Your ultimate success in driving new leads online involves so many potential components that it can be overwhelming. You need a product or service to promote, customers to want what you have, and consistent/targeted web traffic to generate new leads and sales. Losing control of one of these elements will greatly affect them all. The best way to tackle your online marketing is to focus on each area independently and equally.
Web traffic is something you want to increase, but you want the people who visit your site to be extremely targeted. A plumber obviously does not need a general remodeling lead, and either does an Orthodontist need a general dental lead. Both businesses need a very specific lead to generate a potential sale (the plumber needs someone from a search like “broken water pipe repair, Chicago, IL” – and the Orthodontist needs someone from a search like “invisible braces, Portland, ME.” Not only do they need a very specific lead, but they need the prospect to be local. Both can be accomplished with internet marketing.
There are a number of effective and cost efficient methods for obtaining online marketing leads. A well structured PPC campaign, search engine optimization, social media marketing, and article marketing can bring in consistent traffic if targeted correctly. You can also use email marketing to re-market to prospects who have opted in – create a great offer, something of value you can give away to get the person’s name and email address (your list can become a huge asset for your business). The prospect might not be ready to do something today, but as you cultivate that lead over time via email marketing and building trust, you can greatly increase your prospect/sales ratio.
The key is to keep your focus on the word "targeted". If you sell baby jogging strollers you don't want visitors arriving to your site if they have no children and are looking to purchase a mountain bike. Tailor all of your online ads and emails to speak directly to your audience. Appearing in the search results and grabbing the prospects attention, and getting them to click-through to your site, is only half the battle. Make sure you have planned out exactly how you are going to get them to take action once they are on the site and capture that quality lead or sale.
Any email marketer wants to grow their email opt-in list. It's necessary as 10% - 30% annual churn can be expected for every list. Growth is required to keep reaching your audience effectively.
When economic times challenge marketing budgets many businesses have turned to email marketing because it is inexpensive and easy to measure ROI. This increase in email marketing has led to cluttered in-boxes and makes it harder to obtain quality opt-ins.
There are three groups to target when trying to grow your opt-in list.
1. Current Opt-in List
An important rule to growing your list is to work to keep the names you already have. You can strengthen your list by requesting double opt-in from the beginning. This will ensure that opt-in's are serious about receiving your emails. Then stay consistent with what you've promised your subscriber. If you guaranteed emails containing coupons you need to hold to that promise. And finally test the messages you send out and experiment with the way you present your content. Does one style garner a higher open rate? How can you get those that haven't opened your emails in several months to begin opening again? Keeping your current list engaged and interested will grow your list by reducing churn.
2. Easily Added Targets
These potential opt-in's are already familiar with you and your product and they should be given the opportunity to opt-in to your list whenever they cross paths with your brand. On your website your most visited pages should include a link to opt-in to your e newsletter. Make the opt-in prominent on these pages and consistent. To reach this audience offline consider an in-store handout or discount incentive for signing up for the email list. Use materials you are already distributing such as sales receipts and packaging to share your message. Lastly, include opt-in options within your social media pages. These are effective and inexpensive methods to grow your list.
3. Bought & Bartered
The third and final group that you can target involves an audience that is a good potential fit for the service you offer but they have yet to have any direct contact with your brand. The downside of this method is that it can be costly. You can reach them by renting a list and creating a message that the owner of the list will send on your behalf. Another option would be to use a pay-per-click campaign with the goal to grow your list. Your PPC ad should click through to an opt-in page. If money is an issue consider bartering with a logical partner. If you build houses, partner with a plumber or window manufacturer. Once you've found a partner send out promotional emails on each others behalf.
Initiating these three tools or a combination of them can help ensure that you keep the contacts you have and grow your list over time.
These days website traffic can be increased through numerous methods. Whether you're initiating a PPC campaign, sending targeted emails or adding valuable content to your site you need to keep one constant in place. Your goals!
The ultimate (macro) goal may be to sell a product or gain a customer. Other macro goals may be:
• Downloading a whitepaper
• Signing up for an e-newsletter
• Requesting a quote
• Submitting information in return for something of value
• Viewing a product, service page or consuming some form of content (article, video, blog, etc.)
These macro goals can take time to achieve. Equally important to success are smaller (micro) goals that help build to your ultimate goals. Micro goals are the steps it takes to complete the macro goal. These may include:
• Opening an email
• Clicking on a PPC ad
• Browsing your website and viewing multiple pages
• Putting products into a cart and providing billing information
Initiating an analytics package can easily help you track the actions of consumers during a visit to your website. Where did they spend the most time, what actions did they take and what was the bounce rate upon the initial arrival? Understanding the steps taken prior to completing a macro goal can help you better understand your consumer and how to direct them where you want them to end up.
Sending out an email message to your opt-in list? Just because they asked to receive information from your business does not mean they'll automatically open every email you send. Emails are initially judged by the subject line. It's important to make that subject line compelling enough to entice the recipient to open your email.
The first step in creating an email marketing campaign that gets opened is to create a successful headline and keep it to 50 characters or less. And those 50 characters need to catch the readers' attention. Consider highlighting a discount, offer or news item in your subject line. These items can drive open rates. Personalization is another tool that can drive consumers to open your email.
The formula for a subject line should include exactly what your readers can expect, what's in it for them and what exactly do you want them to do. Take it a step further and personalize the subject line with the reader's first name. This will secure their interest and action. Another tip to drive action is to instill a sense of urgency such as: "Sale Ends Today."
Subject lines can also flag spam filters. To help ensure your email stays out of spam folders avoid putting words like 'Free' in full capitalization and avoid using extra punctuation such as FREE!!!! It's perfectly acceptable to use the word 'free' in your subject line but keep it simple and understated.
Make sure you continuously test how these tips work for you and how your audience responds to them. Consider spitting up your email list and try a personalized message on the first groupt and an email with no personalization on the other group. Try this method with mentioning price savings vs. no mention. Analyze what your audience responds to and alter your subject lines accordingly. Always testing the success of your messages and evolving with your results will keep your subject lines fresh and your open rates high.
Landing pages are tricky and extremely important tools. Many people believe that success has been reached when someone clicks through to your landing page, however that is only half the battle. You got their attention enough to push them further but it's the landing page that needs to seal the deal and drive your consumer to take action.
1. Determine your customer goal - It's up to you to decide what you want your visitor to do upon reaching your landing page. If you don't make it obvious what they should do upon arriving to your landing page then there's a good chance they will leave without taking any further action.
2. Make your landing page consistent with your ad - Using a consistent message from your ad to your landing page will help the visitor to understand the action you are encouraging them to take. It also let's the visitor know they've landed in the right place. This increases the likelihood that the visitor will follow and complete the path you've set out.
3. Present a professional design - Your landing page should meet or exceed the design standard set by your website. The page needs to look professional and be well designed with quality graphics.
4. Don't offer extra links - Keep your landing page to one message goal. Don't throw all kinds of links in there and hope the viewer finds something they like.
5. Call for action - If a consumer has clicked through to your landing page they are interested in your product. Make sure they know what to do upon arriving to the landing page to complete the process.
6. Track your results - Is your PPC campaign cost effective? Make sure you can measure your results. Track your conversion rate & the marketing cost per sale.
Click here to read Murapa's blog post entitled The rules of creating powerful landing pages.
Email marketing can be an extremely valuable method of marketing to your target audience. Every dollar spent on email marketing generates as average of $57.25 in revenue. That is a fantastic statistic however there are some methods to making your email as successful as possible. Consider the design of your email. Below are some key areas to evaluate your design practices.
1. Design for the most popular email clients
Different email platforms will all display your email in a slightly different way. Design your email in HTML, plain text and perhaps a rich text version. Make sure you review how your email will appear in the top email clients such as, Outlook, Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and AOL Mail.
2. Follow the best HTML practices
~ Use HTML coding
~ Validate HTML content
~ Avoid using scripts
~ Avoid using forms
~ Use universally supported fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman & Tahoma in 10 pt or size 2 copy.
3. Use color & graphics/buttons effectively
Color should pull the eye to your content, not make it harder to read. Evaluate the readability of your design and adjust as necessary. Use buttons and graphics to draw attention to your email content and make it clear to the viewer what their next step should be, clicking through.
4. Consider the size of your email design and graphics
Keeping an email to 500-650 pixels means that your email will reach the viewer without the need for them to scroll through the email. 54% of consumers will be viewing your email in a reading pane. Cater to them and avoid large image headers, and put key content and links at the top. It is also a good practice to keep your email to 40-50 kb.
5. Use alt tags to make your emails disabled image-friendly
Some email clients do not automatically download images and mobile devices will often show emails without their images. Make sure your email works without its images by using alt tags through out.
6. Make it easy to click through
Place text, image and navigation links throughout your email. Including 25+ links will get you a 12% higher open rate and 29 % higher click-through rate. Links should be relevant and call-to-action links should appear several times. Never use a full URL as a link, hyperlink keywords instead.
7. Promote yourself
Consider including a link in your email to forward the message to a friend. Use emails as an opportunity to promote your social networking pages such as Facebook, Twitter & your blog.
Blogging is a great way to drive traffic to your website and to share your product and industry knowledge. However just because you publish a blog does not guarantee you a reader following. Follow the tips below to improve the success of your blog.
1. Narrow down your target audience
Blog readers are looking for something specific. They may frequent multiple blogs on the same topic in order to stay on top of current trends in their area of interest. Look at your products and services and determine who you are ultimately trying to reach. Then you can share with them your industry expertise and current market trends.
2. Give them valuable information
Determine what information your audience would find valuable. If you're a home builder your reader might enjoy some building tips to cut down on heating costs. Blog readers will come back if you continue to educate and inform them. Immerse yourself in your industry trends and share that knowledge through your blog.
3. Speak the language Write your blog as if you were speaking to your audience. If you write a medical blog and your audience is made up exclusively of medical professionals then feel free to use technical jargon. However if your medical blog will be frequented by potential patients make sure you aren't speaking over their heads. If they can't understand your content they won't continue to read your blog.
There is a lot of information floating around about social media. Some people rave about how great social media is while others believe it's a total waste of time. Below is a list of common misconceptions that businesses often have about utilizing social media.
"Sites Like Twitter And Facebook Are For Kids"
Fear: Business owners have trouble understanding that it could be possible that the same site that kids use to socialize with friends could also be utilized to connect a business with it's target audience.
Fact: Yes, there are a lot of teens and college students on social networking sites. However the fastest growing demographic has been those 35 and up. In fact internet users age 35-54 make up 40.6% of MySpace visitors. Social media is a great way for organizations to reach out and connect with their audience to grow business.
"Building Online Relationships Is A Waste of Time"
Fear: There is no reason to network with people you will never meet. It will not drive my business.
Fact: Social media is a medium in which you can network with your target audience, clients and customers. There is no such thing as time wasted when you are networking with your target audience. Not all of your contacts will become customers but they can still provide feedback on services and products plus you can keep them informed about what is happening in your organization.
"You Cannot Measure Social Media"
Fear: It will be impossible to measure ROI on social media.
Fact: Social media is internet based which automatically makes it measurable. You can look at the number of fans that increased over time, the number of comments posted on your channel, the number of discussion threads on your forum, or the number of ratings your video received. These performance indicators can be measured to determine campaign success.
"Social Media Is Free"
Fear: I can easily create my own Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn page. Why is it being suggested that I need to pay money to implement these campaigns.
Fact: A lot of the technology is free but simply creating an account on Facebook is not a social media campaign. You need to ask yourself:
~How do I increase the number of fans I have on my Facebook page?
~How do I get users to subscribe to my YouTube channel?
~How do I get people to retweet my message to their followers on Twitter?
~How do I get users to subscribe to my blog?
You need the campaign, creative and the drive to get your social media plan working for you.
"This Is Something I Can Probably Do In-House"
Fear: We have employees who are using social media. Why not use them to grow our business online?
Fact: Most employees are probably using social media for personal reasons, connecting with friends, sharing photos etc. When leveraging and monetizing social media for business it's an entirely different ball game. For creativity, campaign ideas and experience the key is to find an expert in this field to put your plan into place.
It's safe to say that 2009 was a year of economic crisis for markets across the globe. Budgets were tightened and businesses have had to re-evaluate themselves and make changes in order to surpass the economic conditions.
With 2009 behind us many believe that 2010 will be a year of recovery. As businesses re-evaluate their budgets and practices as a result of 2009 they are spending drastically less money on traditional advertising mediums such as radio, newspaper and television. Advertising in these areas involves costly ad production and media buys that are most effective by investing a significant amount of money.
One medium that has grown both in users and in advertising spending has been the internet.
In 2010, the US Internet population will grow to 205.3 million users, or 66.2% of the total US population. It is anticipated that this number will increase again in 2011 to 210.9 million (67.3% of the total population.) By 2013, 221.1 million people will be online (nearly 70% of the US population.)
With the number of people using the internet steadily increasing internet advertising has done the same. 2009 saw an increase despite the economy with $20.34 billion spent on advertising online in the US and for this year that number is projected to increase to $23.42 billion. It is estimated that by 2012, marketers will spend $31.05 billion in advertising dollars online.
Recent economic set backs have made businesses leery of investing in marketing and advertising however it is an important method of contacting your target audience and growing new business. Focusing on internet marketing such as PPC, Social Media Marketing and SEO, is a cost effective way of reaching that audience and achieving growth. Usage of the internet is growing and advertisers are listening.
Upon visiting your site potential customers will either "surf" (engage with your content) or they will "turf" it (leave without participating.) You only have about 7 seconds to engage a visitor to your site and that includes the time it takes for your site to load on their computer. Ultimately you want your visitors to visit multiple pages of your site and click through when given the opportunity, or if you create a great landing page they should be able to "convert" on that page without needing to see anymore pages.
Considering how challenging it can be to get a consumer to your site you don't want to lose them by making it hard for them to find what they need via search. The key is making sure your site pages are listed in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Visibility on SERP is achieved through SEO to increase your organic search standing, through Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads, and indirectly through Social Media. Ultimate success is often achieved with a combination of the two. Since it is easier to guarantee your standing in PPC it is important to create a conversion-focused PPC ad that compels a consumer to click through.
Here are 3 tips to create a successful PPC ad:
1. Include Strong Call-to-actions or Promotional Offers
- Use compelling words like "save, "order", "buy" etc. If there are no current sales "free shipping" or "compare" are also successful.
- Keep the most important information within the "Title Tag" which is the line of text underlined in blue. Pay attention to how any characters each search engine will display in the Title Tag and make sure your most important information is within that range.
2. Ensure You Write Your Keywords in the Title Tag First
- Do not begin your title tag with your brand name. It won't be as well received by the user and it hinders SEO efforts.
- Following your keywords use action words in the title such as "learn", "discover", "find" etc.
- Add secondary keywords or geographies you business services to the title tag.
- Last but not least, put the brand name of your company.
3. Go Social
- Social media is an umbrella term for medias that integrate technology, social interaction and include pictures, videos, audio and written communication.
To learn more tips to help ensure your website is "surfed" rather than "turfed" check out our recorded webinar, "Surf and Turf with Surf and Social."
As businesses re-evaluate their budgets and practices as a result of 2009 they are spending drastically less money on traditional advertising mediums such as radio, newspaper and television. Advertising in these areas involves costly ad production and media buys that are most effective by investing a significant amount of money. 
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