You’ve gone two minutes in the ring with your audience. Your video content floats like a butterfly, and now it’s time for a call to action (CTA) that stings like a bee. Okay, we don’t actually want to hurt the audience, but the CTA is important because it’s the invitation for your audience to get up and do something.
According to famed entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuck:
“Jabs are the lightweight pieces of content that benefit your customers by making them laugh, snicker, ponder, play a game, feel appreciated, or escape; right hooks are calls to action that benefit your businesses” (emphasis added).
That particular benefit may be a direct request for the audience to purchase your service or product, or it can be a transitional request for your audience to follow you on Instagram. Whatever the goal is for your video, you will probably want the audience to do something at the end. That thing will depend on how you craft your CTA.
Going into the Final Bell
Like a primetime fighter, content sets the stage for the CTA that will persuade your audience to click, like, sign-up, post, and/or share your content. After all the build up, you want to end the video with the information your audience needs to take the next step.
There are a couple different ways to approach the final bell. You can choose to end the video with no branding, sending a message that your content is enough to inform the viewer. You can include the business logo only. Or you can include the logo with multiple points of contact: website, email address, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, phone number, etc. Whichever option you choose, make sure it’s clear and will direct the audience to find the information they want about your company.
Switch it Up
Your audience will probably expect the direct sell, but you can switch it up with a transitional CTA. Don’t get us wrong, we love a direct approach, but there’s a time and place. A transitional CTA is a softer approach to getting to know your company. It can be:
Inviting your audience to follow you on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Offering a trial or free sample so you can build your audience’s confidence in the product.
Asking your audience to subscribe to an email newsletter, visit a specific area of a website, or download fact-sheets or brochures for more information.
Requesting a video share. When someone shares your video they’re placing their stamp of approval on your company, and their followers will be more likely to try it.
Three Tips for a CTA Take Down
Like boxing combos, there are a spectrum of approaches for crafting a CTA to benefit your business. However, there are some practical tips that can help you pack a punch.
Keep it concise: Your CTA is the attack before the final bell. It needs to count. Keep it brief.
Use action words: Verbs, verbs, verbs! Think in terms of giving direction. What do you want your audience to do after the final bell? Go, click, post, like, follow.
Include a clear benefit: Your video may be center ring, but everything you do and create is for the audience. So summarize how your product or service will help them.
Now when you put it all together, it will look a little something like this:
Wienot Films can help you craft a winning call to action combo. Contact us today to learn how we can help you formulate your knockout punch.