Put most simply, a ‘call to action’ on a business blog is a means of inviting blog readers to take a specific action. They’re an often over-looked but extremely important element of any blog/content marketing strategy – essentially a mechanism for turning anonymous visitors into identifiable leads.
The key to making them work is to ensure that the result is something that will benefit the business and/or the reader, but preferably both.
An effective call to action will be ultra clear and specific. This is not the time to try and be cute, or quirky, or funny. Rather than simply linking to a post and assuming readers will get the message, tell them to: “click here to read” or “find out more by clicking this link”.
Examples:
- Buying a new ebook
- Downloading a free report of white paper
- Sharing the post on Twitter or Facebook
- Viewing a video link on YouTube
- Subscribing to your blog, phoning your company
- Trying out a technique or idea
- Signing up to your email list
- Enrolling to an online course
Calls to action at the end of the post
The final line of a post is the most natural and often the most effective place for a call to action, as you conclude by telling the reader what to do next. This offers a clear option to the reader who is deciding their next step – which is most probably to leave your website altogether. Give them a reason to continue engaging with your business. Some effective closing lines are:
What do you think about [blog topic]? Please let us know in the comment box below.
To find out more about this, download [link to another resource]
If you found this post useful, please share it by clicking on [eg. re-tweet button, LinkedIn button, Facebook share button]
Remember, if you’re inviting readers to comment, give them a specific question or topic to engage with.
Calls to action throughout the blog post
Including calls to action earlier within the blog content can effectively ‘wake up’ a passive reader and prime them to take action.
Try introducing a list-style post with a punchy “See what you think of these ten ideas and add your own suggestions below”.
If you have a new ebook or white paper to promote, try something like: “We have just launched our new report, [title of report]. More will be revealed at the end of this post, or you can click here now [link to sales page] to find out more right away.
Now it is time to think about your own specific corporate blogging goals, whether that be growing your subscriber base or getting readers to like your Facebook Page. What call to action will you be using in your next post?
