Wondering if every social media post needs a bold “Click here!” or “Book now!”—you’re not alone. The truth? It’s not a cut-and-dry answer. That’s why you’re pressing play on a nearly 20-minute blog post about it. This episode was inspired by one of my retainer clients and I felt it was valuable to share with a wider audience and truly dive deep on.
So let’s explore what works, what doesn’t, and how to balance value with calls to action (CTAs) to keep your audience engaged and your brand’s online presence thriving!
Content marketing, by definition, is about delivering free, relevant value to your audience—it’s educational, entertaining, or connects with them. The moment you add a direct sales pitch, you’re shifting into promotion territory. There’s a big difference!
Visualize the difference between a social media feed with 80% promotion and 20% content marketing…
Now the opposite: 80% free, valuable, relevant content with 20% of the feed making explicit promos. Which feed are you spending time on? It’s a rhetorical question but here’s why it matters…
Today’s audiences know when they’re being sold to, and they know where to find your link if they’re interested in buying your products, offers, or services. Adding a CTA to every post can be redundant and may hurt your sales cycle, not help it. Instead, focusing on content that deepens the relationship and nurtures your audience over time can be a winning strategy!
CTAs work sometimes. Analytics will show that when content resonates, people respond to CTAs like “share,” “save,” or “link in bio.” However, if the content isn’t resonating or the CTAs become constant, the audience’s engagement may drop, signaling it’s time for a shift.
Regularly check your analytics to see which CTAs work with your audience and where engagement is happening. It’s important to know that it’s normal for your audience to get quiet when you sell, so I recommend analyzing bottom-of-funnel content through this lens.
You’ve heard it before: give big value! I’d like to add a caveat. Value doesn’t only mean “educational”—it can mean making people laugh, inspiring them, or sharing relatable stories. By focusing on content that truly connects, you’re building trust and a foundation for future CTAs.
Aiming for 80% content marketing and 20% promotion will allow you to give valuable insights without overwhelming your feed with sales, plus there are ways to sprinkle CTAs and vary them to ensure it’s a win-win for your audience and you!
The content marketing funnel is at work on all your platforms, even on search engines like YouTube! It’s the invisible force that turns good marketing into sales. When prospective clients/customers/patients are moving through awareness, interest, desire and action stages with you on social media it’s because you’ve created a path (funnel) to take them from where they are now to where they wanna go! 🚀
Focus here is on drawing in new followers with entertaining content like reels, carousels, and BTS posts. It’s all about showing people what you’re about in a real way. Peep what’s on your FYP or Reels feed from creators you don’t know for inspo!
This is where your audience is connecting with you. Content here could be educational or storytelling, long-form YouTube videos, lead magnets, live videos, or stories—anything that builds engagement and community and keeps them coming back.
Here’s where CTAs really shine. Whether it’s a sales post, an email, or a DM, the bottom of the funnel is all about asking your engaged audience to take that next step. This next step doesn’t always look like making a sale, but it can! Other actions might be signing up for a free event or resource or moving to another platform to consume content like a YouTube video or podcast.
Keeping CTAs playful and varied doesn’t have to be a headache! Experiment with options like:
Automate engagement with tools like ManyChat for interactive CTAs that boost engagement. On a personal level ManyChat isn’t something I’m using at this time but I have experimented with it and see the value for certain creators!
Calls to action can be added to any piece of content you’re sharing so don’t sleep on adding them to livestreams and in Stories. Additionally, you can add CTAs:
This keeps your calls to action fresh and less repetitive.
At the end of the day, finding a balance is key. Calls to action are important, but they’re most effective when they’re part of a well-rounded strategy that brings value.
Experiment, watch your analytics, and keep playing with what works for you. Your audience is sophisticated—they know how to find you, so trust your content to do its job. And if it’s not make adjustments along the way, content marketing is a marathon not a sprint!
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, reach out—I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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