When you’re creating a marketing campaign for your e-commerce business, your goal is to encourage potential customers to take some kind of action: buy a product, sign up for a subscription service, download an app, etc. An effective way to encourage your audience to engage with your business is also relatively simple: write a compelling call to action.
Learn how the right call to action can enhance your digital marketing strategy.
What is a call to action?
A “Call to Action” (CTA) is a marketing term that describes a text prompt that encourages a reader to take a desired action, such as visiting a website, buying a product, signing up for a newsletter, etc. CTAs come in many forms, but are usually a hyperlink or CTA button that the viewer can click to complete the action.
Creating an effective CTA can positively impact the success of your marketing strategy. From email marketing campaigns to blog content to website copy, a good CTA grabs your reader’s attention and encourages them to engage with your brand.
Examples of effective CTAs
Here are some examples of popular and effective CTAs to consider for your marketing materials:
buy now
“Buy Now” is a great way to encourage readers to visit your e-commerce site after reading a positive product review or testimonial on social media. This direct CTA links directly to your product page, making it easier for potential customers to purchase your product, thus increasing your sales. A common example is including a “Buy Now” button in an email campaign announcing a new product. Production line.
Request an offer
Another common CTA is “Request an Offer.” Sense of urgency Limited time offers and more Flash Sale Promotions such as “Buy one, get one free.” This CTA works well for text and email campaigns that include time-limited offers.
sign up
“Sign Up” is a clear call to action for merchants looking to increase sign-ups for newsletters or promotions. Subscription-based business For example, a software program that has a monthly fee. You can expand on this CTA with additional, more specific information, such as “Sign up with one click” or “Sign up for your free trial now.”
download
A “Download” CTA is effective if your goal is to drive downloads of a resource that provides valuable information and helps build trust and awareness of your company. Link your download CTA to a free webinar, report, e-book, template, or podcast.
add to cart
One of the most common CTAs in e-commerce, “Add to Cart” encourages visitors to add a specific product to their online store’s shopping cart. A well-placed and well-designed “Add to Cart” button is an essential feature for any e-commerce site, making it easy for online shoppers to add products to their cart.
share
Encourage your readers to share your content on their social media platforms or provide feedback directly to your company. Encouraging your customers to share their positive feedback about your products or services can generate valuable results. Social proofA psychological phenomenon characterized by the tendency to rely on the opinions of others when making decisions such as purchasing a product.
Best Practices for Writing Effective CTAs
Here are some best practices for writing compelling CTAs that drive conversions.
Set clear goals
Before creating your CTA, define your specific goal. For example, if you want to drive more website visitors to your e-commerce store, a “Buy Now” CTA that links to your website will be more effective than a “Watch Now” CTA that sends visitors to your YouTube account.
Survey your audience
Execute Market research Educate your target audience about their likes and dislikes regarding messaging. To understand the minds of your existing and potential customers, analyze their purchase history and study their search trends. For example, if your visitors spend most of their time on the “Sales” section of your website, you can add a more prominent CTA on your homepage that says, “50% off everything on sale, buy now.”
Using verbs
Effective CTAs use action words like “buy,” “search,” or “get started” to grab the user’s attention and lead them to convert. Use active, inspiring language that relates to an action the reader can take right away. For example, an ad created to promote a free trial of a subscription service might include a CTA button with active text such as “Join free now.”
Place your CTAs strategically
Consider placing your CTA prominently at the top or bottom of your ad, landing page, blog post, or other digital marketing materials. If you use multiple CTAs following a primary CTA and secondary CTA buttons, use a graphic to distinguish them from the rest of the text.
Keep it simple
An effective CTA uses only the words necessary to convey a clear prompt. Avoid long phrases that prevent the reader from quickly understanding and interacting with the CTA. If more information is required than the short CTA copy provides, include supporting text before or after the prompt.
Use eye-catching design elements
Design elements like bold text and vibrant colors can create a strong contrast with a CTA button placed amongst a lot of white space. Your button can also contain interactive elements that change size or color when a user hovers over the CTA.
Focus on the benefits
Write a clear CTA copy that highlights how your potential customers will benefit from your product or service. Value Proposition Explain how your company helps your target audience and use that statement as the basis for your call to action. For example, if you sell a software product that automatically manages schedules, you could use a CTA like “Optimize your schedule now” or “Save time today.”
Create a sense of urgency
A well-crafted call to action uses urgency tactics to encourage an immediate response from the reader, using phrases like “now” or “limited time offer” to create a sense of urgency and fear of missing out on a deal or product.
A/B test your CTAs
Developing an effective CTA takes trial and error. A/B Testing Compare two versions of your CTA to evaluate which one drives more conversions. For example, you could compare a clickable button and a hyperlinked text version of your CTA in a blog post to see which generates more clicks.
Call to action FAQs
What is a powerful call to action?
A strong call to action uses action verbs and eye-catching design elements to grab the reader’s attention, highlight benefits, and encourage them to take action, such as purchasing a product or signing up for a newsletter.
What are some examples of calls to action?
“Add to Cart” is a call to action commonly seen on e-commerce sites that encourages online shoppers to add a product to their cart. shopping cart.
Why are CTAs important?
A well-crafted and well-designed call to action can reduce decision fatigue in your prospects by providing them with clear next steps towards the specific action you want them to take.
