How to Implement a "Call - To - Action"
Joelle Riding • April 2, 2020
How to Implement a "Call - To - Action"
Nowadays on most blogs, websites, and instagram posts, there are buttons or questions asking you to perform a certain action. These are the things that have convinced you to sign up for that newsletter or prompted you to comment on your favorite influencers caption.
These are what are called “Call to Action” or CTA.
A call to action or a CTA is how you are telling your readers to engage with the material you’ve created. In every good website, blog, or caption, there is always a call to action.
So how do I create one?
1. Pinpoint the key message
What is the key takeaway from the content? How does it benefit the user? Is there a lesson to be learned? Social media has proved that the message could be anything from giving dating advice to demonstrating how to draw a sketch. But whatever it is, it needs to have a point.
*This is one of the key differences between a business content and personal content. Personal content should be more about sharing pieces of your life where business content should have a clear and directed goal. It’s important to understand the difference between the two before moving forward.
2. Tell the user how they should engage with the content using command language
What should a user do with the information they just learned? Should they engage with more content, answer a question, or even a “subscribe for more” message?
You can never be too clear about a message. A good call to action should be direct and informative. If you want users to sign up for the newsletter you just created, you have to tell them. If you want to know the opinion of the people who engage with your Instagram, then make sure you’re asking a question at the beginning or end of the post so users know it isn’t rhetorical.
If your call to action is a bit muddled and confusing, most users will keep passing scrolling because they weren’t sure what to do.
Good call to action words include:
Download
Subscribe
Shop
Buy
Get this…
Sign Up!
3. Provide a reason for your audience to follow your call to action
What benefit does engaging in the call to action have? What is in the incentive?
For things like Instagram and Twitter, the call to action is about engagement and building community. For websites and business, it generally means a trade of information - i.e. a how-to PDF traded for access to your email.
For example, we offer a free home page checklist
to those interested in seeing how their home page ranks with other top performing sites!
These incentives can be used to entice the user to keep coming back for more - and with access to their email and newsfeed, they can!
4. Invoke discussion
Many social media platforms today rely on the amount of people who engage with the content you’re posting. Most of the algorithms will control the amount of people who see the posts based on who is engaging.
Finesse the systems by inviting your audience to engage with you and with others in the comment section. The more engagement is happening on your posts, the more the algorithm is going to boost your content.
5. Place calls of action in multiple but strategic places
A call to action should be easy to find on your website or social media accounts. Not only should you have them on your posts, but also in popular areas like your profile bio and contact me page.
Ideally, everything you do and post should be an invitation to the user to engage with you and your content.
Depending on your content, thinking about implementing a CTA in the middle of your posts as well.
The big idea here is that you should be using these calls to actions to engage with your consumer. From big to small business and influencers, your audience wants to know that they have been heard - that their opinion matters.
Have a question about implementing a call to action? Shoot us a message!
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