You may have stumbled across the term ‘call to action’ or the mysterious initials ‘CTA’ in your valiant efforts to market your business. I’m guessing a well-meaning marketing person sprinkled it into a confusing convo and you nodded along hoping to work it out later, or drew a total blank. So what exactly IS a call to action? Why do you need one? And what does one look like? Ponder no more, because we’re going to break it all down in this blog, leaving you feeling like the queen of CTAs.
What is a call to action? What does CTA stand for?
CTA is a marketing term that stands for call to action.
A call to action is an instruction you give to your target customer, prompting them to take a specific action.
You’ll use a call to action at the end of a blog post, an email, a landing page, a Facebook ad, a video – basically any type of content you use to communicate with your customers.
You’ve probably been using CTAs without even realising. However, delving a little deeper into the world of the CTA and why they’re so vital will allow you to maximise the potential they offer to nurture your customer along their buying journey.
Why do we need to use a CTA? Are they that important?
Let’s be clear. After your headline, your call to action is pretty much the most important element of your blog, or whatever piece of marketing content you’re working on. Why? A study by Unbounce revealed more than 90% of people who read your headline also read your CTA.
We know your audience loves skimming, so if they’re only taking notice of your headline and call to action, let’s make both work harder!
The fact is, we all like being told what to do next, and you can’t assume your reader will naturally take the step you’re hoping they will.
So, instructing them what to do after consuming your content is the smart way to make sure it actually happens.
Does a call to action have to be salesy?
Hard NO on this one.
I had a question on my Instagram last month asking whether I’d include a CTA on a purely informative blog. The answer to this is a HELLLLLL YES!
I feature a call to action on EVERY.SINGLE.BLOG.
The likelihood is, most of your blog writing will be centre on that engaging, entertaining, and informative content your audience loves. After all, blogging helps customers early in their buying process, so we want to add as much value as possible at this stage to keep them in your lane.
Of course, sometimes your call to action will be a simple ‘buy now’. And that’s fine.
But if we’re not directly selling when writing a business blog, how else can we use a CTA to nurture your customer through their experience of your brand?
Call to action examples
Below, I’ve listed a few non-salesy calls to action you can use in your next blog. This is a handful of examples, so always make it your own, speak in the language your customer uses, and keep it short and sweet.
When you’re next writing a blog, how about ending it with one of the following CTA examples?
- Subscribe to our newsletter
- Follow us on social media
- Read this blog next
- Download your free template
- Request a free sample
- Ask us a question
- Sign up to our webinar
Which of these is sounding good to you right now?
What sort of CTA should I end a blog with?
You’ve worked hard to plan and write your business blog, so let’s keep that momentum by signing off with a killer CTA that keeps your reader feeling hot hot hot about your brand.
Remember, blogs are generally for building trust and sparking engagement. Your customer is developing a connection with you and your product/service by reading the advice or information you’re offering 👀
They’ll encounter different touchpoints along the way in their path towards buying from you and each one plays its own part in getting them over the line.
So, a blog CTA may be less URGENT than one on your email campaign or landing page, but no less important.
Put yourself in your reader’s mindset and think about what will help them learn more about your product or service, or help them arrive at the point of being ready to buy.
Would they benefit from seeing customer testimonials?
Reading around your subject more?
Listening to your podcast, or watching a YouTube video to form an even closer connection to you and your business?
Whichever route you choose to maintain your reader’s attention, don’t be sleeping on your CTA!
How to get help with blog writing for your business
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