Content marketers can take advantage of social CTAs, which are seeing more engagement on sites like Facebook.
Content marketers often turn to Facebook in efforts to further social media marketing campaigns with good reason, as the platform now boasts 1 billion users. New research from Hubspot reveals that social calls-to-action (CTA) are seeing success, evident from the effects of adding “comment,” “share” or “Like” to posts on Facebook. The study analyzed 1.2 million posts from the most ‘Liked’ Facebook Pages to find how likely users are to engage with messages that carry CTAs.Posts Including "Share" Get More Shares, Comments, and Likes

On the back of another study that revealed Tweets containing “please retweet” see four times more action, Hubspot found that posts containing CTAs on Facebook saw more engagement, showing that calling for consumer support is an effective strategy. Because those who market on both Facebook and Twitter enjoy increased interaction from CTAS, content marketers looking to increase engagement on social media sites should consider including more of them.

Although generic CTAs may help in marketing efforts, it’s best to create custom content that is both inspiring and specific. Content that encourages users to take action will lead to better brand promotion, more lead generation, increases in consumer knowledge and ultimately improve ROI. Facebook CTAs are best when they’re short and sweet, as Brafton has previously reported, but marketers should prioritize audience needs for calls to action on other content types.

Brafton published a video as part of its Thursday Tips series detailing how to make stronger CTAs for website content. Kevin Elliot, senior account manager, suggested the inclusion of a ‘Buy Now’ CTA, as well as one that focuses on lead generation and another that is a ‘nurturing tool,’ where users can get more information about products and services. By developing a number of different CTAs, each specific to individual content pages, marketers can cater to prospective clients and customers based on individual needs.

Content marketers looking to increase engagement should include CTAs in social media content, blog posts and on company websites.

Emma Siemasko is a former member of Brafton's editorial team. Emma has experience with blogging, travel writing, industry news, SEO and content marketing. She used to live in South Korea, where she mastered the art of using metal chopsticks.