What's the next step content consumers should take?
You can take the writer out of direct marketing, but once that writer has been disciplined in the field, you can’t take direct marketing out of the writer.
And that’s a good thing. Because direct marketing is all about getting results by driving action.
Now, consider your content. Chances are, creating it represents a significant investment in time, money and talent. But what happens at the end, you know, the final frame of the video, the last chapter in your ebook, the concluding image in the infographic?
Too often, the conclusion is merely a recap of the material that preceeded it, plus some contact info for more information.
Please.
What a waste of your work! The alternative? Turn the end of your content piece into a bridge toward the next step — the next action — the reader, listener or viewer should take.
What can this bridge be? Depends on what you have. It could be:
- An invitation to continue the conversation on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.
- A link to a demo, a real-life customer testimonial or an app
- An offer of some kind, such as a discount, free shipping or an additional freebie
- An opportunity to invite people to a related webinar, conference or live speaking event
- A request for the reader/viewer’s own experiences, own perspectives
- Directions for accessing additional content with encouragement to bookmark the relevant resource page
Your “next step” will be determined by your objectives and resources. But the overall point is to have one — to seize the opportunity and move the content consumer closer to you, your brand, your product.
Consider my content writing training seminars for more tips on creating stronger content.