Do it now! How to optimize calls to action in mobile ads

optimize calls to action in mobile ads

When you’re crafting mobile ad copy for your call marketing campaign, the call to action phrase you add to the end may feel like an afterthought.

In reality, however, the call to action or CTA can be the most crucial element, especially given the brief nature of mobile ads. For example, one study found that adding CTAs to your Facebook page can increase click-through rates by 285 percent.

“If you want to ensure specific action is taken, you need to persuade the user to do it,” advises Sujan Patel in Forbes. “Never leave it up to the visitor to decide what to do first, or next. Given all the distractions on the web — and the other individuals and businesses competing for the attention of your audience — it’s easy to lose them if you don’t direct the show.”

Unsure where to start? A whole school of thought exists on how to craft such messages for maximum psychological impact, but you might begin with these basic principles for driving your intended results.

  • Create compelling phrases. Choose vocabulary that will appeal to your target customers, aiming to provide answers to their questions or solutions to their problems. Be as specific as possible about how they’ll benefit by making the call, appealing to their emotional state if you can. Creativity is effective as long as it’s brief, easy to understand and quickly gets to the point.
  • Check in with Google Analytics. Note your brand’s most popular keywords from mobile search and your site’s search bar and try to incorporate them into your call to action.
  • Optimize action verbs. Even basic verbs can psychologically motivate the reader to move forward. Examples of effective action phrases: “Join now,” “Create my free account,” “Go to checkout” or “Get instant access.”
  • Write in the first person. This may sound counter-intuitive, but tests indicate that phrases such as “Call to get our free sample” perform better in ads than second-person wording such as “Call to get your free sample.”
  • Connote urgency. Draw on the psychological principle that people want what they don’t have by hinting or stating outright that product quantities are limited or soon-to-be unavailable. Simple but effective CTAs in that regard include “Buy now,” “Get this limited-time offer” or “Click today to get the sale price.”
  • Think with your thumbs. Limit your CTA to one, optimize your white space and ensure that your click-to-call buttons (when used) are ridiculously easy to see and click upon.

Ultimately, the clarity and structure of your call to action will impact the effectiveness of your mobile ad. Apply research-based strategy to make it the best it can be.

Talk to Dial800 about how to create mobile ads that will increase calls to your business.

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