How Vital Is a Strong Call-to-Action?
It would be very easy to underestimate the importance of a strong call-to-action at the end of any piece of content you publish, but they really are what conversion rates hinge on.
People will not take action unless you tell them to. As a result, all content and campaigns should have a call-to-action.
This is especially relevant when it comes to video content because of the time and money that goes into putting it together. You want to maximise your return on investment here.
What Is a Call-to-Action?
In its simplest form, a call-to-action (or CTA) is the magical few words paired with your content that closes the deal. It is how you bring about the action you want your audience to take, giving them a straightforward and to-the-point instruction for what they need to do next.
Why Is a CTA Important?
At the start of this post, we mentioned that conversion rates depend on CTAs, and it’s true.
They force action. They tell someone what to do, and more importantly, they tell them why they should do it. A good CTA will always provide someone with the motivation to complete the action. For full effect, the incentive needs to be there.
The ‘why’ is the crucial part of any CTA, but it is also the part that is most often forgotten about.
When it comes to telling people to do something, you have to make it absolutely crystal clear why they should do it, a.k.a. what’s in it for them. What benefits will they gain from taking the action you want them to? When these two things come together, they make a formidable pair.
How Long Should a CTA Be?
Despite what you may think, a CTA doesn’t necessarily have to be short. What it does need to be is concise. That means focus on what’s important and remove any distractions. The key here is to try and remove any other option from your viewer’s mind; make it absolutely imperative what needs to happen next. You want it to be as easy as possible for people to know what to do and why they should be doing it.
How to Create a Top CTA:
- Start with a strong action verb. This is the action you want people to take. Make it clear what you want them to do. ”Shop”, “Order” and “Get” are all good examples.
- Follow this up with powerful words that will create excitement amongst your viewers. If they are eager to take action, they are more likely to follow through. To ensure that this part takes full effect, it helps to have exciting and engaging content to precede it. Start generating those positive feelings as early as you can.
- Give them a reason to take action. What’s in it for them? The incentive has to be obvious.
- Choose a good colour/position. Your CTA needs to stand out. There can be no chance that your viewers might miss it. If they don’t catch it, it could be the difference between closing a deal or not.
All great content should be backed up by a strong call-to-action, there is no doubt about it. Whether you want someone to give you a like or a sub off the back of a social media marketing campaign, or you’ve produced a series of videos to push leads through your sales funnel, you will have achieve a higher conversion rate with a CTA.
