The recipe for a successful content marketing campaign consists of more than just creating content – it consists of creating killer content. The best content marketers know that in order to tackle this task they need to understand their audience thoroughly, allowing their readers to guide the topics, format and social media interaction they might cover throughout their campaign.
However, whilst the audience might differ, depending on industry, there are a few golden guidelines for content construction that have proved common across the board: a clickable headline; engaging text; valuable information; a key takeaway – you might be familiar with a few of these. However, for the SME spending precious time on devising and creating content that makes people sit up and take notice, it is imperative not to let all your efforts fall at the wayside by forgetting the element that comes last but certainly not least – the all-important call to action.
Once a prospect has been hooked in by your dazzling content, not to mention made it all the way through one of your posts, you certainly don’t want to leave them unsure about what it is you want them to do next. Whether it is to click through to your website, purchase a product or join your email list, creating an irresistible call to action gives you the best possible chance of fulfilling your goal. Here’s how to do it:
1. Speak plain English
Don’t leave your prospects wallowing in confusion with an overly wordy call to action. Instead, keep it clear, concise and stick to a single offer to encourage a quick decision. The more you waffle, the more likely your prospect will be to get distracted, bored and click off without taking action.
2. Words have power
Using carefully chosen power words can really capture the interest of your readers. A great way to approach this tactic is to open your call to action with a powerful verb such as ‘subscribe’ or ‘shop’ – this lets the prospect know what sort of action to take. Furthermore, emotional language and punctuation can go a long way towards inspiring enthusiasm amongst your audience; and if your readers are enthused by your call to action, they are much more likely to respond to it.
3. Explain the benefits
Encouraging a reader to take action that might be perceived as risky is a tough sell. There is one eternal question on the lips of a prospective customer: what’s in it for me? So, tell them! Explain the benefits of following your call to action – what it will help them achieve or gain – to ensure prospects are clear that taking action will produce the best results for them. Use ‘we’ language that implies you are a partnership and on the same ‘team’ – this can demonstrate to your audience that you and your business are the ones to trust.
4. Create urgency
There’s an acronym that sums this point up nicely: FOMO. Fear of missing out does not force us to overload ourselves on social engagements come the weekend, it can also be the push that spurs the prospect into action. This modern world is a busy one, filled with distractions and competing offers that you need to beat. Whether it is a time-sensitive sale or including words that inspire immediacy, such as ‘now’ – leave your potential readers in no doubt that to delay might mean missing out on something pretty awesome.
5. Get creative
They say there is always room for improvement and with this in mind, don’t be afraid to try out new calls to action – the more creative the better. Test out a few to find out which work best with your particular audience. Honing your call to action is likely to be a process of trial and error so play with your language, experiment with design and try different techniques. Perhaps an interactive call to action involving an assessment or test (people love self-analysis) might suit your audience? Or a video call to action? Think outside the box, get those creative juices flowing, and test out the success of your efforts.
Discover how M2 Bespoke can help you turn your content marketing campaign around – contact us today.