How Many Calls-to-Action Can I Use in an Email?
Experiment No. 012
Is More Than One Call-to-Action Okay?
If you have one goal for an email then you should only use one call-to-action.
This is an email marketing rule I live by. Then I began to see emails that included more than one call-to-action. After clicking on each button and link they all went to the same landing page.
Where does this experience fit into the rule of “one call-to-action per email”?
There is more than one link or button, so is it more than one call-to-action? Or because all the calls-to-action go to the same place does it count as only one?
These are the questions that keep me up at night!
Plus, there is the thought to place a call to action above the fold in the email. This way if people don’t scroll down and read the entire email they might still click.
In this case, more than one call-to-action sounds like a good idea. So which is it?
Does more one than one call-to-action that directs supporters to the same page increase the click and conversion rate? Before we dive into the test, I asked this question on LinkedIn to get other professionals' thoughts or experiences.
Poll: Call-to-Action
This is the question I posted on LinkedIn.
“In an email, it is best practice to include only one call-to-action. These emails get the most engagement.
“But what about including more than one button or link that goes to the same page?
“I have seen emails with a button after the first paragraph, then more text, and another button at the bottom of the email. Both buttons go to the same landing page.
“This qualifies as an email with more call-to-action, despite the number of places to click.
“But does having more than one button or link, going to the same page, increase “conversions?
“I plan to run a test to find out. Before I do, I would love to know what you think.”
An overwhelming majority (73%) say that more than one call-to-action going to the same page will increase the conversion rate. Fifteen percent of people said it would make no difference, while 12% answered more than one call-to-action would decrease the conversions.
One individual commented:
“People are primed, trained to click. They chose to open the email and now if they.don't find anything to click, they've failed themselves. That's why a recapture bar at the bottom always diverts clicks away from unsubscribing. In the same way, if you make your pitch and they're not convinced, you make your pitch again and then present the offer again, you will capture additional clicks to your offer.”.
Test: Call-to-Action
With most people saying more than one call-to-action will increase the click and conversion rate, it was time to run the test.
The answer we got surprised me.
Research Question: Will 2 call-to-action buttons going to the same landing page increase the click rate?
Hypothesis: An email with one call-to-action above the fold and one at the end of the email will produce more clicks.
Test Element: Number and placement of call-to-action buttons
Control- One call-to-action button at the end of the email
Test- Two call-to-action buttons, one higher in the copy and another at the end of the email.
Both buttons use the same text and go to the same landing page
Key Metric: Click Rate
Results: Both emails had almost identical click rates, so the results were not statistically significant. The difference between the two
Click rate - 0.1% higher (8.8% for the test & 8.7% for the control)
Conversion rate - same amount.
Application: Based on this test, an email with two calls-to-action neither increased nor decreased the number of clicks. It is safe to use more than one call-to-action in an email as long as it directs supporters to the same page.
Future Tests: A good test will often lead to more questions. This test raised a few. New test ideas include:
Does the type of email matter? Would we get different results with a fundraising email or an email for a free resource?
Would a link and button produce different results?
Do 3 or more calls to action affect the performance?
Findings From A Study
A recent study from Neon One looked at the number of calls to action and how they affect performance. They found that 2 calls to action did not make much difference in the click-through rate.
Yet, more than 2 calls to action saw an exponential click-through rate increase. Emails with 6 calls-to-action had a 10% greater impact than those that had one.
What This Means For You
More than one call-to-action will not hurt your email, and the more you use will increase the clicks and conversions
Two calls-to-action did not produce much impact, but based on a report 4 or more will, as long as they all go to the same page.
I would recommend a combination of buttons and hyperlinks. A stack of buttons becomes too much, especially on mobile. Who knows it might work, though. I’m not sure, that’s why—it s always best to test.
