What a Call to Action (CTA) Is and How It Works

A call to action (CTA) is a marketing term that refers to the next step a marketer wants its audience or reader to take. The CTA can have a direct link to sales. For example, it can instruct the reader to click the buy button to complete a sale, or it can simply move the audience further toward becoming a consumer of that company's goods or services.

The CTA can suggest that the reader subscribes to a newsletter that contains product updates, for example. To be effective, a CTA should be obvious and should immediately follow the marketing message.

Key Takeaways

• A call to action (CTA) is a marketing term that refers to the next step or the action that the marketer wants the consumer to take.
• Calls to action can be as direct, such as a button that says "Buy Now," or a softer CTA such as "Read More."
• Through practices such as A/B testing, marketers can learn which CTAs are most effective in getting the audience to do a specific action.

Primary buttons: Used for the most important actions within the application, ensuring they capture immediate attention.

Secondary buttons: Used for less critical actions than primary buttons, supporting the main tasks without overshadowing them.

Tertiary buttons: Designed for less frequently used or less important actions, subtly integrated to provide options without cluttering the interface.