Why a Video Call to Action Means Everything for Your Business

How the Call to Action Works

The key to using videos in your marketing campaign is making them active, rather than passive. Videos should be informative. Yet, this information falls flat if the user is not directed to take a next course of action. Remember, the ultimate goal of a video is to generate leads on your website. The video is part of your sales pitch; the call to action (CTA) closes the deal. Viewers can be elicited to do so through a CTA that prompts them to submit contact information, or directs them onto your site’s support page where they can speak to an expert, for example. The call to action is the platform through which leads are generated. So, if your lead score is quite low, you should probably adjust your approach to CTA implementation. 

Let’s consider the channel that most of you will use to generate video content: Youtube. Most would assume that Youtube was created for the purpose of entertainment. Millions of engaging videos on most any topic possible is sure to satisfy the desire of any viewer. Yet, Youtube is truly intended to be a marketing tool. While your video may act as a pitch, the CTA is the final sale. Convert Player helps you to reach that final sale.  

How to Implement a Call to Action

1. Apply  the CTA directly To Your Video

There are two ways your can do this:

  • Via a written CTA on a boxed screen that appears during or at the end of the video
  • Via a verbal request

 

The Verbal CTA

A verbal CTA does not warrant a great deal of explanation. This is usually seen in two scenarios:

  • A  voice-over that tells the user to take a specific action, or suggests that action
  • An engagement with an individual speaking directly into the camera

In the following example, produced by the budgeting app Grandma’s Jars, the presenter and CEO, Phil, speaks directly to the audience. The verbal CTA is used at 6:30. At that point, Phil asks the users to reach out to him directly with any questions or remarks. By doing so, he indirectly pushes clients into submitting a query or subscribing for an email via a verbal CTA.

 

The Written CTA

While a verbal CTA may give you the opportunity to build credibility by interacting with your clients personally, a written CTA is much more widely popular for one reason: it presents the user with a clear and direct action step. Therefore, using a written CTA is more common, and arguably, the more effective method. In the example below  you can see how, using Convert Player, the user was able to manipulate the video, adding effective CTA copy, as well as an email opt-in button, and pause/play functionality.

The viewer is prompted, at the end of the video, to subscribe via the email opt-in button. Using Convert Player, you can can change the placement of where you’d like the CTA to appear within the duration of the video. Utilizing the CTA in this way is effective; placing an additional CTA outside of the video takes it a step further. This engages the viewer from the moment they access the page. Their next action step is clear; they are no longer obligated to watch the complete video in order to act on the CTA. 

2. Place the CTA Outside of the Video

Optimizing your video is sometimes not enough to direct users to the intended CTA. Using a video on your landing page is only effective if there is an explicit CTA, stating the video’s intention. Whether this is to encourage viewers to subscribe to an email chain, or contact a team member to learn more, make sure that what you’re offering them is not perceived as a hard sales pitch. Aim to inform, rather than to sell. For example, an email subscription box featured near to your video’s placement on your site is an apt CTA utilization. In this case, if users lack the patience to finish watching the video featured on your site, a CTA placed strategically near the video will direct them.

 

 

In the example here, ClickFunnels boldy decided to place two CTA’s below the video. By doing so, they’re giving the viewer more than one option. This makes the CTA feel less spoon fed, giving control to the viewer to decide how they want to move forward.

Whether or not you decide to use a verbal CTA, multiple written CTA’s, or an in-video interactive CTA prompt, ensure that the copy you use seeks to entertain and inform, rather than sell. Remember, your ultimate goal is to get viewers to move forward by subscribing via email. Offering free trials are an excellent way of doing so. If you want a smoother segway into the subscription portal, offering a free consultation or for the user to “speak to an expert,” are also highly effective.

Convert Player was created so that you can optimize your videos in this way, bolstering each with an effective call to action. Once you do so, your video suddenly goes from being void of value, to being one of your best marketing tools. For a full step-by-step walk through of how to use Convert Player, refer to our previous posting on How to Use Convert Player for Video Optimization