Whether you're pitching a new idea in a polished corporate boardroom, touting a breakthrough product in a sales meeting, championing a charitable cause, or wowing your audience with a rousing keynote speech, the key to your presentation's success often lies in designing an optimal call-to-action (CTA). Wondering how to design and analyze this important element? We answer the most important questions and reveal the best tips and tricks.
What is a call-to-action?
"Sign up here", "Try for free", "Buy now" - you've probably encountered these or similar calls to action before. Exactly such calls to action are called call-to-actions (CTAs). CTAs can take the form of anything from simple text to meaningful buttons or clickable links, and serve as a bridge between the content of your presentation and the desired outcome.
Why is a CTA so important and what is its goal?
The importance of a CTA lies in its ability to transform passive viewers into active participants. Its main goal is to influence the audience's behavior, whether it's making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, making an investment, or taking some other desired action. It helps direct the audience's attention, clarify their next steps, and ultimately achieve the goals of your (shared) presentation.
How do you properly use a CTA in a presentation?
A good CTA is an absolute must not only in online stores, apps, newsletters and on social media sites, but also in presentation! While in live presentations it is mainly used at the end of a presentation, in a digitally sent presentation it should find its place in several places and fit seamlessly into the overall message and goal of your presentation.
Placement: Your CTA should be placed prominently in your sales presentation. Especially in longer presentations, it often makes sense to place the CTA repeatedly throughout the presentation to reinforce the desired action.
- Early introduction: depending on the topic, goal, and style of the presentation, the call to action in live presentations can also be made right at the beginning. For example, you can pique curiosity by hinting at a surprise or goodie that your audience will receive in return for your call to action at the end of your presentation.
- During the presentation: for presentations that you share via link and email, it's often useful to weave CTAs into the presentation at different points. Especially if you are presenting multiple important topics. For example, after explaining the benefits of a product, you can place a CTA that prompts "Learn more" or "Get started now."
- On a separate slide: Whether you're presenting live or sending out a presentation, a closing CTA is a must at the end of a presentation. Here, you should summarize the key points of your presentation and highlight the main action you want your audience to take.
Consistency: make sure the CTA is consistent with the overall message and branding of your presentation. Again, consistency builds trust.
Urgency: create a sense of urgency where appropriate. Time-limited offers or deadlines can encourage immediate action.
Test and retest: Use A/B or split testing to find out which CTA works best with your target audience. Experiment with different wording, colors, and placements to optimize the performance of your CTAs.
Mobile Suitability: If your presentation will be viewed on mobile devices, check that the CTA is clickable and works well on smaller screens.
Landing Page: Check that your CTA harmonizes with the message of your landing page, website or form and provides a seamless transition.
Extra tip: If your CTA contains legal or privacy-related actions (e.g., a consent to the General Data Protection Regulation or Terms and Conditions), make sure it complies with the relevant regulations.
How do you write a call-to-action for a presentation?
Brevity is the soul of wit, and a call-to-action should be as concise, meaningful, and easy to understand as possible. A dash of humor and clever wordplay can also pique curiosity and make people want to know more. However, the text of the CTA button should clearly inform the user what action they are taking by clicking it. For example, while "Subscribe Now" is a good choice for a CTA button, it can be beneficial to also state what the user is subscribing to. We have put together some examples of what this might look like for different types of presentations.
- B2B Sales Presentation: CTA: "Contact us for a customized solution for your unique business needs." CTA button: "Request a demo“
- Marketing presentation: CTA: "Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive discounts and industry insights." CTA button: "Sign up now and get 20% off"
Here are the top three B2B tools to take your marketing presentation to the next level!
- Product Presentation: CTA: "Order now and stay ahead of the competition. You don't want to miss out!" CTA button: "Order here"
- Company presentation: CTA: "Ready to join us on this innovative path to success? Contact our team today to explore opportunities for growth and progress together." CTA button: "Call us," "Chat with us," or "Email us."
- Information Presentation: CTA: "Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity. Join our exclusive webinar and learn how you can benefit from our tool." CTA button: "Register for the webinar"
- Investment Pitch: CTA: "Join us on this exciting journey and invest in the future. Let's grow together." CTA button: "Download company information"
- Keynote: CTA: "Act now to change the world - the future starts today!" CTA button: "Join the community"
- Charity Presentation: CTA: "Your support can make a real difference in someone's day Give today to help children in need." CTA button: "Donate Now"
- Educational institution presentation: CTA: "Apply today and get the skills you need to advance your career." CTA button: "Apply Here"
How do you analyze the success rate of a CTA?
Analyzing the success rate of a call-to-action (CTA) in presentations is an important step in improving the effectiveness of your communication. First, it is important to define your presentation goals and the specific objectives of your CTA. A clear definition of the desired action, whether it is subscribing to a newsletter, making a purchase, attending an event, or providing feedback, is the foundation of this process. Then choose measurable metrics that align with your goals, such as conversion rate, click-through rate, or sales.
To get an optimal overview of the performance of your CTA, you should use tracking tools and technologies. With presono, you don't have to worry about this, because our tool allows you to evaluate your (shared) presentations and trade show appearances in detail at any time.
Once you have collected all the data, analyze it carefully. Compare the results with your pre-defined goals to evaluate the success of the CTA. This analysis will help you identify both your successes and areas for improvement. And if your CTA didn't meet its goals, don't worry, because that's where the real growth lies.
Use the results of your analysis to make any necessary adjustments, such as changing wording, design, or placement. Remember, analyzing the success of your CTA should be an ongoing process. Monitor and evaluate your CTAs in different presentations and adjust your strategy as needed.
If you need support in creating effective presentations, we are happy to advise and assist you. We would also be happy to show you examples of customers such as NEMAK, Segafredo, Haidlmair, Greiner Packaging, KEBA, EREMA and EVN, for whom we have already successfully implemented interactive presentations and digital trade show appearances. Click here to contact us directly.