I am currently working on a project where a user configures their product and the next step for our user is to click a CTA to contact us about this product. Our main success metric is the successful submission of the form.
The main issue we are facing is what language to use around the CTA. We don't know what would be more successful for driving people to the form. You see below our two front runners.
Just by reading the "Make it yours" it already sounds more compelling than a generic contact us. A friendly and inviting language can be a great approach. The more transparent and human it is the better.
From an user point of view I always find that when website use friendly and almost daring language, it tends to captivate me more than the most common "computer/internet words" that you see repeatedly on every website. Thats just my opinion, I like the human friendly approach just because it conveys more trustworthy and transparent message.
So yeah something like "Make it Yours" should definitely work best if you want them to get to your form.
From what you've described of the user flow, "Make it yours" speaks to your user in the context she's in and clearly indicates the next step.
Now, in your specific case the underlying question is: "Should I use a CTA with more casual/friendly language or direct language in this case?" and the truth is... we don't know for sure.
The best way to find out from an objective standpoint is to use A/B testing. That is, build the project so that you can alternate between showing the two messages and have a way to measure the result. Smashing Magazine has a great guide to A/B testing if the concept is new to you.
A/B testing is definitely the best way to answer your question.
However, I agree that "Make it Yours" would encourage the user to move forward in your flow since it is contextually relevant. "Contact Us" is more conventional, but it is also generic. As a user, I'm not sure if this CTA actually has anything to do with the product I just configured. I could imagine myself actually being dissuaded from clicking on the CTA for this reason; I'd be concerned that the time & effort I put into the configuration of the product may be lost if I clicked on a CTA with a label that wasn't contextually relevant to the product configuration.
Make it yours is the better option here for reasons already mentioned. But it's probably better vs. Contact Us, as opposed to being the ideal phrase. The user is not making it theirs by clicking this button, even though this language is more compelling than Contact Us. Contact Us is too generic and might also have a negative association, like when users are agitated or need help.
I like personalization aspect of Make it Yours. It's just a bit bothersome that a personalized phrase is used, setting the expectation that a tailored experience is pending, only to be taken to a form to fill out.
Long story short: Make it Yours wins here. But I'm still not convinced it's the best choice out there. Talked to any copywriters? ;-)
I think that this quite recent article (June 2014) about the "Sign Up" button can help: the author changed the “Sign Up” button to “Try it Free” and clicks increased by 212% (more data in the article).
His thesis is that the standard "Sign Up" buttons don't work because "they ask for blind commitment" and "do not offer any value". Visitors also "see common elements repeated on many sites" and "they begin unconsciously ignoring those elements (aka “habituation”)".
Therefore he suggests to:
- Tie it (the call to action) to your product. If you have a SaaS for trading bitcoins: “Start Trading Bitcoins.” If you have a marketplace for artists: “Start Selling Art.” This helps prevent the button from being overlooked.
- Give, don’t take. “Get Access” and “Sign Up” both lead to the same thing, but one makes the visitor feel they’re getting something, while the other doesn’t.
- Compell people to act. Use action verbs such as get, start, and try.
Of course there are many variables we need to consider (e.g., about your website's users, the business model, etc), but I think it's worth having a look at it. And testing is, as always, key.
