Category Archives: Marketing Exercises

12 Ways to Strengthen Your Call to Action

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Published on May 14, 2012 | Marketing Profs

In this article, you’ll learn…

  • How to use subject lines, buttons, and language to craft better calls to action
  • What to include in your calls to action to make them interesting and compelling

Think of the elusive call to action as a lead-generation gateway. Creating a great call to action can be tricky. Clearly identifying what you offer and how you want to convey that offer requires thoughtful consideration and good timing.

Here are 12 tips for optimizing your calls to action to ensure they compel potential customers to act.

1. Create concise subject lines
Online readers are expert skimmers, so create short, effective email subject lines that contain clear benefit, and be sure to instantly answer the question, “What’s in it for me?” Make the message personal, and speak in “human,” not jargon.

The three most popular types of subject lines that get subscribers reading emails are those featuring discount offers, free product offers, and familiar brand names.

According to a study by Experian Marketing Services (PDF), the use of the words “you” and “your” in subject lines has increased 3.7% since 2008, appearing in 20.9% of email subject lines. The use of the word “free” has decreased, showing up in only 12.4% of email subject lines, compared with 16.9% in 2008.

2. Test the subject line
Experiment. Test which subject lines get click-throughs. Try new things. Are you subscribed to a company email list? What gets you clicking? Again, refer to your analytics to see what content is inspiring your subscribers.

dobusiness@tayloradams4me.com | Compelling Call To Actions -TaylorAdams Marketing Mgmt

3. Consider using buttons
Sometimes, you may want to use a button as part of your call to action. Choosing the right button is critical to getting visitors to click. The goal is to create a subtle, easy-to-use image. Experiment with button shapes. Contrast the colors of buttons to make them pop, and use clear and bold text. And keep it simple! The simplest calls to action are almost always the most successful.

Notice the design of Facebook and Twitter buttons. Each has only two colors and one letter. Overly complex buttons may confuse and mislead. You can never go wrong if you keep your calls to action clean, simple, and to the point.

4. Get the language right
Your calls to action should tell readers exactly what’s in it for them. Use confident language. Be bold and assertive, but don’t stray from your brand’s style and tone.

  • Brevity: Say what you need to in as few words as possible.

5. Make it urgent
Creating a sense of urgency will motivate the reader to click through to the page. Use words such as “today” and “now.” Use wording that provides incentive to the reader to click right then and there. Urgent, action-oriented words are more successful than words such as “free” in inspiring your subscribers to take action.

6. Remove distractions
Keep your message clear. Do not litter your email with busy distracting designs, too many colors, or multiple fonts. Remember—keep the message in your calls to action simple and to the point.

  • Color: Use color wisely to make sure that your call to action stands out from the other information on the page. Use a color wheel to help you decide on contrasting colors

7. Use numbers when possible
When people search online, they are looking for specifics. Numbers convey at least the impression of a clear, specific message. Therefore, find ways to incorporate statistics and other numbers to share based on the overall goal of your call to action. If your goal is to promote an event, for example, use numbers to show the specifics (e.g., dates, prices, attendees, specials).

(CTA): relates to conversion CTA is a specific message/graphic urging the user act. CTA Design is the art of moving visitors from one page to the next, and finally persuading them to take an expected, predetermined action. www.acromediainc.com/glossary_interactive_web_development

8. Make it newsworthy
Research news pertaining to your industry, sign up for RSS feeds, and visit Google Alerts for daily ideas on spinning news into a creative call to action.

9. Ask questions
Asking a question is a great attention-grabbing tactic to motivate reader follow-through. Make questions compelling, personal, and irresistible.

10. Plan its design
Good tactics go into creating good calls to action. Getting the position of the call to action right largely depends on the design layout. Place your calls to action high up and centered on the page—right in the reader’s main area of interest.

Another way to make your call to action really pop is to leave a significant amount of white space around it. On the other hand, using an alternative and interesting color palette would also effectively draw attention to your call to action. Make your calls to action big. The bigger… the more noticeable.

Using all those various ideas correctly will effectively lead the reader to your call to action.

11. Focus on creating good content
Although great design is key to a successful call to action, the words you use and the way you use them are the most important. Start the call to action with a verb, followed by a subject, such as “Ask an expert.” Be bold and declarative.

Offer the reader something valuable. Use incentives such as coupons and special offers to keep the subscriber reading. Tease your “special offer” at the beginning of the email—and close with a hard sell.

Feature images of your product, or, better yet, use video to send a message. A study by GetResponse (PDF) found that more than “80% of respondents [planned] to use video emails in 2010, while in 2009 only 15.7% of responders used video in their email campaigns.”

Use alliteration, metaphor, and rhyme. Target your audience with dynamic content, and produce the dynamic content via list segmentation and the use of autoresponders. Find popular phrases and words related to your product or service, and use them in your copy to boost search engine optimization.

12. Choose an email service provider that offers simple email optimization features
For example, drag-and-drop email editors simplify content creation and allow you to send emails faster and more effectively. Other software features that enhance your calls to action are flexible and intuitive navigation; the ability to move, copy, or delete content blocks; and easy graphic-editing tools (so you don’t need to know HTML or CSS coding).

Plus, email personalization, social media integration, dynamic content, and RSS content capabilities will automate your campaigns, and make them more interactive.

Read more: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2012/7884/12-ways-to-strengthen-your-call-to-action#ixzz1usEiO5oO

Exercise: Zeroing In On Our Target Market

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This year, 2012, each quarter we (you and TaylorAdams Marketing & MgMt) will engage one marketing exercise together. On January 15th let’s kick-off the year by zeroing in on our target audience. Let’s get more specific, more intimate, and stay updated on what’s significant to our target market.

Without reinventing the wheel, we’ll simply revisit the exercise from EMINENT DOMAIN: Know Your Target Audience. Jan 15 thru March 15, 2012 step by step we’ll complete the exercise, post our findings and feedback here supporting one another through the process while gaining a new intimacy with our individual target audiences.

Excerpt from EMINENT DOMAIN: Know Your Target Audience:

“There must be an understanding of the customer and their needs. It is most important to understand the target audience. Essentially a marketing strategy is built around the core values, vision and objectives of the organization. In development of market strategy, one becomes aware that in order to have product, price, promotion or placement, the organization must have done its research on the market and the consumer need for its service. Without an understanding of the targeted audience, the organization cannot market at all. It is important to build the product, its price, distribution and promotion around the needs of the people and of course, from there, work to persuade segments of the segment into wanting the product.

What many business people starting out really do not understand about marketing and understanding the average consumer is that more that likely the target is open to finding information about your product or service… Still it is your job and the purpose of the marketing strategy to define who should be looking for you.

Knowing your target audience is also eminent in developing your website. The variables that define your target audience also shape your site and how the search engines will guide potential clients to your virtual door.

Ask yourself these questions to help you better understand who your business is working for; your target audience:

Knowing Your Target Audience is Marketing's Eminent Domain

1. Who does your product appeal to, and what are their general characteristics? Start out broad. General attributes to consider are your target audience’s age, sex, location, income level, and marital status.

2. What is their motivation for buying your product or services? In short, what is your customer’s pain? Why do they so badly need you? The point is your product adds some sort of value to their lives. Figure out what that value is.

Is your product something they need or something they want? Does having your product elevate their social status somehow? Does it make them feel better about themselves? Or is it something that merely entertains them?

3. How does your target audience shop? To best market to your ideal customer, you need to figure out their purchasing habits.

  • Do they tend to make impulse purchases, or are they more rational, logical consumers?
  • Where do they shop? Online or in person?
  • Are they loyal to particular brands or are they always susceptible to jump ship?

4. Where does your target audience congregate? In order to communicate with your target audience, you need to first know where they are. By knowing exactly where your target audience is, you can focus your marketing efforts into those areas so that you have a better chance of capturing their attention.

Figure out which social networks and other websites they frequent most. Which type of physical establishments do they hang out in? Which TV and radio stations do they tune into? Which magazines do they read?

January 15th here we come! Post your questions and feedback as comments below. You may also contact me, Jacqueline Taylor-Adams at (215) 774-1237 or email dobusiness@tayloradams4me.com.