Get More Clicks on Your Email’s Call to Action: Advice From the Frontlines at MarketingProfs

Get More Clicks on Your Email’s Call to Action: Advice From the Frontlines at MarketingProfs:
You have an awesome whitepaper, which is sure to attract—with the force of Earth’s gravitational pull—myriad readers. After hours of deliberation, with what seemed like 200 collaborators, you determined the audience and subject line for the email. The launch of your email campaign is upon you, open rates are skyrocketing like Apple stock, and you can’t wait to see the plethora of leads.
But, wait… No one is visiting your landing page!
Sound familiar? Maybe your email’s design is thwarting your call to action (CTA). Here are some tips for improving your email’s CTA, based on my work at MarketingProfs, where I track and analyze ad campaigns. In my opinion, these tips offer the best chance for success.

Layout Tips

• Keep it simple and uncluttered.
• Less text is better than tons of it. Use bullets like these. (People have neither the time nor desire to read chunks of text. Skimming is king.)
• Stick with a white background.
• Follow a template: header at the top, one image in right column, copy to the left.

CTA Placement

This is the single most important item of your email design.

• Use multiple CTAs. (I suggest three.)
• Use one above the copy, one below the copy, and one in the right column.
• Keep two CTAs  near the copy as text, but larger and bolded.
• Make the right column CTA a button.
• Text CTAs should be a different color (not red, which signals ALARM).
• Make sure your main CTA is above the fold.

What to Avoid

These mistakes are made all the time—but they are easy to fix!

• Never have your main CTA or any other pertinent info in an image. (Most folks set up their email clients to block images.)
• Don’t use too many images. They are very distracting.
• Don’t use too much copy. The CTA and message can get lost.
• Avoid black backgrounds… or any other color for that matter. (Stick with white!)
• Avoid print under 12 point. Don’t make your prospects squint.

Sure, there are a million variables as to why you get clicks—or not. However, I have seen the mentioned techniques succeed or fail in my studying countless analytics reports.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. What email design tips work for you?
Jason Lorentz is the sales solutions manager of MarketingProfs, which means he handles all the behind-the-scenes action for the sales staff and their clients. He lives with his wife and their 4-year-old son in Delaware.
(Photo courtesy of Bigstock: One Click)

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