The DL on CTA (Why You need a Call to Action)

What if I told you I used digital marketing to help businesses recover from the financial hits they took during the pandemic … and then just walked away? Would you wonder how you can take advantage of the same services? Maybe even wonder why I didn’t tell you how to contact me so we could get started?
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That’s why a call to action is so important. A call to action (CTA) is a statement or blurb that tells your audience how to take advantage of all the benefits you've been touting about your business. It’s kind of like the final instructions they need to get their hands on what you're selling. 

In the example above, after telling you I've helped businesses recover from the pandemic I'd follow it with something like "Start your ads next week! Contact me at www.digitalrush.com/contact for a free 30 minute consultation." 

What Action Should Your Customers Take?

​Your CTA is the desired action you want them to take and moves your customers through your sales funnel. A call to action directly impacts your goals. For example, those goals could be …  

• Increase subscriptions
• Boost sales
• Increase foot traffic
• Increase appointments
• Increase orders

Think through your goals so your call to action can work hard for you. 

How to Write a Call to Action

Your call to action MUST include action words (verbs) and sound SUPER EASY. No one wants to work hard to give you money.  A few ideas to help start your call to action include …

• Order now
• Sign Up
• Subscribe
• Register
• Buy
• Download
• Follow
• Share
• Book Now

Add more details to finish those final instructions. For example …

• Book your next adventure
• Order these superhero cake pops
• Follow our journey on Instagram
• Subscribe for tips and tricks
• Click here for all of our favorite yoga pants
• Register today for 10% off

Hard Push vs. Soft Push

​Adding a “push” to your call to action means you’re adding a sense of urgency. Us humans like to put things off … especially when it comes to spending money. Your job is to sell your products/services, make sure your audience can’t live without it, and then tell them how to get it. Adding a sense of urgency ensures you’ll have more people taking advantage of your products and services.   

A hard push is when you give a specific deadline. For example ...

• Hurry! Offer expires on December 15th
• Register by April 5th to keep this intro price
• Order by July 1st and get a free gift!

A soft push is when you give your call to action a sense of urgency, but it’s not tied to specific date. For example ...

• Hurry! Sign up today.
• Limited time offer
• Order now before supplies run out
• Request an appointment today!

Where to Put Calls to Action

Those newer to marketing are going to feel uncomfortable about this at first … but your call to action should be EVERYWHERE. On social media, in emails, in ads, on business cards, on brochures, EVERYWHERE. You might feel like you're over-doing it, but you're not. If you don't tell people what to do and how to do it, then they won't. One of the fastest ways to increase sales is to add a call to action everywhere!