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CTA what now? What is a call to action?
A call to action (CTA for short) is marketing speak for ‘getting someone to do something you want them to’. Having a strong call to action will help with those impressive KPIs (you know, Key Performance Indicators) you set - perhaps for more email subscribers, conversions or click-throughs in your Youtube intro or trailer video.
In this blog, we’ll share a range of handy CTA tips - including how to best incorporate call to action in video and some killer video call to action examples. Because, after all, consumers really do love seeing videos on social media.
First off, let’s break down the why of CTA marketing.
CTA marketing
Essentially, a marketing CTA is any piece of content used to get viewers to take an immediate ‘next action’. The classic example of a ‘buy now’ button is a super clear call to action in the form of a purchase.
However, as mentioned earlier, not all CTAs are about buying something. It could be asking the viewer for a sign-up, to watch another video, or, offering them a limited time offer, or maybe an awesome service, such as having all your video needs in one place 🙂
Call To Action phrases
Your CTA doesn’t have to be a click button or text. It could be a verbal call out - for example, a YouTuber might include a “subscribe to my channel” shout out at the end of their video.
How do you write a call to action?
Sure there’s the obvious ‘click here for more info’ or ‘call us today’ - but viewers can get a little tone-deaf to those commonplace CTAs. Jazz up your CTA phrases by getting a little more creative with the language used and the action asked of them:
Ask a question. Invite your audience to ‘join the conversation’ by visiting your social channels or using a dedicated hashtag. You could even ask them to participate in a poll or a survey to voice their opinion
Small wins big returns. Who doesn’t love a giveaway? Incentivise your CTA by running a prize or competition that helps drive awareness of your brand
Freebies. If your product is subscription-based, give the viewer a free trial. If it’s a physical product, offer a discount code, free sample or maybe a free guide. Creating a sense of urgency is a great tactic too: i.e. Sign up today for 15% off!
Snackable. If your content is easily digestible, your CTA might be an invite to watch another of your videos or read another blog - a smart way to align your audience with your customer/consumer journey.
Use actions verbs. Doing words and CTAs go hand in hand - ‘download, subscribe, shop, order, buy, learn more’ are all great doing words. Or, get creative with phrases such as ‘let’s do this’ or ‘get started today’.
Here are some simple CTA’s that work great as buttons or text overlays
Actions
Book a session
Join us
Discover more
Free stuff
Try it free
Claim your free X
Sign up for free
FOMO (Fear of missing out) effect
Today only!
Sale ends midnight
Limited supply
Call To Action examples
While call to action examples for sales are pretty transparent (i.e. buy now), CTAs aren’t just for selling, they’re for engaging too. Think of your call to action being like a virtual handshake between the viewer and your brand.
Your CTA might be just a couple of words, or a clear sentence or longer. Like these:
Nowness
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
The Dirt Company
Call To Action in video
For video, if the content is a person speaking to the viewer, they can utilise the verbal video CTA, just like talking to a friend. But you might also want to consider adding a click-through to your website, directing the viewer to your arena where your brand is at the forefront (instead of all the distracting cat videos on YouTube!)
You can also add a call to action by adding titles or captions in your video. When you’re using Clipchamp to create a video, you can easily overlay your video with animated text effects or subtitles. While you’re there, check out our blog on How Captions Can Boost Your Mobile Videos - because, when you add captions to your video, there’s always room to add a CTA.
The trusty call to action button - everyone loves a click button! You can add these direct CTAs in your video a few ways: on YouTube, you can add a call to action with YouTube Cards or when you run a YouTube ad. On Facebook, you can add a CTA button to a video ad.
Video Call to Action examples
There’s no denying video is a great platform to communicate your CTA in an authentic and engaging way. Whether it’s getting your views to subscribe to your channel with an epic YouTube Channel trailer, or helping to build your brand story.
Here’s some in-video examples of how fun CTAs can be:
