Why Your Video CTAs Are Important

Hopefully, your digital marketing strategy is already full of video. If not, it should be! Video is crucial to an effective inbound marketing strategy. Reports show that 59% of marketers find video marketing to be at least somewhat effective for achieving their company’s overall business goals. You should know that your competitors are using video, even if you’re not. 

But what makes an impactful video? A successful call to action (CTA) is one of the most crucial components to consider. 

7 Key Tactics for Creating Video CTAs That Work

1. First things first: have a CTA. Most importantly, your content should have a CTA in the first place. Think of the great speeches in history: they all close with an inspiring call to the audience. The audience needs to know what to do next, and you need to tell them. Your videos should not only inspire action but let the viewers know exactly how to take that action. Something as simple as “Schedule a consultation” can be effective when placed correctly. Or, a button saying “Click to find out more.” The important thing is that there is a clear directive.

2. Understand the purpose of the CTA in the video. What are you hoping the video will accomplish? Do you want to generate leads or nurture ones you already have? Are you trying to drum up attendance at an event, or get new email subscribers? Ideally, the CTA aligns with the video content – which aligns with a stage in the client buyer’s journey. You can send viewers to your website, prompt them to call, promote gated content, or suggest a new video for them to watch. No matter what you choose, make sure that it speaks to a clear goal for the action you want to inspire in your audience. 

3. Have verbal and visual options. You can tell viewers what to do, but remember that video is a visual medium. People expect to see prompts as well as being told what to do. Adding clickable elements to your video is an option on several platforms and a good idea in many cases. For example, here is a tutorial on how to add a clickable CTA on YouTube. 

4. Keep it simple for skimming viewers. About half of your viewers will be watching videos on a mobile device. They also might be doing other things while watching the video. Will they be able to see your CTA? And if they do, can they actually take that action? A complex sign-up process for something might not be a possible next step for several viewers. What action can you recommend that would be easy for a mobile viewer simply skimming your video? 

5. Be direct. Ad Age reports that videos lose approximately one-third of their viewers in the first 30 seconds. Attention spans are short and likely to get shorter, leaving you with less time to engage potential viewers. Don’t waste time being verbose or beating around the bush. Get right to the point and avoid ambiguity. 

6. Don’t leave the CTA for the end. If your CTA is only at the close of your content, there could be a lot of people who never see it. You can’t expect people to take action if they never even see the suggestion. Put a CTA toward the beginning of the video, even if you plan to have one at the end as well.  A CTA within the first few seconds ensures that more people will see it and have it be top-of-mind as they progress through the video. You might even keep a button visible throughout the video, for example in the lower corner. This way people can skip to another action at any point in the video even if they don’t make it to the end. 

7. Use contrast to place emphasis on the CTA. The CTA in a video should follow the same principles as a CTA in other content such as a landing page. A visual CTA should be an element that’s obviously clickable. It should stand out from everything else on the screen. Remember that the motion, color, and background changes in a video are competing for the viewers’ attention. The CTA has to be prominent if you want to generate click-throughs. 

Takeaway:

If you follow this blog, you know the importance we place on video. It’s hard to be competitive in today’s market without a thoughtful video marketing strategy. If you need to level up in the video department, reach out to us. Whether you need a fully produced video from start to finish or just need support editing the video you took on your phone – we’re here to help. Contact us today for a free consultation to get started.