What is a call to action?

A call to action (CTA) is a text or button in your marketing materials that contains a URL and encourages your target audience to click on it to take further action.

You can include CTAs in any kind of marketing messages you send, such as SMS or email. Depending on what their goal is, there are two types of CTAs:

  1. Soft selling: These CTAs encourage your audience to learn more about your product or brand without inviting them to buy anything.
  2. Hard selling: These CTAs ask your audience to make a purchase.

How to create an effective CTA

Create a compelling CTA in 4 simple steps: 

1. Define the goal 

Consider what you want your audience to do after reading the CTA. This will determine wording, placement, and testing.

For example, if you want your audience to sign up for your newsletter, create a CTA that redirects them to the sign-up form.

2. Write your CTA text 

Write clear and concise CTA text to tell your subscribers exactly what they should do.

When writing your CTA text, use language that speaks to your audience and reflects your brand. For example, if the CTA is for people with high buying intent, use action verbs like “buy” or “shop.”

3. Choose the right CTA placement and design

Position your button or text-based CTAs in obvious spots that capture the reader’s attention. For maximum impact, place your CTAs above the fold, after describing a product’s main benefits, or next to relevant product images.

If you’re including button CTAs, choose high-contrast colors that also align with your brand’s visual identity. 

4. Test your CTAs 

Once you create your CTAs, use A/B testing to evaluate which CTA text, design, and placement your audience interacts with the most. 

Always make sure to test only one element at a time so you don’t skew your results.

Why CTAs are a must-have for your marketing campaigns

Once you create an effective CTA, you can expect:

  1. Increased engagement: CTAs are how people engage with your emails and SMS messages, so it’s essential to include them to see high engagement.
  2. Simplified customer journey: Pointing your subscribers to the exact next steps with a CTA makes their purchasing experience easier, boosting audience satisfaction. 
  3. Higher revenue: CTAs offer a clear path to purchase, which increases revenue

Klaviyo is a marketing automation platform that helps you craft email and SMS CTAs that resonate with your audience. Use Klaviyo AI to segment your audience and add personalized CTAs to your campaigns and flows to drive sales.

Ready to start crafting compelling CTAs for your brand? Sign up for Klaviyo.

Additional resources