Getting customers to take action is harder than it sounds.
From abandoned carts to newsletters that never get opened, it can feel like you’re doing everything right and still getting ignored. Frustrating, right?
That’s where strong calls to action come in.
A well-written CTA can make a huge difference to your website and marketing campaigns by nudging people to take the next step, whether that’s buying, enquiring, signing up, or downloading.
Below, we’ve pulled together nine of our favourite call to action examples and broken down why they work so well.
So grab a snack, get comfortable, and let’s dive in.
Crazy Egg - ‘Show Me My Heatmap’
This is an example of messaging that’s right on the money:
This call to action is effective in many ways - it establishes how trying out the service is risk-free, with simplicity being the key in communicating this message. The CTA itself - ‘Show Me My Heatmap’ - uses the voice of the customer, which honestly - you can’t turn down.
Manpacks - ‘Build A Manpack’
If you speak your customers’ language, you’re a shoo-in. Take a look at this call to action from the men’s grooming product site Manpacks:
Appealing to the male stereotype of building captures the target demographic in a winning strategy. The combined imagery with the strong wording of ‘Build a Manpack’ demonstrates the manly appeal of shopping at Manpacks - which, when operating off stereotype, proves to be successful.
GiftRocket - ‘Send a GiftRocket’
Gift certificates and generic cards aren’t the most personalised ways to give your loved ones gifts, but GiftRocket is creative enough to add the personalisation back in.
This is effective for lots of reasons - it doesn’t ask to ‘Sign Up Now’ or anything similar, but instead opts for ‘Send a GiftRocket’ - which is definitely a lot more exciting. The imagery combined with the short sentences is a combined compelling experience for the potential customer. After all - why send a gift card when you can send a GiftRocket?
Contently - ‘Talk to Us’
Great content and great call to actions combined - that’s Contently.
The CTA itself - Talk to Us - is great. The use of friendly, approachable language as opposed to a generic “Submit” reinforces the importance of relationships in the Contently world.
It is a taste of what to expect from Contently - real dialogue, not selling points.
Less Accounting - ‘Let’s Do It!’
It can be even harder to get customers to take action when said action is risky. This is the struggle that SaaS companies face - especially those that offer financial services. This is where Less Accounting has excelled.
A muted colour palette evokes calming emotions in a decision that can be quite stressful, combined with the feeling of unity provoked by the “Let’s Do It!” call to action. This implies taking steps forward together, not alone - which can be comforting to hear within a decision that is as worrying as a financial one.
Square - ‘Get Free Card Reader’
An example of a call to action that isn’t particularly exciting, but still works, is this one by Square:
The landing page itself draws in small business owners - the simplicity of paying by card which was previously out of reach before Square came along. Between the minimal form, the strong indicator of benefits, and the actual offer itself of a free Square card reader - the combination works well to drive traffic and build trust in potential customers.
Basecamp - ‘Give Basecamp a Try’
Everything about project management software platform Basecamp is designed with prioritizing ease of use in mind. From its style, to its tone, to its minimalistic design - the program aims to simplify life for project managers everywhere. The free trial CTA has been exhausted to death - but there are some subtle and effective differences in Basecamp’s version:
This CTA reinforces the risk free nature of the free trial combined with persuasive language - and feels a lot less intimidating than language such as ‘Start Free Trial Now’. It teases the user - almost as if to say, what’s the worst that can happen? This is exactly what Basecamp aims to achieve - no need for aggression when the product works, and Basecamp knows it.
My Perfect Resume - ‘Create My Resume’
Writing a resume from scratch can be painful, which is why My Perfect Resume comes in to save the day and make it as easy as 1, 2, 3:
In itself, it’s very simple. But combined with the cleverly designed graphics, it makes it much more clickable.
The 1-2-3 step progression as well suggests that a large amount of work is done by the site itself, making you all the more compelled to ‘Create My Resume’.
Point Black SEO - ‘Be Awesome’
Newsletter CTAs can be tough. Take a page out of Point Black SEO’s book if you’re struggling:
This CTA is highly effective for a number of reasons. For one, who doesn’t want to Be Awesome? Using this as a CTA Is comical and exciting, especially when compared to the stock standard ‘Sign Up’ or ‘Submit’ buttons.
It also creates a sense of urgency and immediacy in the reader - the call to action is direct, but interesting. The exclamation mark builds excitement about a simple navigational element, whilst the bold colour scheme is visually engaging. All in all, it’s a strong CTA and navigational cue designed to promote both the blog and email newsletter.
You’re on the money!
The best call to action phrases are clear, specific, and create urgency without feeling pushy. It’s a precarious line to walk, but walk it right and you won’t regret it. Hopefully, you can use some of these brilliant CTAs to base your own CTAs off. If you’re still unsure, get a free proposal with Local Digital. We’ll audit your site and make sure you’re the cream of the crop - now isn’t that an exciting CTA?
