Article

Nima Amiri
Nima Amiri 25 June 2015

Don't Rush Your Call To Action

You've made a stellar video: it's fun, entertaining, and informative.

You’ve made a stellar video: it’s fun, entertaining, and informative. Most importantly, you’re racking up the hits and likes, people are sharing it on social media, and maybe it’s even gotten some buzz on one of the internet’s more renowned media sites. But that’s only the start. It’s most likely the case that your video is a means to an end.



 

 

People have sat back and passively watched, now you want to unleash the famous Call To Action, or CTA.

 
The Problem

Most CTAs follow a simple and direct formula. Here are some examples you’ve probably seen a hundred times:

  • Click here to find out more
  • Sign up today
  • Start shopping now
  • Buy!



There is one obvious problem with this approach to the CTA. You’ve shifted gears too quickly from bringing people towards your brand with great content, into pushing a sale on them.
 

One reason this fails is that many people might not have come straight to your videos on their own with the sole intention of spending money. Maybe they were doing research and a general word search brought up your video. Maybe a friend sent them a link, or they clicked a link somebody posted on social media. Perhaps your video came up at the end of another video they were watching.
 

The direct conversion from prospect to client misses an all-important step: generating interest in your brand through exposure to all you have to offer, not just your incredible “limited time offer deals.”
 

Before you push a CTA after one video, think about how you can increase the click count on your other videos. The more of your videos people watch, the more they are exposed to your style of branding, and not through forced advertisement (who doesn’t hate seeing the same commercial a dozen times a night?).
 

“Watch more of our videos” could be considered a CTA in the lightest sense of the word. Now you have the careful choice of how to lead people to new content without them leaving your page.
 

Here’s the trick: Complimentary Material—or, The Perfect Side dish:

  • You have a company that makes special cookery products. Just in time for Thanksgiving, you have a video about the perfect method for baking a turkey. So why not let the next video be about your crispy sweet potatoes? It’s not a whole new recipe, and it’s certainly not a missing ingredient that would frustrate viewers.
  • Or maybe you have a sponsored travel vlog site and you’ve done a special about things to do in Berlin in December. Maybe the follow-up video is about the Berlin’s legendary nightlife.
  • What if you’re a company that makes a series of video tutorials where you offer public speaking lessons. Watch this next video about the use of hand gestures when speaking.

The important thing here is you’re not tricking your viewer into watching more because your first video was incomplete. You’re not leaving out the crucial step or missing ingredient, and you’re not distracting from the original reason someone came to the video. Who wouldn’t be annoyed if they tuned into a tutorial on building a birdhouse, only to find out they need to subscribe before learning about adding a water feeder.
 

This is complementary content. It creates a path of interest in your particular skills and expertise as a company, and gives the viewer a sense that they are on a learning curve, rather than getting an information overload.
 

People don’t enjoy the pushy salesmen in real life, but even more so when they are surfing the web from the comfort of their own home. If you want to keep your viewer’s attention and build their interest, don’t worry so much about calling upon them to whip out their wallets. Let them browse what you have to offer by guiding them through the useful kind of content they came looking for in the first place.

Find out more on the future of Content Marketing at our DLUK - Trends briefing on the 24th September 2015

Please login or register to add a comment.

Contribute Now!

Loving our articles? Do you have an insightful post that you want to shout about? Well, you've come to the right place! We are always looking for fresh Doughnuts to be a part of our community.

Popular Articles

See all
How to Review a Website — A Guide for Beginners

How to Review a Website — A Guide for Beginners

A company website is crucial for any business's digital marketing strategy. To keep up with the changing trends and customer buying behaviors, it's important to review and make necessary changes regularly...

Digital Doughnut Contributor
Digital Doughnut Contributor 25 March 2024
Read more
The Impact of New Technology on Marketing

The Impact of New Technology on Marketing

Technology has impacted every part of our lives. From household chores to business disciplines and etiquette, there's a gadget or app for it. Marketing has changed dramatically over the years, but what is the...

Alex Lysak
Alex Lysak 3 April 2024
Read more
What to Do When the Sh!t Hits the Fan: Crisis PR for a Global Tech Meltdown

What to Do When the Sh!t Hits the Fan: Crisis PR for a Global Tech Meltdown

Even the best and more secure IT systems can crash and and the knock-on impact of an IT glitch can be massive. But when crises occur, how you handle them can make or break your reputation. Here’s a high-level guide to...

Glenn Matchett
Glenn Matchett 17 September 2024
Read more
Sales and Marketing Collaboration: A Recipe for B2B Success

Sales and Marketing Collaboration: A Recipe for B2B Success

In the world of B2B, the age-old rivalry between Sales and Marketing often overshadows the potential for a fruitful partnership. Yet, when these two departments align their goals, strategies, and efforts, the results...

Zsofia Raffa
Zsofia Raffa 12 September 2024
Read more
What Marketing Content Do Different Age Groups like to Consume?

What Marketing Content Do Different Age Groups like to Consume?

Today marketers have a wide choice of different content types to create; from video to blogs, from memes to whitepapers. But which types of content are most suitable for different age groups?

Lisa Curry
Lisa Curry 21 October 2016
Read more