This is some text inside of a div block.
This is some text inside of a div block.

What is Call-to-Action (CTA)? CTA - Definition

Call to Action (CTA) is defined as any message inviting the user to perform a specific action.

You can see the most common CTAs almost every day, such as "Add to Cart ”, "Buy Now”, "Subscribe”, or “Download for Free“. You will encounter CTAs in almost every digital platform from e-commerce sites to technology sites, news sites, and corporate websites; mostly in the form of a button.

CTAs are becoming more and more common and this is reducing their effect because they are everywhere on the web. In other words, it is becoming increasingly difficult to deliver a message to a user or potential customer.

What Should an Effective CTA Contain?

  • Clarity: You must create your CTAs with a direct and straightforward message because users would want to know what happens when they follow through with the desired action (for example, when they click the button).
  • Design: A good CTA is not just about the right text. It also needs to have the right colors and designs. For instance, an appealing CTA can be created with the right color, shape, and contrast choices.
  • Positioning: The position of CTAs in the web page is as important as the text, format, or color. On an e-commerce site, the product page must have the "Add to Cart” button in the correct place, or the "Sign Up” button on a landing page should be placed in an appropriate place. You may examine whether CTAs are used correctly or not by performing regular tests.

Effective CTA Samples

CTAs with Social Evidence

Social proof is referred to as the provision of testimonials from previous users to convince users of your credibility and to establish reliability.

Customized CTAs with Retargeting

By using Facebook Pixels or Google Remarketing offers, you can present CTAs to segmented users who have visited certain pages or performed specific actions on your website. With a more personalized communication experience, the likelihood of user engagement will increase. For example, you can increase the conversion rate by showing ads that are aimed at people who have viewed certain categories on your e-commerce site or who have added products to the shopping cart but have not completed their order.

Call to action retargeting example

In the example above, there is a Facebook Carousel ad for Red Beard Coffee, which targets real coffee drinkers. The CTA of "Earn 50% Discount” by giving a discount code to a specific audience is an example of retargeting.

Highlight The Problem and Offer a Solution Using CTAs

Whether you provide services or sell products, you can attract users by highlighting a specific problem that your potential customers may have faced in the past. Then, with the help of a CTA, you can emphasize that you have a solution to this problem.

Highlight a problem and offer a solution with your products or services using a call to action

In the example above, you can see a brand that offers stock photos. “Don't settle for bad stock visuals. We have real visuals from the real world” is paired with the "Use better visuals" CTA and is able to draw traffic to the website.

Be Positive and Deliver Exactly What Users Want

Be Positive and Deliver Exactly What Users Want Call to Action Example

Neil Patel, whom most people in the digital marketing sector are familiar with, communicates with his users through a "Do you want more traffic, more sales?" CTA. The CTA is successful to encourage users to write their email addresses on the relevant form. This also gives users the chance to get in touch with site admins who are always there to help.

Use CTAs Effectively

The most important feature of CTAs is that they are customizable by the user. Different fonts, different colored-texts, different sizes are often used in CTAs. However, on Instagram, which is very important for almost every brand today, it is not possible to create a customized call to action button.

Nevertheless, the space reserved for the website link on the Instagram bio section enables users to have different colored and thicker font texts. This means that you can use your creative CTA there.

Customizable Instagram Bio, Call to Action on Instagram

In the example above, you can see a customized CTA link on Instagram.

Have Simple But Creative CTAs

Sometimes, when you say it should be "better ”, or “more creative", nothing comes up. In such cases, sticking to simpler ideas will save the day. Simple CTAs that attract the attention and curiosity of the target audience proved to be more clickable than you think.

Let us find your next car. This will be much easier than drawing. Simple but Creative Call to Action Example

The above is a delightful visual example of a simple and creative CTA. "Let us find your next car. This will be much easier than drawing." Don't you think it's amazing?

Because the company did not get the expected results from the A/B split test, they thought they should go with something simpler. So they prepared this image and were rewarded with an increase in conversion rates by 33.5%.

Feel Free to Try Different Fonts in Your CTAs

call to action different font example

CTA text is written in a darker box as compared to the background color. This box in the form of a button is not interesting when it is viewed as a CTA. However, displaying CTA text in different colors and fonts on the button draws more attention and encourages clicks.

Most designers and marketers do not prefer sudden transitions between fonts, however, using the right color and the right fonts can really prove useful.

Call-to-Action Related Terms

Click-to-Open Rate

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Conversion Rate

Email Header, Email Body, and Email Footer

Email Marketing

Landing Page

Call-to-Action Related Articles

10 Best Shopify Popup Apps: Comparison / 2019

How To Increase Sales With 17 Proven Methods via Digital Marketing