Moving From Forceful To Inviting Call To Action

Content marketers are usually obsessed with the idea of developing a flawless call-to-action (CTA). However, this can often take things in the opposite direction. It may repel your target audiences who do not wish to feel compelled or rushed into making a decision. A marketer can be more successful in her/his aim by making the CTAs less compelling, and more inviting.

Conventionally, one will argue that CTA matters and once optimized, it can have real world consequences. But even the best performing CTAs can be ignored or rejected by many if not the bigger majority of visitors. Such visitors may not just be ready to act, and the marketer cannot presuppose that they will come back to the website once they are ready to act. They may just go to another place.

When a visitor clicks the CTA button, she/he may not be taking action but just “poking” at the content to see what happens. Online audience often travel around a subject matter incrementally. Their actions are hesitant as long as they are still making up their minds.

It is important for content designers to know how end-users evaluate CTA buttons before they try to use these tactics for influencing those users. These buttons are made to support transactional content that discusses why a particular option is a good one. With transactional content, all the information required to make a decision is available. The only unknown is whether the reader is suitably convinced to act. But much of content as a part of digital marketing solutions is directed towards building interest and not just supplying hard facts. This content is deliberative and not transactional – it lets the readers think through a range of issues that they should mull over before they make a decision. So what kind of CTA is good to present when audiences are not prepared to take action?

Instead of trying to control user behaviour, calls to action that offers choice can help to know what people really want. As the content supplier, you can invite your readers to request more tailored information on a subject that interests them.