Although the end goals may be different, one thing stays the same with content marketing: you want your visitors to take action. Whether that is signing up for a newsletter, scheduling a complimentary meeting with your office, or commenting on your most recent blog post, viewer interaction is one of the simplest ways to measure content marketing success.
What are the Different Types of CTAs?
A call to action is a button, sentence, or link that makes viewers want to take a next step. Calls to action, or CTAs, change depending on the content and the action required, but they are usually a simple one or two step action that can generate new leads, get more information from a prospect, or promote social interaction.
One type of call to action is lead generating. These CTAs attract visitors and turn them into leads and is often prominent in a high-traffic area on your website or blog. They can also be floating banners or side widgets. One example of a lead generating CTA is our “Have a Question?” widget that we feature on our sites.
The next is a social sharing CTA. Usually, these are the little Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn icons you see on websites and blogs. We feature social sharing CTAs on our websites because they make it easy for a client or prospect to learn more about your social presence with a single click.
If it applies to your firm, you can also utilize an event promotion CTA. Advisors that hold educational seminars, client appreciation events, or other community events may benefit from this type of CTA because it gets people involved with your business and when they register, you will have their necessary information. You can add this CTA to virtually any page on your website or social media because it applies to many different audiences.
Lastly, there are lead nurturing CTAs. These are the calls to action that promote a viewer to take action with your company. On our site, our lead nurturing CTA is “Request a Free Demo,” while yours might be “Schedule a Complimentary Consultation” or “Call Us Today,” both of which link directly to your phone number. Place these CTAs in strategic spots that visitors tend to see often.
CTA Best Practices
Once you understand the type of CTA that is best for your situation, you can implement some best practices that marketers and designers recommend. Some tips we have for service professionals are:
- Make your CTA visually striking by making it a different color or larger text.
- Write copy that would compel someone to click the offer. Make it short (no more than five words), urgent, and action-oriented.
- Use verbs like download, register, call, or email.
- Locate your CTA is an easy-to-find spot that flows organically with the webpage, for example at the bottom of your home page copy.
- Make it large enough to see from a distance, but not so large that it is going to detract from the rest of your site.
- Make it easy to understand and clear. Don’t ask someone to do more than one or two steps.
These are just a few of the best practices for CTAs. For more detail, check out our blog “5 Tips for Creating an Effective Call to Action.”
