Sometimes, a call to action (CTA) button isn't enough by itself. The button needs an image to attract attention. This article shows you how to encourage clicks by creating a button with an image.
There are two options: use a Banner block or a Button block.
If I had to pick one, I'd go with the Banner block. It's more reliable. The Button block option does not always display well on mobile devices or on some email clients like Outlook.
Using the Banner block
You going to do this: place a small image of a button on a larger background image and then add a link to the whole block.
Open a tinyAlbert campaign message in the Editor and drag a rectangular structure to the canvas. Then drag a Banner block to the structure. Click the block one time to make it the active layer, go to the side panel, and upload an image.
tinyAlbert loads the image into the Banner block.
Adding a second image
Next, add a smaller image that looks like a button. Click the Banner block once, go to the side panel, and scroll down to the Additional picture heading. Switch on the toggle and upload an image.
Placing an image
tinyAlbert places the second image on the background image. Drag the second image to a preferred location. The block automatically displays suggested locations.
Click and drag to resize the image. The block resizes the suggested location rectangles.
Adding a link
Click the block once, go to the side panel, and scroll down to the Link heading. Make sure Site is selected. Paste the URL into the field.
Click Save and then Save & Continue in the popup confirmation window.
Preview
Click the Preview button to inspect the campaign message and see the display on desktop and mobile devices. If you want, click the link to send a test message.
Using the Button block
You going to do this: place a Button block inside a structure and then add a background image to the button. Add a link to the button.
Wait, wait, wait ...
Adding a background image to a button is not always a good option. Some email clients, like Outlook, may not display background images. In addition, the background image may not be responsive on all mobile devices. The result might be a cropped image.
If you want to give it a try ...
Open a campaign message in the Editor. Place a Button block inside a structure. Click the structure to make it the active layer. Go to the side panel and switch on the Background image toggle.
Upload an image from your device. tinyAlbert fills the container with the image, but the container height does not change. To correct that layout problem, add Spacer blocks.
Using spacers
Add Spacers to customize the background image display and position the Button. In this example, I place a Spacer block immediately before and after the Button.
Depending on the size of your background image, you might not need two Spacers.
Next, customize the height of each Spacer block. Click a block to make it the active layer. Go to the side panel and switch on the Dynamic spacer toggle. Go back to the Spacer block and adjust its height by pulling the handle up and down.
After adjusting the button position, you might be left with a distorted background image (as shown in the screenshot below). That's an easy fix. Open the Image editor. There's a full suite of tools, including Resize and Crop.
The result is a full-width image and a properly placed button. You may need to tweak the height of each Spacer block before you find the right button position.
Adding a link
To add a link to the button, click the Button block, and on the side panel, paste a URL into the Site field.
Preview
Click the Preview button to inspect the campaign message and see the display on desktop and mobile devices. If you want, click the link to send a test message.
That's it.
Now you know how to create a CTA with a background image.