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Most marketers know what CTAs are but many don’t know how to make the most of them. For those who don’t know, a CTA (short for call to action) tells your subscribers what to do. Without a good CTA, your subscribers will not know what to do with the newsletters you send them. Below are our 5 tips on how to use CTAs effectively in your email campaigns.
Tip #1: Less is better
You don’t want to overwhelm your subscribers, so less is always better. So we suggest you only use one call to action, if possible. However, we also know that there are instances when you need more than one call to action. It’s not the end of the world, just make sure that each call to action is placed at the right place so that it’s clear what it asks subscribers to do. Check the example below from Takealot. Even though there are many call to actions, you know exactly which one to click if you want the Dell Monitor.
Tip #2: Place your CTA where it is most likely to achieve the desired outcome
When it comes to calls to action placement, marketers can’t seem to agree. Some say you should put it above the fold so that it’s immediately visible. Others say you should put it at the bottom. The best thing to do is use common sense and think about where it is most likely to achieve the desired outcome. Also, there are cases where you have to put it at the bottom. For example, if you send an email that requires one to read a guide (for example) before they can take action, it’s better to put the call to action at the bottom. This will ensure that your subscribers understand what the call to action is asking them to do.
Tip #3: The look and feel of your CTA is important
Below are some basic things to keep in mind to create a CTA that works for you:
- Create a button instead of a hyperlinked text. A bottom stands out more than a regular sentence of text, and buttons are shown to increase conversion rates by as much as 28%.
- Pick a color. Your call to action needs to stand out, so the color of the button needs to be different than that of the surrounding color. Look at the Takealot example again. The background of the email is white and the CTA is blue. This makes the CTA stand out.
- Take advantage of the white space. Don’t surround your CTA with many things that could distract your subscribers. Leave some white space around your CTA to draw attention. Take a look at the white space around the “Find Out How” call to action used in this mailer by PicknPay:
Tip #4: CTA copy is just as important
The text on your call to action is as important as the color of the button and the white space around it. The general rule is to:
- Use action-inducing words like “shop now” or “book now”.
- Keep it short. 2 to 4 words maximum is all that’s needed.
- Be relatable. Use pronouns like “I” or “me”. An example of how you could use it: “Yes! I want a free upgrade” or “Count me in!”.
Tip #5: Test, test and test some more
You might not expect any changes from moving a call to action from the bottom of your mailer to the top, but it does happen. Small changes often have a big impact, and that’s why testing is important. Besides that, I’m sure you want your results to improve often time. You can achieve better results through testing.
We hope that these tips will get you on your way to creating mailers that encourage swift action from your subscribers.
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