Guest post by Jeff Herring
Q: Do I need a Call to Action at the end of my article content?
A: I must admit, I was a little surprised by this question. It came from someone who had purchased an entry level resource from me, and the purchase came with a bonus strategy session.
In the book “Made to Stick” authors Chip and Dan Heath talk about the “curse of knowledge” – thinking that just because you know something means every one else knows it too.
So this question was another gentle reminder to always carry somewhere within you a “beginner’s mind” so you can make the most difference with your students.
On to the answer
So the answer is absolutely yes, you always want to have a call to action at the end of your article content. Here are some reasons to back up my absolute yes:
1) Even if you are creating content and/or articles just to see your name in print, you are doing your readers a disservice by not showing them a way to get more from you. Why? Because if you are creating content in the most powerful way, then your reader is going to be attracted to the way you approach and solve problems. The natural result of this is that they are going to want more from you. So why leave them hanging?
2) If one of the goals of your content creation is to create traffic, then of course you want a call to action. Asking the reader to go to one of your profit sites (opt-in page, sales page, blog, etc) is still a great way to generate endless waves of traffic from your articles.
3) If one of the goals of your content creation is to build a list, then of course you want a call to action. In world full of options for paid traffic, (Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more) [pullquote position=”right”]I still believe new list members who are earned instead of bought make the absolute best lists.[/pullquote]
4) And I’ve saved the most surprising reason for last: If you create content that helps someone to take the next success steps, and do not offer a way for them to go further with you, then you are simply working for your competition.
Why?
Because your reader will learn from and move forward with you, but then you leave them hanging. So then, when they read something on the same topic from one of your competitors, who offer them a way to go further, they will choose to invest with your competitors.
And you don’t really want to do that, do you?
I’ll show you step-by-step exactly how to create a profitable Call to Action on this Results Now Webinar: “How to Create a Profitable Call to Action: The Secret to Getting Your Prospects to Do What You Want Them to Do” on Thursday July 11th at 4 pm EDT – Join us here => http://JeffHerring.com/denise
Internet marketing can be a good option for those who want a new business or want to expand on their business. While there might have a lot of useful information about internet marketing online, wading through the information may be overwhelming. This article is meant to provide you sort through this confusion with some succinct tips.
You only have seconds on the web before people click away. Learn the art of attention seeking first to ensure the reader and viewer will want to read the rest. This also applies to the introductions to the article. When you do a Google search you see the headline and a description. Both of these are important in that order. Titles to videos, Slideshare content, images and tweets are also in this mix.
This was a good reminder to include the call’s to action and mix them up so I don’t have the same ones at the bottom of each post. I can imagine that would get a little annoying for my readers. Thanks for the insight!
More than a call to action button, how about a way to collect the email lead of your reader to send be able to connect with them?
One effective technique I’ve seen of using a call to action at the end of your blog post without making it sound like a sales pitch was when the readers were offered a way to read the comments associated with the post that were stored on another site rather than at the bottom of the post itself. However, I noticed that when I clicked on the link it took me to a site that had not only the blog post’s comments but also the post itself as well (Which I thought was rather strange).
I think that the efficiency or need of a CTA thing always depends on the actual blog or the audience. If you are writing just for the search bots with specified keywords and phrases, you don’t need to build an interactive connection to your audience. But if you are a passionate blogger and enthusiast of your scene (like me in 3D printing) you have to call your audience to take part in your projects, that’s why I feel so glad about your article! Thanks for sharing the useful information!
Hi Jeff,
Nice writing. Call to action or CTA is a MUST for all blogs and websites. At times, you even got to go to the extend like giving coloured arrows to sign up etc.
But trust me, that is all worth it. Convincing your readers to carry on reading is one thing but to convince them to sign up … is another.
Reginald
Thanks for the insight! Will make sure that I do include a call to action at the end of my posts and articles.
Great advice. It’s also worth remembering that a call to action can be a simple solicitation to leave a comment or subscribe. It doesn’t always have to be “selling” something!
You’re absolutely right, Tony. Calls to action should be based on the goals and objectives of the piece of content you’re publishing and sharing. Thanks for stopping by!
This is a great rundown of why you need a CTA in your content. But, you also have to give thought to it’s wording and location. Only putting it at the very end may prevent you from converting many readers- especially for longer content.
Hi Jeff,
Great insights. The last one caught me by surprise, that if you don’t offer a call to action, you are working for your competition. But how true that is, that many businesses will labor at blogging but at the end, just leave the customer hanging. It’s like going to a store with no checkout till. You pick up all your stuff and reach the exit and there is nowhere to pay!
Thanks again.
Mike
A call to action is very important. Some people just don’t know how to find you or use a computer effectively. This helps those lost in the world wide web. Thanks, Denise – Scott Craighead
I agree Jeff, unless someone is blogging for their own pleasure and doesn’t care about profit, lists or comments, a call to action is important. I think it s good to have the Call to Action after the main content but we can have it in additional positions, worded differently on the post. For example, your title alone makes a pretty nice call to action for interaction since it’s formed as a question. Nice topic, thanks. 🙂