INBOUND ACCELERATOR

Several times a week, I write a blog post to share advice and insights about integrated public relations and marketing and the various tools and tactics involved in everything from brand development to campaign implementation.

Blog posts are written by me several times each week to share advice and insights.

Which of those sentences sounded better to your ear?

Measurement is a key step in any successful marketing program. It is important to know the numbers in order to track performance of your overall marketing strategy, as well the performance of individual elements, so that you can increase the use of elements that work, and improve those elements that aren’t meeting expectations.

Along with metrics such as website traffic, social media followers and reach, and blog post views, you need to track the performance of your calls-to-action, including those that are part of emails, blog posts, website banners, and social media content.

Calls-to-action, also called CTAs, are the essential link between your blog posts, emails, website home page or social media posts and the landing pages where visitors can access marketing offers and convert into leads.

While the advertising and sales concept of a call-to-action is to ask for the sale, when implementing inbound marketing to generate and nurture leads online, CTAs and the offers to which they link are often less about making a sale today and more about securing a contact and connection through which to build rapport over time. (Learn more about how even public relations can use CTAs through this video.)

If you are using great content to increase visibility of your spa or other small business through social media, wouldn’t it be great to include a one-click way for them to take action and become a customer?

There is a way to give your business Facebook page a simple one-click option where visitors can contact you to book an appointment, ask a question, or sign up for an upcoming event. You can create an official call-to-action (aka CTA) that appears in the lower right corner of the cover photo on a Facebook business page.

Nearly everything you write as a marketer, and most public relations content as well, is intended to inspire the reader to do SOMETHING. Maybe that something is just to visit your website, maybe it is to sign up for a newsletter or download a webinar. Or maybe you want them to click “Buy Now” on your latest product.

Regardless of which action you want the reader to take, the rules for writing copy that converts remain largely the same.

Nearly all consumers and B2B purchase decision makers turn to the web to research products and services before making a buying decision. That means your social media accounts and your website are essential in establishing a connection.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to turn visitors and potential customers into leads because you haven’t presented them with offers where they can easily find them.

With 2018 winding down and 2019 about to kick into high gear, it’s a great time to do a little research, learning and goal setting for the next year. If you are like me, each year you set a resolution to spend more time learning things that I can apply to my life — my health, my family and my job.

But there is only so much time available and there is SO MUCH out there to read, watch and listen to. How to choose?

Calls-to-action are those magical little buttons that start the action to turn visitors into leads or move leads further down the sales funnel. CTAs are the in-text calls to “click here,” “read more” or “download now.”

Calls-to-action are the magic wands that turn website visitors into leads by attracting them to offers they access by sharing contact information. CTAs may be small and concise but they play a major role in your inbound marketing.

Inbound marketing, and the leads it can generate for 60 percent less cost than traditional advertising, relies on the effectiveness of your website.