A call to action (CTA) in the context of content marketing is a short piece of content that is intended to prompt a viewer, listener, or reader to take positive action on. It’s usually in the form of a statement, visually presented as a button that users can just click on. This allows marketers to draw an immediate response from their efforts.

Generally, it’s used towards the end of a sales pitch. This means you often find a call to action towards the latter part of an emailer or a sales letter to prospective customers. If they click on your CTA, then you know that they’re interested in what you have to offer.

It’s a straightforward and simple technique that marketers use so that people know the next step if they want to continue doing business with you. However, you’d be surprised at how many people neglect to include CTAs on their marketing collaterals. Why? Either—

1. They believe prospects already know what their next step in the whole sales or conversion process is.

2. They are worried that the CTA will turn prospects off because it’s too obnoxious.

Here’s my take on it—CTAs give prospects the option to click or to not click. What harm would it be to simplify and spell out what customers should do to avoid confusion and streamline the entire process? Having a CTA is helpful and clarifies your next steps. If they’re not interested in moving on to the next stage, they can simply ignore the CTA button and bounce off.

When should you use CTAs?

The most obvious application for CTAs are for sales pages. It can be applied to a lot more marketing efforts such as growing your subscription base, directing prospects to your website, building up your customer database, growing your social media following, and so much more.

What are typical CTA phrases?

Marketers use a lot of verbs and action phrases as a way to encourage users to take positive on their CTA. You’ll often come across buttons with:

•   Sign up today
•   Register now
•   Call our hotline today
•   Subscribe now
•   Donate
•   Buy now
•   Order today
•   Share
•   Follow
•   Download
•   Click here

Another technique that works very well with CTA buttons is building up a user’s sense of urgency. This encourages users to click on the link with less apprehension. Explicitly stating the fact that it’s a limited time offer only, that they have to act now while supplies last, or simply adding a date can spur more immediate action from prospects.

Finally, keep this in mind when your crafting your own CTA —

•   Don’t just assume that your audience knows what you’re talking about. Don’t leave room for confusion. Spell it out and be clear about what you’re offering.
•   Add a CTA whenever you can, wherever you think it’s appropriate—on your blog posts, on your landing pages, direct mail, sales pages. For ideas, visit major brands and their websites.
•   Keep it simple and don’t over complicate the process. Don’t let your prospects jump through hoops when a simple opt in form with 1 or 2 questions will suffice.
•   Be clear about what your objective is so you know exactly what you’re working towards.

There you have it. If you have any more questions, I’d be happy to answer them for you. Simply get in touch with me at Leadspanda. Looking forward to hearing from you!