Introduction
Your organization has just launched a beautifully rebranded website, complete with a modern design, updated visuals, and numerous ways for supporters to engage with your mission—fantastic!
However, as weeks and months pass, you continue promoting your campaigns, programs, and newsletter sign-ups as usual, yet you notice little to no change in performance. Your online fundraising results remain about the same as before.
So, was the website investment a mistake? Did it actually make a difference?
The truth is, a major website overhaul may not impact your digital results if your online marketing foundation is weak to begin with. The primary goal of your organization’s website is to communicate effectively and inspire action. While rebrands and design updates can enhance your ability to communicate, they won’t drive results if the calls to action (CTAs) on your site, emails, and social media posts are ineffective.
CTAs are what transform online engagement into real-world impact for your organization. Even the most visually stunning non-profit or higher education websites can fall short without strong CTAs, struggling to convert visits into meaningful engagement and support.
Even seasoned marketers can benefit from revisiting the fundamentals of conversions and CTAs to ensure their websites are fully optimized for success. Enhancing your website’s ROI is within reach once you’ve refreshed your understanding of these essential concepts. Let’s explore how to do that.
What’s a Conversion?
In marketing, a conversion happens when a reader or web visitor completes a specific, desired action. For nonprofit organizations, common conversions include:
- Donating online or via text-to-give
- Signing up for emails, volunteering, or SMS updates
Other organizations might track actions like:
- Downloading a white paper
- Registering for webinars or events
- Making a purchase
Conversions typically represent the final step in a user’s journey, where they’re ready to take the intended action after being guided by your website and marketing efforts. You can also track intermediary actions, like clickthroughs from an email, as smaller conversions leading toward the ultimate goal.
In essence, a conversion is the moment when an interested visitor takes a concrete action that advances your organization’s objectives, such as increasing campaign revenue or acquiring new donors.
What’s a Call to Action (CTA)?
A call to action (CTA) is a direct prompt that encourages readers or site visitors to take a specific action.
CTAs often include buttons or graphics with text and visuals designed to motivate users to act. They should lead users to a target landing page where they can complete the desired action, like filling out a form or making a donation.
For non-profits, a “donate now” button prominently placed in the website’s header is a best practice. Additionally, more targeted CTAs should be included throughout the site, tailored to specific goals like email sign-ups, volunteer recruitment, recurring donations, or membership drives.
Essential elements of effective CTAs
Creating an effective call to action (CTA) involves understanding your audience and crafting a message that resonates with them. While each CTA may vary depending on its context and the goal it’s supporting, certain core elements should be present:
1) Relevance
- Align with User Intent: The action you're requesting must be logical for the visitor. Understand what users are likely looking to accomplish on each page. For instance, if they are on an event page, a CTA to "Register Now" makes sense, whereas a donation ask might not.
- Contextual Messaging: Tailor your CTA to the specific situation. For example, if emailing past volunteers, prompt them to explore new opportunities or join an upcoming event instead of general orientation.
- Readiness Consideration: Gauge how prepared users are to take the desired action. A complex action like setting up a bequest should be preceded by informative content to ensure users are ready to proceed.
To achieve relevance, put yourself in your visitors’ shoes. Consider who will land on each page and why, and craft your CTAs accordingly to maximize their effectiveness.
2) Compelling Language
- Engage and Inspire: Use language that stands out and motivates action. For instance, "Give a lifesaving gift today" is more engaging than "Click here to donate."
- Best Practices:
- Use active voice and strong action verbs.
- Avoid jargon that might confuse or disengage the reader.
- Incorporate "power words" that evoke emotion or curiosity.
- Focus on the supporter, not the organization, by avoiding "we" statements.
- Create a sense of urgency when appropriate.
Review the CTAs on your website, emails, and other materials. Are there opportunities to make the language more engaging? Small improvements can have a significant impact, potentially converting more visitors into active supporters. Even a slight uptick in clicks and conversions can result in meaningful gains for your organization.
3) Specificity
Just as compelling language is crucial, your CTAs should be crystal clear in their intent. Readers need to immediately understand what you're asking them to do and where they will be directed when they click through.
When crafting CTA buttons, links, and graphics, ensure your text is straightforward. A good rule of thumb is to keep it short and direct while still being engaging. For many organizations, this is relatively simple because the actions are clear—donate, sign up, learn more, contact us, etc.
For more complex organizations, like universities with diverse audiences (students, alumni, staff, donors, etc.), clarity is even more critical. Understanding your audiences, making relevant asks, and using specific, compelling language will create a smoother user experience.
4) Prominent Design and Placement
The visual design and placement of your CTAs are just as important as the text. Consider the following best practices:
- Visuals
- Buttons: Use bold colors that complement your website’s color scheme and stand out against the background. Ensure the text color contrasts well with the button color for easy readability.
- Graphics: Incorporate bold colors that align with your main color scheme, and consider additional visual elements like your logo or well-designed illustrations. Photos of people often catch users’ attention more effectively than other images.
- Placement
- Visibility: Place CTAs where they are easily visible, such as bold buttons at the end of paragraphs or banner graphics at the tops and bottoms of pages.
- Running Header: For nonprofits, a “donate now” button in the website’s header ensures it’s always accessible.
- Multiple CTAs: It’s okay to include multiple CTAs on a page, but don’t overwhelm the user—focus each page on its primary goal.
- Embedded Tools: Use embeddable tools like email sign-up forms, calendars, and donation buttons to streamline the user experience and increase engagement.
Your CTAs should stand out without feeling randomly placed. By considering the user experience and context for each CTA, you can strategically position them to maximize visibility and encourage action. Thinking from the user’s perspective will help you identify the best placements to ensure your CTAs are effective.
Getting Started and Measuring Your Performance
Once you’ve applied call-to-action (CTA) best practices, it's crucial to ensure they are effective. Here’s how to assess and enhance their impact:
- 1. Set Clear Goals: Define specific outcomes for your updated CTA strategy. For example, aim to boost online fundraising conversions by 25% within six months or increase email clickthroughs by 15%. Clear goals provide a benchmark for measuring success.
- 2. Create Dedicated Landing Pages: Develop landing pages tailored to your CTA campaigns. Direct all relevant CTAs to a single, focused landing page to simplify tracking and analyze traffic sources effectively. Ensure these pages include the necessary forms or instructions for users to complete the desired action.
- 3. Actively Track Conversion Rates: Monitor the performance of your CTAs by tracking conversions on your landing pages. Use web analytics tools or plugins to gather data on form completions and other relevant actions. Consistent tracking will help you measure progress and identify trends over time.
- 4. Correlate Performance to Specific Strategies: Analyze the performance of your CTAs to understand which strategies work best. Identify high-performing and underperforming CTAs, and examine their targeting and approach. This analysis will help refine your strategy and better align with your audience's motivations.
- 5. Test and Refine Your CTAs: Continuously improve your CTAs through testing. Conduct A/B tests to compare variations of the same CTA and determine which performs better. Make iterative updates based on test results and ongoing analysis to optimize effectiveness.
For smaller organizations, managing data collection and analysis can be challenging. Consider partnering with web designers and consultants to develop custom landing pages, implement CTA strategies, and provide analytics solutions. Professional support can enhance your CTA effectiveness and overall conversion strategy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, effective calls to action (CTAs) are essential tools for driving conversions and achieving your organization's goals. By understanding the user’s journey, creating relevant and compelling CTAs, and placing them strategically on your website, emails, and social media, you can significantly enhance engagement. Combining strong, action-driven language with clear and visually appealing design ensures that your CTAs stand out and prompt users to take action. Finally, setting clear goals, tracking performance, and continually refining your approach will help optimize your CTAs, resulting in higher conversion rates and a more successful digital presence.
