At some level, we all have a little skepticism about many of the popular marketing strategies and practices. If you run a business, you know that there are some recommended practices that feel somewhat pointless. Yet, the industry believes in them.
Statista notes that Google dominates the online search industry, as in 2024, 90% of all search queries were run on it. In essence, Google handles over 60% of all search queries in America. If your business website manages to rank on the first page of Google, it’s often enough to set you up for success. However, that is only part of the battle. What customers do once they enter your website is equally, if not more important.
As a business owner, you have to consider all aspects that have the potential to improve your business. Yes, even the ones that you may be skeptical about. In this article, let’s take a closer look at CTAs and learn why they are one of the most important elements you focus on.
What Is a Call to Action?
According to Hocoos, a call to action or a CTA is anything that provokes a reaction from the user. This could be the act of clicking a button or even making a purchase. It’s a sort of encouragement to reduce the likelihood of missed opportunities. If you’re someone who’s starting a business and making a website, good CTAs apparently hold a lot of potential for business growth.
Indeed.com notes that even with a good marketing campaign, a good CTA is needed to show customers what specific steps to take. They explain that CTAs are important because not only do they increase sales conversion, but they also help in expanding your customer base.
So, what does a CTA look like? Well, an example of common CTAs includes phrases like “Sign up now” or “Join our newsletter.” Now, you might be thinking that surely, a simple phrase like “Click here” isn’t enough to make a difference, right? Well, you’d be surprised.
Why Do CTAs Work?
One reason why CTAs seem to be so effective is because of something called the Zeigarnik Effect. This refers to our need to find closure. As SimplyPsychology explains, this effect is named after Russian psychologist Blima Zeigarnik. The effect holds that people tend to remember uncompleted tasks better than tasks that have been completed.
This need for closure is also why anything that helps in creating closure becomes incredibly attractive. So if you’ve been looking at a certain item online, a prominent button that says “Buy Now” draws you in subconsciously.
Another reason why CTAs work is that they anchor expectations in a concrete manner. For instance, a CTA that’s been placed in a good spot tells users exactly what they can expect. This could be something like “Get Your Free Quote,” which anchors the expectation of receiving something of value without cost.
As you can see, there are multiple psychological factors at play. On the surface, CTA’s indeed seem overly simplistic. However, they don’t work on the surface level. They are meant to prime users, reduce decision fatigue, and take advantage of your feelings (even if you’re unaware of them).
How Do You Create The Most Effective CTAs?
So, now that we know what CTAs are and the psychology behind them, it’s time to find out how to create them. To be specific, how can we create effective ones? The first rule that you want to keep in mind is specificity. A CTA like “Download the Free Ebook Now” is a good example of how specific you want to be.
What is the action required? ‘Downloading’ What should be downloaded? ‘The Free Ebook.” When do they need to download it? “Now.” Try making CTAs that answer key questions with specificity.
Similarly, another great technique to create an effective CTA is A/B testing. This is when you create two different CTAs. Option A might say “Sign Up Now”, while option B might say “Get My Free Guide.” You run both CTAs and see which CTA gets the most clicks and conversions. Do this enough times, and you can fine-tune your creation process to create some amazing CTAs.
All things considered, despite their rather simplistic appearance, CTAs hold a lot of power. This is something that any marketing expert will tell you. So, don’t dismiss them as being tiresome jargon. The best part is that even if you’re a fledgling business, CTAs can still be just as useful to you as they are for industry veterans.
Leave a Reply