Get Your CTA on Point To Finish Strong August 12, 2019, | Posted by erin

As we head into the busiest part of the year for retailers and many other brands, it’s a good time to evaluate every aspect of your email marketing strategy, from subject lines to creative, copy to call to action. A good, strong call to action is an absolute must for a successful campaign, standing alongside the perfect open-bait subject line for priority. Site Impact knows that a good CTA can really deliver in a clinch, so today we’re going to look at how to strengthen your call to action to get the conversions you need.

Don’t finish with your CTA--start with it

The first strategy for crafting a stronger call to action is to make it the first thing you do when you’re planning a campaign. It’s the mast touch on the customer’s mind, their final variable in deciding whether or not to convert--but by treating the email itself as a vehicle for the CTA, you’ll find that everything falls into place a lot more readily, and you begin to look at the other variables (which are still important, of course) as in service to the call to action. It gives you a quick way to focus in and make everything work, which inherently results in a CTA that is going to be stronger. You’re also approaching it when you’re at your freshest--and instead of having to find something to fit into the design/alongside the subject line/in the creative, you can tailor everything around the most important element.

Decide on single or multiple CTAs based on your goals

There is a great deal of debate on the topic of whether an email should contain one call to action or several, but we’re here to give the final answer: both work for specific goals and situations and functions. But this does mean that your decision to use one CTA or to place several in the body of your email is going to depend on what it is you have going on. A single CTA is a good general rule for email: it’s simple, it drives all traffic to one place, and you don’t have to mitigate the possibility of your recipients getting distracted. However, multiple CTAs are useful when you have an audience that is likely to be interested in--for example--more than one promotional offer you have going on at the same time. In those instances, your recipient can choose the offer that is most relevant to them, instead of you having to guess which one will get them to convert.

Don’t shy away from power words

Some marketers have tried to avoid what they see as overloading email with power words; if they put one in the subject line, they try to keep them out of the body content. If there are power words in the copy, they try to craft a call to action that doesn’t include them. We’re here to say that as long as you’re not bombarding your recipients with more power words than actual content, there is no reason not to go all in--especially when it comes to your CTA. Proven CTA power words that you can try include:

●      Shop

●      Contact

●      Save

●      Discover

●      Buy

●      Join

●      Claim

●      Try

●      View

●      Explore

●      Create

Of course, there are many more where those come from, but these are a great starting point.

Overall, the best way to make sure your call to action is doing its fair share of the work is to make it your focal point: start with it rather than finishing with it, decide whether you’ll have just one or several based on your campaign objectives, and put in the power words that work for the email you’re sending. Contact Site Impact to learn more about how we can help you bring your CTA to the next level.