Struggling with a stalled campaign? It’s time to call out your call-to-action

Your call-to-action (or CTA) makes or breaks the performance of your marketing campaigns. If you have a weak CTA, then no one is going to click-through to see what you have to offer. These tips will help you develop a winning CTA to meet your business goals.

Make It Urgent

People have a lot on their minds and plenty of distractions waiting for them. If they click off your website or close an email, they may not get back to it at all. A sense of urgency, such as a time-sensitive promotion or a limited-edition product, encourages the reader to act immediately.

Customize Your Messaging

A call to action is the last place to use a one-size-fits-all approach. You have many methods to collect data on your intended audience. Use that information to customize a CTA so it’s relevant, timely and speaks to the reader. Segmented email lists and personalized landing pages are two excellent channels to use customized CTAs on.

“A clear CTA is important to move users down the sales funnel and for conversions but it’s also very important for user experience in any industry,” said Jen Stafford, Co-founder and CEO of CTRL+ALT Digital. “Strong CTAs indicate what action users should take next and remove obstacles toward finding the most relevant information for them, reducing frustration and helping to increase satisfaction with your brand.”

Give People a Reason to Care

You know all the awesome things about your company and products, but do your readers? Your unique selling proposition is a key part of getting click-throughs on your CTAs. When you highlight the characteristics that set you apart from your competitors, you give readers the push they need to take action.

Keep the benefits at the forefront of the CTA. Talking about features works well after you have someone’s attention, but the first thing they want to know is the answer to “what’s in it for them?”

Create Several Variations

You always have room for improvement when you create CTAs. By making more than one option and tracking their performance, you learn about the elements that your audience responds to the best. This data allows you to optimize your messaging over time so you can see a positive change with your CTAs.

Making a CTA is part art and part science. These tips give you the foundation that you need to find exactly what works for your company. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your messaging and invest time into some trial and error.