Many businesses use email marketing campaigns as part of their marketing strategy. They’re an effective way to follow up with previous customers, as well as potential clients that have expressed an interest in your product or service. You can utilize an email marketing campaign to tell everyone about an upcoming event, a new service, a promotion or a story about how you helped a client succeed.
The goal of these email campaigns is, of course, to turn clicks into conversions. You run a much higher chance of doing that if your email campaign contains a call to action.
What is a Call to Action?
Even if you’re not currently using calls to action, you’re familiar with them. “Click here to get a coupon code for 20% off” or “Subscribe now so you won’t miss our next issue” are two calls to action you’ve likely seen in your own inbox.
Calls to action aren’t necessarily to spur your audience into purchasing something. They can also be motivators to entice them to download a PDF or click an email link taking them to your website.
Why are calls to action so vital? Rather than simply telling a potential customer about your new product/service/event and leaving them to decide what to do next, a call-to-action demands that they do something. “Download this," “Contact us,” “Reserve your seat” or “Act now.”
Even more than demanding immediate action, a call to action gives very clear instructions on how it can quickly be done: “Click here” or “Fill out this form.” The customer doesn’t need to jump through hoops to get in on whatever you’re offering because your well-constructed call to action does it for them.
What Makes an Epic B2B Call to Action?
When you’re using an email marketing campaign to try to connect with a potential buyer, you’ve got to grab their attention fast. Your message is jockeying for attention amidst dozens of others in the same inbox, so having an attention-grabbing subject line is critical to generating opens. If you’re following up with someone after speaking with them at a conference, for example, make sure to use that person’s name in the subject line to make it more personal.
Next, get right to the point of what the email is about. Make sure the call to action is pertinent to the topic of the email and will be something valuable to your audience. Also place the call to action high up in the email template so it gets noticed right away.
Common calls to action for B2B email marketing campaigns are invitations to download a study, white paper, or view your latest blog post that’s appropriate to their field and customer base.
Speaking to Your Customers with Calls to Action
Great calls to action that target an individual customer base include “Sign Up Now” buttons as well as links to help them learn more about a product or service. Another call to action that customers love? A free trial or sample of what your business has to offer – be it software as a service or electronic components. They’re much more likely to take action if you give them an easy way to do so.
Crafting a Strong Call to Action
In addition to the language being clear and concise, all calls to action should use active verbs that will spur the reader to do something now. Download, Order, Buy, Subscribe, and Find Out are all great examples. Also remember that the visual design of any call to action button or graphic needs to be striking. It should be well-defined and stand out on the email page.
If your call to action spurs your reader to subscribe or purchase, congratulations, you’ve made a sale. If it asks a prospective customer to sign up for more information, make sure you follow up on your end, whether this means calling the prospect or emailing additional information.
When it comes to crafting a successful email campaign, getting your readers to take the next step is key. A call to action is the best way to motivate them to move from a reader to a customer.
CC Marketing and Communications is a Chicago email marketing company providing full-service email marketing. Since 2003 we’ve helped manufacturers, distributors, service companies, consultants, retailers and more generate leads and new business.
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