If you manage accounts of social networks For your own brand or that of a client, you need to understand the importance of including a call-to-action (CTA) in your post.
Every element of your Marketing strategy should allow your audience to move from one stage of their customer journey to another. To help them take the next step, it is essential to have a strong call-to-action.
If you have a product, course, or free download to sell, you'll need a CTA to tell your visitors what they should do. Or, if you want your audience to sign up for your email list, you need to be able to show them where and how to sign up.
When people can't easily find and access your offerings, they can't get their hands on your products or services either. So you risk losing valuable members of your audience and potential customers.
We'll look at why a CTA is so important on social media and how you can effectively include it in your posts.
What is a call-to-action (CTA)?
A call to action, or CTA, is a line of text that clearly tells users the specific action you want them to take and, ideally, how.
CTAs can appear in organic posts or in advertisements. Either way, they make your posts more actionable because they tell your users what you want them to do.
Most of the time, CTAs encourage users to purchase a product, sign up, download or get an email list, or engage with the brand in some way. This could be including a link that sends the user off-site to purchase something, or asking them to comment on your article.
When it comes to social media, you'll likely see CTAs on images, in the post caption, or as a button on the post itself. Outside of social media, you'll see CTAs on websites, landing pages, and the email marketing.
In fact, according to stats, CTAs on a button have a 28 % higher click-through rate than CTAs on text.
Some posts contain more than one CTA, a primary and secondary call to action. You might see a CTA button on an ad, for example, along with text in the caption that prompts the user to take the next step.
Occasionally, including more than one CTA in a post can give your users options. For example, someone who may not be ready to buy from you may be willing to sign up for your mailing list if you show them how.
Many of your followers will follow exactly the actions you tell them. There are also many strategies you can use to take them from one stage to the next.
Why are CTAs important in social media marketing?
CTAs are important in social media marketing, because they increase the chances of people taking action on your posts.
A social media post that doesn't contain a CTA also doesn't tell your visitors what to do next. Even if they stop scrolling to read your post, they won't know what to do with that information. Most likely, they will absorb them and move on.
That's why you need to tell them where to go from there. You can use your posts to invite followers to:
- Visit your profile and follow you
- Click the link in your bio
- Buy the products you sell in your Instagram store (or offsite).
- Engage with you by liking and commenting on your post
- Share your post in their Stories
- Tag their friends in the comments
It's easier for people to take action if you tell them why it's important to take action. Use your caption and images to inspire them to take action, then tell them the next step.
If you tell them why they should follow the CTA, what they should do next, and how to do it, they will follow your lead. Make things as simple and straightforward as possible.
When your users understand why you're talking to them and are interested in what you have to offer, it's much easier for them to buy in. Your CTA doesn't just make your subscribers think your product or service is awesome. Rather, it inspires them to take the next step and make a purchase.
The performance of your CTAs can tell you a lot about the effectiveness of your marketing strategy overall. Many social media platforms include analysis tools which you can use to track the effectiveness of your social CTAs. You can also create trackable links that let you know if users click on your links and how effective a particular CTA is.
Ultimately, CTAs are important to your social media marketing because they are the primary driver of user action. Without a CTA, you're just posting free content. Your ability to monetize your social media channels and get ROI depends heavily on your CTAs and their effectiveness.
How to write better calls to action on social media?
Writing a great social media CTA is easy once you understand how a CTA works and where to place it. Let's look at some tips for writing your CTAs.
Define the CTA well
To properly implement your CTA, be sure to write a line or two, at minimum, explaining why users should take the action you want them to take.
If you are selling a physical product, show and explain why they should accept your offer. Announce the best features of your product, the fact that it's new, and any limitations of your offering before you tell them to buy.
On the other hand, if you're trying to get registrations for a webinar or course, explain the value of what they'll learn before asking them to register or click through. If they know what they're going to learn and why they should trust you to teach it, they'll be more likely to sign up.
Even if your CTA is well-written, your users need to see the value you offer them from the get-go, or they'll keep scrolling.
Tell users how to perform the action
When you write your CTA, tell your users exactly how to take the action you're asking them to take.
If you're selling a product, use a simple CTA like “Buy by clicking on the product label.”
For Instagram users, you will need to be more specific in your posts in the news feed. You'll need to describe the action (“Click the link in our bio to sign up!”), then immediately follow up to tell them how to do it. You can try something like:
- “Subscribe to our newsletter to get exclusive access to sales via the link in our bio!”
- “Our master class only has 30 places – don’t miss it. Register for free by clicking on the link below.”
- “Now’s your chance to win – tag a friend in the comments below!”
Whenever you can, make sure your CTAs also speak directly to your followers. HubSpot data shows that personalized CTAs have stronger 202% performance than CTAs that aren't personalized.
One way to do this would be to consider changing your CTA from “Buy now” to something like “Send me my book”. Help the user feel some sense of belonging before they even touch or click on the link you're directing them to.
Add clickable elements whenever possible
It's also important to add clickable elements to your posts when possible. On platforms like Facebook and Twitter, you can include a link directly in the post itself. Instagram requires a few extra steps unless you're hosting a sponsored post with a clickable link at the bottom of your image.
Whenever the opportunity presents itself, make it as easy as possible for users to take action. Whether it’s “Click that share button!” or “See our Facebook store here.”
For Instagram, having a clickable link in your bio that takes users where they need to go is a good thing. Consult Linktree for solid options. Alternatively, you can create a custom, vertical Instagram links page on your website, which you then link to in your bio.
Calls to Action and Facebook Ads
CTAs in Facebook ads are essential in several ways. Let's look at each of them.
in-text CTAs
CTAs in your facebook ads follow most of the same rules and best practices listed above.
The CTA is usually found towards the end of the ad, after the value proposition. However, you can place them in ad headlines to draw attention to what you want your users to do. Placing the CTA in your ad title can increase your click-through rate (CTR) because it is scannable.
Your CTAs for Facebook ads should be direct and clear. The ideal is to create a sense of urgency or scarcity, such as “Buy the sale before it ends!”.
Call-to-action buttons in Facebook ads
Facebook offers several CTA button options that users can choose from. It is therefore easy to customize your CTA according to your offer.
When you create a Facebook ad, you can choose from the following CTA buttons:
- Apply now
- Reserve now
- Contact us
- To download
- Get an offer
- More infos
- Buy now
- Register
- Watch more
You'll see the options listed in the “Creatives” step as you move through the ad creation process.
Be sure to test your CTA options on your ads. Sometimes users who are early in the funnel will be more likely to click on a “Learn More” CTA than “Download Now,” even if the ads direct users to lead magnets that they will ultimately need to download. You must always include a CTA button in all qualifying Facebook ads.
If you want to achieve optimal conversion rates on your Facebook ads, you should definitely use one of the CTA buttons provided. Test different options to see which are most effective for your products and services.
What you must remember
A strong call-to-action in your social media posts, whether organic posts or paid ads, is essential to guiding your followers through their journey with your brand.
Remember to write great CTAs, use CTA buttons whenever possible, and make your user's next steps crystal clear. When your audience knows exactly what you want them to do next, they'll be that much more likely to take action.
Boost your social media marketing strategy
Being present on social media platforms is now essential in order to increase the visibility of your brand and increase your sales. At Geekworkers, we offer you flat rate social media packs to support you in your social media marketing strategy and achieve your business goals.
