Email marketing campaigns function to drive an end goal: seeing subscribers take an action. That small, seemingly insignificant CTA button that takes up only a miniscule portion of space, plays a mighty role in driving conversions and achieving your desired results. And without a clear CTA, your readers will take no action as a result of your email – rendering it ineffective.
Is an irresistible CTA the business email marketing solution you need? How can you create an eye-catching, clean and simple CTA that arrests the attention of your reader and makes them want to follow your lead?
Before we bring you the hottest tips for crafting a clickable CTA for every one of your emails, let’s unpack the definition of a CTA and its purpose in email marketing:
What is a CTA and how can a good one propel your email marketing efforts?
Definition: A call to action (CTA) uses precise, actionable wording to command attention and drive readers to do something (like clicking through to a website, making a call, buying a product, requesting a quote or any number of other steps).
CTAs tell the reader what they should do and transports them to the business’s desired location/page to do so.
Here are the hard facts:
- CTAs are the number 1 driver of click throughs on your email and website
- Research has shown that button-based CTAs increase click-through-rates by 127%
- CTAs work to move email recipients along the customer journey
- CTAs play a vital role in improving conversions.
Want more action from your call to action?
Generic CTAs (that fail to grab attention, use the same wording as the next email marketing ad and are easy to browse past) – we’ve all seen them, thought about clicking them and just moved on. How can you make a reader spot your CTA and drive them to take the necessary next step?
At TouchBasePro, we’ve been in the business email marketing solutions game for some time now and know what it takes to craft a compelling, attractive and irresistible CTA.
Follow our top 5 pointers for improving yours:
#1 Understand your audience
Knowing your target market is a fundamental aspect of crafting effective CTAs as a business email marketing solution. But, in order to create personalised and engaging CTAs, you must conduct thorough audience research and segmentation.
Let’s unpack this a bit further:
Audience research means understanding what makes your subscribers tick – their preferences, behavioural patterns and needs. By gaining insight into these elements, you can write CTAs that resonate strongly with your recipients on a deeper level.
Some research areas for consideration include:
- Demographics – determine factors such as age, gender, location, income level and occupation
- Psychographics – delve into reader attitudes, interests and values
- Utilise surveys and feedback – understand subscriber pain points, preferences and expectations
- Analyse past engagement – look for patterns in CTRs, conversions and response times.
Segmentation involves dividing your subscribers into groups based on common characteristics or stages in the customer journey. This allows you to make use of the research gathered to speak directly to each group’s interests and taste.
#2 Make it stand out
Believe it or not, the design of your CTA is just as much a pivotal part of your business email marketing solution as the wording you craft. If a reader misses the CTA or finds it too gaudy, you’ve lost out.
How can you craft beautiful eye-catching CTAs?
- Opt for a button
A button is a bolder, more commanding way of attracting the attention of your audience (particularly when it comes to mobile readers). It stands out much better than a piece of hyperlinked text. According to our research, buttons have increased conversion rates by as much as 28%.
- Take advantage of white space
Don’t clutter your CTA with too many other distractions or images. Rather maintain a bit of vacant space to give readers a visual break and draw attention to the right place. This also works best for mobile readers, creating more room for their fingers to click the button.
- Use bright colours
Orange and green are said to be the top performers, but often colour preferences depend on brand. Aim to contrast your CTA colour with the background and make it stand out. Test a few colours to see what works best.
- Don’t distract your readers
Sometimes less is more. Too many enticing images, links and buttons can be overwhelming and detract from your primary goal. If you do opt for more than one CTA, make sure readers can identify it as the main one by making it the biggest and boldest.
- Test it out
Leverage the power of A/B split testing and try a number of different colours, placements and styles to see what works as your optimal business email marketing solution.
#3 Place it in the best spot
Placement is a hotly contested issue among various email marketing agencies. But here’s our best advice:
- Above or below the fold?
Should it be above the fold where it won’t be missed or below the fold so the reader understands the context before taking action?
Most advise to keep it above the fold, but each email’s goal is different, so rather aim to place the CTA above or below the fold on a case-by-case basis.
- Follow a natural progression
We read from top to bottom, left to right, creating logical places for the placement of CTA buttons. CTAs near the bottom or on the right of content tend to outperform those placed on the left.
#4 Write readable, enticing & accessible wording
Now we get to the all-important copy.
Follow these 4 tips to optimise your CTA wording:
- Get personal – use first-person pronouns like ‘I’ or ‘me’ instead of second-person pronouns like ‘you’ to command attention. E.g, ‘Start my free trial’ or ‘Yes, I want a free upgrade’.
- Use action-oriented text – replace boring terms like ‘submit’, ‘enter’ or ‘click here’ with verbs like ‘get’, ‘shop’, ‘try’. E.g. ‘reserve my place’, ‘get the discount’.
- Keep it short – preferably use 2 or 3 words and no more than 5 or 6.
- Create urgency and incentive – see a higher CTR by incorporating emotive words that motivate readers to act promptly and provide incentives. E.g. ‘Exclusive offers’, ‘RSVP now – 7 spots’, ‘50% off today only’.
#5 Align with the best email marketing service provider
Nail your future campaigns by teaming up with an outstanding business email marketing solution: TouchBasePro.
The best CTA requires more than a bright button or catchy wording. If the rest of your email is lacking pizazz, there’s only so much a great CTA can do. For this reason, you need to find an email marketing agency to help you get all aspects of your email strategy on track for success (from subject lines to deliverability, solid offers to automation and so much more).
