One of the toughest challenges marketers face, regardless of the channel they’re using, is having a great call to action at the end of their messaging. Whether it’s a “Call Now” at the end of your radio ad or a website link in a Facebook post, a great call to action can make or break the effectiveness of your marketing efforts
But how do you determine if your marketing needs a stronger call to action? Maybe you’re somewhat satisfied with the results you’ve been getting, but what if there’s a possibility that you can do better?
That’s why we’re here to give you some call to action best practices, so you can take a look at what you’re doing and see what you can improve. Here are five key ways advertisers can figure out if their advertising needs a strong CTA.
1. You're Not Seeing Results
While this might seem pretty simple, it’s something marketers surprisingly overlook at times. There’s always a bias to sticking to what you’re doing. But if your marketing isn’t generating results or conversions, it’s probably a good time to look at your call to action and see what potential improvements might be made.
2. Your Call to Action Is Vague
People respond best to clear instructions and low barriers to completing action. Is your CTA clear for the listener or viewer in terms of what their next steps are? What exactly will they receive by taking the next steps, and why exactly should they engage? Overall, keep your CTAs clear and to the point, prompting people to take only a single action (not a variety of different ones). According to radio advertising best practices, you’ll want to define the action clearly and make it easy to understand, as the listener may not be in the position to stop and write down information while they’re listening in the car.
3. Bland Language That Doesn't Convey Urgency
Without a captivating message that sparks the listener’s imagination, your CTA will simply fall on deaf ears. A radio ad, for example, should tell the consumer to do something like “Visit our website to claim today’s exclusive promo code.” This makes them excited that it’s an exclusive special that will only be available for a limited time. If your ad simply asks them to call a phone number, you won’t find many people that will find any urgent reason to do so.
4. You're Not Speaking Your Audience's Language
Although your CTA might be clear and concise, if it doesn’t relate specifically to your audience you might be in trouble. On one end of the spectrum, it might be too industry specific or jargon heavy. On the other hand, maybe your messaging is simply missing the correct audience you intend to be targeting. You’ll want to use language in your radio ads that speaks not just to the consumer group you’re targeting, but also to their motivations.
5. Your CTA Is Too Close to the Competition
While it’s ok to use messaging that’s acceptable within a certain industry, if your CTA sounds too close to what your competition is using, your call to action is bound to get lost in the shuffle. You can definitely use some inspiration from your competitors, but certainly avoid directly copying what they are offering or how they’re utilizing their CTAs. The bottom line is if your call to action sounds like it’s copied from a competitor, it won’t allow you to build your own individual business or brand.
Go back and take a look at your calls to action, particularly in your radio ads. You’ll then be able to determine if your marketing needs a stronger call to action and adjust your CTA game plan accordingly.
