Calls to action form an integral part of any content and marketing strategy, ensuring that the reader is clear on what comes next. They prevent content from simply ending, instead leaving the reader with takeaway thoughts to consider and helping to guide them in the right direction towards becoming more engaged with the organization.
CTAs play a vital role in conversion optimization, but it can sometimes be tricky to know which approach to take. That’s because not all CTAs were created equal, with ‘hard’ calls to action and ‘soft’ calls to action both available. But which one is most valuable?
What are Hard & Soft CTAs?
To answer the question, we must first consider what hard and soft CTAs really are.
1. A hard call to action is one that asks the reader to perform a specific action which is directly related to making a purchase, or at least very closely related. This could be anything from downloading software to purchasing a product.
Examples of a hard CTA include:
● Download a demo today to start using the software
● Get in touch to speak to a member of our sales team
● Enter your payment details to purchase our product today
2. A soft call to action is one that indirect. While it still requests that the reader perform a specific action, this action will be more closely related to engagement rather than purchasing, asking for a little less commitment from the reader.
Examples of a soft CTA include:
● Check out our blog to learn more
● Call to find out more about how we can help you
● Download our research on conversion optimization
As we can see, both can be useful; a hard CTA is less ambiguous, leaving the reader with little doubt over what to do, but a soft CTA empowers the reader. What’s best?
Exploring Hard & Soft Sells
While it may sound silly, buyers don’t want to be sold to. At least, not all the time. Consider how the business-customer relationship has changed with the widespread adoption of the internet. Prior to digitization, customers would only interact with a business when they wanted to buy.
Today, however, web users interact with brands for many different reasons, including to learn and to be entertained. B2C relationships are no longer fuelled solely by a desire to buy, and it’s vital to understand that people want to engage with brands at different stages of their journey, without pressure to purchase.
This is one of the primary reasons why many businesses today are using tools such as chatbots which interact and nurture potential leads throughout the higher stages of the sales funnel, before these individuals have reached a stage where they’re ready to buy.
A soft CTA appeals to these audiences who are not yet at the bottom of the sales funnel, and helps to guide them gently down towards being ready to make a purchase
But savvy businesses are not doing away with the hard CTA completely. After all, a soft CTA can only lead a prospect so far down the sales funnel. What then? A hard CTA can be the motivator that transforms marketing qualified leads into sales qualified leads.
A Dual Approach
The best solution? Using both together, simultaneously. This way, no matter who your reader, what their expectations, or where they are in the sales funnel, there will be a call to action that appeals to them and motivates them to engage further.
There’s plenty of ways to incorporate both into a conversion optimization campaign… using a chatbot as a soft CTA, and a pop up as a hard CTA, for example. It’s also possible to use both side-by-side, with a box to click for a demo and a box for a whitepaper.
And now here’s our very own example…
To find out more about how chatbots can be used as a soft call to action within your business, check out our extensive range of chatbot examples, or if you’re ready to integrate chatbots and enjoy the benefits of AI, call our team to book a free demo.
ConvertoBot is the leading chatbot website and social media bots platform.
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