Call to Action (CTA) Definition

Call to Action (CTA) is a prompt or request designed to encourage a specific action from the audience, typically urging them to take steps like making a purchase, signing up, or contacting the company.

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One of the best investments a small business can make is in marketing. Strategic marketing converts people from interested consumers to customers. Moving interested consumers down the pipeline is crucial for the success of a business. Every avenue to create a customer relationship and encourage consumers to become purchasers is deserving of exploration. One of the most helpful things a business can do is encourage potential customers to buy using a prompt or a call to action. 

The definition of a call to action is a directive to a business’s consumers to take initiative on a certain task. A call to action is typically used in marketing campaigns to improve a company’s conversion rates. Another name for a call to action is a CTA. 

Call to Action Examples

There are several different ways that a business can prompt potential customers or clients to engage with the business. You can even find dozens of call to action examples in your everyday life like:

  • “Buy now”
  • “Contact us today”
  • “Click here to get started”
  • “Subscribe today”

A call to action can be in various formats. Sites may prompt visitors to click a button or hyperlink to proceed down the customer pipeline. Whatever the prompt, it’s considered a call to action. 

Call to Action Benefits

Using a call to action benefits businesses in a major way. A potential customer may be excited to enter the next phase of working with a business but is left confused without the use of a call to action. A good call to action: 

  • Provides direction on what you want readers to do after they read your content
  • Uses strong action words
  • Converts more leads into sales
  • Provides a purpose for your content and marketing
  • Increases your audience size

Failing to provide a call to action can cause a business to lose the benefit of marketing in general. 

Call to Action Considerations

Whatever the prompt is for your business’s call to action, make sure that your target market connects to it. You wouldn’t use language your audience is unfamiliar with to engage them with regular content, so keep the same rule for a call to action. They should be short, sweet, and to the point. Ideally the call to action leads the potential customer to do exactly what you intended. 

If you plan on using a call to action, make sure that it’s a strong one. You’ll want to place action words into the call to action. Add hyperlinks where necessary. One of the keys to maximizing call to action advantages is making the platform user-friendly, meaning the reader remains only one click away from the call to action and the end goal, whether purchasing, subscribing, listening, etc. 

Summary

To recap: the definition of a call to action is a prompt commonly used in business to direct a reader or potential customer to do something specific. A good call to action pushes potential customers down the customer pipeline and converts them from leads to customers and sales. 

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Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.

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Written by Team ZenBusiness

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