We explore the psychology behind a modern marketer’s best friend – the call to action (CTA) button.
1. Colour
Colour may have more of an impact than you would initially think. According to a Kissmetrics study, 85% of people state colour as the main reason why they buy a product. There isn’t a magic colour that converts the most, so choose one that contrasts with your website background to make it stand out without making it garish to look at.
2. Copy
The purpose of a CTA is to encourage someone to take an action right away, so try to write copy that will persuade people to do so. The copy should be specific like ‘Download the eBook’ instead of ‘Click here’ – use action words like ‘get’ and ‘start’. Passive words don’t convince people who are sitting on the fence, but energetic, active verbs do!
3. Size and shape
Four questions to ask yourself when designing a CTA button –
- Does it have rounded edges? (It should).
- Is it big enough enough for mobile devices?
- Is it fully tested? (No one likes a broken button).
- How clickable is it?
4. Placement
The CTA button should appear in a prominent place to maximise clicks. Your audience should also be able to realise what and where it is at a glance. Placing your CTA above the fold is a good idea as your audience will notice it even if they are just scanning the page. Visitors spend approximately 80% of their time above the fold, so you’ll catch the people who are ready to act straight away!
Read and comment on the original Entrepreneur article.