How To Write Your Next Call-To-Action With Power, Poise & Polish

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Arguably, the call-to-action is the catalyst for moving users through the funnel with your online content.

If you’ve read anything online, you’ve likely encountered a basic call-to-action encouraging you to take the next step and “Download now,” “Gain Access,” or “Contact Us.”

You want more conversions (leads, subscribers, downloads, etc.), right?

A good call-to-action — also known in marketing circles as the “CTA” — isn’t the only variable you need for better conversions, but it will certainly make your efforts a lot more effective.

Here’s how to write a CTA with power, poise, and polish.

Call-To-Action Power

The most important thing to remember with your call-to-action is this: the reader is already on your site, they’re already engaging with your content, right now, you have all of the power.

But you can easily lose power if you don’t entice your reader to take the next step. Answering “what’s in it for me” — also known as the hook — is the best way to do that.

We also call this the Give to Get. This is where you’re offering something in exchange for a users email address (because “Hey buddy! Give your email address so I can email you every 5 minutes!” just doesn’t work).

You can offer:

A free consultation (here’s what ours looks like)
A free trial of your product
Discounts
E-books, email courses, or white papers

The key is to start building trust by giving exceptional value.

A powerful call-to-action will hit three points:

It will provide clarity on your content
Powerful CTAs give your reader direction on what to do next
Your click-throughs on your CTAs will help you measure success of your site/content/offers

A powerful call-to-action has these 3 critical elements.Click To Tweet

Adding Poise & Polish To Your CTA

There are three places to perfect adding poise and polish to your call-to-action:

Your copy
The design of your call-to-action
CTA position (or placement)

Copy

For a subscriber or buyer to convert or click through on your call-to-action, they need to recognize that what you’re offering fills a need.

Don’t forget to communicate that by answering the all important question …

“What’s in it for me?”

Michael Aagaard, Unbounce’s Senior Conversion Optimizer, used this helpful image to move past boring CTA content and be more direct.

Unbounce is a tool you can use to create custom landing pages and test your CTAs, by the way!

Design

A design is often in the eye of the beholder, but when it comes to your CTA you’ll want to ensure your design stands out.

A few simple tips for good design:

Match your current branding and style
Use plenty of whitespace
Consider color — especially with your CTA button
Don’t ask for too much information (shorter forms do better)

[Source]

Look at BidSketch’s call-to-action. It’s got plenty of whitespace, uses the color red to highlight the finer points, is extremely clear and concise, and only asks for your email.

And the client testimonial? The cherry on top!

Positioning

Positioning or placement is considering where your CTA will show up on your website.

There are lots of places:

On your homepage
At the bottom of every blog post
As a pop-up

The #1 piece of advice I have regarding your CTA is to ensure it’s placed above the fold (a Google study clarified that by saying your CTA should be right above the fold).

Add poise and polish to your call-to-action in these three places.Click To Tweet

Other CTA Resources

Besides the external links listed above, we have a few of our own call-to-action resources you may like:

40 Calls-To-Action For Facebook That Will Spark Engagement (2016)
20 Of The BEST Calls To Action (2013)
20 MORE Of The BEST Calls To Action (2013)

What’s some of the best advice you have for writing the perfect call-to-action? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Brooke B. Sellas

Brooke B. Sellas is the in-the-trenches Founder & CEO of @HelloBSquared, an award-winning social media, advertising, and customer care agency. She's also the Co-host of The Marketing Companion podcast with Mark Schaefer, where they discuss jaw-dropping marketing trends. Brooke's marketing mantra is “Think Conversation, Not Campaign” so be sure to give her a shout!