Why You Need To Use Calls To Action Everywhere
As a photographer, you know that your work results from a lot of hard work and passion. But if you want to make a living from your photos, you need to do more than just hope people will find them online and buy them. You need to actively promote your business through calls to action on your website and social media platforms. A good CTA will encourage visitors to take the next step, whether that’s signing up for your newsletter, downloading a free e-book, or buying your photos.
Put yourself in the shoes of your customers. What do you want from a business when you’re buying something? You want a simple and easy experience. A well-planned CTA strategy makes it much easier for customers to take the next step in your sales funnel, making it much more likely that they’ll buy from you.
CTAs can be included on any platform that you use to promote your work: website, social media, email marketing campaigns, anywhere you are trying to connect with clients. You can also use multiple types of CTA buttons on the same website to encourage visitors to take more than one type of action.
Why is a call to action important?
It's important to include calls to action in everything you write because calls to action serve as signposts that let users know what to do next. A compelling call to action makes it easy for potential customers to know which step to take next and helps encourage them to continue interacting with you.
For example, if you're a photographer who writes about the art of photography, consider including a CTA at the end of the article asking readers to take any of the following actions:
Sign up for your newsletter.
View your portfolio.
Where to go to purchase prints of your photo.
View other articles on your blog about the art of photography
The call to action should be clear and direct, and it should give the reader the next step to take at the end of an article or story. If you're not sure what you want readers to do after reading your work, try asking yourself where you want them to go.
Do you want to show off more of your work? If so, what action could someone take next? Perhaps they could look at your portfolio or sign up for your newsletter.
Are you sharing resources or knowledge? If so, perhaps someone would like to subscribe to your blog by entering their email in the box provided in the article.
Have you written an article meant to entertain your audience? Perhaps readers could take another action like signing up to receive free updates via email or following you on social media.
Easy, non-pushy calls to action
One easy way is by using "Why don't you...?" statements that start out as questions but end up as demands: -"Don't forget! Your new order will be ready tomorrow." This type of statement leaves no room for interpretation about what's being asked of viewers. The words are demanding without being pushy because it starts with "don't." It also assumes readers will do what's being asked.
"Why don't you schedule a meeting with us to learn more about our services?" Starting this sentence out as a question creates curiosity, but then it gets people interested by using the word "why." It also assumes that viewers will take some sort of action after reading the article or watching the video.
"Why don't you tag someone who inspires you?" This question leaves space for viewers to offer their own input by answering the questions with their own ideas. It also assumes that they're inspired by someone, which can be a great way to start getting readers involved in your mission.
"Why not book today?" Including the word "today" at the end of this sentence will motivate viewers to take immediate action. They know that a deadline is coming up, so they should apply now rather than later.
"Why don't you tell us your story?" This question also leaves room for viewers to fill in the blank with their own ideas while still giving a clear CTA with the word "tell."
When asking your viewers questions, make sure to use one of the four strategies above and include a call-to-action at the end. In addition to using this tactic in your website and blogging, you can also try it out with email subject lines!
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