If you want your followers to do something, you can’t just hope and hint.
Here’s where call-to-actions come in.
What is a call to action (CTA)?
“A call to action is a prompt that encourages your followers to take a specific action.” (hootsuite.com)
Some people even like to say that a CTA is a virtual handshake with your followers.
Getting people to take action, especially on social media, is a tricky one! A strong CTA will motivate your followers to interact with your content and take the action you want them to take. They are an opportunity to create trust, engagement and/or a lead.
Maybe you want your followers to visit your website, subscribe to your newsletter, leave a comment and/or get in contact. To do this, you will need to draw people in and point them in the right direction.
Here are some simple ideas to keep in mind:
1. CTAs to Build Trust and Engagement.
Your goal for using social media for your business might be to gain more clients and leads. However, your followers are, more than likely, on social media to be educated, inspired and entertained. This means every piece of content shouldn’t end with a “sign up here” or “click the link to buy”.
If you are posting content that is Educational, ask for a SAVE.
Some examples of what your CTA could say…
Want to remember this post? SAVE it for later!
Hit the SAVE button to let us know you want more tips like these!
If you are posting Inspirational content, ask for a SHARE.
Some examples of what your CTA could say…
Share this post with someone who needs to hear it!
Found this useful? Hit share and spread the love.
If you are posting content that is Entertaining, ask for a LIKE/COMMENT. This is your opportunity to use CTAs to drive engagement.
Some examples of what your CTA could say…
Drop your favourite emoji (😍) in the comments if you agree!
Tag your bestie below!❤️
What are your thoughts? 💭 Let’s start a conversation in the comments!
2. CTAs to Generate Leads.
It’s now time to ask your followers for something different. Put yourself into your follower's shoes.
Do you want your followers to visit your website, subscribe to your newsletter or get in contact? Then your CTA will need to tell them exactly what to do.
If you are posting content on a platform that allows clickable links in the caption, you can simply say, “Click the link below to get in contact”. However, you will need to be a bit more creative with Instagram.
A CTA you could use would be, “Got any questions? Head to the link in our bio to get in touch.”
Keep in mind what you are asking of people is more steps to go through, meaning you will have to hope they will be committed to following through. A potential solution to this is the manual process of DMs and sending links to those who want them.
Wrapping up!
When you are writing your social media captions, be conscious of what action(s) you want your followers to take!
Always analyse your social media content to know what is working best for you and what could do with some improvement.
Signing on,
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