Behind the Buzzword: CTA
Buy Now! Learn more! Click here to win! Each of these statements has a common goal- prompting an action from their target audience. Marketing efforts often use this method, known as a call to action, or CTA.
No doubt, you’ve heard the term CTA before, especially if you take care of the marketing efforts for your team or organization. We find them throughout marketing and advertising, in slogans, plastered on websites, and anywhere they could be effective. Implementing an effective CTA is difficult, though. It takes skill and finesse to entice customers to take that next step.
Some companies and marketing strategies use aggressive, direct wording like “Call Now” or “Buy Now.” They create urgency and ask the customer to make their purchase decision quickly, cutting out any time for potential competitors to step in.
Other companies try a softer approach, adding extra steps to their call to action. They may ask politely or suggest how their company can help instead of demanding immediate action.
We’ve referenced the book “Building a StoryBrand” before, but it has great insight into the different kinds of CTAs and when to use them for full effect. According to author Donald Miller, there are “two kinds of calls to action: direct calls to action and transitional calls to action.”
Direct ones are exactly what they sound like- a clear and simple request for the customer to engage with you. They ask for something and move the client straight towards a conversion.
Transitional calls to action involve a middle step before reaching the same conclusion. It could be downloading a lead generation piece, filling out a form, or watching a video first. Clients are encouraged to engage with the brand gradually.
One necessary clarification: both types of CTAs don’t require you to be aggressive or passive in your sales approach. You can still use aggressive language in a transitional call to action and tiptoe around your wording in a direct CTA.
While some salespeople might be too eager to move clients along, others balk at the idea of being too forward about asking for a sale.
Speaking candidly, when I first started writing about sales, I didn’t like the idea of being pushy or forward about encouraging potential customers to buy. I thought being overly aggressive would turn people off. I thought you needed to give people plenty of time to form their opinions from the information you presented.
The reality is, you need a mix of both patience and perseverance. It all depends on your application and the client you’re trying to sell to. Using the right CTA and the correct language to communicate it makes all the difference.
A successful marketing and advertising strategy employs direct and transitional CTAs to change prospects into clients and long-term satisfied customers.
If you’re interested in learning more about CTAs, I highly recommend reading more in “Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller. He goes even more in-depth.
Todd Miller has spent his entire career in the metal building products manufacturing industry. He is president of Isaiah Industries, an organization recognized as one of the world’s leading metal roofing manufacturers. Todd is currently Vice President of the MRA (Metal Roofing Association) and a Past Chair of MCA (Metal Construction Association). Through his website, he strives to raise the bar on standards and practices to provide property owners with the best possible products for successful roofing projects.
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