If you invest your time and talent into writing a brochure for your company’s products or services, you’re unlikely to forget the call to action. In many ways, the entire brochure is a call to action—an invitation for the reader to learn more about your company, and ultimately to pick up the phone to order a product. Failing to include a concise exhortation—“Call us today for more information”; “Visit us on Facebook to learn more about our products”; “Schedule your free consultation today!”—is an oversight you’d be unlikely to make.
Yet, there are many business owners who forget the call to action in their content marketing efforts. They pen blog posts but forget to invite the reader to learn more. This is even truer of curated content; as business owners share an article or a Facebook post from an outside source, it often does not occur to them to add their own brief, compelling call to action.
The call to action is important, though—yes, even in content marketing. While the point of content marketing is to tell your brand’s story in a way that is not overly salesy, there is still much to be said for offering a simple reminder: “We are here to help, we can benefit you greatly, and this is where you can reach us.”
The question—as ever—is how. How can you write a strong content marketing CTA—even on curated content:
- Before you write your call to action—in fact, before you write any content at all—consider your goal. The call to action should always be focused on only one goal—to get people to download an e-Book, to call for a consultation, or to share the article on social media. Eliminate the burden of choice, which makes action less likely, and focus the call to action on one specific goal.
- Consider who is going to be reading the content, and where in the sales cycle he or she is likely to be. For someone who is new to your brand, for instance, the best call to action is going to be one directing the reader to obtain more information via the website, or to call for a consultation—not to purchase your #1 most expensive product.
- Keep things short, because the longer your call to action, the less likely it will be to generate results. There should never be more than one link, and there should be as few words as possible. Don’t bother with “Click here to learn more,” just say, “Learn more today,” and include the link—short and simple.
- As for including a call to action on curated content, there is plenty you can do to encourage engagement. Say that you share a Huffington Post article that offers 5 Tips, 10 Advantages, or some other kind of list; your call to action might be: “What would you add to this list? Tell us in the comments section!” You can also offer something as simple as: “Do you agree or disagree? Let us know!”
The team at Grammar Chic is ready and eager to help you as you formulate strong content—and strong calls to action. Learn more: Visit www.grammarchic.net or call 803-831-7444.
Amanda E. Clark founded Grammar Chic in 2008. She is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and holds degrees in Journalism, Political Science, and English. She launched Grammar Chic after freelancing for several years while simultaneously leading marketing and advertising initiatives for several Fortune 500 companies.