CTA (Call To Action)
CTA is an acronym for Call to Action, which is a key concept in digital marketing. But what exactly is CTA and why is it so important?
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What is CTA?
In short, a CTA is an element designed to get a user to take action on a marketing effort. CTAs can take the form of many things, including a text, image or animation that prompts visitors to take a specific action.
The desired action can be anything from downloading an eBook, signing up for a newsletter, visiting a page or buying a product. The CTA needs to be designed and placed strategically to capture visitors' attention and increase the chances of converting them into customers. Having an effective CTA is crucial as it can affect the success of your business in terms of increased sales, more leads and more traffic to your website.
Why is the CTA so important?
As an internet user, you see CTAs everywhere, and for good reason. Imagine you're scrolling through social media and you see an ad for a must-have lamp. But when you click through to the website, there is no information on where to buy the lamp. In other words, the website lacks CTA.
But CTAs are important for several reasons. Because CTAs navigate the user's journey through your website and help the potential buyer find their way to the company's desired end goal: the shopping cart. Without CTAs, the user could potentially abandon the purchase and the company will lose the customer.
Furthermore, CTAs passively convert visitors into active customers because visitors will be guided towards a purchase. The passive conversion is a key component of any successful digital marketing strategy.
How to create effective CTAs
There are several critical components of an effective CTA. The best CTAs are clear, concise and have the potential to convert the user from visitor to customer.
Humans are in many ways simple creatures who thrive by using the fast thinking and intuitive brain system rather than the deliberate and slow thinking system.
Therefore, it can be a good idea to simplify your CTA so that it is, for example, presented as a button or a link that the user can easily understand and click on - without having to think too much.
For the same reason, you can use imperatives such as "buy now", "get your free trial", "sign up here" and so on. The tone of voice is also worth thinking about.
If your CTA contains the text "read more here", it's unlikely to generate many clicks because it takes a lot of effort for the user to read. If it says "learn more here" instead, more users will be inclined to click because the tone of the language changes to make the user feel like they are gaining something with a simple click.
Below is an example of a CTA: a button that takes the user to the front page of Webamp's knowledge universe, Academy, where they can learn about almost everything in digital marketing.
CTA in practice
Imagine you have a webshop selling lamps. Your main CTA could be a button that says "see our collection" that with a single click takes the user to a page with all your products.
But one CTA is not enough. Each product can then have its own CTA, such as "Add to cart" or "Buy now". This way, your CTAs lead the user on a clear and predictable path to the shopping cart.
But CTAs cannot stand alone in a good marketing strategy. Remember that an effective marketing strategy involves a combination of many different initiatives - from search engine optimization to Google Ads and other SEA efforts. Your CTAs need to work in harmony with these strategies to ensure you reach your overall KPIs.
More concepts
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