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What is a call-to-action and why is it important?

What is a call-to-action and why is it important?

You may hope that after people read your blogs, newsletters or social media posts, they automatically turn from anonymous readers to potential clients.

But if you don’t tell them what specific action you want them to take next, how likely are they to do so?

That’s where a call-to-action (CTA) comes in. A CTA is a brief message at the end of your article that tells readers what they should do next.

The value of a CTA was established by scholars who studied the effect of CTAs in direct mailings and published their results in the Journal of Interactive marketing. They found:
  • A CTA with an incentive had a higher impact on customers’ purchase behaviour than one without
  • Non-monetary incentives were more effective than monetary incentives, because customers saw them as an added benefit
  • Incentives that benefited the community (e.g. a donation to charity) were more effective than incentives that benefited the customers themselves
  • Regular customers, and those who had been customers for longer, were more swayed by CTA because they regularly engaged with the business

Although this study analysed customers buying a product, it’s likely that service organisations, such as financial advice firms or credit repair agencies, would have similar results.

Components of an effective CTA

A CTA can take different forms, but it should abide by these rules:

  • It should be short, targeted and clear
  • It should include a verb that encourages the reader to do something specific
  • It could include the expected result of the action
  • If could include a time limit
  • It should contact details, like a phone number, email address and link to a form on your website

Examples of CTAs

For mortgage brokers:

  • Compare your home loan to see how much you can save by refinancing. Click here.
  • Talk to us before you submit your home loan application.
  • Tired of being rejected? Try us – we work with flexible lenders.

For financial advisers:

  • Book your free consultation now. Click here.
  • Subscribe to our newsletter to receive your free copy of our latest ebook ‘How does my age affect my investment strategy?’
  • Want to build wealth? Contact us to find out how.

For real estate agents:

  • Email us for a free estimate of what your property could sell for.
  • Need advice on preparing your home for sale? Talk to us.
  • Want to know if now is the right time to sell? Contact us for an obligation-free consultation.

For buyer’s agents:

Would you like well-written content to attach your CTAs to? Contact Hunter & Scribe at for social media posts, blogs, newsletters, ebooks or any other writing needs.
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