I used to hear someone say all the time, “This needs a call to action!” or they’d say, “You need to add a call to action on all your posts! People need to be told what to do!”
After a while, I wanted to tell them what I thought they needed to do with their calls to action (CTAs) because I was tired of hearing about it. Not many of the posts they kept saying needed action taken on them, needed action more than what the reader would take on their own. Essentially, the one proclaiming calls to action must be included was tone deaf to the posts and to the reader.
Let’s go over a few reasons why you should not use CTAs in every post that you publish on social media.
- Your followers will become desensitized to your CTAs and this will make them ineffective.
- Continued CTAs in your posts will likely cause your followers to take an action you don’t want, like unfollow, hide, block, or unlike.
- You will appear desperate for sales and followers, which will turn people off.
- You’re making it hard to stand out because you’re on rinse and repeat.
- You’re apt to look pushy or demanding or overbearing, depending on what the topic of your post is.
- You could come across as salesy and, not too many people want to be sold to when they’re using social media (although ads and sales pitches do work, that’s another topic.)
When should you use a call to action? Use your calls to action selectively, when they’re going to be the most effective in your strategy for your audience to take action. Of course, mentioning to mark your calendar or don’t forget something is a call to action, but it’s not a true inspiration of urgently moving to do something or instigating the fear of missing out (FOMO).
- To bring awareness to a product launch, a sale, contest, or giveaway include a CTA.
- Use a CTA to drive traffic to your site, so visitors can read a blog post, learn more about a service, get a discount, download something, or join an email list.
- You can use a CTA in the form of a simple ask, such as, “Share with your friends” or “Like this post if you agree.”
The key to a good call to action is to have a reason why you’re adding it to your post. Most of your audience will take an action on their own, without you even having to request that they do it. If your followers enjoy what you’re sharing, if they agree, if they find it interesting, or if they feel compelled to learn more and click on something to sign up for or to buy something – they’ll do it naturally.
The best CTAs are well timed, well thought out, and in line with your goals and your audience’s interests. Don’t fall into the trap of overusing them.