By Katie Zupancic Wymer
“Click Here” might not seem like an overly important phrase. However, when you look at your marketing efforts, all of your hard work and your budget ultimately depend on the success of one final phrase: your CTA, which stands for call-to-action. Your call-to-action is the last piece of the puzzle – and is oftentimes the piece your team decides at the eleventh hour before a deadline. Think about the amount of time your staff discusses photography, colors and fonts, and consider the passionate debates related to the overall look and feel of your branded content. However, the button that ultimately drives the user to take the action that you want them to take likely receives little to no forethought or deliberation.
In a digital world, call-to-action elements are everywhere. CTA buttons in emails push readers to click through to a website, as does the CTA in display advertising. Facebook Advertising has a host of buttons to choose from, and so does Instagram. That buy button on your website? Also a call-to-action. Your CTA drives whatever action you’re wanting the user to take – it could be register, sign up, donate, buy, click here, learn more or countless others. Looking for some new ideas? Check out this post from Hubspot.
When you look at your messaging, the CTA should be a part of your brand’s story. The language of the call-to-action should connect with your consumer, and it should help move them along their customer journey path.
Your CTA will also change as you progress through your overall campaign. For example, you decide to start asking people who aren’t familiar with your brand right out of the gate to register for your expensive event or to make a large donation to your organization. They might, but they probably won’t. Instead, consider asking them to “learn more” or use another hook that is less daunting than instantly going for that Hail Mary pass.
At Event 360, we firmly believe that CTAs are crucial to event marketing success. We test CTAs on our website, and we’re constantly doing A/B testing in emails and in our digital creative. (Not sure how to run an A/B test? This post on our blog can help.) We track conversions and link clicks in our organic and paid social content. Finally, we work to stay on top of digital marketing trends, as CTAs can also be driven by the platform/why people are engaging with that platform.
Bottom line: your goal as an event marketer and fundraising professional is to get people to attend your event to fund your mission. In today’s digital world, that most likely requires a click. Make it easy, straightforward, and clear what you want your consumers to do. Don’t forget to give CTAs the consideration that they deserve when you’re mapping out your marketing efforts and messaging plan.
Then, test, test, test.
Need help? We’re here for you! Click here to contact us. (See what I did there?)
Katie works on marketing and sponsorship for MuckFest® MS, the FUN mud run in support of a world free of multiple sclerosis. Newly Minnesotan, she enjoys exploring her new home with her tiny dog, Annie. Connect with her here: LinkedIn, Twitter.
