Persuade with a Clear and Easy Call to Action
If you want to increase the ROI of your content marketing budget (and who doesn’t), include a simple and meaningful call to action (CTA) every chance you get. Not only is this kind of prompting known to work, but it’s also an effective way to show respect for the busy business professionals you want to reach. If your prospects must search for your promised content, chances are, they won’t. If you are a seller who overlooks this reality, don’t be surprised when you lose a golden opportunity to connect with them.
Psychology of Effective Calls to Action
“Sign Up,” “Learn More,” and “Download Your Free Guide,” are commonly used CTAs that direct an individual to do something now. The urgency factor is purposely included, exploiting what psychologists refer to as the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). It’s why short-lived early bird discounts and statements about low inventory work. You are likely to crave something you think is going away or will become unavailable at any price once a fixed supply disappears.
Emotional messaging is another “must have” consideration. If someone gives you their time, an increasingly precious commodity, they want a reward. Your gift of information, whether it’s a checklist, assessment tool, or other type of content, is a cost-effective way of saying, “thank you.” Beyond the obvious instant reward aspect, a CTA that resonates at an emotional level helps you build the kind of relationship bonding you need to encourage eventual sales. Rewards help companies build trust with B2B and B2C buyers alike. At a time of perilously low trust in major institutions, according to the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, closing the trust gap is arguably more important than ever before.
Favor Simplicity Over Ambiguity
Simple nudges succeed because our brains respond more favorably to messages that are easy to process. The notion of cognitive fluency explains the tendency of end users to resist ambiguous or complex content and, in some situations, the way the content is presented. Is the font readable? Can your target audience obtain sought after content in one easy step? Do the colors used by your brand reflect the mood you want to establish? These are essential questions for your marketing and technology teams to address as part of the user experience (UX) evaluation of your CTA design.
Don’t forget to test whether your calls to action work. There is nothing more frustrating for end users than clicking on a CTA button that leads to a 404-error page on your website or fails to generate a download once they fill out required fields on your form. Usability is not just a matter of functionality. It’s a matter of what attracts end users to your content and to you. Run an A/B test on your proposed calls to action. Find out, a priori, whether they are appealing, clear, and inviting.
Five Win-Win Practices for Creating Top-Notch CTAs
Crafting effective calls to action is part science and part art. These five tips are a good start.
- Present a problem and then offer a solution with your call to action.
- Define your short-term and long-term goals to reflect the sales cycle of your industry. If you work at a hedge fund that is pitching to a corporate 401(k) plan investment committee, you know the B2B acquisition process is long. It typically involves an RFP and multiple interviews. Your CTA to download a white paper or other form of thought leadership should be measured by a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) like the number of downloads by qualified persons and not an immediate increase in assets managed.
- Use action verbs to reflect the dynamism of your prompt, including any time sensitivities associated with your offer.
- Use your brand voice and brand colors to ensure consistency and promote a familiarity with your brand.
- Experiment and modify your calls to action as needed. Here’s where A/B testing can save you money and advance your goal of being seen by your target audience.
As an industry-tested communications expert, I help business, finance, and investment executives and innovative companies turn their wisdom and insights into actionable thought leadership that can move markets and minds. Think of me as your content partner who does the heavy lifting of outlining, ghostwriting, and revising so you can share your ideas with your target audience sooner than later. Schedule a complimentary discovery call to talk about growing your brand with the kind of content your clients want and need.
Tags: CTA, Call to Action, Edelman Trust Barometer, Neuroscience, Nudging, Prompting, UX
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Susan Mangiero
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