According to several social media and Internet experts, every medical internet marketing strategy should include a call-to-action, or CTA: a response you want users to complete. But how can your medical business employ an effective CTA encouraging users to act in your favor?
What is a Call-to-Action?
A call-to-action, or CTA, is a banner, button, or some type of graphic or text on a website meant to prompt a user to click it and continue down a conversion funnel. It is an essential part of inbound marketing in that it actively strives to convert a user into a lead and later into a customer or patient.
The main goal of a CTA is a click, and its success can be measured via a conversion rate formula that calculates the times the CTA was seen over the amount of clicks. Another way to test the effectiveness of a CTA is using A/B testing where several graphics are presented to a user and the graphic with highest success rate (the most clicks) becomes the default.
What Makes an Effective Call-to-Action?
- Use active text. Using powerful action verbs in a CTA has been found to be more effective than other types of text. Use words like, click, explore, discover, learn, find, and download, to increase user engagement. Make sure your CTA wording is clear and concise, so users are fully aware of what you want them to do.
- Just ask. According to a recent social media study, posts that included “Like” or “Comment” received more likes and comments, respectively, than posts without the words included. By being straightforward and asking users to engage, chances are higher that they will. However, have a small number of distinct actions available in your CTA; too many and the user will become overwhelmed and continue on without engaging. For example, including the options of “buy now” or “contact us” in the same CTA, may confuse readers on which to do first.
- Capture attention. Make your CTA stand out by using contrasting font and colors in the background. Contrasting colors draw attention, increasing the chances of visitors seeing your CTA. Also, be sure the background color of your CTA does not interfere with the visibility of the copy.
- Chose size wisely. The ideal size of your CTA will depend on your website’s page elements. While a CTA should be large enough to grab the attention of your visitor, it should not be so large that it overwhelms the page and appears spammy. However, users don’t come to your website with the goal of searching out your CTA, so avoid designing your CTA too small.
- Get ready to respond. If you’ve invested in moving a user to respond to your CTA, you must be ready to nurture and convert them. Hubspot research discovered that 50 percent of leads are qualified to purchase but not ready to close the deal. Further, firms that responded first acquired 78 percent of sales started with an online inquiry.
