Promotional videos are a vital part of modern digital marketing. In an online information ecosystem that relies heavily on short-form video content, promotional videos are a great way to get your products or services out there in front of potential clients, whether you’re a B2C or B2B brand.
However, just making a great promotional video isn’t enough. Unless all you’re doing is a brand awareness campaign, your videos will almost always be part of a broader marketing strategy that relies on encouraging viewers to take a specified action, and that’s where the call to action (CTA) comes in.
The CTA is the linchpin of almost all modern digital marketing, and coming up with great CTAs separates good marketers from great marketers. In the past, CTAs have been text-based or buttons you click on a web page, so adding a CTA to a promotional video is new territory. In this blog post, we’ll give you some valuable tips for adding a call to action to your promotional videos.
The Different Types of Calls to Action
Depending on your brand, audience and current marketing campaign, you might need several different CTAs. You’re almost certainly familiar with CTAs if you’ve been on the internet for a bit, even if you’re new to the marketing game. Let’s look at some of the most common types of CTAs:
- Purchasing: This one is the most direct and aimed at customers who are ready to make a decision. In text, it would look something like: “Shop Now” or “Buy Now.” In a video, it might be something like: “You can visit our shop using the link in the comments/bio.”
- Subscribing: This type of CTA is more aimed at potential customers who aren’t ready to purchase just yet but to whom you want to continue marketing and delivering content. One of the most common types of CTAs you’ll hear in a video are, “Subscribe to our channel for more videos,” or “Hit the notification bell.” However, this can also involve signing up for a mailing list.
- Downloading: This differs from purchasing in that the conversion usually doesn’t cost money. It might be to download a free app (“get a link to our app in the comments”), or in text, to enter your contact information to get a free ebook or white paper.
- Engagement: If your video aims to improve your social media presence, engagement through likes, shares, comments, and reactions is a great way to boost your standing in the algorithm. “What do you think? Let us know in the comments!” is something you’ll hear in many videos on YouTube and other platforms.
- Special offers: Sometimes, you want to encourage people to take a desired action, which can look like a time-limited discount or a discount for regular channel viewers. For example: “Use code VIDEO15 to get 15 percent off at checkout.”
- Free trial/demo: Signing up for a free trial is often similar to a “download this app” CTA. If you have a B2B brand and your sales team regularly offers full demos to prospective clients, “Contact us for a free demo,” is the variant you’ll usually hear.
Four Tips for Putting CTAs in Your Promotional Videos
Now that you understand the various types of CTAs, let’s examine how to use them in your videos:
1. Place Your CTAs Strategically
Placing your CTA can refer to the physical location of any CTAs (buttons, etc.) and the timing. A CTA too early in the video risks turning viewers off, while a CTA too late might result in viewers quitting the video before they even get to it. In general, the longer the video, the earlier you should have at least some form of CTA. A viewer might watch a 30-second video to the end but might need some in-video encouragement earlier on if your video is longer.
You can use on-screen text and buttons to highlight your CTA. Specific platforms like YouTube support in-video links and embedding, so your viewers can go right to the conversion destination without scrolling down to the comments.
2. Use Clear, Compelling Language
The language you use for your CTA should follow the three Cs: clear, concise, and compelling. You should be using action-oriented language, like “learn more,” “sign up” or “shop now.” Also, clearly state what you want the viewer to do and the benefit they’ll gain from it. For example, “Sign up for our newsletter to receive exclusive discounts,” is more compelling than just, “Sign up.”
Another great tip is to create a sense of urgency with limited-time offers or scarcity. “The first 100 viewers to sign up will get a discount,” for example, is a great way to do this.
3. Design for Maximum Impact
Remember that the design can significantly influence effectiveness if you’re using a visual CTA and not just text. You don’t want it to completely distract people from the video, but you don’t want it to be easily ignored or missed.
Using contrasting colors, ensure your CTA stands out from the rest of the video. Make it large enough to be noticeable but not so large that it overwhelms the video, and place it where viewers’ eyes naturally go, like the bottom third of the screen.
Remember that an increasing number of viewers are mobile-only, so your CTAs should be mobile-friendly and work with viewers holding their phones in portrait mode. Don’t forget: it should also look good on desktop PCs or smart TVs.
4. Test and Iterate
Remember the rule of A/B testing: always be testing. Create multiple versions of your CTAs using different wording, colors, placements and designs. See which work and which don’t, and use only the effective ones. Nearly all modern video sites have deep, robust analytics offerings, so you can use those to determine which CTAs are most effective.
Video content in marketing can be extremely effective when done right, and one key is the effective use of CTAs. If you want to work with experts who know how to use CTAs in promotional videos, consider working with Pretzel Logic Productions. We’re confident we can call your viewers to action and help your brand.