One of the things that regularly amazes me about writing copy is that it can be magical. The right mixture of words can accomplish unbelievable things; it can change lives, get people to spend money, and even create a legacy that last generations.
Precisely how we arrive at this magical combination of words is a cryptic, almost alchemical process, which further adds to its magnetism.
Calls to action can be understood in a similar way. In any form of marketing, the call to action also known as the CTA is the part of your ad, copy or landing page that asks the visitor to take the next step in the process.
It’s generally just a few words, often appearing on a button or at the bottom of a blog. The right CTA can make folks do things in a way that even the most convincing long-form copy cannot. A strong Call to Action is far more than a mixture of words that hopefully compels users to click on a button – it’s an influential statement of intent, a rallying cry to our community, the crescendo of a rousing speech that leaves the audience elated, clenched fists raised victoriously to the sky.
Well, that’s the notion, anyway.
Like writing ad copy, constructing a compelling call to action is part art, part science. In today’s blog, we’ll be exploring the science part by examining a few ideas for creating more gripping Call to Actions based on findings of real A/B tests.
1. Offer more Information, Not ‘Quotes’
If you have ever shopped online for something like car insurance, then you’re almost certainly familiar with what a huge pain the process can be. What most marketing firms don’t understand is how the word “quote” can inspire anxiety and dread in even the most courageous bargain hunter.
Folks visiting your website may certainly be looking for a quote, but that doesn’t mean that using the word “Quote” in your CTAs is a smart idea. In reality, the word “quote” can have negative implications, and invoke thoughts of lengthy web forms, convoluted processes, and considerably more hassle in general. Remember – individuals don’t want a quote, they want to know how much to pay for your services, and they want to get their hands on this data as quickly and seamlessly as possible.
A prime example of this belief in action is this A/B test we did with a software copy who is also a client. The only element we changed in this example is the jargon of a CTA, which it changed from “Request a Quote” to “Request Pricing,”
This modest change resulted in a surge in CTR of almost 162%, showing that visitors responded much more positively to a Call to Action for pricing information that they did for just a quote.
2. Change the word ‘Your’ to ‘My’
The term “Your” is a popular choice for many Call to Actions. The most obvious is that it explicitly implies that whatever you’re asking people to do or sign up for is theirs. This can be extremely effective in certain situations, such as webinar registrations. Asking visitors to “Secure your seat” can be highly motivational, and create a sense of distinctiveness. However, it doesn’t always work.
**Below is an example from Word Stream**
Oli created a CTA for a client that was at the very end of the conversion process, meaning that every click had a financial impact for the client. Oli was confident that the possessive determiner “Your” would prove to be more effective than “My” in the button’s copy. As such, Oli set up an A/B test to see which of the two buttons would result in more conversions for his client.
To his surprise, the treatment button (that used “Your” instead of “My”) performed poorly compared to the control – almost 25% worse: Learn more here http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2016/03/07/call-to-action-marketing
3. Emphasis the Benefits
In an attempt to proactively overcome one of the most common and controlling objections to converting – price – many companies focus exclusively on the free or no-obligation fundamentals of their pitch or offers. While this can be useful in some situations, if you’re trying to grow your conversion rates, try focusing on the benefits, rather than risk-aversion strategies.
With any luck these examples have given you some thoughts on how you can improve the conversion rates of your Call to Action, but they should not, under any conditions, be taken as undisputable proof that a change or adjustment will work for your website. Only statistics gleaned from a laborious, statistically significant A/B test based on the behavior of your consumers should inform your choices. If in doubt, test – then test again.