![\"control-group-test-a\"](\"https://mercurylabsmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/control-group-test-a.jpg\")
Conversion rates occupy a vital spot in any marketing dashboard, but they\u2019re by no means the end-all and be-all of marketing metrics. Every conversion is the end result of a series of actions that prospects need to complete.
\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s these tiny, intermediate steps that ultimately determine whether someone subscribes to your newsletter, downloads your latest whitepaper, signs up for a webinar, or reaches out to a rep at your company. Maximizing conversions means making this process as smooth as possible for your audience.
\n\n\n\nThis is why click-through rates (CTRs) is a more meaningful metric to keep an eye on than overall conversion rates. CTRs give a clearer picture on what\u2019s working and what\u2019s wrong with your digital marketing campaigns at each stage of the conversion process. And because clicks tend to be strongly correlated with conversions, increasing CTRs will, in general, also lead to higher conversion rates. Here’s why your website needs conversion rate optimization.
\n\n\n\nOne proven way to boost CTRs is to optimize your calls-to-action (CTAs). CTAs influence clicks, which in turn drive conversions. This makes CTAs not only a key factor in maximizing CTRs but optimizing conversion rates as well. According to Michael Aagaard of Unbounce, CTAs represent the \u201ctipping point between bounce and conversion\u201d.
\n\n\n\nBut with so many elements of CTA optimization to focus on (and so many tactics to make it happen), it can be challenging to figure out how to tweak CTAs for better clicks and conversions.
\n\n\n\nLet\u2019s take a look at some proven ways to do this by dissecting actual examples of CTA changes that led to significant improvements in CTRs for different digital marketing channels. We\u2019ll cover effective CTA strategies for email, social media, paid search, website, and video.
\n\n\n\nOn average, a typical B2B email newsletter contains three CTAs. But averages aren\u2019t necessarily the most optimal numbers to follow, especially with email CTA best practices. That\u2019s because real-world results continue to show that the fewer the CTAs, the higher the CTRs. In fact, as one email case study demonstrates, the optimal number of CTAs might be exactly 1\u2014nothing less, nothing more.
\n\n\n\nIn 2014, Thomas Mender, head of database marketing at Whirlpool decided to test out a series of tiny tweaks to an upcoming email campaign. His team ran an A/B split test in order to determine how many CTAs the templates should include:
\n\n\n\nThe control group contained a total of four (4) CTA buttons, Consisting of three (3) \u201cLearn more\u201d buttons (each leading to a separate product landing page) at the bottom and a single \u201cSee details\u201d button (which pointed to the campaign\u2019s main landing page).
\n\n\n\nThe treatment group exactly mirrored the control but included only the \u201cSee details\u201d button.
\n\n\n\n![\"treatmen-group-test-b\"](\"https://mercurylabsmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/treatmen-group-test-b.jpg\")
The results spoke for themselves. In terms of CTRs, the treatment emails outperformed the control by 42%. This clearly shows that, when it comes to CTAs, less is definitely more.
\n\n\n\nRelated: 4 Email Closing Lines That Close Deals (Backed by Concrete Results)
\n\n\n\nAccording to Elisa Gabbert of WordStream, there are four factors that influence a PPC ad\u2019s CTR: a compelling headline, some relevant keywords, an appropriate display URL, and a convincing CTA. Sometimes, something as small as changing a word or two in your CTA will result in a huge boost in CTRs.
\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s what Unbounce did with its PPC campaign. The company split-tested two versions of their free trial signup CTA (each with a slightly different phrasing). One version read \u201cCreate my account\u201d, while the other said \u201cCreate your account.\u201d. The test results showed the CTA that used \u201cmy\u201d fetched a 90% higher CTR.
\n\n\n\nFurther analysis by WordStream found that this applies to PPC CTAs in general. Top-performing paid search ads tended to use specific words, such as:
\n\n\n\nAdRoll says adding CTAs to your Facebook page increases CTRs by up to 285%. That\u2019s almost a four-fold increase with just a simple tweak. In his highly-recommended article \u201cWhat I Learned Spending $3 Million on Facebook Ads\u201d, Noah Kagan of AppSumo and SumoMe credits a key part of his campaign\u2019s stellar results to the right choice of ad CTAs.
\n\n\n\nSeattle-based agency Point It did a little digging on the effectiveness of Facebook CTAs at improving CTRs and found the following:
\n\n\n\nHere\u2019s a quick rundown of proven social media CTA tactics and the concrete results to back them up:
\n\n\n\nBuffer saw massive improvements in its ad campaign\u2019s engagement and clicks (on a budget of $5 a day) by zooming in on its target audience and making sure the CTA copy resonated with them.
\n\n\n\nBy changing \u201cwebinar\u201d to \u201cworkshop\u201d in a CTA copy, Facebook ad specialist Angela Ponsford doubled CTRs and leads for a client.
\n\n\n\nSales and marketing analytics platform InsightSquared ran a very effective Facebook ad campaign with a CTA that clearly mentioned what was in it for the target audience: a free eBook from one of the biggest names in SaaS.
\n\n\n\nMost marketers swear by CTAs that leverage free offers like \u201cSign up. It\u2019s free\u201d or \u201cGet your free guide now\u201d. But as the next example shows, taking a completely different approach sometimes reaps better results than staying on the well-trodden path.
\n\n\n\nBack when Basecamp was still known as 37signals, the company\u2019s co-founder, Jason Fried, wanted to generate more free trial signups from its HighRise CRM homepage. His team tested out many different versions of \u201cfree trial\u201d but failed to find the optimal verbiage.
\n\n\n\nIt wasn\u2019t until they decided to drop the phrase \u201cfree trial\u201d altogether and replaced the CTA copy with \u201csee plans and pricing\u201d that things finally started picking up. Signups eventually increased by as much as 200% as a result of the CTA tweak.
\n\n\n\nThis example teaches us a few important lessons:
\n\n\n\nEach CTA should nudge prospects toward a tiny step, not a huge leap. Going from homepage to a free trial can feel like a drastic jump for some first-time prospects, while a visit to the pricing page is probably a smoother transition.
\n\n\n\nSpeaking of website optimizations, this resource focuses on fifteen (15) proven web design ideas that can help you convert visitors into leads.
\n\n\n\nFor KISSmetrics, a CTA within a video fetches 380% more clicks than a CTA in the sidebar. That\u2019s the power of a well-placed CTA. In the example below, we\u2019ll see how you can leverage CTAs the right way in your marketing videos.
\n\n\n\nVeeroll, a video platform for businesses, launched a Facebook ad campaign to promote its Veeroll Pro Membership (with a 30-day free trial). The ads led prospects to a landing page for a live webinar, which then took them to an order page that listed features, testimonials, and FAQs. The campaign ran as follows:
\n\n\n\nSean Martin of Moz says it best when describing what CROv x really does. CRO isn\u2019t about optimizing webpages. It\u2019s about tweaking the small things on your page that influence your prospects\u2019 decisions. That means focusing on things like CTAs and making sure it\u2019s going to be very easy for your visitors and leads to take action.
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