I Can't Believe I Never Asked My Followers to Do This

A simple request can increase your paycheck.

Imagine you are single, you go to a bar and meet this amazing man. You think that he could quite possibly be the one. You really want to see him again. Caught up in the endorphins and giddiness of talking with him, you forget to ask for his number. All that time you enjoyed talking to him and you may never see him again. Perhaps you were expecting for him to ask for your number but he was afraid of being too forward or of being rejected. You needed to give him a firm sign. Or a call to action if you will.

When you are taking the time to create your amazing content for social media or your website, you need to make the first move with your audience and have a call to action. A call to action on each post will help you grow your audience and increase sales in many ways. It will allow you to hook your audience and have a better chance of making them your “loyal royals.” Call to actions can be on almost any post and looks like a variety of requests.

Types of Call to Actions

• Likes: Ask your audience to simply like your post or Facebook page. They can like any content on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and even a blog post on your website.

• Subscribe/Follow: Asking your audience to subscribe to your YouTube channel will help you pop-up in their YouTube feed more often. Having more subscribers will also help you monetize your YouTube channel more quickly. If you are on Instagram or Pinterest, ask them to follow you there.

• Share: When fans share your posts, it opens up the possibility for more potential fans seeing your content. This is the best free marketing there is. So ask them to share away!

• Comment: Getting your fans to comment is another great way for their friends and followers to see the engagement on your content and start following you. When you reply to their comment, it shows the algorithm that you care about your fans and you are keeping the conversation on that platform. Remember, these social media companies are for-profit businesses that want to see your love for them.

• Click on a link: When you are asking your audience to click on a link, it is taking them off the platform. For platforms like Facebook, I would do that sparingly because, well, see comment above. Whichever link you are asking them to click, make sure it is a good one and that you can easily capture their email addresses or get them to purchase something. It is best to have these links lead to a page that is simple and requires little work for the fan to take action. Landing pages are great for this whether you are trying to sell something or just capture emails.

The Importance of CTA's (Call to Actions)

• In almost any of the CTA's listed above, you are able to gauge the success and acceptance of the content you are posting. Measuring your engagement is necessary to take steps towards success. If you are not seeing any results from your post, then it is a sign that you may need to reevaluate your content and message. Use your gauges to redirect your plan if needed.

• As mentioned before, having a call to action increases your engagement and visibility on social media. When friends of friends see the comments, likes, and shares on their newsfeed, it piques curiosity if your content is valuable. Again, take advantage of this free marketing by always asking for your audience to comment, like and share.

• When you are asking your audience to go to your website to subscribe to your newsletter or purchase from your online store, you are building your email list. An email list is the lifeline of any business. It will always give you access to your audience even when social media is down or they take a break from social media by deactivating their accounts.

Start making a list of CTA's that you are comfortable asking of your audience. Then use them in your content. Add them to your content schedule so you don’t forget to ask. When I am in the moment on a video or podcast, I forget to have a call to action half the time. Make it a habit to have a call to action by practicing it on every video you do.