As nuanced modern marketing may have become, pitching the perfect call-to-action (CTA) remains one of the most critical steps in coaxing prospects to take the next step to become a part of the sales funnel.
Contemporary customers are discerning in their choices and their decision-making process. Your attention to detail, in choosing right CTA, is likely to be the difference between eliciting a response and nullifying any positive impact that the preceding content had.
For instance, Netflix - a business most of us would acknowledge as being particularly in step with the next generation of consumers - has a CTA button that says 'join free for a month', accompanied by clear and uncluttered preceding content that says: 'Watch anywhere. Cancel anytime'.
These, and other prompts, like 'learn more', 'speak to an expert' or 'start free trial', are a clear departure from 'buy now', 'submit', 'download now', etc. – which were prevalent in the past.
Successful marketing strategies are reflecting a customer base that wants explicit value stated upfront, and a more engaging tone of CTA.
Visual cues are another aspect that adds to the effectiveness of CTA. Click rates are inarguably high for an attention-grabbing button, placed strategically but prominently, coupled with an action-oriented, brief-but-clear description of the value proposition.
Conversely, if the CTA accompanies overly-elaborate, information-rich content and unnecessary elaboration on technical specifications, customers are likely to move on from your site.
Your content should instead offer instant gratification, and be dynamic and personalized, through unique CTAs that are calibrated to the different stages of your customer's purchasing journey.
In tandem with compelling content, an effective CTA creates a sense of urgency, and easily accessible value, forming the final piece of the sales conversion puzzle.
In a nutshell
- Overselling but under-delivering CTAs fail to convert.
- Benefit-oriented CTAs, which allude to value and instant gratification are effective
- Overly-elaborate, high-tech content can discourage customers from clicking.
- Clickable CTAs should be guided by dynamic content that offers actionable insights.