A call to action (often referred to as simply CTA) is an important component of any publicity campaign. It doesn’t matter if your objective is to increase brand awareness, to sell product, or to bring in clients for services that you offer, without a clear all to action your audience will not know what you expect or need them to do next.
If you’re not getting a response from your posts and campaigns, it might be because you haven’t correctly identified your audience or you’ve posted in the wrong place, but it is usually because you have not provided a clear call to action. Let’s take a look at some common CTA mistakes and how to fix them…
Does your CTA consider what your audience wants?
This is part of every campaign and every piece of content, no matter what. You must understand what your audience wants. Do you? If so does your CTA show that? It’s not about you, it’s about them.
Does your CTA answer your audience “what’s in it for me”?
No matter what niche you’re in, your readers want to know what’s in it for them. Why should they do what you’ve asked? How does it help them solve a problem? Again, this is about them, not you. Benefits over features — always.
Does your CTA motivate your audience to do something?
If your CTA doesn’t actually say “do this or do that” they won’t do it. If your goal is for them to share your meme, then say “share this” right there near the sharing button. If you want them to buy something, make it clear, ask for the sale, and give them a very compelling reason to click that buy button and give you their hard earned money.
Does your CTA stand out visually?
Put your call to action in multiple places on your landing pages. Try once above the fold, once in the middle, and once at the end. On social media you have very little space to get your CTA out there, you’ll want to craft compelling headlines that link to landing pages you know have good conversion rates.
Does your CTA have a timely motivation included?
If you create a feeling of urgency in your offer your audience will react sooner. If they think they have forever they’ll save it for later and forget. Express urgency in your headline and offer text. “Limited Time Offer” is always a favorite, but don’t be afraid to get creative. Don’t just use urgency words for the sake of using them, though. Actually mean it. If it says it ends on Friday, end it on Friday. If it’s only available once a year, only offer it once a year.
Does your CTA limit choices?
This is often a concern when offering services or product packages of different sizes. Don’t give your audience too many choices. More than two or three can be confusing and overwhelming, narrow down to as few choices as possible for the best results.
Does your CTA invite participation and sharing?
Always ask your audience to share everything. An option to share should be in our headlines, on your landing pages, and even on your thank you pages. The more you ask your audience to share the more participation you’ll get.
Recommended Resource:
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Transcriptionist, passionate cross stitcher, writer at heart, wife, mom, and finder of lost shoes… Loretta Oliver, married to the comic book geek of her dreams and mother of four amazing young men, has been working from home full time since 2001. With a busy transcription service business, a few niche sites, and a handful of other internet marketing projects on the go, the computer is always fired up and the ideas are always flowing.