By: Michael Fleischner, Marketing Scoop
After you've selected the keywords you want to optimize your website for, you need to focus on what is called on-page optimization. On page optimization is what you do on your website pages to improve organic rankings. The good news is that through years of research and experimentation I have identified the most important on page factors for improving organic rankings.
There are variety of optimization factors to consider when optimizing your web pages. I have found three factors in particular to have more of an impact than others when correlating them to search engine rankings. In particular, meta tags, URL structure, and page load speed all have a direct impact on search engine rankings for particular keywords or keyword phrases.
Meta tags are important to web site rankings because they provide some basic information to search engine spiders. Meta tags need to be formatted correctly to enhance search engine rankings. My research as shows that meta tags by themselves cannot radically improve rankings. It is my belief that meta tags may be used to verify other aspects of your website and are important for getting users to click through from search engine results.
The best formatted meta tags should include a title tag that includes the keywords that you are trying to optimize for. It is recommended that the size of the title tag is sixty or fewer characters as this is the limit shown on Google search results. The second meta tag is the description tag which should be limited to fewer than one hundred and fifty characters and repeat your keyword phrase no more than two times.
The last meta tag worthy of description is the keyword tag. I see this tag misused all too often and it may actually be hurting your search engine rankings. When using a keyword tag, focus on only a dozen of your most important and highly trafficked keywords. Search engines should know that you are an authority site and worthy of top rankings. Do your research and only include the keywords that truly matter. You can also evaluate the sites in the top positions and model their keywords as long as they are included on your web site or blog.
Once you have your meta tags within your web page code it's time to focus on the next on page optimization factor. The load time of your web pages matter a great deal to Google and other search engines. Not only does your web page need to be formatted correctly but it needs to load quickly. Fast loading web sites mean a better user experience. Search engines like Google reward you for providing the right information quickly to web site browsers. Keep load times to a minimum and continually work to improve the speed at which your site loads.
The third and certainly one of the most important factors is URL structure. It is true that having your keyword in the URL helps but it is not the only or the most heavily weighed optimization factor by Google. There are plenty of examples of sites that include the keyword in the URL being outranked by other web sites. If you can purchase a URL that has your keyword in it though, consider it advantageous. If you are unable to do so, consider adding a folder or page to your site that includes the keyword you want to optimize your site for. A good example would be www.sample.com/keyword. By doing so you are placing your keyword close to the root and giving it more value. Also consider a sub domain strategy.
Before you begin any search engine optimization effort, evaluate your web site, landing page, or blog from the perspective of meta tags, load speed, and URLs. There are additional on page factors we'll discuss in the next lesson, but the three mentioned herein are vitally important to your search engine optimization success.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Boom Goes the Dynamite
By: Joe Kiefer
There are some of you who have no idea what the title of this post is in reference to. If you are part of that group, then you will want to go to YouTube, search on "Boom Goes the Dynamite" and watch an almost painful clip of a young sportscaster sputtering his way through the sports segment of the news.
For over 4 million of you "Boom Goes the Dynamite" has instant name recognition. Yes, over 4,000,000 of you have watched this clip on YouTube! How would you like that video with your logo attached to it or a visible URL? I think we are beyond denying social media sites are here to stay. We can still argue which will be around next year and which have application to your company.
The viral nature of many social media sites makes them hard to put numbers to and viral media is seemingly like catching lightning in a bottle. There doesn't seem to be rules to it. Viral marketing can come from a large corporation or the mom and pop store down the street. It can come from a million dollar budget or a budget of zero. It can come from an ad agency or a couple of kids in their basement.
I think that is the most interesting part, but also the most frustrating part for a marketer. There are no guarantees in viral marketing campaigns and there are obviously varying degrees of success. Not every attempt will get 4,000,000 hits and a blatant attempt at marketing will make sure your efforts are not fruitful.
Keep it short, keep it funny and test your concept with some 19 - 29 year old members of your staff. Your 45 year old Marketing Director's seal of approval may not be the most telling indicator of success. Good luck and if you want to pass this post on to colleagues that would be great!
There are some of you who have no idea what the title of this post is in reference to. If you are part of that group, then you will want to go to YouTube, search on "Boom Goes the Dynamite" and watch an almost painful clip of a young sportscaster sputtering his way through the sports segment of the news.
For over 4 million of you "Boom Goes the Dynamite" has instant name recognition. Yes, over 4,000,000 of you have watched this clip on YouTube! How would you like that video with your logo attached to it or a visible URL? I think we are beyond denying social media sites are here to stay. We can still argue which will be around next year and which have application to your company.
The viral nature of many social media sites makes them hard to put numbers to and viral media is seemingly like catching lightning in a bottle. There doesn't seem to be rules to it. Viral marketing can come from a large corporation or the mom and pop store down the street. It can come from a million dollar budget or a budget of zero. It can come from an ad agency or a couple of kids in their basement.
I think that is the most interesting part, but also the most frustrating part for a marketer. There are no guarantees in viral marketing campaigns and there are obviously varying degrees of success. Not every attempt will get 4,000,000 hits and a blatant attempt at marketing will make sure your efforts are not fruitful.
Keep it short, keep it funny and test your concept with some 19 - 29 year old members of your staff. Your 45 year old Marketing Director's seal of approval may not be the most telling indicator of success. Good luck and if you want to pass this post on to colleagues that would be great!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Social Media Relevance in a BtoB World
By: Joe Kiefer
In 2009 Social Media made its way into our conference rooms as a topic of discussion, as I'm sure it did to your conference rooms as well. As a 33 year old marketing professional I will admit to having some bias. I don't feel old in most situations, but my experience revolves around direct mail, e-mail and more recently search marketing. Talking social media with twenty-something year olds instantly puts me in the old category.
My experiences with social media up to that point were infrequent use of Facebook and a very short stint in Second Life. If you are in Second Life, you may bump into my avatar, who I believe is still flying around the training island.
Whatever my biases may be, I also know that testing is the best way to win or lose an argument and I try not to let my biases get in the way of smart business decisions. That being said, we formed a small task force assigned to different social media initiatives. I chose starting up a blog.
As we rolled out some new social media accounts I started to get a feel for each site and some of my preconceived notions were backed up, but some of them were proven wrong as well. As with most new media, you can't really get a feel for it until you are experiencing it first hand. Business networking can sum up and explain everything that happens on LinkedIn.
Going into the testing Twitter probably took the brunt of my criticism of social media. Although I still believe Twitter will go by the wayside within the next two years, it does provide the ability to research and find information quickly. If you are big into competitive research this would be a good tool as well. As a marketing vehicle, not so much, unless your plan is the long term branding effect of the goodwill caused by contributing free and useful information. Sorry, that does not fit into my marketing budget.
Facebook's popularity gives it an instant allure to all marketers. Who isn't drawn to a huge audience that is engaged on a daily basis in many cases. Although my experience is limited to personal use on Facebook, I am going to boldly predict that a BtoB marketing environment will be fairly limited. The great thing about social media is the viral word of mouth nature they have. On Facebook you are connected to your friends and family and although this may include some of your co-workers, most people are trying to avoid the work overlap on Facebook. I get annoyed with any Marketing material that invades into my Facebook pages, much less if I was getting marketing material for my job, while I am online chatting with friends. Okay, or playing bejeweled.
I am saving my favorite for last, which is LinkedIn. The networking opportunities on LinkedIn seem to be limitless. In a short amount of time I have almost 300 connections, formed 2 groups, joined 20+ relevant groups, taken polls, recommended colleagues, found new business partners, generated training ideas... anyways, I think you get the point. I am not going to go as far as saying LinkedIn is a huge revenue generator, but I believe it could get there and for now I am content with the functionality it provides. ASM just passed 2,500 group members as I was writing this article. Wow!
I don't feel as old now that I have joined the social media wave. Sometimes you just need a little push to get in the pool. If you are standing on the edge wondering if you should get in, let me help... JUMP! If you don't jump now the wave will pass you by.
In 2009 Social Media made its way into our conference rooms as a topic of discussion, as I'm sure it did to your conference rooms as well. As a 33 year old marketing professional I will admit to having some bias. I don't feel old in most situations, but my experience revolves around direct mail, e-mail and more recently search marketing. Talking social media with twenty-something year olds instantly puts me in the old category.
My experiences with social media up to that point were infrequent use of Facebook and a very short stint in Second Life. If you are in Second Life, you may bump into my avatar, who I believe is still flying around the training island.
Whatever my biases may be, I also know that testing is the best way to win or lose an argument and I try not to let my biases get in the way of smart business decisions. That being said, we formed a small task force assigned to different social media initiatives. I chose starting up a blog.
As we rolled out some new social media accounts I started to get a feel for each site and some of my preconceived notions were backed up, but some of them were proven wrong as well. As with most new media, you can't really get a feel for it until you are experiencing it first hand. Business networking can sum up and explain everything that happens on LinkedIn.
Going into the testing Twitter probably took the brunt of my criticism of social media. Although I still believe Twitter will go by the wayside within the next two years, it does provide the ability to research and find information quickly. If you are big into competitive research this would be a good tool as well. As a marketing vehicle, not so much, unless your plan is the long term branding effect of the goodwill caused by contributing free and useful information. Sorry, that does not fit into my marketing budget.
Facebook's popularity gives it an instant allure to all marketers. Who isn't drawn to a huge audience that is engaged on a daily basis in many cases. Although my experience is limited to personal use on Facebook, I am going to boldly predict that a BtoB marketing environment will be fairly limited. The great thing about social media is the viral word of mouth nature they have. On Facebook you are connected to your friends and family and although this may include some of your co-workers, most people are trying to avoid the work overlap on Facebook. I get annoyed with any Marketing material that invades into my Facebook pages, much less if I was getting marketing material for my job, while I am online chatting with friends. Okay, or playing bejeweled.
I am saving my favorite for last, which is LinkedIn. The networking opportunities on LinkedIn seem to be limitless. In a short amount of time I have almost 300 connections, formed 2 groups, joined 20+ relevant groups, taken polls, recommended colleagues, found new business partners, generated training ideas... anyways, I think you get the point. I am not going to go as far as saying LinkedIn is a huge revenue generator, but I believe it could get there and for now I am content with the functionality it provides. ASM just passed 2,500 group members as I was writing this article. Wow!
I don't feel as old now that I have joined the social media wave. Sometimes you just need a little push to get in the pool. If you are standing on the edge wondering if you should get in, let me help... JUMP! If you don't jump now the wave will pass you by.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Social Networking Landing Pages: How to Turn Your Social Networking Friends into Customers
By: Michelle PW
Isn't social networking fun? You get to meet all these people and connect with them and spend hours looking at their profiles and videos and photos.
Okay, so clearly social networking can take an awful lot of time. The question is, is it worth it? Will spending all that time doing social networking lead to an increase in sales?
And the answer is, yes it can. But you need to be strategic about it -- just like you need to be strategic with all your marketing. And one way you can do that is to have a social networking landing page.
So what the heck is a social networking landing page? Well, it's a special page on your website or blog designed specifically for your social networking folks. This special page continues the conversation you started on other social networking sites. (This is very important; you should always design landing pages as continuing the conversation started elsewhere, whether it's your prospects clicking on a Google ad or followers intrigued by something you tweeted about on Twitter.)
You see, many people send their social networking friends to the home page of their website or their blog. And while that's not a terrible thing to do, you could definitely do better. The home page of your website or the first page of your blog is more general. It has to be. You don't know how people are finding your site. They could be on it because they just heard you on a teleclass or read an article by you or someone referred you. You don't know so you have to keep it pretty generic about the problems you solve and the solutions you provide (and of course, push them to give you their email address).
So by creating a landing page specifically for your social network buddies that continues the conversation already started in the social networking scene, you'll be that much closer to transforming them into eventual customers.
Okay, so what do you put on this social networking landing page? Do you try and sell them there?
In a word -- NO! Remember, social networking is all about building relationships and making connections. And, through those relationships people will naturally want to support you and become your customer. The last thing you want to do is send your social networking buds to a page and try to sell them.
(Now, that doesn't mean your page can't include a couple of links to some products so they can read more and buy, but no hard-core selling.)
Instead, share more about yourself, your family, your interests and your business. Then invite them to give you their email address in exchange for a free gift from you.
By getting on your email list, you are now in a position to deepen the relationship. Along with getting your regular newsletter (you HAVE one, don't you?) which contains great information and content, you can also invite them to your free teleclasses, which also contain fantastic content but also includes an invitation for them to become a customer, or you send emails to them also inviting them to become a customer.
See how this works?
So take a few moments to put together a social networking landing page and see how it can start transforming your social networking activities.
Isn't social networking fun? You get to meet all these people and connect with them and spend hours looking at their profiles and videos and photos.
Okay, so clearly social networking can take an awful lot of time. The question is, is it worth it? Will spending all that time doing social networking lead to an increase in sales?
And the answer is, yes it can. But you need to be strategic about it -- just like you need to be strategic with all your marketing. And one way you can do that is to have a social networking landing page.
So what the heck is a social networking landing page? Well, it's a special page on your website or blog designed specifically for your social networking folks. This special page continues the conversation you started on other social networking sites. (This is very important; you should always design landing pages as continuing the conversation started elsewhere, whether it's your prospects clicking on a Google ad or followers intrigued by something you tweeted about on Twitter.)
You see, many people send their social networking friends to the home page of their website or their blog. And while that's not a terrible thing to do, you could definitely do better. The home page of your website or the first page of your blog is more general. It has to be. You don't know how people are finding your site. They could be on it because they just heard you on a teleclass or read an article by you or someone referred you. You don't know so you have to keep it pretty generic about the problems you solve and the solutions you provide (and of course, push them to give you their email address).
So by creating a landing page specifically for your social network buddies that continues the conversation already started in the social networking scene, you'll be that much closer to transforming them into eventual customers.
Okay, so what do you put on this social networking landing page? Do you try and sell them there?
In a word -- NO! Remember, social networking is all about building relationships and making connections. And, through those relationships people will naturally want to support you and become your customer. The last thing you want to do is send your social networking buds to a page and try to sell them.
(Now, that doesn't mean your page can't include a couple of links to some products so they can read more and buy, but no hard-core selling.)
Instead, share more about yourself, your family, your interests and your business. Then invite them to give you their email address in exchange for a free gift from you.
By getting on your email list, you are now in a position to deepen the relationship. Along with getting your regular newsletter (you HAVE one, don't you?) which contains great information and content, you can also invite them to your free teleclasses, which also contain fantastic content but also includes an invitation for them to become a customer, or you send emails to them also inviting them to become a customer.
See how this works?
So take a few moments to put together a social networking landing page and see how it can start transforming your social networking activities.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
5 Linking Strategies that Work
By: Jinger Jarrett http://www.jingerjarrett.com/
One of the most effective ways to promote your business online, especially if you use search engine optimization to build traffic, is linking.
However, as a certified Web CEO professional, and someone who also uses only "white hat" optimization strategies, I see people make a lot of mistakes when using this technique.
Below are some of the strategies that I use to make linking more effective, as well as raise my rankings in the search engines.
1. Do your homework first.
You're probably wondering what "white hat" techniques are.
"White hat" techniques are techniques that will always work with the search engines, like writing articles, blogs, and press releases, and optimizing individual pages for the search engines.
These are the primary techniques I use in addition to linking because they work.
Just ask Tinu Abayomi-Paul, the owner of http://www.freetraffictip.com. Tinu is an expert when it comes to using search engines to build traffic to her sites.
She wrote me the other day to thank me for "inspiring her". I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I do know that she uses a lot of the same techniques I do to promote my sites. She now has over 90,000 relevant entries in Google, more than a lot of the top "gurus" on the internet.
The fact is, the more pages you have listed in the search engines, and the more links you have pointing back to your site, the more likely you are to be found.
Although writing articles, blogs, press releases, and optimizing pages definitely works, you still have to do your homework. This means actually doing a search in the search engines to find out how sites get to the top, i.e. what keywords they use, how their pages are optimized, etc.
I use Alexa, http://www.alexa.com, for this because it allows me to look at traffic stats, as well as see what sites are linked to eachother.
To get started, search for the keywords you are targeting. Take a good look at the sites at the top. This includes studying the keywords, titles, and descriptions they use in their headers. Also, read the text of the pages. It's not that hard to optimize your page(s). Just write search engine friendly content that repeats your keywords. Make your content easy for your readers to read and understand though.
Now this may sound juvenile, but again, it works. Tools like Keyword Density Analyzer, http://www.keyworddensityanalzyzer.com, and Web CEO, http://www.smallbusinesshowto.com/ht/search.html, can tell you if you are on the right track.
You can also read Linking Matters, http://www.linkingmatters.com. This short, and free ebook in PDF, will give you more tips on linking.
2. Link to complementary sites.
I get link requests all the time, and I have to reject about half of them. The reason why is that I won't link to sites that have nothing to do with mine.
I offer small business, internet marketing, and search engine optimization and submission products and services. Links to quote sites, joke sites, and shoe sites don't fit with this.
The key here is to understand that not only does Google, the most important of all the search engines, look at how many links are pointing back to your site, but they also look at the relevance of the links.
Sites that are similar, or complementary to yours, give you more credibility and higher page rank than having tons of sites pointing back to you that have nothing to do with your site.
Make the links pointing back to your site relevant.
3. Choose relevant, highly searched for, low competition keywords for your anchor text.
This tip relates to tip four. Before you start sending out link requests to other webmasters, make sure that you're targeting the right keywords. Not only are a lot of relevant links important, but your keywords should be keywords that will get you traffic.
4. Change your anchor text.
Recently Google decided that links with the same text between your (a href="") and (/a) text should be different. Too many links pointing back to your site that had the same text "looks" like spam. This doesn't mean it is spam, and sometimes, you don't have control over how others link back to your site.
However, if you decide to exchange links with others, vary your anchor text.
5. Try other alternatives to software.
Although there are many software programs out there you can use to help you automate this process, I caution you to be careful when using this kind of software. Although it may speed things up for you, you may also end up with a lot of links pointing back to you that have no relevance. Also, these programs really won't help you as much as you think if you don't change your anchor text once in awhile.
If you do choose to use software to automate the process, make sure that you personalize your emails. Again, do your homework and make sure that you are actually sending out email to sites that complement yours. No one likes to receive emails that say "Dear Webmaster".
Using a directory script on your site can help you because others can visit your site and add their links. Just make sure that you check your directory once in awhile to see who is linking to you. Also, make sure that you set up your script in such a way that others have to have a link pointing back to you first before your script will accept their site.
Link Management Assistant - http://www.dirfile.com/link_management_assistant.htm
You can also find reciprocal link exchange sites like Link Metro, http://www.linkmetro.com. Sites like this will allow you to choose your partners, search for new partners, and exchange links without being bombarded with email or generic requests.
Regardless of how you develop a linking strategy for your site, you need to develop one if you want high rankings in the search engines.
One of the most effective ways to promote your business online, especially if you use search engine optimization to build traffic, is linking.
However, as a certified Web CEO professional, and someone who also uses only "white hat" optimization strategies, I see people make a lot of mistakes when using this technique.
Below are some of the strategies that I use to make linking more effective, as well as raise my rankings in the search engines.
1. Do your homework first.
You're probably wondering what "white hat" techniques are.
"White hat" techniques are techniques that will always work with the search engines, like writing articles, blogs, and press releases, and optimizing individual pages for the search engines.
These are the primary techniques I use in addition to linking because they work.
Just ask Tinu Abayomi-Paul, the owner of http://www.freetraffictip.com. Tinu is an expert when it comes to using search engines to build traffic to her sites.
She wrote me the other day to thank me for "inspiring her". I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I do know that she uses a lot of the same techniques I do to promote my sites. She now has over 90,000 relevant entries in Google, more than a lot of the top "gurus" on the internet.
The fact is, the more pages you have listed in the search engines, and the more links you have pointing back to your site, the more likely you are to be found.
Although writing articles, blogs, press releases, and optimizing pages definitely works, you still have to do your homework. This means actually doing a search in the search engines to find out how sites get to the top, i.e. what keywords they use, how their pages are optimized, etc.
I use Alexa, http://www.alexa.com, for this because it allows me to look at traffic stats, as well as see what sites are linked to eachother.
To get started, search for the keywords you are targeting. Take a good look at the sites at the top. This includes studying the keywords, titles, and descriptions they use in their headers. Also, read the text of the pages. It's not that hard to optimize your page(s). Just write search engine friendly content that repeats your keywords. Make your content easy for your readers to read and understand though.
Now this may sound juvenile, but again, it works. Tools like Keyword Density Analyzer, http://www.keyworddensityanalzyzer.com, and Web CEO, http://www.smallbusinesshowto.com/ht/search.html, can tell you if you are on the right track.
You can also read Linking Matters, http://www.linkingmatters.com. This short, and free ebook in PDF, will give you more tips on linking.
2. Link to complementary sites.
I get link requests all the time, and I have to reject about half of them. The reason why is that I won't link to sites that have nothing to do with mine.
I offer small business, internet marketing, and search engine optimization and submission products and services. Links to quote sites, joke sites, and shoe sites don't fit with this.
The key here is to understand that not only does Google, the most important of all the search engines, look at how many links are pointing back to your site, but they also look at the relevance of the links.
Sites that are similar, or complementary to yours, give you more credibility and higher page rank than having tons of sites pointing back to you that have nothing to do with your site.
Make the links pointing back to your site relevant.
3. Choose relevant, highly searched for, low competition keywords for your anchor text.
This tip relates to tip four. Before you start sending out link requests to other webmasters, make sure that you're targeting the right keywords. Not only are a lot of relevant links important, but your keywords should be keywords that will get you traffic.
4. Change your anchor text.
Recently Google decided that links with the same text between your (a href="") and (/a) text should be different. Too many links pointing back to your site that had the same text "looks" like spam. This doesn't mean it is spam, and sometimes, you don't have control over how others link back to your site.
However, if you decide to exchange links with others, vary your anchor text.
5. Try other alternatives to software.
Although there are many software programs out there you can use to help you automate this process, I caution you to be careful when using this kind of software. Although it may speed things up for you, you may also end up with a lot of links pointing back to you that have no relevance. Also, these programs really won't help you as much as you think if you don't change your anchor text once in awhile.
If you do choose to use software to automate the process, make sure that you personalize your emails. Again, do your homework and make sure that you are actually sending out email to sites that complement yours. No one likes to receive emails that say "Dear Webmaster".
Using a directory script on your site can help you because others can visit your site and add their links. Just make sure that you check your directory once in awhile to see who is linking to you. Also, make sure that you set up your script in such a way that others have to have a link pointing back to you first before your script will accept their site.
Link Management Assistant - http://www.dirfile.com/link_management_assistant.htm
You can also find reciprocal link exchange sites like Link Metro, http://www.linkmetro.com. Sites like this will allow you to choose your partners, search for new partners, and exchange links without being bombarded with email or generic requests.
Regardless of how you develop a linking strategy for your site, you need to develop one if you want high rankings in the search engines.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Lead Generation Through Email Marketing - 7 Ways to Increase Response to Your Emails
By: Shelley Dudley, Omni Training & Motivation
If you really want to add power to your email campaign, while increasing response, there are a few simple tips to follow which will increase your reader's sense of interest and your click-through rate, thus increasing the number of leads generated or sales made.
1. Give your letters a human feel and personal touch. Otherwise, they look mass produced and no-one feels special reading a mass-produced piece. For the same reason, avoid flash. Flashy pieces say "mass-marketing", while simple pieces feel more individual. After all, if you sat down to write an individual letter to your granny, would you put a flashing banner ad at the top, with 10 different font colours and sizes throughout, trying to grab her attention? Not likely. So keep it simple.
2. Having said that though, you will want to avoid your pieces appearing boring and bland. You do need to hold the reader's interest, after all. To do this, add an occasional change in font size or colour. Or break up your piece with bullet points. Play around with design by changing your margins or centering your text. Just remember rule number 1 (to keep it simple, rather than screaming) and use design changes sparingly.
3. If you know your reader's name, use it. Nothing personalizes a letter like using the reader's name. But again, do it sparingly. Overuse is not only annoying, but again, the letter tends to take on the feel of an auto-produced, mass-market piece. If your reader feels like they are part of a small select group of recipients, they are more likely to respond to your offer.
4. There are two schools of thought regarding length. Some say the longer the letter, the longer you can hold the reader's attention and the more likely they are to click through to your offer. This may be true until the point the reader decides he is way too busy to read all the way through that HUGE and cluttered mountain of words and just clicks the delete button.
The second school of thought says keep it short and sweet - no more than a sentence or two. For example, yesterday I received a marketing email that said simply, "click here to read a letter I wrote" and then it had a link. That was it. Nothing more. Now it's possible in some cases, this might pique a reader's curiosity, but for me, it's not enough. Sadly for the writer, I deleted the email without clicking through. I mean, why would care if he wrote a letter, much less want to read it?! You have to give me some reason to care. What is the subject matter of the letter he wrote? Is it a subject I care deeply about? Is it something that will solve a problem I have? In other words, give me a reason to click through!
The point of your email letter campaign is to keep your reader attentively engaged in what you have to say just long enough to get them to click through to your offer. So with that in mind, keep your piece as long as it needs to be but no longer and by all means keep it straight to the point. Any superfluous fluff not only adds length to the piece, risking loss of interest, but also gets the reader off track, decreasing click-through rate.
1. Devise a subject line that captures interest. You'll want to get your reader to open the email in the first place, right? If your subject line gets the reader curious, they'll want to open the email to find out more. Using the above example, if my subject line says something like "see the letter I wrote", unless this email came from your sister, and especially if it is from a stranger, you are most likely to delete it and may possibly take the extra initiative to add them to your junk/spam filter. Not what you want as a writer. If your subject line captivates the reader, they'll want to find out more. So, for example, if your subject line reads, "The number one way to get your teenager to communicate with you", your reader is going think, "Now that's something I want to know more about!" They won't be able to open your email fast enough!
2. Consider the use of graphics. A single well-placed photo or drawing is just enough to capture the reader's interest, but not so much that it makes the letter look mass-produced or too busy.
3. Include a call to action! All marketing pieces, be it your website, a flyer, an article, a paid-for ad, etc, should always contain a call to action. What is it you wish the reader to do as a result of reading your piece? Click on the link? Buy your product? Call you? What? Do not leave the reader with any doubt as to what you wish them to do.
By incorporating these few simple rules into your email campaign, you should see a large jump in your click through rate, and assuming you have a strong landing page on the other side of the click, hopefully also see an increase in your uptake, as well. Happy emailing!
If you really want to add power to your email campaign, while increasing response, there are a few simple tips to follow which will increase your reader's sense of interest and your click-through rate, thus increasing the number of leads generated or sales made.
1. Give your letters a human feel and personal touch. Otherwise, they look mass produced and no-one feels special reading a mass-produced piece. For the same reason, avoid flash. Flashy pieces say "mass-marketing", while simple pieces feel more individual. After all, if you sat down to write an individual letter to your granny, would you put a flashing banner ad at the top, with 10 different font colours and sizes throughout, trying to grab her attention? Not likely. So keep it simple.
2. Having said that though, you will want to avoid your pieces appearing boring and bland. You do need to hold the reader's interest, after all. To do this, add an occasional change in font size or colour. Or break up your piece with bullet points. Play around with design by changing your margins or centering your text. Just remember rule number 1 (to keep it simple, rather than screaming) and use design changes sparingly.
3. If you know your reader's name, use it. Nothing personalizes a letter like using the reader's name. But again, do it sparingly. Overuse is not only annoying, but again, the letter tends to take on the feel of an auto-produced, mass-market piece. If your reader feels like they are part of a small select group of recipients, they are more likely to respond to your offer.
4. There are two schools of thought regarding length. Some say the longer the letter, the longer you can hold the reader's attention and the more likely they are to click through to your offer. This may be true until the point the reader decides he is way too busy to read all the way through that HUGE and cluttered mountain of words and just clicks the delete button.
The second school of thought says keep it short and sweet - no more than a sentence or two. For example, yesterday I received a marketing email that said simply, "click here to read a letter I wrote" and then it had a link. That was it. Nothing more. Now it's possible in some cases, this might pique a reader's curiosity, but for me, it's not enough. Sadly for the writer, I deleted the email without clicking through. I mean, why would care if he wrote a letter, much less want to read it?! You have to give me some reason to care. What is the subject matter of the letter he wrote? Is it a subject I care deeply about? Is it something that will solve a problem I have? In other words, give me a reason to click through!
The point of your email letter campaign is to keep your reader attentively engaged in what you have to say just long enough to get them to click through to your offer. So with that in mind, keep your piece as long as it needs to be but no longer and by all means keep it straight to the point. Any superfluous fluff not only adds length to the piece, risking loss of interest, but also gets the reader off track, decreasing click-through rate.
1. Devise a subject line that captures interest. You'll want to get your reader to open the email in the first place, right? If your subject line gets the reader curious, they'll want to open the email to find out more. Using the above example, if my subject line says something like "see the letter I wrote", unless this email came from your sister, and especially if it is from a stranger, you are most likely to delete it and may possibly take the extra initiative to add them to your junk/spam filter. Not what you want as a writer. If your subject line captivates the reader, they'll want to find out more. So, for example, if your subject line reads, "The number one way to get your teenager to communicate with you", your reader is going think, "Now that's something I want to know more about!" They won't be able to open your email fast enough!
2. Consider the use of graphics. A single well-placed photo or drawing is just enough to capture the reader's interest, but not so much that it makes the letter look mass-produced or too busy.
3. Include a call to action! All marketing pieces, be it your website, a flyer, an article, a paid-for ad, etc, should always contain a call to action. What is it you wish the reader to do as a result of reading your piece? Click on the link? Buy your product? Call you? What? Do not leave the reader with any doubt as to what you wish them to do.
By incorporating these few simple rules into your email campaign, you should see a large jump in your click through rate, and assuming you have a strong landing page on the other side of the click, hopefully also see an increase in your uptake, as well. Happy emailing!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Online Marketing and The Importance of Planning
By: Jasmine Sandler, Contributing Writer, Agent-cy
I have seen too many good people attempt an online business without a well-researched plan. The results have been disastrous--major investments lost, business failures, and even broken marriages.
As a veteran of online marketing for both web-only (pure play) businesses and traditional firms that use the web as a vehicle in their marketing mix, I have witnessed both failures and successes online. For any of you who are considering a business online or who have already invested in such a business, the following two-part article has been developed to help you use the web to most effectively avoid the minor and major pitfalls inherent in this medium and navigate the best (online) opportunities for your business to help ensure your success.
Admittedly, my first entrepreneurial experience in building an online community failed to the tune of nearly $200,000. In hindsight, the domain name was the cause of that failure. For the pure play online business, you cannot rely on the opinions of your family and friends alone. You absolutely must ask a sample of your intended online audience whether or not they like, they understand, they agree with, and most importantly, if they see business potential behind your domain name. Your domain name, and how your intended audience perceives it, is of eminent importance. A domain name, if developed properly, becomes a brand, thus creating brand awareness and value behind that brand, and it has the power to yield a positive perception. Obviously, you’ll want to ensure your brand (domain) is one that your audience can positively identify with. An agency or consultant can help you find that sample audience to determine the validity of your online business name.
If you are a pure play new online business, ask yourself this—is this just an idea, or is this a developed business plan? If it is just an idea, then go back to the drawing board and develop your business plan. If you are planning to use the web to strengthen off-line sales of a product or service, then you need to know if this business has the potential to reach your goals. You must ensure that there is a demand from your intended audience. A comprehensive business plan will outline your competitive threats, as well as high-light how your target market will perceive your product or service.
Analyzing my current clients, I would argue that the ones who are the most successful are the ones who have the right resources in place with the right programs working for each resource, all driven toward a common client goal. If you are involved setting up a business online or establishing an online community, you want to be cautious but open-minded about whom you bring in and how many resources you employ in the beginning. Upfront planning for the right resources is important.
Any business these days must have an experienced online marketing person as a resource. This resource is essential whether you possess the funds to have an agency on retainer or if you can only afford to have one person working a few hours a month. This person should be able to help you bring in effective resources including a web designer, developer, and specific technologies as well as the right online marketing programs (PR and advertising) for your specific business, timeframe, budget, and online audience development goals.
The most important issue for a pure play business is investing in web marketing. Firstly, you must be willing to set aside a reasonable web development and marketing budget. Although the web itself is practically free to use, experts behind a brand’s success online have real value: they are not and should not be considered free. However, because the web possesses a wealth of useful information, you stand to benefit greatly from doing your own research in marketing online to prepare you for the programs you may undertake with an expert. Remember, just as it is my job is to run an online PR and marketing agency, it is your job to run your web business.
The best way to ensure cost effectiveness is to utilize your expert help in creating a budgetary plan. This plan should include, but is not limited to, the following expense items:
1. Web design and branding as necessary
2. Web development, including community development as necessary
3. Online market planning
4. Online marketing programs: e.g. SEO work, PR development and outreach, media buying, aid search marketing; affiliate marketing management
5. Web management and monitoring
6. Ongoing research
7. Technology investments
8. Copywriting
As with any marketing vehicle, you must undertake your business with an understanding that the investment will be an ongoing monthly expense for most items. Be prepared to self-fund this project for at least a year or more, because it is best to avoid bank loans and venture capital if possible. These things put unnecessary pressure on your opportunity to develop the business at the appropriate rate of time and money spent.
Conservative expectations are a must with a pure-pay online business. I have spoken with thousands of people from many different businesses who all think the web is the easy way to make money. Contrary to their beliefs, going into business online is the same as leasing a store or office space in the real world. It requires ongoing investments of working capital, key management committed to the success of the business, effective branding, smart marketing strategies, and of course, customers. Your online marketing expert can help you determine what your goals should be, based on your specific business, industry, competition, and resources.
Both online and traditional businesses that use the web as a complementary marketing vehicle sometimes make the mistake of launching a new technology, or marketing program online just to mirror the actions of their competitors. This desire to keep up with competitors solely for the sake of keeping up is misplaced and can be fatal to your business. Never add anything that is not tied into the specific marketing goal pre-set by your expert.
As with any other online marketing program, your best weapon is knowledge. I have been involved in web education as part of my client work, and I have worked with agencies for the last several years. Opportunities, technologies, and marketing programs online are always changing. It is important to have people working for you who are constantly educating themselves on the best ways to navigate these online opportunities. It would be wise for one involved in an online business to take any available courses in online marketing and web business.
The smartest way to plan for success in growing a business online is to have a team of specialized experts, a common goal, financial backing to develop the business for two-three years, and a trusted person or team who has the experience in web marketing to guide your strategies toward yielding favorable results. Every person on your team must be accountable for at least one item to help grow your business. You must know and manage what that item is. Always ask for feedback from your target audience and the experts around you on your business, its name, your web site, your marketing programs, and your offers. The web is a great place to find, build, grow, and sustain a loyal audience. If you follow these initial steps, you will be on your way to making that happen.
I have seen too many good people attempt an online business without a well-researched plan. The results have been disastrous--major investments lost, business failures, and even broken marriages.
As a veteran of online marketing for both web-only (pure play) businesses and traditional firms that use the web as a vehicle in their marketing mix, I have witnessed both failures and successes online. For any of you who are considering a business online or who have already invested in such a business, the following two-part article has been developed to help you use the web to most effectively avoid the minor and major pitfalls inherent in this medium and navigate the best (online) opportunities for your business to help ensure your success.
Admittedly, my first entrepreneurial experience in building an online community failed to the tune of nearly $200,000. In hindsight, the domain name was the cause of that failure. For the pure play online business, you cannot rely on the opinions of your family and friends alone. You absolutely must ask a sample of your intended online audience whether or not they like, they understand, they agree with, and most importantly, if they see business potential behind your domain name. Your domain name, and how your intended audience perceives it, is of eminent importance. A domain name, if developed properly, becomes a brand, thus creating brand awareness and value behind that brand, and it has the power to yield a positive perception. Obviously, you’ll want to ensure your brand (domain) is one that your audience can positively identify with. An agency or consultant can help you find that sample audience to determine the validity of your online business name.
If you are a pure play new online business, ask yourself this—is this just an idea, or is this a developed business plan? If it is just an idea, then go back to the drawing board and develop your business plan. If you are planning to use the web to strengthen off-line sales of a product or service, then you need to know if this business has the potential to reach your goals. You must ensure that there is a demand from your intended audience. A comprehensive business plan will outline your competitive threats, as well as high-light how your target market will perceive your product or service.
Analyzing my current clients, I would argue that the ones who are the most successful are the ones who have the right resources in place with the right programs working for each resource, all driven toward a common client goal. If you are involved setting up a business online or establishing an online community, you want to be cautious but open-minded about whom you bring in and how many resources you employ in the beginning. Upfront planning for the right resources is important.
Any business these days must have an experienced online marketing person as a resource. This resource is essential whether you possess the funds to have an agency on retainer or if you can only afford to have one person working a few hours a month. This person should be able to help you bring in effective resources including a web designer, developer, and specific technologies as well as the right online marketing programs (PR and advertising) for your specific business, timeframe, budget, and online audience development goals.
The most important issue for a pure play business is investing in web marketing. Firstly, you must be willing to set aside a reasonable web development and marketing budget. Although the web itself is practically free to use, experts behind a brand’s success online have real value: they are not and should not be considered free. However, because the web possesses a wealth of useful information, you stand to benefit greatly from doing your own research in marketing online to prepare you for the programs you may undertake with an expert. Remember, just as it is my job is to run an online PR and marketing agency, it is your job to run your web business.
The best way to ensure cost effectiveness is to utilize your expert help in creating a budgetary plan. This plan should include, but is not limited to, the following expense items:
1. Web design and branding as necessary
2. Web development, including community development as necessary
3. Online market planning
4. Online marketing programs: e.g. SEO work, PR development and outreach, media buying, aid search marketing; affiliate marketing management
5. Web management and monitoring
6. Ongoing research
7. Technology investments
8. Copywriting
As with any marketing vehicle, you must undertake your business with an understanding that the investment will be an ongoing monthly expense for most items. Be prepared to self-fund this project for at least a year or more, because it is best to avoid bank loans and venture capital if possible. These things put unnecessary pressure on your opportunity to develop the business at the appropriate rate of time and money spent.
Conservative expectations are a must with a pure-pay online business. I have spoken with thousands of people from many different businesses who all think the web is the easy way to make money. Contrary to their beliefs, going into business online is the same as leasing a store or office space in the real world. It requires ongoing investments of working capital, key management committed to the success of the business, effective branding, smart marketing strategies, and of course, customers. Your online marketing expert can help you determine what your goals should be, based on your specific business, industry, competition, and resources.
Both online and traditional businesses that use the web as a complementary marketing vehicle sometimes make the mistake of launching a new technology, or marketing program online just to mirror the actions of their competitors. This desire to keep up with competitors solely for the sake of keeping up is misplaced and can be fatal to your business. Never add anything that is not tied into the specific marketing goal pre-set by your expert.
As with any other online marketing program, your best weapon is knowledge. I have been involved in web education as part of my client work, and I have worked with agencies for the last several years. Opportunities, technologies, and marketing programs online are always changing. It is important to have people working for you who are constantly educating themselves on the best ways to navigate these online opportunities. It would be wise for one involved in an online business to take any available courses in online marketing and web business.
The smartest way to plan for success in growing a business online is to have a team of specialized experts, a common goal, financial backing to develop the business for two-three years, and a trusted person or team who has the experience in web marketing to guide your strategies toward yielding favorable results. Every person on your team must be accountable for at least one item to help grow your business. You must know and manage what that item is. Always ask for feedback from your target audience and the experts around you on your business, its name, your web site, your marketing programs, and your offers. The web is a great place to find, build, grow, and sustain a loyal audience. If you follow these initial steps, you will be on your way to making that happen.
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