Sewing & Choosing Buttons

My Dear Readers, My grandmother was a super talent. She could paint, she could cook, she could sew. In fact, even as she aged, and her eyesight diminished, she still did all of the above. In her youth, she worked as a seamstress, and I recall the "old-fashioned" pedal-operated singer in her basement whirring around while she altered hemlines and fixed zippers. Did she have that blue butter-cookie tin that has become synonymous with sewing kits? I honestly don't remember, but I can easily recall buttons - every shape, color, size and texture.

Talking about Buttons

Back then, a button was a button, a physical item that was durable, may have had aesthetic appeal, had a function and was compatible with the fabric and buttonhole. Chances are, my grandmother spent a lot of time thinking about buttons, and matching the perfect one to the style she conceived of. If you're like me, posed in front of a keyboard (rather than a needle and thread) you're thinking about a different type of button. Yes, we're talking about the CTA - the call to action that graces every website, email and landing page. What kind of thought needs to go into these buttons? The Call to Action isn't only about the content - It’s not enough to write "Buy Now"; you might need "Get Started," "Unlock Your Discount," or "See If You Qualify." The copy needs to match the user's intent at that exact moment in the funnel. It's about the relationship between a button's copy, its color, and its placement on a page. And here we get to the fabric of the matter - the Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO),

It's Science

This is where it gets interesting. What is the desired action? CRO is about making the desired action as easy and appealing as possible. The more appealing, the more likely you'll get the _______ (fill in the blank) Click-through-rate (CTR), conversion, sign up, leads, sale etc. It's not only about the content, it could be as simple as moving the "Subscribe" button 100 pixels higher, or changing "Submit" to "Reserve Your Spot" to increase conversions.

Ensuring that your site is mobile-friendly is an integral part of the strategy when executing UI/UX. Words hold immense power. This focus on the measurable impact of every word is what I enjoy most about creating a digital marketing strategy. It brings a satisfying, data-driven rigor to what many assume is a purely creative pursuit.

Many years have passed, and while I don't have my grandmother's talents, I can still sew a button!

Lisa