A Call-to-Action (or CTA) is one of my favorite inbound marketing tools because it blends a variety of persuasive techniques to create a visual that is the crux of lead generation. In essence, it won’t matter how good your offer is if no one downloads it, and no one will download it if your CTA is not effective.

What is a CTA?

A CTA is an image or line of texts that elicits a response from your viewer. Simply put, it is a call to take action. CTAs are extremely versatile; they come in many different shapes and sizes and can call your audience to action in a variety of ways.

6 CTA Design & Placement Strategies for a Better Click-Through-Rate

To help you capture more contacts and turn more leads into customers, here are a few CTA graphic design and placement strategies I use on a regular basis:

1. Use Strong Verbs

People respond well when they are told what they need to do to accomplish their goal. Words that are commanding and straight-to-the-point make a CTA  more compelling.

• For merchandise… Shop / Buy / Order
• For eBooks or newsletters… Download / Subscribe
• For appointments… Schedule / Book
• For most anything… Click Here

[hs_action id="1171"]

2. Incite Emotion

CTAs that are enthusiastic will excite your audience and encourage a positive response. Add some energy to your CTA graphic with a special offer, bright colors, or a simple exclamation point.

• Buy Now and Save 50%
• Plan Your Vacation and Download Our eBook!
• Schedule Your Free Consultation!
• Click Here for Bigger Biceps!

3. Give a Why Behind the What

In other words, how will your audience benefit from your offer? What goal will it help them accomplish? Show the value of your PCO by incorporating a unique selling point in your CTA.

• Saving Money Never Looked So Good!
• Enjoy Your Vacation Without the Stress of Planning!
• Feel Years Younger After Just One Treatment!
• We’re Your Family, Not Just a Gym!

4. Create a Sense of Urgency

The most successful CTAs are sprinkled with a little bit of fear, specifically the fear of missing. If you’re CTA graphic is promoting a special or other opportunity that won’t last forever, include it in the text and click activity will increase.

• Sale Ends Monday!
• While Supplies Last.
• Limited Time Only.
• Hurry, Before It’s Gone!

5. Think Outside the Box

No doubt your audience is being bombarded with CTAs left and right. That’s why it is so important to create one that stands out from the rest. Spend time brainstorming text and design ideas that will give your CTA graphic a unique twist. One way to do this is to take a well known idiom and replace one of the words with another.

• A penny for your _____.
• Best thing since _____.
• Don’t cry over spilt _____.
• At the drop of a _____.

6. Show Up in All the Right Places

To maximize lead generation, be sure to place your CTA on the most relevant pages of your website. Visitors are more likely to click if the correlation between the destination page and the CTA is strong. For CTA graphic placement, consider these pages:

• Home Page
• About Page
• Product / Service Page
• Blog Articles

This checklist from HubSpot is a great resource if you’re interested in learning more about creating compelling CTAs.

For more information on how to increase your lead generation, contact us. If you’re just getting started, check out this blog post for a few tips on how to create a successful offer.

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