If you’ve ever signed up to be part of an email list, downloaded a PDF or whitepaper, exchanged your email for a free trial, then it’s probably because these products and services offered a compelling call-to-action (CTA).

In an article written by columnist Jeremy Smith for Marketingland, he notes that “Conversions, revenue, business and profit — they all depend on the mighty call to action. The CTA is so powerful, so important and so foundational to the success of any online marketing initiative that I just have to tell you how to develop CTAs that will benefit your business.”

This illustrates just how important CTAs are.

The success of your CTA depends on numerous factors, and we wanted to round up the best tips to keep in mind to make sure that you’re crafting the best one for your business.

1. Say it straight

Be direct. If you want to communicate credibility, take the direct approach. Be succinct and let your visitors know that you’re not going to beat around the bush.

That said, tell your audience exactly what you expect and want them to do.

Do you want them to sign up? Give their email? Get in touch? Share a post? Spell it out. It should be short, simple, impactful and clear.

Don’t leave room for your audience to second guess their next step. Otherwise, they might end up bouncing off your site.

2. Be different

Given the competitive nature of today’s modern marketplace, it almost goes without saying that you have to try to be unique and different to stand out. This includes making sure your CTA is unique enough to be noticed.

Find an angle for your CTA. Would you benefit from personalization? Can you incorporate some details and information to make it more relevant to your audience? Think about what you can add to make your CTA more special and it will help you increase conversions.

3. Incorporate actionable language

Your choice of words become even more important when it comes to CTAs. Not only are you trying to communicate something compelling in the shortest way possible, but you also have to give clear direction.

Some words and phrases are more powerful than others. These differences can be subtle but the effect can make a major difference when it comes to the efficacy of your CTA. For example, using verbs can make your CTA more succinct and direct to the point. Phrases such as “learn more”  or “give us a call” are subtle but remain effective. Putting the focus on your audience by writing in second person is also a great way to make your communication more personal. Adding a sense of urgency by imparting a sense of time by incorporating words like “today”, “now”, or “immediately” can prompt visitors to take faster action.

4. Communicate urgency

When you communicate urgency, you also communicate exclusivity to your audience. This implies that by not taking action now, they’re missing out on something great.

Adding a specific date, a countdown clock or clearly showing how many items are left in stock can deliver this message clearly. Similarly, using words like “today”, “immediately,” or “now” can also boost a customer’s sense of urgency.

5. Make it simple

You want to make sure that your CTA is clear and concise so that your audience knows exactly how to proceed. From the point where they read your copy, to how they understand your instructions, to how they take action–the whole process has to be seamless.

Complicated CTAs tend to confuse readers. For example, a bad CTA would be one that invites people to click on a link, and sign up for something, and then call a number to confirm their interest for a free trial. Before they even get to the second step, you can bet they’ve already bounced off your landing page.  Another example would be if you had multiple navigation options on your page–it tends to confuse readers as to where they should click.

In contrast, if it’s something as simple as clicking on a link to sign up for a free trial, then it won’t take up too much of their time.

Don’t make the entire process cumbersome and tedious. The critical thing to remember here is that the fewer steps there are the better.

Creating a compelling and effective call to action may take creativity and time, but it’s certainly not impossible. Keep these tips in mind the next time you do and you’ll start to notice how your CTAs are actually converting more.

That being said, the best way to actually measure how effective they are is by testing them. And by applying what you have learned based on these results, so you can fine-tune and further improve your CTAs.

If you need more ideas on how your business can turn traffic into conversions, give us a call today.

And if you have more tips on how to write effective CTAs, feel free to share it with us below.