50 Call to Action Ideas to Increase Click Through Rates
Call to action also known as CTA is one of the key elements of any effective marketing strategy. As it sounds, a call to action is a direct invitation for your audience to take a specific action.
CTAs might sound simple: a button, a link, a plea for engagement. But beneath the surface lies strategic magic. Craft the right one, and see your conversions skyrocket, and engagement explode.
Let’s face it, your content is amazing, and your visuals are on point, but something feels off. People are browsing, scrolling, maybe even liking – but then? Poof!
They vanish into the digital ether, leaving you with no leads or conversions.
Here comes the power of CTA.
Whether you want your audience to purchase, subscribe, comment, or click, CTAs bridge the gap between awareness and action, guiding your website visitors or social media followers toward the desired action.
In this blog, we’ll delve into the art and science of creating strong CTAs that resonate with your audience and drive real results.
From website banners to social media captions, we’ll explore over 50+ tried-and-tested call-to-action phrases and strategies to help you stand out in the digital noise and inspire action from your audience.
Table of Contents
How call to action work?
Imagine you’re walking down a busy street. Suddenly, a storefront catches your eye with a bright sign saying “50% off all sweaters!” That sign is a call to action (CTA) in action.
It’s a psychological nudge that compels you to take a specific step, in this case, entering the store.
CTA works emotionally and rationally. It can evoke emotion in the reader that will help them to take specific action. We can see CTA being used in all forms of marketing including traditional offline marketing, print ads, and TV commercials.
However, CTA on websites and social media platforms offers more versatile and interactive options for engagement.
“Emails with a single call-to-action increased clicks by 50% and sales by 100%”
Different types of CTA serve different goals in mind. Such as lead generation CTA, form submission CTA, social sharing, subscription, event promotion, read more, and so on.
Pro Tips: To ensure a high-converting CTA, try offering something of value to your audiences such as free trials, free ebooks, and solutions to problems they’re facing.
Elements of Call to Action
Whether you are looking to create strong and effective CTAs for your website or social media, it’s important to understand the key elements that make them successful.
Here is what makes a call to action effective:
- Clear and Actionable Text: The text of your CTA should be concise, clear, and action-oriented. Use strong verbs that prompt immediate action, such as “Shop Now,” “Sign Up Today,” or “Learn More.”
- Visibility: Make sure your CTA stands out visually on the page. Use contrasting colors, bold fonts, or buttons to draw attention to the CTA and make it easy to find.
- Relevance: Ensure that your CTA is relevant to the content or context in which it appears. It should address the needs and interests of your audience and offer a solution or benefit.
- Placement: Position your CTA strategically on the page where it will be most effective. Place it above the fold for maximum visibility or at natural stopping points in the content where users are more likely to take action.
- Urgency: Create a sense of urgency or scarcity to encourage immediate action. Use phrases like “Limited Time Offer” or “Act Now” to motivate users to take advantage of the opportunity.
- Clarity: Clearly communicate what action you want users to take and what they can expect as a result. Avoid ambiguity or confusion in your CTA messaging.
- Mobile-Friendly: Ensure that your CTA is optimized for mobile devices, with large clickable areas and responsive design. Many users access websites and content on mobile devices, so your CTA must be easy to interact with on smaller screens.
Common Use Cases of Call to Action
Call to action mostly takes place on website landing pages, social media advertising banners, Television ads, and even offline marketing collateral such as brochures and leaflets.
To make sure your call to action is effective, take the time to determine the platform, placement, and type of CTA you want to create for your audience.
Here are some common use cases for call to action and the best practices to consider:
Website
Website is the best place to practice and promote CTA strategy as it enables vast opportunities to interact with your target audience.
On your website, you can use CTA anywhere you want such as homepage, header, footer, product page, landing pages, and blog posts.
However, as previously said, it is necessary to understand how to design the CTA and where to place them to get the most out of them.
Social Media Caption/Design
Social media platforms are proven to be effective at building brand awareness and generating leads. If you have both a website and social media presence, you can strategically use CTAs to drive traffic from your social media to your website or vice versa.
If you are an ecommerce, use CTA like ‘Buy now’, ‘Limited offer’, and ‘Exclusive deals’ to create a sense of urgency and fear of missing out (FOMO)
“Adding CTAs to your Facebook page can increase click-through rate by 285%”
Advertisements
Advertisement is one of the crucial parts of both online and offline businesses. No matter what kind of business you are or what advertising method you choose, using effective CTA on your ads can make a significant difference.
For offline banners, billboards, or leaflets, use strong eye catchy headlines to pique the interest and direct them with CTA like ‘Call Now’ ‘Visit Shop’ etc.
Ecommerce
For ecommerce businesses, the call to action is crucial in driving conversions and sales. Using strategic calls to action can encourage customers to make a purchase or take the desired action, such as “Shop Now” or “Add to Cart”.
In your ecommerce store, you can use CTA in single product pages, landing pages, newsletter emails, or any other product promotion page.
Print Media
Print media plays a crucial role in promoting brick-and-mortar stores or businesses that rely on physical advertising.
Print media such as magazines, flyers, and brochures are a traditional way to market your product and service to your target audience. But wait, without a CTA, these print media won’t be effective at all.
If you are relying on print media for your business, use call to action to encourage customers to visit a physical location or take advantage of a special offer.
50+ Effective Call to Action Ideas for Different Mediums
So, you can use call to action strategy in a variety of mediums such as websites, social media, ecommerce platforms, and even print media.
However, it’s important to tailor personalized CTA based on the medium you are using. For instance, you can use the CTA ‘Swip to learn more’ on Instagram and Linkedin but you can’t use this on Facebook.
Depending on the medium and specific goals, here are some effective call-to-action ideas. Use them in your marketing campaigns to see what works for you!
Call to Action for Facebook Campaign
With 3.07 billion monthly active users, Facebook isn’t just the world’s largest social network platform but it is also a great marketing channel for businesses to connect with their target audience.
Businesses all over the world use Facebook as the main source of marketing their business. According to Hubspot, 50% of marketers reported increasing their budget on Facebook ads in 2022.
If you are one of them and want to maximize the effectiveness of your Facebook campaigns, you need to consider using strong CTAs.
Here is a list of proven call-to-action examples for Facebook that you can use to improve the overall performance of your campaigns.
- Giveaway time!
- Come join us
- Send us a DM if you….
- Like to see more posts like this/ Tap like if you agree
- Tag someone who needs to see this
- Share with a business friend
- Sharing is caring
- Find this valuable? Share with others
- Let me know what you think below
- What are your thoughts on this? Comment below
- Respond below
Call to action for Instagram
With over 1.4 billion active users, Instagram has become a popular platform for businesses to promote products and engage with audiences.
As of October 2022, 23.2% of people aged 16 – 24 choose Instagram as their favorite social media platform.
As a business, you wouldn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to reach this huge audience!
“98% of marketers say Instagram is the most influential platform for influencer marketing, which is 44% higher than Facebook”
To leverage the power of Instagram for your business, you can use compelling calls to action in your posts and stories.
So what CTA works best on Instagram? Here is a list of Instagram CTA for you,
- Double tap if you found this useful (Encourage reaction)
- Save this for later/ Don’t risk losing this information, save it!
- Tap the link in the bio
- Head to stories to learn more
- Comment your thoughts below
- Follow to stay in touch
Print Advertising Call to Action
You can incorporate CTA strategy with your print advertising campaign. Here the CTA won’t be a button or link, but more of a statement such as ‘Call now’.
Since you are using offline materials, the CTA should be clear and direct enough to make it visible even from a distance. If used properly, print ad CTA can improve the response rate of your print ads by up to 40%.
Here are some suggestions to make your print ad stand out with powerful CTA:
- Flash Sale
- 50% Discount
- Exclusive offer
- Expires soon
- Limited time only
- One-time offer
- BOGO (buy one get one)
- Only ‘X’ days left
- Limited Supply
Email Marketing Call to Action
Email marketing is one of the most effective online marketing strategies out there right now.
In addition, it is the most cost-effective way to reach a specific audience with your brand message.
Email marketing is also called direct marketing as you are directly targeting individuals with personalized messages in their inbox.
Although the success rate of your email marketing campaigns depends on various factors such as the quality of your content, timing, and targeting, a strong call-to-action can significantly improve your conversion.
Here are some effective call-to-action ideas for your email marketing campaigns:
- Shop now. Get 50% off
- Shop our best sellers
- Yes! I want one.
- Order now
- Claim your coupon
- Download the eBook
- Reserve your seat
- Register now
Website Call to Action
Website is the best platform to use, practice, and analyze CTA. On your website, you can include CTA anywhere you want but being specific on the CTA’s purpose and placement is key for maximum success.
Based on different CTA purposes, we come up with a few possible types of calls to action you can use on your site. Look at the below list of examples of popular websites call to action.
Bold CTA
A bold call to action appears with a headline on a website. This type of CTA is prominently displayed to make it stand out from all of the other content on the page.
Bold CTA is often used to employ persuasive offers that readers can’t refuse. For instance, look at the website CTA’s below, these are some ideal examples of how to place an irresistible CTA for maximum conversions.
- Unlock Your Potential Now!
- Don’t Miss Out!
- Revolutionize Your Life Today!
- Act Fast!
- Become A Member
- Book A Flight
- Ready to Change Your Future?
- Start Here for Free!
- Join the Movement!
- Stop Waiting!
- Transform Your Business Now!
- Seize the Opportunity!
- Elevate Your Game!
Risk-free
A risk-free call to action is a message that invites the readers to take a specific action without any risk or obligation. Mostly used to encourage readers to try a product or service without any risk.
For instance, see the below Adobe’s ‘Start free trial’ CTA.
Some examples of risk-free CTAs are:
Zero Risk, Maximum Reward!
Start Your Trial Now
Get Started Now
No Risk, All Reward!
100% Money-Back Guarantee
Urgency
To optimize your call to action for higher CTR, infuse it with urgency. Data reveals that urgency CTAs can result in a 30% boost in click-through rates compared to generic CTAs.
Urgency-driven CTAs are more effective in social media campaigns campaigns, holiday promotions, and other sales events. By instilling the fear of missing out on the deal, visitors are more motivated to complete the checkout process rather than abandoning it. Some good examples of this type of CTAs are –
- Limited Time Offer!
- Last Chance to Save!
- Offer Expires Soon!
- Act Fast, Before It’s Too Late!
- Don’t Wait – Shop Now!
- Final Hours to Get X% Off!
- Grab Your Deal Before It’s Gone!
- Time is Running Out!
- Claim Yours Now!
- Watch Now!
Promising
If you are selling products or services online, credibility and trust can significantly boost conversion rates. However, using sense of urgency and discounts as a tactic does not always work because people are tired of seeing this all the time. Instead, you can try promising CTA’s to stand out:
Click to claim your offer
Instant access to premium features!
Enjoy exclusive perks!
Last chance to save – shop now!
Don’t miss out – grab your discount today!
Get it now or regret later!
Hurry, stock is running low
Informative
This type of CTA is mostly used to educate users about a product or service and encourage them to try it out or make a purchase.
For example, an e-commerce website might use an informative CTA like ‘Learn more about our products’ or ‘Find out how you can benefit from our service’ followed by a button that the user can click to get more information or proceed to the next step in the process.
See the below examples of informative CTA’s for more idea,
- Access the details
- What we do
- Learn more about our product features!
- Get a free consultation!
- Book now!
- Watch now!
Tricky
While clear and direct CTAs are essential, sometimes you can stand out with a tricky CTA. These CTAs surprise and engage your audience, prompting them to think twice and ultimately take action.
Tricky CTAs can be:
- Unlock Your Brand’s Potential?
- Join the Inner Circle
- Be Among the First 100
- Think You Can Beat the System?
- We Dare You to Click Here
- Get Your Free Guide Now
- Claim Your Discount
- Don’t Miss Out! Only 5 Spots Left
- Start Your Free Trial
- Spin the Wheel to Win
- Join 10,000 Others Who Downloaded This Ebook
Inviting
A compelling call to action (CTA) shouldn’t feel like a pushy salesman. Instead, use inviting language that offers value to your audience. Here are some common examples:
- Apply to join our private beta
- Want to say in the loop?
- Free online courses to achieve your goals
- Let’s take this to your inbox
- Download Your Free [Guide/Checklist/Template]
- Sign Up for Our Exclusive Newsletter
- Get Instant Access to [Resource/Discount]
- Start Your Free Trial Today
- Join Our Free Webinar
How to create effective call to action?
Effective call to action is clear, concise and motivates people to take action. It should be specific and tailored to the needs of your audience. Effective call to action is designed to speak target audience.
Creating effective call to action isn’t rocket science, it’s all about using the right words to pique curiosity and get people to take the desired action.
In addition, there is no one-size-fits-all formula to create effective CTA. But you can consider the following things when creating CTAs for your purpose,
Action Verb
Strong verbs like “Start,” “Join,” “Get,” “Download,” or “Shop” create a clear sense of what you want your audience to do. Use these action verbs to prompt your audience to take the specific action you desire. For example, “Start your free trial,” “Join our exclusive community,” “Get your personalized guide,” “Download the ebook,” or “Shop now for the best deals.”
Emotional Appeal
Report says that using emotional appeal in your call-to-action can increase engagement and conversions. Consider using emotionally driven CTAs that evoke that evoke desire, fear, or excitement. For example, “Experience the joy of savings,” “Discover your true potential,” or “Ignite your passion for success”
Placement
CTA placement means where the CTA will appear in your copy. You can place it at the top, middle, or bottom and can use image, button, or text placement.
But one common mistake people make is not testing where the best place is for their CTA. As a result, they end up placing CTA in the wrong location and fail to convert.
This is why, CTA placement is highly important and needs to be considered carefully before you start creating it.
“A call-to-action tailored to where your users are in the conversion funnel” Kameleoon
Design
Designing your CTA for maximum engagement is one of the most critical factors in crafting a compelling call to action.
To get this, you need to think from your audience’s perspective, what will grab their attention and get them to click through and take action.
Use clear and contrasting colors, bold fonts, and strong visuals to make your CTA stand out.
Context
CTA is the best way to see how your audience responds to your offers and helps you define your loyal customer.
However, your audience may not interact with your CTA unless it offers something valuable. Even though some CTAs have good offerings yet can’t reach their ultimate goals due its poor design and context.
So, what is context in CTA? It is nothing but presenting the CTA with appropriate copy and instructions and making them feel like,
Value
Give your audience a good reason to engage by providing value. Offer them a valuable incentive or useful piece of information that solves their problem.
Show how your products can help to improve their life by highlighting the benefits. People love to feel they are getting something of value in return for their time, so be sure to make your CTAs offer real value.
Not selling products? Then consider giving away free information, like a checklist, planner, video course, e-book, tips, and tricks that your audience will find useful.
Scarcity
Creating a sense of urgency or scarcity in your call-to-action can drive immediate action from your audience. Highlight limited-time offers, limited stock availability, or limited spots available to create a sense of urgency and encourage your audience to take action quickly.
Anchor text
Anchor text is the clickable text that holds your CTA link and directs audiences where you want them to be.
Anchor text is the text that you use to hook users into your offer. So, make sure that your anchor text is relevant and interesting so that your audience clicks on it.
Social Proof
Show social proof by mentioning the number of people who have already taken the action or highlighting positive testimonials. For example, you can include statements like “Join over 10,000 satisfied customers,” or “Read what our happy customers have to say.”
A/B Testing
Don’t be afraid to test different CTAs and see what resonates best with your audience. By conducting A/B testing, you can determine which call-to-action generates the highest conversion rate among your specific audience. This will help you optimize your campaigns and increase your chances of converting visitors into customers.
Wrap up
Remember that using CTA effectively is important but only CTA is not enough to achieve the results you want.
You need to combine a good design, the right copy, and an appealing CTA to achieve the best result.
Mastering the art of crafting effective calls to action (CTAs) is essential for any marketer.
Throughout this comprehensive guide, we’ve explored the fundamentals of CTAs, including their purpose, where to use them, and examples across various mediums such as Facebook campaigns, Instagram posts, print advertising, email marketing, and websites.
By implementing these strategies, businesses can increase their chances of converting website visitors into customers and ultimately drive business growth.
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