Calls to Action and How to Use Them in Content Marketing
Your content marketing plan must use a variety of tools that make each piece more effective at reaching your target audience and inspiring them to respond in the way you want. One of the most important aspects of many of your content pieces is the call to action. Your content writer should include one at the end of every blog post, landing page, site content piece and more. However, these calls to action must be used properly to ensure the greatest impact.
What Is a Call to Action?
A call to action is a sentence or paragraph at the end of your content that is designed to tell your readers what you expect them to do. They encourage your readers to actually complete an action based on what they just read. A call to action should be used in:
- Blog Posts
- Webpages
- Direct Mailings
- Newsletters
- Press Releases
Creating an Effective Call to Action
Creating an effective call to action is essential for your content marketing. A content writing service should train your content writer to write this element of your content in an effective manner. In order to ensure a high response level from a call to action, you need to consider the following.
Consider the Required Response
The first thing your content writer should do is consider the response you require from your readers. This will be dictated by the topic of the content, as well as the products or services your company offers. In order to let your readers know what you expect them to do, you need to make your language clear and simple so there is no question what your readers should do after they read the information. Be as specific as possible.
Start with a Basic Sentence
A good content writing service will already have a basic call to action that can be tailored to meet the needs of every business. This can be used as a template, especially if you aren’t sure how to begin writing a call to action. This simple sentence should tell the reader exactly what they should do, when they should do it and even why. Once you have the basic sentence, you can build upon it to make it even better.
Be Persuasive
The whole purpose of your content marketing plan is to persuade individuals to turn to your business for assistance. For this reason, your content writer needs to make the call to action as persuasive as possible without sounding pushy. Some of the best ways to persuade your readers to act is to:
- Convince them that others have benefited from taking action.
- Tell them why taking action can solve their problem.
- Show them you understand their needs.
- Allude to a reputable source that backs your claims.
The point is to convince your readers that they MUST click your link to benefit.
Include a Command
No one likes to be told directly what to do. For this reason, a good content writing service will work hard to embed the command within the call to action without making readers feel as if you are insisting that they do something they don’t want to do. Adding the command in the middle of a sentence that shows your readers why they can benefit from using your products or services or why they should click on your link will appeal to them on a subconscious level, increasing your chances of success.
Mix It Up
Once you know how to create effective calls to action for your content marketing, it is important to mix it up. Repeating the same call to action in all your content will not help you generate repeat clicks. Individuals who notice you are adding the same thing to the bottom of every blog post, newsletter or email are going to stop clicking and may even decide to leave your business altogether. Make sure your content writer customizes every call to action to fit the content to which it is attached for the best results.
Calls to action may seem complicated at first, but once you start adding them, you will see they are much easier than they first appear. Your content writing service can easily tag one of these important sentences to the end of every piece their content writer creates to give you the best possible impact. The goal is to appeal to your readers and encourage them to click on your link to find out more, to sign up or to make a purchase.
Do you need help with creating calls to action for your content? Contact us to get started on a content marketing plan, complete with effective calls to action.
