This Is How to Use CTAs in Your Small Business Marketing
- Rachel Meyer
- 5 hours ago
- 5 min read
CTAs are a vital part of your marketing. Which is why it’s shocking to me how many small businesses fumble them.
They're boring. They're basic. Or worse, they don’t exist at all.
Does this sound familiar? Well, don’t panic. The sooner you start working to fix your CTAs, the sooner you'll see improved results from them.
In this post, you'll learn all about using CTAs for small businesses. We’ll look at what they are, why you need them, and how to properly use them in your marketing for better conversions and sales.
What is a CTA?
A CTA, or call to action, is a piece of marketing copy asking someone to do something. This could be anything from signing up for your email list to purchasing your latest product to watching another video.
The #1 reason you need CTAs
The biggest reason you need a call to action is to get people to take action. It sounds simple, but do you know how often I see small businesses forget to include them, then wonder why they're not getting sales, sign-ups, etc?
Your customers don't want to figure out what you want them to do. They want you to tell them what action to take. Not only does this reduce friction, but it also prevents confusion and indecision. Your marketing should be like a gentle slope they can stroll down, not a cliff they need to free climb.
They need to be good CTAs, too. Boring, bland, or generic copy doesn't cut it anymore. You want your call to action to capture your customer's attention and make acting irresistible.
Types of CTAs
Button
This is probably the first thing you think of when you say “CTA”. Call-to-action buttons are everywhere, from emails to blog posts to ads. They're especially effective because all customers have to do is click.
Form
Filling out forms can be a big sticking point in your marketing funnel. That’s why pairing a form with a good CTA is vital. And keeping the form easy to complete out to boot.
Link
Have you ever read a post where they linked out to another blog post that you might find helpful on a similar topic? That’s a link CTA, neatly inserted in a larger post. They work great for increasing time on your website, which helps in turn with authority and trust.
Pop-up
Most people on the internet have a love-hate relationship with pop-ups. But results show they are successful, so us marketers keep using them. They often combine the form and button CTAs to ask you to sign up for an email list or get a freebie.
Audible
These are the CTAs you'll use on visual platforms, like YouTube or social media. Instead of starting with a link, you'll audibly ask people to do something like comment a word, watch another video, or head to the link in your bio.
How to use CTAs for Small Businesses
Decide on your action
What action do you want people to take after consuming this piece of copy/content? Write it down to keep in mind while you write the content (not after).
In most cases, this should be pretty obvious based on what you're writing. If it’s an email announcing your newest service, the action you want people to take is signing up. If it’s a blog post talking about how to build a summer outfit, your CTA will probably be to shop summer items. And so on.
Write the CTA
Next, brainstorm ideas for a CTA. I suggest writing anywhere from 5 to 20 options with different formats and phrasing. Don’t worry about making them perfect; just get the ideas out there.
Take a quick break before picking your top 1-3 CTAs and refining them until they shine. Try swapping out words. Rephrase them slightly. Use more on-brand language. This is your chance to make them as clear and strong as you can.
Choose the best CTA+placement
With your CTAs prepared, it's time to pick the winner. Or, you can A/B test your favorite two options to see which performs better. (This is why I suggest picking a few options.)
Lastly, you need to decide where to put it. This will partially be decided by what you’re using it for. If it’s for a home page, it should be above the fold. If it’s in a blog post, it’ll probably be at the end.
Don’t be afraid to include it a few times, either. One CTA at the top of an email is great, but adding a second one at the bottom will give subscribers two chances to take action.
Tips for better CTAs
Make it stand out
This is more of a design thing. First off, you want to use a color that stands out. For buttons, go for the opposite of your main brand color to make it eye-catching. For example, the buttons I use on my website are orange, which pop against the green background.
Another thing to try is using a different font. Something easy to read, but also bold and attention-grabbing. You can also try adding drop shadows or animations, as long as they don't distract from the CTA itself.
Go for clarity
As much as I love a clever CTA, the most important thing is that it clearly tells customers what to do. That's why you should avoid those generic phrases you see everywhere, because most of them don't really tell you what action you should take.
Shop here < Shop new releases
Sign up < Book your appointment
Subscribe < Get our weekly emails
Use strong words
You also want to use strong words to make your CTAs stand out. Don't go overboard with this, but see if there's a less corporate way you can phrase your call to action.
Book a call < Talk with a professional
Subscribe to our newsletter < Get weekly free recipes in your inbox
Get in touch < Find your perfect stylist
Keep it on-brand
A CTA may be small, but it's still a great place to leverage your brand voice. Make it sound like you, not like a phrase ChatGPT came up with.
Sign up < Join the group chat
Add to calendar < Save the date 💚
Shop the sale < Cute clothes this way ➡️
CTAs are not something you should overlook in your marketing. They can be the difference between a piece of content that converts and one that gets only crickets.
Are you struggling to market your small business on top of everything else you do? I would love to help! Click the button below to learn more about my services.
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