A good Call to Action should be part of any online action where a user response is sought. They are a key element in the generation of records and leads, and it should be important to know how to include them in your e-mails, landing pages, etc.
Perfect, you have already designed a super-powerful content strategy… Congratulations! You are walking a necessary path, which many will not see until it is too late and their window of opportunity is reduced, and that will give you a significant advantage over your competitors. In spite of everything, even if we say that content is king, you should never lose sight of your objectives.
When you have content, and you have managed to attract and retain some users, it is time to direct them towards achieving the objectives of your online strategy, and the best tool to achieve this is the call to action.
Calls to Action are buttons that we place on a website and that seek to attract potential customers. This is one of the most important parts of a landing page because of its high efficiency. On that page you offer interesting content for the user and the Call to Action allows you to connect the public with the company through a questionnaire that the user must complete. But to achieve the desired goal, it is key to take care of the design and text of each of these buttons. Therefore, it is important that you pay attention to these tips if you want to improve and enhance your calls to action:
Target your audience
Not all websites are designed for the same audience or with the same objective. It is important that you locate your target audience. You must segment the public according to your objectives and thus choose the Call to Action that best suits your needs. You have to be very specific in this aspect because that way, more results will be obtained. The campaign must be aimed at that target audience and not mix users, the key is to focus.
Furthermore, once the segment has been defined, you must know what type of user is on your website: customer or visitor and depending on this, define the button in one way or another.
To the visitors: We want to make them loyal, read us often and become subscribers. Maybe they don’t know our business well yet but we want them to gradually become our followers.
To the customers: We want them to buy our product or service. They know you well and have already reached the second step, perhaps they are only interested in looking for an offer.
Clear content
he text on the button is extremely important and must be measured word for word. It is a short, direct, concise text that persuades the user to click on it. And it must, above all, be in line with the context of the page. It must not be exaggerated or give false information, it must be very clear. The tone is also important. Take care of the style, more or less informal, depending on the audience you are going to address.
Size does matter
When we talk about a Call to Action, size matters a lot, especially the size of the button.
As with the buy button of an e-commerce, the Call to Action should be as large as possible as long as this does not damage the coherence with the rest of the elements of the interface or the aesthetic experience.
A large button is easier to see, allows a greater amount of text to be presented in a more readable way and invites action.
Take care of the white space
If you want your Call to Action to really stand out, give it some space. If you want to fill everything with elements that attract attention, the overall effect will be that the design is overloaded and does not have a clear focus.
When there are several elements, the blank space allows us to identify them as differentiated items, and to highlight and relate points. If there is an element that can help the user perform a certain action (for example, the advantages of our product or service), the white space between the Call to Action and this element must be reduced, in order to achieve an association between both. Similarly, you can increase the white space if you want to distance two elements.
Placement is very important
Many studies indicate that Call To Action works best at the top left of the screen, in the Western reading order.
We have accustomed the user to certain standards, such as having the create account button under a form, so the user will tend to look for something clickable on the bottom right of a form or argument. Of course this depends entirely on the set of design choices we make and is not a fixed factor.
Many analytical gurus recommend varying the position of the Call to Action from time to time to prevent the user from becoming immune to it.
One thing is for sure: always put them on the Above The Fold, i.e. no scrolling is necessary.
Make the call to action different
If you are going to place a button with which the user has to interact, make sure it stands out within the composition.
The two basic elements to play with in this field are shape and colour, although you can also try changing the tone of the copy drastically, adding a texture, etc.
Playing with the contrast between elements allows us to highlight our Call to Action and direct the user’s attention towards it. In many cases a colour palette of very similar tones is used, reserving one for Call to Action and elements to highlight, or the background is shaded with the intention of making the elements placed on it stand out.
Make it the interactive call to action
A basic point of a button is that it must look like a button.
We have accustomed users to the fact that the buttons tend to change when we place the mouse over them, so make sure your Call to Action button works the same way. It doesn’t have to be a completely different colour, just that the user perceives the change and understands that they can click (even if it was already obvious).
Watch the Copy of the Call to Action
Getting the user’s attention is vital. Directing their attention to the elements you want to highlight and subtracting it from those less relevant to your business is fundamental, but for the client to find a text that invites them to action is essential for them to carry it out.
This point is especially critical when our value proposal is not based on an impulse purchase or subscription, but requires a rational valuation or there are brakes to carry out the action.
With a good copy sometimes the rest of the elements become unnecessary.
These are some of the tips that will allow you to optimize and take advantage of the possibilities of Call to Action. Don’t forget above all that you must be concise, direct and present the information clearly if you want the client to be tempted by the offer. The best option is to try out various alternatives to see which one works best. If you do not yet have Call to Action, do not hesitate to get to work and take advantage of the effectiveness of these buttons. Try, experiment better sooner than later, sketch, try with users and put yourself in their role… and don’t leave a puppet with a head.