A Call-To-Action (CTA) is a key lead generation element and should be included in your marketing, including through e-mail, social media updates, etc. While your personal desire for the end result of each CTA to be a purchase through your company, you cannot always expect this. Hubspot recently published three major steps you can take to “improve your calls-to-action and optimize them for maximum conversions.” Here, we discuss mastering the design of a CTA.
Master Compelling Calls-To-Action
- Size Matters: Make It Big. Your end goal is to attract attention so make your button large. You want it to stand out so it is easy to find.
- Spacial Effect: Despite what was said above, often less is more. Make it simple and don’t crowd the text. Jacob Gube from SmashingMagazine says, “[t]he more white space there is in between a call-to-action button versus a surrounding element, the less connected they are.” Reduce the white space around your CTA and/or fill the background of your CTA with warm colors, which appear closer to the viewer.
- Placement: Place the CTA button “above the fold” so that viewers don’t have to scroll to find it. An Eyetrack III study suggests that the best placement is the top, left position.
- Contrast: Make your CTA stand out by choosing a color that contrasts with the background of the website.
- Interactive Effects: Popular calls-to-action include interactive effects, such as changing when a person hovers their mouse. You can also include drop shadow, text and button bevels or gradient colors.
- Try Unconventional Shapes: Many a CTA will have the standard rectangular box. There’s nothing that says you can’t make yours more interesting by adding rounded corners. Some consumers regard square boxes as ads and often avoid them.
- Create a Sense of Direction: You may bring more attention by having an arrow point at your CTA. HubSpot also uses a picture of a human looking AT their CTA to draw more attention.
- Multiple Calls-To-Action: If you have multiple CTA buttons, decide which is most important and make that your largest. You can use different colors to differentiate between them or place them side by side with the first button being your most important.
- Focus on Text, Not Graphics: As copywriter, Dean Rieck says, “People looking for information are looking for text, not pictures.” Make sure you have clear and specific wording. You may include graphics but they should not be the focus.
By following the steps above, you can create effective calls-to-action for your business. Have you created a successful CTA before? Tell us about it in the comments below.
