Once you managed to draw prospects to your website, you surely want them to do something, such as download a white paper, subscribe to a newsletter or order one of your products. The best way to motivate users to take action is a call-to-action.
Calls-to-action serve as guideposts. They guide prospects on their way towards becoming paying customers. They tell users what to do and how to do it. Calls-to-action usually come in the form of buttons in online marketing. Although they are pretty much straight-forward, a few things should always be kept in mind:
Design
- Attention: The internet is full of wonderful stuff that competes for your attention. That is why users only spend little time on individual websites. They scan texts and move on to the next page. CtA buttons have are used to catch prospects' eyes: they stick out from the text and the imagery around it. Use a color with enough contrast from the background.
- Clarity: The button should draw attention to itself without being obnoxious. Keep the design simple. That means use only one color (e.g. red) for the button background and pay attention there is enough contrast to the text color you use.
- Visibility: Even a bright red button will not trigger a lot of clicks if you hide it at the bottom of your site. The CtA should be visible without scrolling.
Text
- Clarity: This is not the time to write a story. Even a full sentence is often too much. A small phrase that indicates what users are supposed to do and why it is in their best interest to do so should suffice.
- Motivation: Tell users why they should click the CtA. When you want them to do something, they should feel motivated to do so. Communicate the benefits of clicking on your CtA. A good method to motivate users further is urgency („now!“).