Business
22.03.2017

Five Reasons Why Your CTAs Aren’t Driving Conversions

Five Reasons Why Your CTAs Aren’t Driving Conversions

In the world of digital marketing, if headings are of number one importance to your landing page, CTAs are a close second. Your audience are nearing the end of their “journey”; they’ve been made aware of your brand, they’ve taken action to arrive at your landing page, the last thing you want them to do is trip before the finish line.

A lot of businesses are still obsessed with clicks. It’s our job as marketers to show them that conversions count for more. If your SEO is great and you’re getting droves of clicks and few conversions, you need to re-examine your CTAs. Check out the top 5 reasons why your CTAs aren’t driving conversions…

1. You’re not being authentic

Nobody likes clickbait. Your eyes light up with a tantalising offer or an intriguing tidbit of information, only to click through and find yourself underwhelmed. Guess what? The term clickbait doesn’t just apply to headings, it can apply to your CTAs too. Don’t make a promise you can’t keep in your CTAs, it’s not going to help your conversions. Instead, try stating your offer, plain and simple like Spotify.

2. You’re writing them wrong

The most important part of your CTA is your verb, the action word. Your verb should be strong and straightforward to resonate with your audience. Your verb should lead the CTA to create a powerful phrase that is actionable,“Buy…” “Click…” “Shop…” Also by leading with the verb, you create a sense of immediacy even without the use of words like “now” and “today”. After all, why should they hesitate? You can also play on emotion within your CTAs as you would with your headings: “Buy your dream home”, “Give in to luxury”, “Try it for free” like Basecamp.

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3. You’re designing it wrong

No use having your CTA buried within your text or a busy design, you want to create a visual hierarchy of information. Make your CTA stand out within the design, and if your body copy is long, repeat the CTA several times throughout the page. Not only is repetition a persuasive tool, rephrasing your CTA a few times allows you to use different angles to speak to your audience. This example from Square is simple and direct. You know exactly where to click.

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4. Your conversion process sucks

Your customer clicks on your juicy CTA, eager to get your product or special offer but they encounter technical glitches with your site, too-long/intrusive forms or find they don’t get the call back that was promised. Make your conversion process smooth and seamless from the moment your customer clicks that CTA until they’ve gotten their reward, don’t ask for more information on forms than is necessary and follow through on all promises.

Here’s a great example of a slide-in call to action from OfficeVibe. This CTA appeared on a post about how to become a better manager, which is strategic because they know you’re already interested.

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5. You’re overcomplicating it

Clever CTAs use humour to good effect, but it’s not always necessary to be quippy. Sometimes simple works best. Consider what style of CTA would suit your overall tone of voice and your audience. Don’t pack in too much extra information.

Another way of simplifying your CTA, and by extension, your conversion process, is by addressing your audience’s concerns. Consider obstacles like “Am I going to get spammed if I enter my details here?” and “When will I get my call back?” The offer needs to be no-risk. Reassure your customer as part of your CTA with fine print like “We promise not to spam you” or “We’ll call you back within 24hrs” or “Cancel anytime” like this example from Netflix.

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Need assistance optimising your CTAs and landing pages? That’s what we’re here for. Get in touch today.

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