The call-to-action, the infamous CTA, is very common on websites and ads, and tells the user what should be done. Who hasn’t clicked one of those buttons involuntarily? This often happens because our brain has a basic reward function.
And, if you want to draw people into important actions, there are a few elements that need to be present in the CTA, and it has everything to do with neuroscience.
But what does reward have to do with clicking?
The reward system is linked to our sense of pleasure and satisfaction, and it’s also where our motivation to do something comes from. Generally, when clicking on any button, the user isn’t using the rational side of the brain, but the emotional one.
When you build anticipation and create expectation, you also need to deliver a reward. In this case, the reward is finding a CTA that satisfies that expectation.
That’s how the brain works: the click goes further, triggering the production of dopamine, a pleasure neurotransmitter that acts as a messenger, carrying information to other cells in the body.
And beyond the reward:
– The brain also associates these buttons with things that need to be done immediately, creating a certain sense of urgency;
– It also looks for patterns that can help it understand information more quickly.
Pretty interesting, right?
So take advantage of the fact that the brain likes to look for repetition, and use recurring phrases to prepare your user to click the call-to-action. Use that to your advantage!
