Welcome to Practical, Actionable Marketing, the podcast that brings you practical tips and actionable steps to take your marketing efforts to the next level.

 

If you're looking to put strategy into action and dive into hands-on tactics that will drive your business forward, you've come to the right place. In today's episode, Chris will give you tips and insights to help you craft effective calls-to-action that better engage with your audience.

Hey there, marketers! Welcome to another episode of Practical, Actionable Marketing. I'm Chris, and today we're tackling something that drives me a little crazy on far too many websites and emails: boring, ineffective calls-to-action.

You know the ones I'm talking about – those "Learn More" buttons that blend into the background like wallpaper. I've seen countless companies leaving money on the table with CTAs that just don't do their job. And today, we'll look at some ways to fix that.

Let's break this down into three practical steps you can implement this week. First up: location, location, location. I've seen companies bury their main CTA at the bottom of their webpage or email, making people scroll endlessly to take action. The key is making your CTA easily discoverable - whether that's above the fold or using a tasteful floating button that follows users down the page.

Second game-changer: specificity in your button copy. Stop using "Submit" or "Click Here" – they're the marketing equivalent of elevator music. Instead, tell people exactly what they'll get. I've seen e-commerce sites transform their results by simply changing generic "Learn More" buttons to specific ones like "See Price and Delivery Date." Why? Because it answers the exact questions their customers have.

Third – and this is the secret sauce – match your CTA to your funnel stage. Think of it like dating: you wouldn't propose marriage on the first date, right? Same goes for your CTAs. Top of funnel? Offer something free and valuable – "Get Your Free SEO Checklist." Middle of funnel? Show them proof – "Watch Customer Stories." Bottom of funnel? Now you can ask for the sale – "Start Your Free Trial."

Let me share a quick test you can run right now to evaluate your CTAs. Pull up your website or a recent marketing email. Now, read just your CTA buttons in order, ignoring all other content. Do they tell a coherent story? Do they clearly communicate value at each step? I did this recently with a software company's email I received and here's what I read: "Learn More," "Download Now," "Submit," "Click Here." That sequence tells me nothing about what I'll actually get or why I should care.

Let's look at a better approach. Imagine reading these CTAs in sequence: "Get the 2025 SEO Guide," "See How Company X Doubled Their Traffic," "Book Your Strategy Call." See the difference? Each one tells you exactly what you'll get and builds naturally to the next step.

And here's something else to consider – your CTA isn't just about the button text. The content immediately around it matters just as much. I often see great button copy undermined by weak surrounding content. You want the paragraph right before your CTA to tee up the action you're asking people to take. Think of it as building anticipation for the click.

Before we wrap up, let me share one other mistake to avoid: There's a common belief that red buttons always create more urgency. But here's the thing – if your brand colors are blue and green, that red button might feel completely out of place. I've seen companies have great success with buttons that stand out while still feeling on-brand. The key is contrast with your site design, not following arbitrary color rules.

Now, some homework. Pull up your website right after this episode and find your three most important CTAs. Now ask yourself: Would a stranger know exactly what happens when they click that button, and if they do, will they want that specific action? If the answer is "no", then rewrite it to be crystal clear about what they'll get and make sure it'll be of value to them. Then watch what happens next.

In today's episode, we discussed the importance of effective calls-to-action and ways to think about them to drive conversions in your sales funnel.

Thank you for tuning into the Practical, Actionable Marketing podcast - the go-to resource for busy professionals looking to boost their marketing efforts in just 4 minutes. We look forward to seeing you back here for our next episode! And please be sure to like, subscribe, and share.