In social media people often talk about generating more
“likes” or “followers” or, now, “pinners.” However, having 200 or 2,000 people
following your brand on social media doesn’t make much of a difference if those
people are not engaging with you on social media and/or purchasing your
product.
An effective social media strategy will incorporate
effective “Calls to Action” to engage both existing and new customers. What is
a “Call to Action” (CTA) and how do I formulate an effective CTA for my
business on social media? Read on to find out…
What is a “Call to Action”?
Simply put, a CTA not only informs users of what you would like them to do – ex:
“watch our video on YouTube” or “vote for us in this contest” but it also makes
them want to follow through on the
recommended action.
CTA’s come in many forms, including, but not limited to:
·
Claiming a promotion/discount
·
Promoting the business on another social media
platform (ex: a “Follow us on Pinterest” post on your Facebook account)
·
Sharing content with friends
·
Entering a contest
·
Liking or commenting on content
How to Effectively Use CTA’s
Depending on what action you are encouraging your users to
take, the form of the CTA will change slightly; however, here are several key
things to keep in mind when formulating a CTA:
1.
Make your
purpose clear. For example, if you want them to share something, tell them
“Share with all of your friends”.
a.
Being creative in how you state your purpose is
always good as long as what you want them to do, your CTA, is still clear.
b.
If this is a discount/promotion offer make sure
to convey a sense of urgency.
2.
Ask a
question. “We are on Pinterest.
Have you started following us yet?” or “We love our new ice cream flavors.
Which one is your favorite?”
a.
Studies have shown that engagement often increases
when the question is posed at the end of the post; however, this is not an
absolute rule.
3.
Include
pictures and/or links. This is
particularly true for Facebook, since pictures and links trump only text in the
algorithm, but applies to Twitter as well.
a.
Unless your simply trying to get users to like
or comment on a post, links are important in CTA’s. For example, if you are
trying to tell someone to check out your YouTube video, you need to provide the
link to that video.
b.
We live in a visual world, pictures are
constantly proven to increase engagement when included in posts (as long as
they are relevant and appropriate!).
4.
Be
positive! You want to inspire and
engage your users.
a.
Exclamation points are great, but use them in
moderation (we have a maximum of 2 per post).
5.
Don’t get
too wordy. You need to give some information alongside your specific CTA, but
don’t write a novel.
a.
Twitter has a word limit, try and stay well
under this so users can easily share your Tweet so that others can respond to
your CTA.
b.
Facebook posts should provide some information alongside your CTA (ex:
Watch our YouTube video about baby seals
in the wild) but you don’t need to tell them everything.
Ready to write your own CTA? Here are some examples to get
you started!
We have affordable vacation packages for every budget!
Wouldn’t you LIKE to be relaxing on this beautiful beach? (picture of beach)
Calling all DIYers…we are now on Pinterest! Have you started
following us yet? (link to Pinterest page)
Time is running out on our 20% off store-wide coupon! Click
the link below to get yours today! (link to coupon)
Don’t miss your chance for FREE shipping on any purchase
tonight until midnight! Order now and share with all of your friends! (link to
website and/or picture of products)
Still have questions?
Let us know in the comments section!
Also, let us know what you think of this post, and/or what
you would like to see addressed in future posts.
If you would like to set up a consultation with Constant
Raving so we can help you choose the best social media strategy for your
business, please contact us at ConstantRaving@mvoc.com
or by phone at 919.244.7503. We look forward to hearing from you!
No comments:
Post a Comment