When you encounter prospective customers in cyberspace, you know you have mere seconds to catch their interest. It helps, of course, if you target consumers that have already shown an interest in your product, which is why you create personas and utilize tools like Google Analytics to zero in on the right consumers.
Once you have their attention, you have to compel them to complete a desired objective by using a call to action, or CTA. There are probably several conversions you hope to accomplish, from clicking through to your website, to joining a mailing list, to making a purchase, just for example.
When it comes to display ads, the first step is click-through. You can’t reach your other goals if viewers don’t take the bait, so to speak. How can you choose effective CTAs that will engage viewers and convince them to complete a desired course of action? Here are a few strategies to employ.
Consider Your Target Audience
The most basic transaction between any consumer and a business involves the customer having a need and the business fulfilling that need. In a more complicated sense, businesses may have to convince consumers that they need the products or services being sold, but for the moment, let’s focus on the fact that consumers have a need you’re trying to meet.
Your job when creating a CTA is to understand what consumers want and need and determine how to convince them that you have the best solution. This is a psychological game because convincing people of something and compelling them to act is a nebulous business.
CTAs, in their simplest form, provide a basic directive, like “click here”, “contact us”, or “buy now”, for example. However, these rudimentary, hard-sell approaches can come across as aggressive or brutish. You may have to take a softer, gentler approach, depending on your audience. Something like “learn more” or “chat with a representative” might be more appealing.
Remember, your goals are not the same as consumer goals. You want to make a speedy sale, of course, and while some single-minded customers head straight to the checkout, most will need to be courted and convinced, and this means taking the time to understand who your customers are and what they want.
Pay Attention to What People Do
Once consumers reach landing pages, it’s very important to watch what they do, whether they bounce after a few seconds, they scroll for specific information, they delve deeper into product pages, or they complete a transaction, just for example. When you see how people behave, it could give you clues as to why they’ve decided to visit your website and what they’re looking for, and this could help you to craft effective CTAs that play to those impulses.
Test and Test Again
Wouldn’t it be great if you knew from the outset exactly what would motivate people to click through from display ads to your landing pages? Unfortunately, there’s no crystal ball, which means you’ll have to figure things out the old-fashioned way – guess and check. A/B and multivariate testing can help you to track behaviors and determine which versions of CTAs best suit your needs and help you (and your customers) to reach goals.
If you need help creating display ads and honing your CTA message, contact the experienced professionals at Net Profit Marketing at 605-610-3139 or online.
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