Unfortunately, in staffing, most CTAs (and offers) stink…if they exist at all.
Two kinds of offers: MQL and SQL*
Okay, I owe you an apology. I'm 112 words into this tip, and I've already used three marketing-speak acronyms. I'll stop after this, I promise!
MQL = Marketing Qualified Lead. These are when you offer things that aren't directly tied to a sale, like a free salary guide, a webinar, an eBook, or a checklist.
With MQLs, you're offering something of value as a conversation starter. Or as a way to initiate a relationship that will hopefully lead to a job order or job application.
SQL = Sales Qualified Lead. These are when you offer something directly related to your services, like skill marketing talent, promoting a job opening, or offering a hiring consultation.
In an ideal world, your CTAs would be 100% SQL-focused.
But the practical reality is that it's far easier to get people to respond to MQL offers—so a good marketer will create MQL offers to pull people into the sales funnel, and then incorporate SQL offers as they build trust and deepen relationships.
Now, let's get back to CTAs
Once you have your offers, then it's time to write compelling calls to action.
The key to an effective CTA is a combination of desirability + scarcity.
Desirability = Your offer has relevancy, utility, and immediate value.
Scarcity = limited time or quantity (a reason to act now!).
CTA examples:
Offer: salary guide Good CTA: Free Salary Guide! Better CTA: Free 2024 Salary Guide…for the first 50 people to reply!
Offer: top candidate's resume Good CTA: Want to know more about this candidate? Request a Resume! Better CTA: Click here to see the full resume of this candidate!
Offer: Speak with a recruiter Good CTA: Need help hiring? Speak with an ABC Staffing Recruiter Today! Better CTA: Jobs taking too long to fill? Get a 1-hour no-cost/no-obligation consultation with an ABC Recruiter. See how you can cut your time to hire by 50% or more!
That last one might be a bit long, but with SQL CTAs, you want to create a sense of urgency…and reduce risk for the buyer (in this case, the risk of being sold to by the recruiter).
How to convey CTAs
Plain text. CTAs can be written into the copy of your emails, website, sales letters, social posts, etc. When writing CTAs in the body of your copy, it's best to put the CTA on a line of its own (so it stands out).
Button. The most common CTA on the web and in email is a graphical button with the action step of the CTA written on the button.
Sadly, the buttons on most forms and CTAs have words like "Submit." Who wants to submit?
To increase response, put the action on the button:
[Download Your Salary Guide] [See the Full Resume Now] [Talk with a Recruiter]
Sidebar or banner graphic. Your CTA is essentially a small advertisement with your offer, call to action, and possibly a related image to capture attention.
Banner ads work best when they disrupt reading and stand out from the rest of the content. However, on most websites, they tend to blend into the background…and seldom get clicked.
What works best?
A combination of all of the above.
Different people consume content in different ways. Whether your offer is on your website, in an email, or on social media, it's best to convey the same offer using different formats.
You never know what will be the most effective way to capture each person's attention.
To drive more staffing sales, create more offers…and incorporate more (and better) CTAs! |
