Marketing has changed a lot over the past few years.
That’s especially true when it comes to the options available to digital marketers.
It seems like every week there’s a new feature available in the platforms most of us are already using, and every month there’s a new platform altogether that blogs and other industry publications are calling the next big thing.
But some aspects of marketing haven’t changed much over the years.
One of those is the way we write calls to action or CTAs.
If you’ve spent much time looking for ways to boost your conversion rates, you’ve probably noticed that most businesses use the same handful of phrases to encourage users to take action.
And this is nothing new.
Marketers have been using similar CTAs to drive action for years — even before they were writing them for websites and digital ad campaigns.
That’s because even as the platforms and channels we use change, the basic goal of a CTA hasn’t: driving potential customers to take a specific action that’s relevant to their stage of the conversion funnel.
No matter where they’re placed, CTAs are designed to inspire action and connect different stages of the buying process.This means that there are some basic principles marketers have been using for years that continue to drive results.
That’s why in this post, I’ll highlight three essential aspects of an effective CTA, regardless of its location.
I’ll show how these principles were used in traditional advertising methods, how they translate for digital campaigns, and how you can use them to make all of your CTAs even more compelling.
Let’s get started!
Traditional Call to Action Examples
First, let’s take a look at some examples of direct mail promotions from magazines.
Many of these are from magazines, encouraging readers to start or renew a subscription. More specifically, they’re from the inserts that often fall out from within the pages while you’re reading, and look something like this:
As I was reviewing these direct mail promotions, I found three aspects that nearly all of them have in common. Some are more obvious than others in their execution, but all take a similar approach to driving action.
See if you notice them while you read through this line-up of old CTAs, and I’ll tell you my findings below.
Sales and Marketing Management Magazine
So if you were waiting for the perfect time to seize this opportunity, the time is now. Send for your free issue today.
Outside Magazine
Discover the exciting world of outside. Subscribe today.
Success Magazine
Get a taste of SUCCESS! Send me the form at the top of this letter, and I’ll send you the next issue of SUCCESS absolutely free.
Harpers Magazine
May I send you a free copy? There is no obligation attached to my offer… Please let me know if you’ll accept my offer by January 31.
House & Garden
So indulge—in so much excitement, for so little! Please take advantage of our “Summer White Sale” and save on a subscription to HG today.
Nothing too exciting, right?
To be honest, though, those were some of the more creative ones. The majority read like this:
- Do mail your acceptance to me today.
- So act right now. The postage is paid, and you’ve got nothing to lose but a great garden to gain!
- SEND NO MONEY NOW! But please mail your card today!
- So if you’re looking for knowledge, a rewarding adventure, and the advantage a future perspective can offer, mail the enclosed card today!
See the pattern?
The example of CTA is the final instruction to a reader, so it makes sense that for similar products, that instruction is largely the same.
After all, when it comes down to it, each of these magazines needs readers to mail an “enclosed card” to earn a subscription.
So without that directive, it wouldn’t matter how well-written the rest of an ad’s copy was. Even if a recipient liked it, if they didn’t know to mail the card to subscribe, the campaign would be a waste.
Of course, this particular example is exclusive to print campaigns.
You’d never see a digital marketer requiring users to mail something to convert.
And I shudder to think of the abysmal conversion rates if they did.
Even so, there are three things that nearly all of the examples above include that are important for any CTA, regardless of format:
- A no-obligation statement that removes or reduces risk. In many cases, they’re asking for a free trial rather than a purchase. In other words, “try us, you’ll like us.” This gives people the confidence to buy.
- All of them contain some version of “Mail your acceptance card.” This is simple usability. You have to tell people what to do next. Today, it would read, “Click the button below.”
- Encouragement to respond right away. That’s standard direct response. Don’t give people an option to wait and think about it.
Together, these three elements make for a simple, straightforward request that requires little of the consumer.
And for most businesses, that’s pretty ideal.
Now, let’s take a look at how these elements translate into digital campaigns.
Adapting traditional techniques for digital formats
When marketers first started using digital channels to reach their customers, it was a logical choice to simply replicate their print campaigns in a new format.
After all, why would they spend time rewriting and redesigning what already worked?
That’s why some of the earliest digital marketing campaigns and their CTAs perfectly mirrored old direct mail advertisements.
These ads an almost identical approach to copy, and simply swapped out the “mail the enclosed card” directive for a link or button.
For example, take a look at this early email campaign from Stansberry Research’s Retirement Millionaire promotion: