Written by ContentPowered.com
Facebook has just introduced a new call to action button that sits on the top of your page, on the cover photo, just next to the like button and message button. In fact, this button is so new that not every page has even received the functionality yet.
If you have it, or if you’re planning around having it soon, you’re probably trying to think of interesting ways to use it. Before digging into that, first let’s look at how the button works specifically.
Positioning
The new call to action button appears in one place and one place only; the bottom right of your cover photo, to the left of the existing buttons. You can’t move it, and its width changes depending on the call to action you’re using. Keep this in mind if you’re using a custom cover photo that relies on the positioning of buttons for a graphical interaction.
Calls to Action
There are seven total calls to action, each with a small icon and a few words. Here is what they are:
- Book Now (Icon: Calendar)
- Contact Us (Icon: Envelope)
- Use App (Icon: App Cube)
- Play Game (Icon: Game Controller)
- Shop Now (Icon: Shopping Cart)
- Sign Up (Icon: Pencil)
- Watch Video (Icon: Camera)
Targets
The button has a URL target that you can customize completely. It can be any URL, on or off of Facebook, and it can include all the tracking parameters you want to include. In addition, you can specify a different URL for mobile pages, in case your site has a different mobile version and is not responsive. This gives you the option of eliminating a redirect, or pushing mobile users to a local landing page.
Once you have specified these, you are given two more options: specifying the destination individually for iOS users and for Android users. You can choose between “website” or “app” here, with the website option pulling the URL you specified in the previous step for mobile URLs. If you choose app, you will be asked to plug in the specific location of the app. You will also be asked to specify a backup URL, which can be different from the mobile URL from the previous step, but only loads if your app does not.
So, how can you use these CTAs to your advantage? Here are a few ideas to get you started.
1. Customize Book Now for Special Events
Is your business going to a trade show? Are you hosting a local event? Are you participating in a local event that requires registration? If any of these are true, you can make use of the “book now” CTA to encourage users to sign up for the event. Just make sure you take down the button when event registration is closed!
2. Twist Wordings and Use Book Now to Serve an Ebook
The words “book now” are typically meant to encourage users to book a session or buy a ticket to an event, but you can twist their meanings. Use the CTA and direct it to the download page for a free eBook; after all, when a user clicks it, they get a book now.
3. Use Contact Us for Mailing List Opt-In Offers
Instead of directing people to your opt-in form when you use Contact Us, direct them to a landing page that gives them a special offer, specifically for Facebook users. It doesn’t matter if the offer is really that special; tell them it is and they’ll eat it up.
4. Select Use App and Specify a Task App
Do users regularly come to your site for one specific reasons, such as to track a package or to look up showtimes for a concert? If so, you can create a simple task app to do that for them, and deliver it through the Use App CTA.
5. Use Play Game and Produce a Branded Game
Okay, so creating a branded game is a little more than a clever trick, but if you can pull it off, you’ll be using one of the more unique CTAs available on Facebook. For a more low-key twist, gamify your website and use that CTA to take them to the game hub page.
6. Use Shop Now to Direct to Popular Products
The “shop now” button can be used as a sort of product roulette wheel. Create a dynamic page on your website that loads a popular product from a list of products at random. Link to that page, and now you have users visiting to see what random product is featured when they visit.
7. Use Shop Now to Direct to Seasonal Products
If you want something a little more static, feature seasonal products and rotate out the stock every month or so. This gives users a reason to click every now and then – more often if you announce when you change the products – and it puts your new CTA button to good use.
8. Use Sign Up to Encourage Event Registrations
You can use the sign up CTA for absolutely anything, it’s one of the most versatile CTAs Facebook offers. You could direct it to event registrations, or to mailing list opt-ins, or to website logins. You could even have it direct to a landing page cajoling them into liking your page, if they don’t already.
9. Use Watch Video for a Special Video Commercial
Publish a video commercial and circulate it around your industry. Any time you have a video to promote, add the watch video CTA to the rotation. Be sure to notify your users when you’ve updated the video! It’s your call whether to link to a video hosted on Facebook or externally on YouTube.
10. Use Watch Video as an Insider Joke
Alternatively, publish a video unlisted on YouTube and link to it in your watch video CTA. Proceed to never tell anyone about it. Just allow users to click the button if their curiosity demands it, and then give them a treat when they do. You can optionally include a special product, discount or offer only to people who found the video.