What’s the point of spending all your time and money producing videos for your organization? The point should be to communicate your message and inspire your audience to take action, but getting from point A to point B is challenging. Ultimately, whether your video is successful relies on your call-to-action phrase.
Crafting the perfect call-to-action takes effort and research – you must not only know your target audience well but also keep in mind how you will use the video as part of your marketing funnel.
Common Call-to-Action Mistakes
One of the biggest mistakes I see organizations make with their marketing videos is doing too little or too much with the call-to-action phrase. Organizations often want to make the most of the resources they have, so they might add several different demands to their call-to-action. Other times, they might not think a call-to-action phrase is necessary or want to avoid seeming too “salesy.” In this case, they might only use a logo or offer links to resources.
Whether your call-to-action phrase is too busy or nearly nonexistent, your video will be ineffective. Without a concise phrase that directly tells the audience which action to prioritize, your audience will likely do nothing at all.
Know Your Audience and Your Intention
Without a clear idea of your target audience, you won’t be able to make much progress in your video production process. Knowing your target audience means doing market research and closely examining the services or products that you offer. Your audience will determine how you craft your call-to-action phrase, including which of their desires you intend to fulfill and the place where they watch the video. Further, your intention should be to move your audience to the next step in your funnel.
For example, if you are marketing for a private school that would like to improve music student enrollment for the upcoming semester, you need to identify what niche you can fill and how you will use the video. Does the private school offer a special program for music students looking to get into a top school like Juilliard? Your video could be placed on the music program section of your website, and the call-to-action phrase might urge serious students of music to sign up on a digital form to attend an informational meeting. Outlining your audience and intention in this way will set you up for forming the perfect call-to-action phrase.
How to Form the Perfect Call-to-Action
Overall, your call-to-action phrase must get your viewers to move to the next steps in your funnel. First, identify where in your marketing funnel the video will appear. Then, choose the right platform to distribute the video to your audience, such as on your website, as a social media post, in an email newsletter, or at an event. Third, decide which step the viewer should take next to get closer to the end of the funnel. Finally, use all this information to construct a concise sentence that speaks to the audience’s need and directs them to where they can fulfill that need.
For the private school music student example, below are some effective call-to-action phrases:
- “For more information about the music program, explore our website.”
- “To learn if the music program is right for you, schedule an appointment.”
- “Give us a call for more information.”
- “Send us an email with questions about enrollment.”
- “Download our free informational PDF about the program.”
All of these examples can fit into a typical marketing funnel, which takes your audience on a journey from prospect to customer. If the marketing video is only the beginning of your funnel, the call-to-action phrase might direct the viewer to watch more videos, explore the website, and even sign up for a newsletter so that you can collect information and nurture them as a lead. As more detailed videos show up later in the funnel, they might direct the viewer to the last step, whether that is to apply for enrollment, buy a product, or make an appointment.
If you need further help with crafting the perfect call-to-action, contact Monzo Media Productions.
