by the way, if its a phrase you are not familiar with - a call to action (CTA) is essentially the clever construction of words to drive or prompt a compelling action or response.
and in that context - thank you for clicking through to this blog (via this call to action). so, was our choice of prompt compelling enough for you to elect to click through? it appears in this case it was.
thats great, but did everyone who saw our call to action click through? chances are - probably not. in fact chances are high that our call to action wasn't compelling enough for the majority of those who saw it to take action. so the decision as to how to create any prompt to interact in your brand marketing comes down to two primary aspects - was it representative of what your prospective audience is looking for? and was it compelling? therein lies the challenge.
knowing your prospective audience and what excites them is the foundation for developing and integrating an effective call to action in your brand marketing strategy.
the rules of personal branding apply with this tool - authenticity is still key and so is ensuring the click-through experience is positive, and adds the value promised. so much 'clickbait' and so much emphasis on directing traffic, results in disappointed prospective consumers. long term consideration should be given to capturing your markets' attention and the foundation on which you are establishing your brand relationship. a call to action can be truly effective or ineffective.
our checklist for an effective call to action:
1. is the call to action reflective of what you are providing? is it authentic? 2. is it easy to locate and find amongst all your content? 3. is it succinct and easy to understand? is the language correct? 4. do the colors used align emotively? 5. do any images used align? are they effective and polished? 6. is it optimized, and does it convert? 7. is the value genuine? is there a benefit for clicking through?
