The idea behind inbound marketing is to get potential customers to find you. The goal of inbound is to turn a visitor into a lead and to convert that lead to a customer. Within this you must motivate your target to take some sort of action. This is where you can use a call to action (CTA) which is a critical phase of your entire marketing plan. By using specific content to encourage your visitor to take some sort of immediate action they can gain something in return.. Whether your platform is an email campaign, a blog, or an informative landing page your job is to make it easy for the customer to discern what they should do and be motivated enough to do it.
The Smart CTA
By placing a call to action button at the bottom of your blog post, you can direct your visitors to take immediate action as soon as they have completed reading your blog. While this is very effective in letting the reader know what you want them to do, it is not enough. You have a wide variety of people viewing your post so you need to have a way to separate them into categories based on where they are in the buyer’s journey. Are they in the awareness stage, the consideration stage, or the decision stage? By categorizing them, you can tailor your content and your CTA to focus on the information they specifically need at that particular stage they are in. This is why Smart CTAs are most effective. A Smart CTA will be able to use information you have stored in your database to determine what CTA would be most effective for them to see on the page.
The Social CTA
You can also motivate consumers to respond to a call to action through your social media channels. If a potential lead is already visiting your social media page, odds are they are going to want to know more from you in the future. This strategy is quite convenient in making it easy for the visitor to gain constant access to the information you are giving out. It is also very instrumental in helping the consumer to connect with you and your business on an entirely different level. The simpler you make it, the higher your chances of getting those people to take the needed step in your marketing plan.
The Subscription CTA
When readers are really interested in your content, they may want to read it on a regular basis. By offering a subscription to your regular content by means of a call to action you’re making them a regular part of your website family. When this strategy is done successfully, you are consistently sharing your information with them. In addition, you give the opportunity to interact on a regular basis. It’s important that you make this step as simple as possible; requiring them to complete detailed forms for additional information may turn them off. Simply ask for the information you need (usually just the email address) so that you can deliver the link to your site to them on a regular basis. By using these call to action buttons you make it difficult for them to not respond to your marketing campaign.
Learning how to effectively use all types of calls to action can make a huge difference in how successful your marketing will be. Whether you have catchy call to action phrases or something very simple, using them in a way that catches their eye can do wonders for your business’ return on investment. Remember, no matter how much effort you put into your inbound marketing plan, it will be extremely difficult for your business to see growth if your visiting consumers do not take that all important step and hit that CTA button.
SEO Consultant Roger Bryan