Bridget Willard | SaaS Marketing Agency

Tag: content creation

  • What if Your CTAs Are a Turn Off

    Every once in a while I come across an article on content marketing that makes me cringe. It seems that even the experts don’t understand the concept.

    After a decade plus of generating revenue through content marketing, I can tell you the points mentioned, which included adding CTAs, making the reader take an action, getting subscribers, are absolutely unnecessary. Some are helpful, though they were about getting your content seen. Most are flat out compensation for crap content or ineffective marketing.

    The need to keep them clicking or give them an action to take or relying on a CTA are indications the author did a poor job with their content (either the subject itself or how it was written) and getting it in front of the right audience. If your content hit the mark, the reader will choose to take an action without prompting.

    "Good content which addresses your audience's question, provides a solution, and shows your authority will compel action. If it doesn't, you may need to rethink the effectiveness of your content." ~ @tsomedia Share on X

    The negative effect of CTAs

    Calls to Action (CTAs) in content has a drawback as well. It can limit social sharing and backlinks. I will generally advise clients against linking to content that includes CTAs, especially if they are obvious. Unless my client has a high degree of authority and experience, that link could result in a lost sale (the last click wins).

    While it may be seen as a positive if you received a backlink to an article with a CTA, you’ll still likely have lost more links than earned. While I don’t have a concern about losing clients through links to content with strong CTAs, my content is designed to be educational and informative.  For me, to link to an article that includes a strong CTA (making it promotional) is a huge no. I will only link to (or share via social media) content aimed at educating and informing.

    Think about the real-world comparison.

    Would you ever refer someone to a possible competitor if you knew they used hard-sell tactics? That you could lose your customer. Hell no! You wouldn’t expect referrals if you did the same either. So why include a hard sell in the form of a CTA within your content? Good content doesn’t need it. Authoritative brands don’t need it.

    If you feel a CTA is necessary, add one in a non-promotional way.  Try “we’d love to chat” or “if you have questions” used with “drop us a line” or “contact us” linked to your contact form. More than being less promotional, this softer approach is more inviting, more relationship-based, and you’ll likely see an increase in conversions.

    “Keep them clicking?”

    Internal links shouldn’t exist to “keep them clicking.” They are designed to provide an opportunity for the reader to dig deeper if they want to learn more. Good content can stand on its own. Internal links designed to keep your reader clicking will have them clicking off your site. Your reader wants answers.

    If they cannot find what they need in the content you provided, they’ll bounce. Period. And Google will take notice of POGO bounces (If you follow this link, you’ll see it perfectly addressed what I was after and it doesn’t try to convert me. It still earned a backlink and I bookmarked the site for future reference – Those are conversions. Additional links on the page gave me an option to read more and the subscribe box is unobtrusive to a point that I failed to even notice it on the first read — damn good content marketing.)

    "If your content hits the mark, it will compel others to read more. That is the sign of good content marketing. Keep them clicking is a ploy used by poor content marketers to keep readers on a site." ~ @tsomedia Share on X

    The Bottom Line

    Well-written (hire a professional content editor if necessary), valuable content which shows authority in addressing a subject matter does not need a hard CTA.

    Rather than talking to experts adding gimmicks, let’s get back to basics and talk about what makes for good content. Let’s focus on quality writing (hire an editor if necessary). Learn how to use social media marketing and building the right audience to get your good content seen.

    If your content isn’t hitting its mark and you feel the points addressed in the above-referenced article are advisable, let’s chat. (See what I did there? A soft, friendly CTA!)

    Robert Nissenbaum is a brand, content, and social media marketing consultant at Tactical Social Media with more than a decade of experience.  He is a national speaker and is the Lead Marketing Wrangler for WordCamp Seattle.  An avid sea kayaker, when not online, you can find him on the water.  You can find him on X at @rnissenbaum.

  • Listen to the Quiet

    It’s easy to be busy — busy with people, noise, work, problems. And it’s good to work hard, hustle, and be productive. But we need downtime. We need to listen to the quiet.

    And so, I took a walk at the beach. I was content taking photographs, listening to the waves, feeling the sun on my face, and tasting the salt air.

    “When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” ― Ansel Adams

    Writers Need Rest

    Tonight, I knew I was coming up against my own deadline of publishing Saturday morning at 9:15 a.m. And, for my day job, I write.

    Tweets, Facebook posts, point of view documents, persuasive content, informative content, technical pieces, editing, proofreading. There’s so much writing. And that doesn’t even count the conversations I have that are heavily edited. 😉

    And we forget that as creators, we also need to consume. So, I watch Gary Vaynerchuk’s shows and WordPress shows and even comedies on the Internet. I watch documentaries on Netflix, and movies, and even cartoons. I laughed, I cried, it moved me.

    But if we never have moments with true quiet, how can we think? And when I say think I mean to deeply consider, meditate, and ponder.

    Consumption requires reflection. And we’ve already agreed that creation requires consumption. So, it’s logical to presume that creation requires reflection. So, when do we just stop talking and listen?

    Get out of the house.

    Okay, so I live in an apartment, but you get it. Sometimes, I hang with my friends and we go for a walk at the harbor. But that’s not the same, is it? I mean, it can do you a world of good — believe me.

    But I feel like we don’t value being alone — outside — in nature.

    And our times spent at the beach, or riding our bike, or enjoying some other outdoor activity is often seen as frivolous and unproductive.

    So, what if I told you our brains crave nature?

    Science said so.

    What should be obvious to us — taking a walk to give your mind a break — is being heavily studied and written about lately. Of course, getting away from your computer helps you solve problems. We are so worried about our brains being 100% active that we forget what happens when we enjoy our surroundings.

    “A few years ago, for example, in an experiment similar to Bratman’s, Stephen Kaplan and his colleagues found that a 50-minute walk in an arboretum improved executive attention skills, such as short-term memory, while walking along a city street did not.” National Geographic Magazine

    Case in point. I thought I had nothing to say tonight. But just one hour walking at the beach and watching the sunset — without earbuds — allowed my brain to focus on “nothing.” Instead of forcing myself to come up with an idea and work on one of my neglected drafts, It came to me.

    I saw a man, sitting on the beach, alone. He was outstretched. His legs were open to the sea. His arms were open wide. He was still. And it occurred to me — we don’t listen to the quiet enough. How are we supposed to think of brilliant ideas when we never stop the noise?

    “Neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex, a brain region active during rumination – repetitive thought focused on negative emotions – decreased among participants who walked in nature versus those who walked in an urban environment.” Rob Jordan

    Art said so.

    It’s hard not to think of Ansel Adams, Robert Frost, and Henry David Thoreau when we think of art and nature.

    One inspires the other.

    The words, the photographs, the paintings. They reflect nature and nature’s affect on us. And we practice seeing beauty in the ordinary — joy in the routine.

    And so, our minds rest, relax, and consume. It consumes that which many believe is the truest — nature.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BJUFQDahaOO/

    Take a Walk. Then Create.

    Spend some time alone — not listening to a podcast or music or talking to your friend. Listen to the wind, the birds, the ocean. No matter where you live, you have beauty around you.

    Consume that.

    Consume nature.

    You’ll never regret it.