Today’s tip is a follow up from our last video about lead generation. We were asked what were some tips for creating a powerful call to action for your video.
Too often, I see videos that lack a call to action. Of course, we want to create professional videos. But we also need to create professional videos that gets our prospects and customers to take a desired action.
What does call to action mean?
What is a call to action? You see them every day and just about everywhere you go. In a digital world, they are the colored buttons somewhere on a web page, landing page, or post asking viewers to take an action. Some popular CTAs include:
- Register for a webinar
- Download an eBook
- Watch an on-demand webinar
- Sign up for a newsletter
What makes a good call to action for your video marketing?
What makes a good call to action? It starts with having the CTA aligned with the content on the page. Then the CTA will be the reasonable next action your audience should take in their journey.
So, if they’ve just watched a video about the benefits of hiring a content freelancer, then the next action may be to download a datasheet on the 10 questions you should ask before hiring a freelancer.
What are some types of CTAs for videos
Videos are unique because you can include a range of CTAs in them. This includes using images, buttons, text, and audio for a call to action for your video.
With videos, you also have some choices on when you place the call to action, at the beginning, middle or end.
Also, different video hosting platforms offer differing levels of customization for CTAs. This could be an email gate in a platform such as Vidyard, or annotations in a platform like YouTube.
Got it? So let’s dive in with four baseline tips for effective CTAs for your video marketing.
#1 Make your call to action simple
If a requested action is too complex or requires too many steps, your prospects are less likely to respond.
Remember, you want your prospect or customer to be taking the next logical step in the process.
#2 Limit your CTA to one thing
The next tip is to limit options. Too many choices overwhelm people. This is very similar to the first tip.
This rule also applies to your video. I often see videos become ineffective because the creator tried to squeeze too much into them. I can empathize with clients and others that do this because the cost for producing a video can get expensive and they want to squeeze every ounce of value into it. But trust me, keeping it focused to one subject, like your CTA, will make you more successful in the long run.
You may have a good reason to ask your viewer to download a white paper, sign up for your newsletter, and to request a sales quote. But don’t do all three calls to action in one video.
#3 Make sure your backend is organized and supports the CTA
Third, take the time to do it right. Your Call to Action requires more than just telling your viewer to do something.
Are they clicking on a link in the video or next to the video? What is that link? Where does it direct them? What happens there?
Are you asking someone to call you? Do you have a way to track those calls? Are your video calls to action unique enough to be able to later track that action from watching the video?
#4 Test your calls to action and track the results
The final tip is to test and measure results. This ties in with getting your CTA set up correctly. Tracking the data on response rates is just as important as the campaign itself.
And depending on the video hosting platform you are using, you may be able to set up A/B tests for your CTAs and explore whether its more effective to have them in the middle of a video or at the end; or whether the button is green or red; and so on. I have seen little tweaks on CTA placement make a big difference in conversions.
So test and track.
It will provide information on how to move forward in the future while showing you (and your bosses) what’s working and what isn’t.