B2B SMBs Need Better CTAs

Small businesses are losing valuable revenue generating opportunities because of their poor website strategies, according to a new study released by Online Marketing Coach.

The Small Business B2B Call to Action study examined 200 U.S. small businesses in a variety of B2B industries. The findings reveal that 70 percent of small businesses don't display clear call to actions for conversion opportunities on their home pages, such as specials, email newsletters, demos and interactive tools. In addition, 96 percent of small businesses don't offer how-to-guides, white papers or other thought leadership reports on their home pages - all of which can help businesses acquire leads and convert prospects.

"We created the study to get a sense of how small business owners try to convert visitors into leads," says Mike Murray, president of Online Marketing Coach. "Unfortunately, they're falling short at every turn. Too often, the basics are lacking, such as a phone number that's tough to find or a company contact reference that may not stand out in the navigation. Relatively easy changes could make a dramatic improvement."

Other notable stats reveal that 72 percent of the small businesses analyzed didn't have any calls to action on their interior pages, while 82 percent didn't reference their social media profiles (with text or images) at all. Furthermore, 27 percent of the small businesses didn't include a phone number on their home pages and 68 percent didn't include an email address. Out of the businesses that did include this important contact information on their home pages, 70 percent didn't display their phone number in a prominent place and 38 percent buried their email address on the page - typically in the footer.

The Small Business B2B Call To Action study also provides examples of call to actions that aren't effective and gives tips for what small businesses should avoid in site design, as well as what to emulate. For example, the study notes that small businesses should always keep important content updated, display their specials prominently on the home page and place the "Contact Us" section in a place where people can easily find it.