Whatever you do or whatever you use in your email to win new clients or subscribers, don’t forget about how you urge them, you encourage them and motivate them to do something. The way you use that button that brings them where you want, matters a lot. That button that gives you the conversion rates you want has to be powerful enough so as to make them click.

Do you have to study the art of persuasion for that? Do you actually need an intensive training on the psychology of persuasion? The answer is: not necessarily. What does matter in the first phase is to analyse the product and the benefits that they offer to the consumer in order to make the most of the essentials of the product whenever you want to talk the reader into taking some action. Do not ignore the call-to-action button, because this is a key element for the optimisation of the conversion rates.

The call-to-action elements are prerequisites for the success of any email. You need them in order to:

• make them read your newsletter;
• get new subscribers;
• get new clients;
• make your subscribers read your newsletter;
• make them answer in your surveys;
• bring your subscribers on the site;
• make them recommend/share your newsletter;
• make them download a catalogue/white paper;
• make them sign up for a certain event;
• make them watch a certain video;
• make them access links that are located in the pre-header;
• etc.
Actually, you need the call-to-action button for any element of your email.

How do you take them “there”?

Two important parts are involved when generating an efficient call-to action: the design and the text/words that are used.
Used words may be more than just “read more”, “get more”, “access”, “subscribe” or “buy”. It is true that this has created a reflex in people’s minds, something that makes them access those links instantly, but why shouldn’t we attach an ever greater value to that, why shouldn’t we take even more advantage of those buttons?

Before rephrasing the call-to-action captions, you should have a look at the opening rate of your own messages and at the rate associated to the number of email links that are accessed. A low rate tells you that your call-to-action elements did not motivate subscribers properly.

You can:

1. Personalise the buttons: ”Malina, step into this game.” The personalisation will involve your subscriber even more. Subscribers will feel that something created just for them is hidden beyond that link, so they will be tempted to open it.

2. Make them sound like a teaser. “Discover your present.” Make them curious. After all, curiosity DON’T kill anyone. On the contrary, curiosity will bring extremely interesting things and will ultimately benefit subscribers. You may have noticed that everyone needs some adrenaline in their own life.

3. Make them interrogative. Do you want to know more? Force yourself on subscribers, just a little bit. Make them say “Yes”. Use a question instead of “read more”. Let subscribers believe that you give them the opportunity to choose what they want to do: move on or not, and press the button.

4. Tell them about their benefits. “Save time. Get NOW…”. Most people are sick and tired of the “More” button. Stimulate them by providing a benefit, apart from the call-to-action. Tell them that everything is there to serve their benefit, that they will get something by just accessing that link. You can also use, as applicable, the words “free of charge” or you can use again the mentioned promotional price. “Get your free card” or “Get a 10% discount. Buy now.”

5. Give them a competitive incentive. “Be the first to know.” Hurry them up, just a little bit. Give your reader the impression that he or she is going to be the only one to get that offer you’re promoting, if they access immediately.

6. You should mention a deadline. “Only three days to go. Get it now.”

The design of the call-to-action button

About the design, you can use light colours, that can capture their attention, but not striking, to make it short, they have to be pleasant and acceptable to the eye. Red, orange, green, blue, black, grey, are quite recommendable, but they should always be accompanied by text coloured so as to stand out, visible, clear, easily readable letters…

Size does matter. Make it stand out, the more the better, from all points of view: graphics, text, colours, locations inside the newsletter – if you want to catch the eye.

On the other hand, the location where you place the call-to-action button is essential. Don’t just through it in a corner of the article. People have to find it quickly, within not more than 3 seconds from the time when they start reading an article or product. And you should place it in the upper part (close to the header), on the right-hand side or right in the middle. For every product you’re promoting, the call-to-action button will again remind you of the optimum conversion rates. Place it on the right-hand side of the promoted product or in the middle, as visibly as possible.

However obvious these buttons could be graphically, they will always have to be accompanied by a text that should be sufficiently motivating for the readers to click it open. It is recommendable that the first word of this small text or sentence should be a verb in the imperative mood: buy, see, enter, apply, etc.

About the words, well, we can say something about that too. There are so many stylised fonts. You should know that you should use a simplest, most legible, easy to see and read font for the call-to-action button.
The call-to action button does not have to overload with other graphical elements. Let it “breathe”, give it enough space so that people can spot it easily.

Test before anything else

You don’t know which is the best option for your call-to-action button? “Get more” versus “See more about this product”; red versus orange; special graph button versus simple text; 2-3 words versus 5 words; big button versus small button; right-hand side versus left-hand side? The simplest and most efficient method is to test it.
Insert different call-to-action buttons on two or three different segments in the same newsletter. The winning option is the one that has the biggest clickthrough rate.

A call-to-action button can have a maximum efficiency under any circumstance. Most marketers lay a lot of stress on optimising it rather on a website and less on a newsletter, and treat it somehow superficially. You want to attract people on your site, to make them buy something, and for that matter you use various means. Well, one of the most important steps is to attract prospective buyers to the website through the call-to-action buttons in your newsletter. Take advantage of them!