As consumers, we’re bombarded with marketing messages nonstop every day, resulting in something experts refer to as decision fatigue. Too many decisions → a lack of mental energy and focus → poor decisions. Essentially, the more decisions we make, the harder it becomes to make them. This affects all of us personally in different ways, but it can also affect your brand! Fortunately, there’s a solution to this problem when it comes to your business: mastering a clear call-to-action.
A call to action, or CTA, prompts users to perform a certain action or visit a specific page. CTAs should be straightforward, understandable, and easy for followers to execute. When they are used correctly and effectively, a CTA can enhance your brand and improve your business. There are several types of CTAs, and each of them serve the same purpose through different methods: increasing your visibility and encouraging more direct contact with your company. This benefits your business in a number of ways, not the least of which is more feet in the door and a potential rise in your profit margins! Depending on your goals and the particular platform you are utilizing, you may successfully employ one or more of the following CTAs at any given time.
Leads – With a lead CTA, you’re looking to convert visitors into clients. Offering a complimentary consultation is a great example of this.
Forms – A form submission converts visitors into leads, like a “contact us” tab on your website.
Service and/or Product Discovery – These CTAs will lead visitors to a description of the services or products you offer, such as specific treatments and any related merchandise.
Sharing – This type of CTA will prompt visitors to improve brand visibility by sharing your content across social media. This could apply to blog posts, contests, or other information.
Continue Reading – Inviting visitors to “read more” will encourage them to continue consuming condensed information, allowing for concise display without a loss of visibility.
Event Promoter – Events are only successful if you have people participating! This CTA will alerts your followers to any special events or promotions you’re currently running.
Crafting strong CTAs on your website and across your social media platforms eliminates confusion and decision fatigue from the equation when it comes to prospective clients. You make the user experience crystal clear, from what to do and where to go to what the next steps should be. This leaves no doubt about the intention of your content, and followers won’t be left clicking away out of apathy or overwhelm. In fact, this can even lend your content a sense of intrigue and excitement! An effective CTA will encourage users to dig more deeply into the topic, and ideally, take the first step towards becoming a client.
As consumers, we’ve been conditioned to seek out and use CTAs. Strong calls-to-action on social media, websites, videos, text messages, digital advertising, and elsewhere are expected parts of our experience, and the easier that next step is made for us, the more likely we are to take it. Once a follower has engaged with your brand through your content, they’ll be expecting a “next step,” whatever that may be. Omitting this can confuse readers and risk “sealing the deal,” so to speak. Creating clear, direct CTAs in the expected places is good for visitors and good for business, too!
Speaking of engaging content, there’s often pressure on businesses to continuously create content like blog posts, videos, social media posts, etc. simply for the sake of having something fresh and new to post. While updated content is important, it needs to have a purpose. Keep each piece of content meaningful by attaching a clear CTA that works with your overall marketing plan. This will be instrumental in helping you increase your followers and convert more of them into clients!
So, what’s the takeaway? Don’t ignore the power of a good, strong CTA! A call-to-action should be the finishing touch on any content you publish. Consciously or subconsciously, every user consuming your content is looking for a push in the right direction. CTAs can create a sense of urgency or gently steer a follower towards your desired outcome, but either way, you should always take advantage of this tool to grow your client list, increase sales, and create a loyal following. From blogs to social media posts to static landing pages on your website, each piece of content you create with clear CTA can be a powerful cog in your marketing machine.
You often have only one chance to make a lasting impression on your target audience, and even the smallest missed opportunity can cause potential clients to pass over your brand in favor of your competition. Here at Neon Canvas, we’re experts in crafting calls-to-action that are powerful, inspiring, and easy for users to follow. If you aren’t sure how to effectively combine CTAs with your marketing approach, our team is happy to help, and we can tackle any questions you have about this topic or any other aspect of digital marketing, too. We’re here to meet your needs and do what we can to give you the results you’re looking for. As always, we appreciate you and love growing your brand alongside you!
Kyle Fagala, DDS, MDS
Co-Founder, Neon Canvas