What is a Call to Action?

If you have experienced an issue with getting your fans and followers to participate with your page, you may need to focus on creating a call to action. The phrase "call to action" is frequently referred to as a button, or a graphic asking for a specific response, "click here to sign up for our newsletter," for example. (See what I did there?) But a call to action can also go with your social media. Instead of saying "We've got a new shipment of tires in," you can add a "Click Like if you need new tires!" and see how many likes you get.

But before you ask your followers to do something for you (even something as simple as tossing a like or an RT your way), you're going to have to do something for them. Create and curate content that is both helpful and entertaining. Build a community of individuals who will value what you have to offer, so that when you do ask them to like your post, they know that they're contributing to an organization that has contributed to them first. When you craft your call to action, ask yourself what you need from this interaction. Call to action fans may tell you that every post should have some call to action in it, and in one way they are right. Every natural opportunity to create a call to action should have one. For example, instead of writing "read more" write "click here to read more." The subtle difference makes it easier for your reader to know exactly what it is you want them to do. But the other side of this goes back to my own philosophy regarding acting like a person online (click here to read more about that). If it's not natural to slip a "click here" or a "click like" into the conversation, refrain. This is the difference between being a good salesperson and being a hard sell, between a friendly offer to make it easier to a person to benefit from your own knowledge, or participate in the fun, and sounding like a broken record.

Don't worry about turning away people who don't want to be asked to participate. In addition to letting your community know what you need from them, calls to action also chase away people who aren't interested in being a part of something. It's better to have a smaller group of dedicated followers than a large group of slackers.

So, don't be a slacker. If you like what I write, call 310-876-8538 and tell me how I can help your business be better online today!

If you're not ready for that kind of commitment:

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