Powering up SMS Marketing with CTA Designs that Drive Conversion

A call-to-action (CTA) is a prompt that encourages recipients to take a specific action, such as visiting a website or making a purchase. You’ve seen it everywhere, it’s been here since the birth of marketing itself.

Now, in the context of SMS marketing, the design of a CTA must be well thought out, because you’re working with a very limited number of characters and are restricted by what visual elements you can use. In this article we’re going to share some practical tips for creating CTAs in SMS marketing that will get you that conversion.

Tips for an effective CTA in SMS Marketing

Here are 5 key tips of an effective CTA that would encourage your recipients to take action.

1. Be clear and concise

Brevity is key here. With a limited character count, your CTA must be concise yet powerful. Use direct and unambiguous language. For example, instead of saying “Click here to learn more about our products“, opt for “Shop now” or “Get details”.

2. Use action-oriented language

The backbone of an effective CTA is the action-oriented words. Think “buy”, “shop”, “subscribe”, “join”, “download” ,“discover” — these words clearly communicate the action you want the recipient to take. Pair them with a benefit, like “Join today and SAVE”, and you’ll have yourself a perfect CTA.

3. Create a sense of urgency

Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a powerful motivator. You want to use phrases that create a sense of urgency, like “Limited time offer”, “Only a few left”, “Ends tonight”, or “Exclusive deal for today”. It’s more likely your recipients will take immediate action if they’ll experience FOMO.

4. Personalize when possible

Personalization can improve the effectiveness of your CTAs by making the recipient feel valued. If possible, use the recipient’s name or tailor the message to their preferences. For example, “Hi [Name], don’t miss your chance to save 20% today!” Personalization can increase engagement and conversion rates.

5. Ensure visual appeal

Even though SMS is text-based, visual appeal still matters. Use capitalization strategically to highlight important parts of your CTA. For example, “SALE ends TONIGHT!” Also, consider using emojis to add a visual element.

Bonus tip: Consider MMS

We talked all about how SMS is a text based channel, which is why you need to be very strategic with how you utilize the limited amount of characters. Well, there’s another option you may want to consider — MMS. It stands for Multimedia Message Service and is used to send both text and other media content like videos, pictures, GIFs, and audio. When comparing SMS vs MMS, the latter takes the crown when it comes to visual appeal and overall ability to engage subscribers, but both formats can and should be used interchangeably.

Practical examples of effective CTAs

To put words into action, let’s look at some practical examples of effective CTAs in SMS marketing.

Driving website traffic

  • Explore our new arrivals! Click here: [link]
  • 📢 New blog post alert! Read it now: [link]

Promoting sales and discounts

  • ⚡Flash sale! Use code FLASH20 for 20% OFF: [link]
  • Exclusive offer for you [Name]: 15% OFF SITEWIDE. Shop now: [link or QR code]

Encouraging event registrations

  • on’t miss out! Register for our webinar today: [link]
  • 🎤Join us for a live Q&A session. Secure your spot now: [link]

Collecting feedback

  • We value your opinion! Take a quick 2 min. survey: [link]
  • 💬Help us improve. Share your thoughts here: [link]

Wrap up

A good CTA is your gateway to engagement and conversion. Remember to put effort into designing them, and think through whether your CTAs are clear, short, actionable and visually appealing. We also encourage you to get curious and test different CTA variants, to find the ideal sweet spot for you and your audience.

Also read: