3 ways to define a Call to Action in Email Marketing

In a previous post We talked about the optimisation of four key elements: the colour, the shape, the message and its location in the body of the email. In this post we are going to introduce some ideas and provide data about the shape of the Call to Action.
 Generally, the following are used 3 types of Call to Action: images, buttons and text links. They can be used separately, although it is common to find them combined in the same email.

 

Differences between a button and an image.
While it is true that from a visual and creative point of view, designing a Call to Action as an image is very useful, we must be aware that a very high % of emails do not download the images due to the default settings of the email provider (according to the source, between 30% and 40% of users access the content of your email with blocked images). We have to take this reality into account when deciding what type of Call to Action we are going to include in our email.

In the image above we see a section of an email in which, with the images downloaded, the call "Do your shopping" is displayed. However, as soon as the images are blocked, the CTA disappears.
We can avoid the inconvenience of a significant portion of our audience not seeing the Call to Action by using buttons. Buttons are sections of code in which the creation of a Call to Action is programmed. In the following image we see a comparison between a button and an image in a CTA in a context of blocked images.

 
The text links
Another alternative is to use text links. This is a poor resource from a visual and design point of view, but very effective when it comes to achieving click targets. Since this type of link penalises visuals and branding, it is often used in transactional and service emails, such as account activation or order confirmation emails. Naked links or text links get very high click-through rates because they are a format we have all been familiar with since the early days of the internet. This makes them highly identifiable by the user.
 

 
To summarise, when we have to deal with the definition of a Call to Actions, we should consider these three simple questions:

• Check the AIDA model and assign the relevant role to the TAC.
• Check how the CTA will be identified when images are not downloaded and optimise them where possible.
• Value the use of text links in those emails with a lower specific weight of design and a marked orientation towards interaction (order confirmation, access to personal areas, etc.).