In pa
rt one of this series, we delved into strategies for creating effective subject lines. Now, let’s discuss how to tie your message together with a compelling and persuasive call to action (CTA) that informs readers of what they’ll gain from clicking through and further engaging with your content.
We like to think of a CTA as the final number of a musical’s first act. The story’s been developed, and now the opening notes of the act one finale drift in. If that finale engages them enough, the audience will likely stick around for act two. But how does this parallel CTAs? Because you developed your story through your email copy, and now readers see that there’s only one sentence left in the email: your call to action, your act one finale. Sure, your audience will read that last sentence – but will it drive them to click through? Or when they finish reading it, will they toss your email in the trash and open the next message in their crowded inbox? To help you ensure that your readers stick around for the second act, we have tips for crafting stellar CTAs. These tips stem from the insights of our writers, who write and review dozens of CTAs every week. Let’s begin with a lesson from the inbox of a data center manager, Tom.
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This CTA concludes an email that Tom has opened about the issues of data center outages. Unlike the CTA, all of the email’s preceding copy, and the subject line, had been detailed and informative – worthwhile for Tom to read. The above CTA is uncompelling because it lacks specificity. It fails to convey to Tom the insights he’d gain by clicking through, as well as the type of resource in which those insights are hosted (Is it a webcast? E-book? Case study?). Uncertain of what clicking through would offer him, Tom opts to delete the message, turning his attention to his to-do list.
Lesson #1: Be specific about the offer and its value to your audience.
Tom’s lost engagement could’ve been avoided – but how? By specifying the ways in which further engagement would have helped him resolve the pain point outlined in the email: data center outages. Consider the following:
To educate yourself on grounding strategies and designing power systems to ensure a safe and efficient data center, check out this white paper.
Along with detailing what Tom would gain by clicking through, this CTA informs him of the type of resource (a white paper) in which he would find that value. Clarifying the nature of the resource differentiates the email from a phishing email, which often concludes with an abrupt, short-on-details CTA. So, we’ve examined the importance of our first lesson: Be specific. It’s time to move on to some other tips and examples.
Lesson #2: Leverage dynamic, descriptive language to grip your audience.
- Before: In this report, learn about 5 things you should know about backups.
- After: In this Enterprise Strategy Group report, discover 5 common misunderstandings about Office 365 backups.
Lesson #3: Use one content offer in order to leave readers with a single, focused and irredundant message.
- Before: Don’t let your compliance plan fall short – access this guide today. You can also check out our product page to learn more about our solutions and use cases.
- After: Don’t let your compliance plan fall short – access this guide today.
Yes, your audience is more likely to hum a catchy first-act closer than your effective CTA. But a gripping CTA can do something that we’ve never seen a musical theater number accomplish: it can drive click-throughs on your white paper or infographic or demo, supporting your marketing objectives. Now, it’s time to craft some CTAs that captivate your readers – use our tips as a jumping-off point! Remember, be specific, descriptive and dynamic.
To learn how to level up your email subject lines and copy, tap into the rest of our article series and read our blog on how to create emails that better engage B2B tech buyers.
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