The call to action, CTA or call to action is a button that serves to capture the attention of customers. In a digital marketing strategy, it can serve to attract potential customers or get them to go through the last stage of the sales funnel. This is achieved through the link to a landing page, landing page or form in which the user provides their data. It is a vehicle to provide content with interesting and visual offers. It is a method of persuasion for the consumer who is suggested to perform the proposed action. It is also an element that facilitates the customer-company connection.
The call to action or call to action can appear in any communicative channel towards the user such as the brand's website, advertisements or e-mails. It is always presented as a button or link that is eye-catching due to its colour or design and that is endowed with terms in an imperative tone such as "call" or "sign up". They are signals that indicate to the customer how to act in that context. They are actions necessary for the marketing campaign such as providing data through a form, downloading content, obtaining a free trial or subscribing to a newsletter.
A call to action has many varieties and styles in reference to typography, colour or white space. This versatility also exists for the place where the button or link is placed. Each site will provide a different set of values. These are the most common ones:
These CTAs are known as lead generation and their aim is to convert users into potential customers. They are key to digital marketing and ensure an increase in website traffic.
The lead magnet is used to offer information or products of value to the user in exchange for their data. These can be free ebooks or template kits, among others. This type of call to action is used to increase subscriptions.
CTAs focused on offering more information are made up of texts such as "See more", "Learn more" or "Read more". Their main function is to attract the user to specialised content within the website.
Getting the user to subscribe to the brand's newsletter will serve to obtain their data organically and increase the number of potential customers.
Calls to action that invite users to share content on social networks aim to improve social media presence, which allows new users to become interested in the brand.
This is a CTA focused on the sale of a product. These can be composed of texts such as "I want it" or "Buy it now". They directly direct the user to the purchase page.
Measuring user behaviour with CTAs is essential to understand the performance of the digital marketing strategy. The objective is to check if they meet the established KPIs. Some of the metrics to take into account are:
The call to action text should motivate people to take action. It should be composed of simple vocabulary, concise text and imperative verbs: "Call now" or "Subscribe".
In order for the CTA not to go unnoticed, it must attract the user's attention. This is achieved through visual elements such as typography or colour. Likewise, the recommended size for a call to action is 225 px wide and 45 px high.
The objectives of the call to action must be established. This is usually to direct the user to a specific page of the website, for example, the contact section with the company or the catalogue of new products.
The CTA must appear at the right time, i.e. align with the user's sales cycle. A call to action for a free trial would not make sense in a publication for new visitors.
The call to action should clearly explain what it will offer the user if they click. The offer should be of value - for example, getting exclusive offers or downloading an ebook for free.
Testing the functionality of the CTA will help to optimise the process and achieve the best results.
The platform uses CTAs on all its main pages, especially the one that invites you to test Semrush's functionalities.
This e-commerce platform embeds different call to action to recommend its services. The CTA offering a free trial of Amazon Prime Video stands out.
Next to its catalogue, the streaming platform displays several call to action buttons that invite the user to subscribe or learn more about its services.