Salesforce Marketing Cloud emails rarely contain a single call to action. Modern templates typically include a mix of primary buttons, supporting text links, image links, navigation elements, and footer links. On paper, this feels helpful—more options for the subscriber.
In practice, multiple CTAs often create confusion.
Clicks still happen. CTR still looks acceptable. But conversions stall, primary goals are missed, and campaign managers are left wondering which CTA actually worked.
The problem isn’t the presence of multiple CTAs.
It’s the lack of visibility into how those CTAs compete.
Why Multiple CTAs Are So Common in SFMC Emails
Email teams include multiple CTAs for good reasons:
Different user intents
Supporting exploration before conversion
Stakeholder requests
Content density requirements
Over time, emails evolve to include:
A main CTA button
Secondary text links
Linked images
Logo or navigation links
Footer utility links
Salesforce Marketing Cloud supports all of this—but its reporting doesn’t explain how users choose between them.
The Big Question SFMC Reports Can’t Answer
After a send, campaign managers often ask:
Which CTA performed best?
Did the primary CTA actually win?
Did secondary links distract users?
Are we guiding behaviour or fragmenting it?
Salesforce Marketing Cloud reports show that clicks happened, not how attention was distributed.
All CTAs are merged into aggregated metrics, masking competition.
Why CTR Hides CTA Competition
CTR measures whether a user clicked any link.
That means:
A click on the main CTA
A click on a hero image
A click on a footer preference link
…all count the same.
As a result:
CTR can remain flat even when the wrong CTA is clicked
CTR can improve while conversion intent worsens
CTA performance problems stay invisible
Multiple CTAs don’t reduce CTR—they dilute intent.
How CTAs Compete Inside an Email
1. Visual Proximity Creates Choice Paralysis
When CTAs are placed too close together:
Users choose the easiest option
The most visually familiar element wins
The intended path loses priority
SFMC reports don’t show which choice users made—only that a choice occurred.
2. Images Often Outperform Buttons
Linked images frequently attract more clicks than buttons, especially when they appear first.
When images and buttons point to different destinations:
Attention splits
Conversion paths diverge
Performance becomes inconsistent
This behaviour is invisible in standard reports.
3. Text Links Feel Safer Than Buttons
Text links often feel less committal. Users click them to “learn more” rather than convert.
When placed near the primary CTA:
They siphon attention
They reduce button clicks
They inflate CTR without driving outcomes
SFMC doesn’t distinguish between exploratory and conversion clicks.
4. Utility Links Steal Silent Engagement
Footer links—preferences, privacy, unsubscribe—can quietly accumulate clicks.
These links:
Inflate CTR
Mask CTA underperformance
Create false confidence
Multiple CTAs exist, but not all of them matter equally.
Why Campaign Managers Guess Which CTA Worked
Without behavioural insight, teams rely on:
Design intent
Best practices
Past experience
Stakeholder opinions
Common assumptions include:
“The biggest button must be the winner”
“Users always click the hero CTA”
“Secondary links don’t matter much”
Sometimes these assumptions are correct. Often, they’re not.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud reporting can’t confirm or challenge them.
The Cost of CTA Guesswork
When teams don’t know which CTA worked, they:
Keep adding more options
Avoid removing underperforming links
Redesign entire layouts unnecessarily
Repeat the same CTA mistakes across campaigns
Over time, emails become cluttered—and performance plateaus.
How CRMx Reveals Which CTA Actually Works
This is where CRMx Email Heatmaps bring clarity to Salesforce Marketing Cloud emails.
CRMx adds behavioural insight that shows how users interact with each linked element—not just that they clicked.
Accurate by Design: Linked Elements Only
CRMx tracks clicks only on linked elements:
Linked buttons
Linked images
Linked text
Clicks on non-linked areas are not recorded.
This ensures:
Only intentional actions are analysed
No false engagement
Reliable CTA comparison
Link-Level Insight Instead of Aggregates
With CRMx, teams can analyse:
Clicks per CTA
Unique clicks per CTA
Relative performance across all CTAs
This immediately reveals:
Which CTA dominated attention
Which CTAs underperformed
Whether the primary CTA truly led engagement
For many teams, this insight is surprising.
CTA Ranking Ends Internal Debate
CRMx ranks CTAs by performance.
This answers critical questions instantly:
Which CTA came first?
Which one competed closely?
Which ones should be removed or repositioned?
Instead of debating opinions, teams work with evidence.
Understanding CTA Timing
Which CTA users click first matters as much as which one they click most.
CRMx surfaces timing insights that help teams understand:
Whether users click early CTAs and exit
Whether later CTAs are ever reached
How urgency influences CTA choice
Salesforce Marketing Cloud does not make this behaviour visible.
Designing With Intent, Not Hope
Once CTA behaviour is visible, optimisation becomes intentional:
Reduce competing CTAs
Align images and buttons to the same destination
Remove low-performing links
Strengthen hierarchy around the true winner
Instead of guessing, teams design around what users actually choose.
Why Multiple CTAs Fail Without Visibility
Multiple CTAs aren’t inherently bad. They fail when:
Teams don’t know which ones work
Attention is fragmented
Conversion intent is diluted
Salesforce Marketing Cloud reports can’t diagnose this problem.
CRMx can.
Final Thoughts: Multiple CTAs Need Clear Winners
When every CTA looks important, none of them truly are.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud reporting shows outcomes, not competition. CRMx exposes how CTAs compete—and which one actually wins.
When teams understand CTA behaviour:
Emails become simpler
Conversions become clearer
Optimisation becomes faster
Results become repeatable
Want to Know Which CTA Really Wins in Your Emails?
If you want to see which CTAs attract attention, which ones distract users, and how to simplify your emails for better results, it’s time to go beyond standard SFMC reports.
👉 Request a CRMx Email Heatmap demo and identify the CTA that actually works.
