So, what do you want me to do?

Okay, I’ve attended your office for a meeting. There’s no agenda, no order of events, no ushers to guide me, or other attendees around the meeting space. Like…where’s the coffee (I need my caffeine fix) and the loos (I’ve just got off the sweaty Northern Line tube)? I don’t know what’s going on and I’m wondering if I’ve wasted my (precious) time.

This scenario is a little like a social media post. Now don’t get me wrong, some messages are just for (forgettable) consumption, but put out a lot of these and you’ll find that you’re wasting time - and we can’t have that.

There are times when ‘throwaway popcorn’ messages are fine, but you should be intentional about them, know that that’s what you’re doing.

What am I’m talking about? Your CTA, or call-to-action. What do you want people to do when they see your messaging?

Do you have a new product to launch? Are you delivering a time sensitive workshop? Have you posted a new blog entry? Are you providing commentary on relevant news? Any one of these (and more) requires guidance, an ushering, or dare I say it, funnelling of your target audience to ensure you get them in the right place.

Your copy could include the words; ‘attend’, or ‘come’, or ‘take’. Others such as, ‘sign up’, ‘join’, or ‘subscribe’.

Your CTA may appear in your images or your copy.

One more thing. In real life, don’t forget about what you want to say on any printed materials you might take to in-person (marketing) events. Take care with this, because there’s an obvious cost to printed materials, you want to get this messaging right.

Now. I have no problem in understanding what to do when sat in front of moist red velvet cake.

That’s it. That’s all.