Let’s delve straight in here. Call-to-action marketing has
become quite the little niche of late. Whether you call it Lead
Generation or Direct Marketing makes no matter, really. It’s the
same stuff, and many companies are realising the importance of this:
how to get so-and-so to click on/email/phone/buy. These companies
are so invested in the power of the call-to-action that they’re
hiring people to do that one important thing. So now we see people
in marketing departments responsible for just this. We see Lead
Generation Managers being recruited and placed over a bevy of
marketing folk. And for every 100 ‘Lead Generation Managers’,
you’re going to get 105 opinions on the matter.
Here is my opinion. But let me first ask you to notice the
subject line: see that bit that says part 2? It implies that there
is a Part 1. If you haven’t read it yet, then go ahead and do so
now: click here. Go on. Do it. That’s right.
Because what follows will make a whole lot more sense if you do.
What exactly IS a call-to-action, first of all? The CTA is a
device that leads people in a certain direction. If the goal of your
campaign is to have someone email you, then that’s how you set up
the CTA. If the desired outcome is to get someone to download a
piece of software, or purchase your product, then the CTA must be
geared towards that.
A generalisation in this case is not going to
do. By way of explanation into what a CTA is, and what makes a good
CTA, consider these two examples from ‘out there’
Skype does a great job of this. Minimalist design, no clutter,
CTA button well highlighted. Go Premium. That’s it, no bells, no
whistles. Says what it is, in a nutshell.
This one has four arrows pointing at the CTA; the reader has clear
directions on where to go next. Again, no clutter, nice and simple,
easy-peasy, just click here.
So here is my opinion, at last, as it relates to web pages and
other digital media:
- Make it big. In the case of the CTA, size does matter. Make
it stand out. But not so big that it overwhelms the design on the
rest of the page.
- Sometimes, less is more, or so ‘they’ say. With a CTA
this is most definitely true. If you want to attract attention to
your CTA, you’ll have to give it some breathing space. Don’t
crowd it out. White space is your friend here.
- We’re English right? So we read from left to right, top to
bottom right? Go ahead and place your CTA on the top left position
of your page. See if that new placement works for you.
- Most CTA’s seem to have the same shape: a rectangular box.
This is your button. Because most follow this, don’t follow this.
Use unconventional shapes, like little green-starry things, thought
boxes, write-outs. Square corners, according to some CTA experts,
may signal to visitors that your CTA is an ad or a banner. It will
be overlooked.
- And lastly, though this list is by no means exhaustive, focus
on the text and not the graphics. Be clear in your wording. Be
specific. Be action-oriented. And tie your graphics in with what
you’re saying.
So, in a nutshell: if you are not generating the kinds of leads
that you think your site deserves, then go on and contact me. Let us
have a look-see. It may be one simple change, something so obvious
that you haven’t spotted it yet. We’ll spot it.
And because we’ve already ascertained that I am pretty much
normal, go ahead and Try Me.
I don’t really consider myself to be the kind of guy that is
easily swayed by advertising and clever marketing. I know that a
product advertised as ‘New and Improved’ is probably neither. If
it is ‘New’, then there is no previous product on which an
improvement was built, and if it is ‘Improved’ then there was a
previous something and is therefore not new. This is not rocket
science.
I also know that using shampoo in the shower will not make me gain
weight, despite the words ‘Gives Extra Body’ on the packaging.
In the same way, using dishwashing liquid in the shower will not make
me lose weight, despite the claim that it ‘Dissolves Fat’.
So picture this one then: the other day I go to the liquor store
to pick up some wine. I am not a member of the Wine Mafia, so I am
not familiar with terms like Merlot, Pinotage, or Cabernet Sauvignon.
To me, wine comes in three types: red, white and rosé. And because
I believe that, when it comes to wine, quantity trumps quality any
day of the week, I buy my wine by the box.
This time the choice is rosé. I find the wine shelves: check.
Locate the boxed wine: check. Identify boxes of rosé: check. And
find ten or so choices. This is where I break down. There is sweet,
semi-sweet, natural sweet, sweet lite, natural sweet lite…I just
want rosé. I am starting to whine. So I do a quick scan, and
settle on a box. It speaks to me. It appeals to me. It is rosé,
and it is in a box. I take. Pay. Wipe the sweat from my forehead.
Go home.
Then, when it came time to crack that sucker open, I noticed the
following:
Try Me. Two simple little words, on a little green starry-shaped
background. Contrary to what my friends think, and what my family
know for sure, I must be normal. Out of all the choices available to
me, I picked the one that said: Try Me. So I did. I tried it. And
it was pretty good.
That little green starry-shaped thing is called a Call-To-Action.
And trust me on this one: people being what they are, if you don’t
tell them to do a thing, they ain’t gonna do it mate. You can give
them all the fancy info in the world on what you do, what you offer,
but if you don’t tell them to do something, they’re not going to
do it. You find this most often on web pages, adverts, newsletters,
anything you want people to notice. It can be a request to contact
you, or mail you, or click on something, or buy something. Whatever
it is, if you don’t tell people to do something, they don’t do
it. Sounds obvious. Many times we get it wrong.
And that’s where we’ll be leaving it off. Tune in this time
on Monday for Part 2: how to, in fact, get it RIGHT.
