The Importance of Call to Actions
Ultimately, marketing is all about guiding leads into becoming customers, and a great call to action is vital in this process, but what makes a call to action effective?
To convert your target audience into paying customers, you need to be using a strong call to action throughout your marketing, whether that's on your website, within your videos or throughout your newsletters.
Let's look at what a call to action is, some examples you can use within your own marketing and why they're such an important tool to utilise.
What is a Call to Action?
Call to actions, also known as CTAs, are particular phrases that direct and encourage someone to take the desired action. They are a key tool used within your digital marketing strategy and content, especially within your videos.
CTAs are most commonly used at the end of marketing content/material, directing people to take the next step, whether that’s clicking a button or giving you a call.
A good CTA should be linked to a specific business goal or objective, helping to convert someone into a paying customer.
The Importance of Call to Actions
Firstly, CTAs are now a norm in marketing. People expect to see call to actions at the end of videos or on websites. Most people who interact with your brand are genuinely interested in what you have to say and are actively looking for CTAs to learn more about your business, services or products.
Buttons or specific instructions make it easier for people to know what you want them to do next, improving their customer experience.
I always talk about the power video content can have in the awareness stage of your sales funnel; it’s a great way of educating potential customers and showing them how you can help them solve a specific problem. But what’s next?
By including strong CTAs at the end of your videos, you can push viewers down the sales funnel into the consideration and even decision stages.
You could direct viewers to a specific landing page on your website that includes more information about a certain service or product. You could direct them to your newsletter or ask them to download your free online guide, enabling you to capture their data.
The further you people go into your sales funnel, the more likely you will convert those people into paying customers.
What Makes a Good Call to Action?
Call to actions can come in call shapes and sizes; they can be a physical button on your website or a verbal instruction at the end of your videos. The idea is to pique the interest and grab the attention of potential consumers, encouraging them to seal the deal. It’s important that your CTAs caters to your target audience and is relevant to the desired outcome/destination.
Start with a Persuasive Verb
Your CTA aims to get your audience to act, so start with a persuasive verb. They can be the difference between viewers taking the next step or dropping off completely. Stats show including a verb within your call to actions, it can increase the conversion rate by 89%.
Here are a few examples of powerful verbs you could use in your CTAs:
- Download
- Continue
- Sign Up
- Subscribe
- Order
- Find Out
- Get
- Unlock
- Discover
Create a Sense of Urgency
Deadlines tend to get us to act sooner rather than later. Including call to actions such as ‘sign up within the next 24 hours’ can give your audience the push they need to take the desired action.
Creating a time limit can invoke the ‘fear of missing out’, motivating people to hit that button, download that free e-book or give you a call before your offer ends.
Certain phrases or wording will work better for different people, so always test and measure. For example, one week try ‘get it before it's gone’, the week after try ‘Offer ends soon’.
Keep it Simple
CTAs are designed to be short and to the point. The longer the word count of your call to action, the more likely your audience is to tune out and not take that all-important next step.
It’s also vital you have one clear message at a time. I often see people asking their audience to do multiple things such as subscribe to their channel, follow the link to their website, sign up to their newsletter etc. This can confuse viewers and decrease your conversion rate.
Keep your CTA simple. Think about your goals and what you want your CTA to help you achieve.
Examples of Call to Actions
There are so many different types of call to actions out there that it can be hard to know which one to choose. Here are a few examples of call to actions you could include in your next video:
- Sign up – Invite your audience to sign up for a free trial, online course, newsletter or upcoming event. This is a great way of capturing personal data.
- Subscribe – This invites people to receive updates from your business rather than committing them to make a purchase. Ask users to subscribe to things like your YouTube channel, blog or newsletter.
- Try for Free – Enabling users to try or sign up for free allows them to demo a product or service before deciding whether it’s worth the cost or commitment. It’s also a good way to capture data. Give them something for free in exchange for their email address.
- Get Started – This can drive several different behaviours in your target audience from trying a free trial to taking part in a survey.
- Learn More – If you want to give your target audience a little more information about a service or product to convert them into paying customers, a learn more call to action could work well.
- Join us – If you have an online community or your products/services are built on collaboration between users, including ‘join us’ in your CTAs can encourage your target audience to get involved.
- Schedule A Meeting - When you're customer is ready to make the decision, be direct and guide them towards doing what you need, such as scheduling a meeting to discuss your service in more detail
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