,” “I want to have this,” etc.);
- tells someone how to make a purchase (“click right here to buy”);
- creates a feeling of need for the client to buy the product immediately (“the promotion ends today at midnight! Buy now!”);
- talks about opportunities that are hard to refuse (“free shipping!”).
Call to Action Methods
Advertisers use all “call to action” techniques to drive sales. The method you use depends on where you are using it, what you are selling and what your target audience. Typically, you will notice these “calls to action”:
- Buy now! (Buy now!)
- Limited time offer! (Limited time offer!)
- Click Here
- Act quickly! (Act Fast!)
- Register here! (Register here!)
- Wait, there’s more... (But wait, there’s more...)
- Don't delay! (Don't delay!)
Other “calls to action” may be longer or more vivid. You can tell a story and let the reader learn more about your product through specific questions.
Incentives - effective method“calls to action”, for example, offer the customer free shipping or a discount. Create conditions of the offer that he cannot refuse.
The unique thing about a call to action is that you can use it anywhere. This way you promote or sell your product or service.
If you have a website, you can use a “call to action” to convert visitors into buyers. Imagine on home page your product and place bright text on it.
Letters
Sending weekly or monthly emails - great way interacting with old clients and attracting new ones. Also, this is an opportunity to “call to action”, for example, letters with a proposal for free shipping within a month, or a percentage of each sale.
Your blog - good place, where you can contact readers on equal terms. Tell a story about your product and how it has helped people. Add “calls to action” to your blog where they won’t go unnoticed.
Social media
Facebook and Twitter allow you to reach potential customers in real time. You can actively update information, propose discussions, upload photos. Use effective “calls to action” on social media (especially your group’s Welcome Page) so that when clicked, users will be directed to your site.
Remember to analyze your “calls to action” and make it clear to the visitor what you want them to do (“click here”). If one “call to action” is not effective, try another. Trial and error method in this case may be the best way to find the most effective “call to action” for your business.
Translation prepared by Anna Ilyina
Which call to action.
I think there isn't much choice here. Either you try to live or you prepare to die. (Tim Robbins,
The Shawshank Redemption
Stay Thirsty. Stay Reckless. ( , Apple)
Do one thing every day that scares you. (Eleanor Roosevelt)
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. (Helen Keller)
Tell me what you plan to do with your only stormy and precious life? (Mary Oliver)
All human beings are entrepreneurs. When we lived in caves, we were all self-employed... who had to find food, feed ourselves. This is how human history began... With the advent of civilization, we suppressed this trait. We became the labor force because we were branded: “You are the labor force.” We have forgotten that we are entrepreneurs. (Muhammad Yunus)
The two most powerful things in life are a kind word and a thoughtful action. (Ken Langone, co-founder of Note Depot)
The deepest human need is the need to be appreciated. (William James)
And only much later did I unravel my father’s secret. He earned respect by showing respect to others. He listened and talked with equal attention to a fourth-grade student who shined shoes in Spring Valley, to a bishop, and to a college president. He was seriously interested in your personality and your need to speak out. (Sarah Lawrence-Lightfoot)
If you can't listen, you won't be able to sell anything. (Carolyn Marland, Managing Director, Guardian Group)
Everyone lives by selling something. (Robert Louis Stevenson)
PhD in Leadership. Short course: Make a short list of disgusting things you have experienced from others. Don't do this to other people. Never. Make another list including what you liked. Do this to others. Always. (DiHawk, founder of Visa)
Never doubt that a small group of dedicated people can change the world. This is exactly how it happened in history. (Margaret Mud)
ARE YOU BEHIND YOURSELF INTELLIGENTLY? People are mostly reasonable; that is why their affairs are good only to a reasonable extent. (Paul Arden)
“Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite”
BLAME NO ONE. DO NOT EXPECT ANYTHING. DO SOMETHING. (Bill Parcells, football coach)
You yourself write the story of your own life, and it depends on you whether you create a legend for yourself or not. (Isabel Allende)
A leader is a seller of hope. (Napoleon)
Nothing is as contagious as enthusiasm. (Samuel Coleridge)
A person without a smile on his face should not open a store. (Chinese proverb)
To inspire feelings in others, you yourself must be absorbed in them. To make others cry, you must cry yourself. To convince others, you must believe yourself. (Winston Churchill)
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, and grow more, then you are a leader. (John Adams)
A year from now, you may regret not starting today. (Karen Lamb)
I am sure that as a business owner you constantly strive for prospects and try to speak the same language with your clients. But is there anything in your messages that can hook a client, make him take a step in your direction, or is it just empty short-term chatter with visitors?
When analyzing small businesses found that 70% of B2B sites do not contain a Call to Action. Mistakes made by newcomers to doing business on the Internet affect how customers behave on the site, and ultimately affect competitiveness and profitability.
To strengthen your position in any business niche, as well as learn how to easily build relationships with customers and get them to act in a certain way, you must refine the pages of your site using the right Calls to Action (they allow customers to avoid simply reading and then “flying over” your page).
If you want your post to be quoted or your e-book, provide the necessary contacts to contact you or your employees (phone number, email address) and most importantly, let people know what they need to do on the page!
In any case, to achieve your goal, you need to turn into a guru in writing Calls to Action.
Here are ways you can do this in just five minutes or so!
4 Aspects You Must Know to Write a CTA that Gets Results
The copy you create for your call to action is extremely important element influence your readers' actions as well as other key factors such as the color, size and shape of your call-to-action button.
Given this state of affairs, you will obviously be interested in the opportunity to polish the text and come up with such appealing slogans to seduce the minds of your customers and attract them to your business, and not make them leave in search of competitors.
I have good news for you! Eat large number ready-made templates, which have proven themselves positively in different cases. But before we pay close attention to the key formulas that have already served excellently and are liked by professionals, let’s turn to the main aspects that affect the quality and effectiveness of the call to action.
- Target
First and foremost, what kind of customer response do you expect to receive from your Call to Action? Craft your message based on what you want to see as a result. For example, “download now” is right choice to attract an audience, and “send me information” is to build business relationships.
- Personalization
Did you know that even minor changes to your copy can have a major impact on your conversion rates? That is why you should choose your words extremely carefully and use proven and effective writing formulas.
By the way, there is interesting fact which will force you to spend a little more time working on your A call to action. Sometimes you can increase your earnings simply by changing one of the Call-To-Action words. IN as a teaching exampleUnbones shows how a B2B website owner increased conversions by 38.26% after replacing one verb with another.
So what else can this example show us besides how one single word can dramatically affect your prospects?
Research shows that little tricks, used in the right way, significantly increase results over time, increasing the value of your writing. In this particular situation, the term “order” refers to the direction of action that the consumer must take to achieve a result, and does not focus on what benefits await him in the future. On the other hand, the term “get” is more focused on the benefits, rewards, satisfaction, profit that the potential consumer will receive after responding to the PKD.
In general, the combination of cost and relevance is a winning formula that will allow you to take your PKD to a new level and increase its effectiveness.
So what now?
Start by revising your old Calls to Action texts posted on your landing pages. Replace the standard slogans “Buy Now”, “Download Now”, emphasizing the actions you expect from your readers, with personalized texts that demonstrate the benefits readers receive from working with you.
For example, instead of writing “Buy Now,” make a clickable button with the tagline “Add to cart today and get 50% off.” The latter version of the message is more personalized and specific than the first. Always remember that your readers do not like general phrases; they want to be communicated with as if they have known each other for decades. Therefore, it is impossible to replace the template “Send”, “Call us” and “Download” with more personalized designs that motivate the reader to take any action with favorable conditions for him.
Start building sentences with verbs and nouns, this allows people to understand the meaning of your PKD at first glance. Following the recommendations of the article, published in Hubspot, use numbers (numbering) to keep your messages simple and clear. Avoid water to avoid boring readers.
- Size
Make sure that all your messages remain short and clear, without unnecessary fluff. Research has shown that some of the best Calls to Action contain fewer than 150 characters. Think of it this way: a “Buy It Now” PKD is trying to convince you that brevity is not best card for your lead generation game. But at the same time, you must compose the texts of the Call to Action in such a way that they are short and appetizing and do not leave the reader indifferent! In addition, you should pay attention to your PKD button. Its size that is too small will not interest the user, and too large will seem to potential clients as your desperate step in the fight for attention.
For example, here's why we like Sprouter's PKD button:
- It is noticeable, but does not overlap the main message broadcast by the company
- Everything is there necessary information and there is no heavy graphics mix that hurts the eyes.
Test, test, and test your PKD again!
It is very important to test yourCall—
To—
Actionand track their impact on conversion. You can organize A/B testing with using Google Analytics or other tools.
- Tone and Dynamics
Use motivational words that imply leadership and professional qualities. Try to avoid terms and specific jargon, because... this may confuse or discourage readers. Try to highlight the advantages and benefits of your proposal using a minimum number of words.
The text should be created in such a way that the reader can easily understand and retell it. Try to avoid technical jargon and terms, add more casual and easy-to-understand words, and use a conversational tone. Make your content accessible and human!
Five proven Call to Action text formulas that are easy to repeat (I promise it won't take more than 5 minutes).
Now let's take a closer look at some insanely effective templates that you can customize and use to convince your readers to act in a certain way (download an ebook, sign up for your newsletter, buy your product, etc.).
- Get your free case study/eBook/white paper.
The simplest and effective way convince people to get to know you and your product - offer them something for free. Choose a verb that emphasizes the reward and makes your PCP as effective as possible, for example, the verb “get.”
- Tired of [Mediocre Job, Ineffective Diet, or Other Frustration Factors]?
Another trick is to address the problems, limitations, and stresses that are preventing the reader from achieving success. For example, “Sick of diets that don’t work? Download my e-book for free and find out how to get the perfect beach body in just 3 months.". Explore pain points your readers and present your product as a solution to their problems/struggles/concerns.
- Want/Need […] Get an Insanely Effective/Free/Sensational [product].
Follow a similar principle and ask questions that cover the audience's needs, cravings, and requests.
“Need the coolest, one-of-a-kind t-shirt? You will find it in our store!”. Use verbs that readers associate with their goals, desires and plans. This is a proven psychological move that is great at attracting readers.
- See why [influencer] Recommends/Uses Our Product.
By relying on the influence of a famous person who recommends your product in a few words, you can gain the trust of your audience.
Research conducted by Nielsen and magazine citedForbes, show that consumers are 5 times more dependent on text than they were five years ago. At the same time, we must recognize that the information sea is large enough that every brand must strengthen its competitive advantage by creating and maintaining close relationships with industry leaders.
Reading the PKD like “ Look how much Jamie Oliver is in love with our pots and pans." works well for two reasons: it piques people's curiosity (therefore enticing readers to subscribe to you or download what you offer for free), and it gives you the opportunity to build your authority and power. By the time you finish reading the Call to Action, you will be able to voice your interest and promising thoughts out loud. “Wow, Jamie recommends these kitchen tools. They must be awesome! I have to find out more about them!
- PKD based on customer recommendations
Last but not least, don't forget that satisfied customers are the most compelling brand ambassadors you can meet and collaborate with. Trust us when we tell you that you are doing the right thing by using short Calls to Action that build on the positive shopping experience of one of your previous customers.
"This is the most best system support that I have ever used to grow my business.”
See for yourself. Our bonus is a 14 day free trial.
Attract, Capture, Educate and Transform your audience with irresistible Calls to Action!
Developing effective Calls to Action texts should not be a problem. Using the templates suggested above, you can personalize your messages, add unique features to them and make them the benefits of your brand and products.
To conclude the above, you should write a compelling, smart copy based on the most relevant keywords with contrasting PCD buttons. You need to carefully analyze everything and prioritize, placing your Call to Action at the most appetizing place on your site.
If you can't find the right words, tools or tactics to expand your reach, tap the talent and experience of professional copywriters to help you create amazing, premium Content.
We present to your attention an adapted translation of the article, the original of which can be read at the link
Great advertising copy that describes your product or service in detail, beautiful photos and videos showing it in action, favorable prices and customer reviews without a clear call to action will work at half capacity.
If visitors, after carefully studying the site, reach the end of the page and do not know what to do next, your efforts to prepare advertising text were in vain. To ensure this never happens, be sure to add calls to action.
Your customers should always know what they need to do, this principle applies to landing pages. Each semantic block of text should end with a call to action. It’s very good if you additionally use “trigger” images - these can be meaningful photographs or arrows that tell you what action needs to be taken.
Are you sure your call to action is working well?
An effective call to action is the difference between bounce and conversion. You may be generating the best content or have an amazing product or service, but if you don't have a clear and compelling call to action, you'll lose business.
Even though it seems simple, creating a truly effective call to action requires a thorough understanding of user psychology. The tips in this article can help you improve your calls to action and take them to the next level. This will certainly lead to increased conversion.
Effective call to action in advertising texts on the website
An effective call to action is something that entices the user to do what they are asked to do. Most often this is a question, suggestion or provocation + button. A button can have different colors, shapes and sizes. The main thing is that it is clearly visible.
But this is not just a bright design element, a call to action. It is a psychological phenomenon that is the act of conversion in action. That is, when you ask to perform a specific action on a website page, the user must be willing to go through all the steps and do it.
A call to action can be any clickable element that encourages you to do something. It can call for any action, for example, subscribe to a newsletter, download a file, register for a discount or coupon, download trial version programs and so on.
A short list of examples of calls to action.
Insert your company's data into call-to-action templates and watch the increase in user activity based on the metric.
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Are you sure your call to action is working?
If you haven't thought about it before, that's a bad sign. Despite the fact that writing a CTA seems like a simple matter, it is not always so. To create a truly effective call to action, it is important to have a good understanding of consumer psychology.