A ‘Call to Action’ is often known by its abbreviation – ‘CTA’.
A 'Call to Action' is a marketing term that refers to the next step that a business/marketer wants the website user to take. A call to action aims to encourage the website user to take that next action.
A 'Call to Action' can be many different things on a website, such as…
- A ‘Buy’ button
- A ‘Donate’ button
- A ‘Download’ of the relevant content button
- A ‘Free Trial’ sign up
- A ‘Learn More’ button
- Completing a contact form
- Subscribing to a newsletter
'Call to actions' are not just limited to websites, CTAs exist in many different places such as…
- A link on a social post or profile encouraging viewers to click for more content or a special offer
- A link in an email encouraging readers to view an article or more content
- Text in any print marketing encouraging its viewer to get in touch or head to a website
- Even a sign on a roundabout letting you know that your favourite fast food place is on the 3rd exit
A 'Call to Action' is any positive action that gets an individual closer to buying a product from you or becoming a user of your service. We are all inundated with many CTAs in our everyday life.
Types of 'Calls to Action'
There are two types of CTAs, they are ‘Direct’ and ‘Soft’.
Direct 'Calls to Action'(CTAs)
Direct 'Calls to Action' are where the wording/language given to the CTA is direct and to the point.
They are direct, cannot be misunderstood, and appear with more urgent language than softer CTAs.
Examples of direct 'Calls to Action' are…
- Buy Now
- Subscribe
- Contact Us
- Try Now
- Add to Basket
A good direct CTA will grab a customer’s attention and encourage them to take action, ultimately encouraging them to reach one of the business’s goals. That might be a sale, a lead, or any other type of quantifiable conversion.
Soft 'Calls to Actions (CTAs)'
Soft 'Call to Actions' is where the wording/language given to the CTA is less direct and more of an encouragement.
Examples of soft 'Calls to Action' are…
- Learn More
- Read More
A soft CTA will encourage a person to keep going, stay on the website, and potentially lead them to a direct CTA at the next point in the user’s journey with you.
Which type of 'Call to Action' (CTA) should I use?
The type of calls to action to use does depend on where the CTA is going to be utilised, what your business goals are, and ultimately how your business speaks to its audience.
When having an aggressive sales push, businesses tend to lean on Direct CTAs. When wanting to encourage learning, businesses tend to lean on Soft CTAs.
If you are unsure then try both – A/B testing is your friend in this scenario.
If you are looking to introduce or improve the calls to action on your website, emails, or social media posts, then get in touch with the team here at Digital Nachos today!
(Above is an example of a CTA within a piece of text, below is an example of a CTA as a ‘button’ on site.)
Published: 2nd Feb 2024