What Should Go in a Video Call to Action?
Customers have certain expectations from social media marketing today. One of these expectations is that promotional material should sign off with something called a “Call to Action”. This is just as important for videos as it is for sales pages, blog posts and email marketing. Here, we present a list of the elements that go in an effective video call to action.
The Hook
The most popular type of hook is “FOMO” or “Fear of Missing Out” designed to drive customers to buy your product or service before it’s too late. With FOMO, the intention is to instil the necessity for a quick and hasty reaction to buy. Other types of hook include appealing to the desire to be part of something big, appealing to curiosity (to find out more visit our website) and the presentation of a solution (with the bulk of the video presenting a problem).
A Direct Link Makes it Easy
Uploading your video marketing material to YouTube or Vimeo allows you to maximize a number of useful extras. One of these is embedded links. Some content will link to other videos, attempting to encourage the viewer to remain on their channel. When selling a product or service, you can make the process easier for your customer by providing a direct link to your selling page.
Use Effective Annotations
Video CTAs are far more creative than text because you are able to do more. Annotations allow you to emphasize some of the video content or to include material that you could not fit in the video. It’s also a method of that age-old storytelling tool of “show don’t tell”. Your call to action needs to be short and punchy. Asking people in the video to simultaneously watch another video, sign up for your newsletter and visit your website to see your range of products or services will not effectively convey it all. The viewer will feel overwhelmed; annotations work better here.
Invite Feedback
Asking for engagement is an important aspect of customer outreach in the age of social media. Customers expect you to ask for their opinion. YouTube, Facebook and other platforms where you may share your video is a great place to start a discussion. When customers feel valued, they are more likely to become a return customer. It can also help you grow and develop your business, listening to what they do and do not like. The best place to petition for customer engagement is in the sign off section. Any earlier than this and your audience is likely to forget it.
Recognition / Acknowledgement
Staying with customer focus, it is good manners to include a message where the narrator thanks the audience for watching the video. If they have made it to the end, not only have you produced an effective video, there is a strong chance they will become a customer. Put them at the center of the video by acknowledging you appreciate they spent their valuable time engaging with you.
