"Use low commitment CTAs. Emails are invites, landing pages are parties."
Matt Byrd
Chances are you would have heard of a CTA before, but if you haven’t it stands for ‘Call to Action’. This is a marketing term that encourages the audience or reader to take prompt action and respond!
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CTAs help you make the most out of any marketing message you share. Below we will go through where CTAs belong in your email marketing campaign, as well as some handy tips on how to maximise their effectiveness.
How many CTAs should I have in my campaign?
Most email marketing campaigns only need one, particularly if it is a focused campaign. If however, you are selling multiple products then you guessed it - you will need multiple calls to action!
Where should I place my CTA?
If you have just one CTA, think of it as the climax to your story. Spend the first part of the email telling the story, giving your CTA context. Then your finale, the call to action button will be placed at the end, waiting readily for the reader’s click. By this point in your newsletter, the reader should have gained an interest and already be persuaded to make that final move.
For those readers that skim read, lose interest quickly or are returning for a second time – having a button closer to the top of the email helps too.
Eyes naturally read from left to right, top to bottom. Make your call-to-action buttons stand out exactly where the readers eyes will naturally follow.
Repetition isn’t a problem when it comes to CTAs – it often helps ensure at least one button gets seen (and hopefully clicked) before they stop reading!
How can I make sure my CTAs stand out?
Ultimately you want to make sure that you get enough clickthrough rates. So, you really need to grab your readers attention and get their eyes onto that CTA. It needs to be obvious what it is, so using a button with a message will help.
Opting for a contrasting colour to the backdrop of the newsletter is a good idea. A top tip is to use white space around it so the reader’s eyes are naturally drawn to the button in question.
Other possibilities include directional clues, such as arrows, or a picture of a person placed nearby, with body language which leads their eyes to the button in question.
The button also needs to be big enough for the reader to easily notice it. Sending a test email to yourself first will give you a chance to ensure it shows up well.
What language should I use in my call to action?
Do not overlook your choice of words. It is really important to nail the language you use in CTAs.
Remember - you want your audience to take prompt action, use persuasive wording. Consider:
- Power Words –encourage positive feelings and motivate your audience to take action quickly e.g impressive, irresistible
- Action Words – marketers love to use to encourage action e.g get, find, try
- Writing in the first person - It is easier for readers to imagine themselves getting the benefit of your call to action if it talks directly to them. EG “Send me my free download”. According to Unbounce the use of first-person pronouns in your button text results in 90% click through rates.
- Include rates and offers - Let your audience know exactly what is in it for them. Really think about how you sell your offer too “Special offer” doesn’t sound as good as “Special 10% offer”.
- Invoke urgency - give your audience fear of missing out! Use wording like “Click for your offer now” or “Offer ends in 24 hours”. If you can, you want your audience to take prompt action rather than saving acting on your email until later.
- Short and sweet - Keep the call to action short, concise and to the point. The fewer words you use, the bigger the impact it will have.
- Specific messaging - Using the same generic text such as “Click here” has been done so many times, so much so your audience will likely ignore it! Instead, why not tell them to buy a certain product? e.g “Get your birthday balloons here.”
How can you track your CTA performance?
Draft a table – note which CTA you used and then propose different variations of the CTA. Use these in future emails, or better still conduct a split test to see which CTA performs best.
It is really important to position your CTAs right. Use your email campaign to set the scene and place the buttons strategically throughout as detailed above. Make the most of colours and design to ensure your button stands out, alongside using the right language. Split test your emails to see what the best performing combination is and ensure email marketing success!
If you’d like further advice on email marketing, get in touch with transpond today.