Image by George Eastman House via Flickr
I am remembering that happy morning when my web developer showed me the 27% increase in traffic to lead form completes from one small change we made to our form.Yes, our silly form. Amazing.
We all (digital marketers, I should say) spend so much time and effort, and dollars, driving traffic to our web site form. For some it is your product order form for others your contact us form. James Pietz shared an analogy with me years ago that has stuck and that I use over and over again with my clients to explain the importance of “form fit”. When you go on a first date (or visit a site for the first time) are you ready to ask that person to marry you? Of course not. Then why would you ask a first time visitor to your site for all the personal information you would like about them (name, address, phone number, email address, title, budget (that one is really bad), time line)? Many sites do this. It’s not good. They make this mistake of asking for too much information on their form, and guess what? The site visitor or “new friend” we will call them, leaves their site – so they get zero information. If you are thinking “hey that’s us, I need to do something about this quick!” , here is a simple path to resolving this need for a better “form fit”.
1) Measure with a heat mapping or other tool, where people are abandoning your form. This is much less expensive technology they it was when it first surfaced. Try this article for a few heat mapping options – one is even free.
2) Use the heat mapping data to make changes to what is required on your form. The points where people are dropping off your form are the ones to watch for. What might be irritating them? Is the form confusing? Asking for too much information? Make changes. Take the information they are willing to supply and court them with more information, an email or two, a free gift. (That’s another article for another time.)
3) Enjoy increased traffic -> lead conversion rates.
I will be surprised if by addressing the areas where your visitors are abandoning your form, you don’t see vast improvement in the amount of traffic that fills out your form. And hopefully you are following up with efficiency and converting a good percentage of these completed forms (your new friends) to customers!
Consider adding different types of forms to your site as well – a name and email address form only, a longer form for all the details you really want, forms for white paper downloads, email newsletters and free stuff are all good forms to try.
Let me know if you make some changes and see results. Even if you don’t. Have fun.
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Testing, testing, testing. 1-2-3. AB testing, what is a multivariate anyway? Keyword targeting, keyword strategy, algorithms? It goes on an on. How do small and medium size businesses have time to figure this all out let alone, establish an online strategy and work it on a day-to-day basis. And measure it?
One answer, is to establish a company blog and post to it, at least weekly. Even an inexperienced team can make good guesses at the keywords that prospects are using to find their business type or company on search engines, and those are the keywords you can test by posting to a blog.
Here is a simple way to get started:
1. Pick 10 keywords you think your audience is using to find you or your business type on www.google.com. Think of the conversations you had with your prospects this week, and how they refer to you. What words do they use?
2. Write out 10 blog topics that will focus on those keywords. If they are searching on the name of your city to find you, for example, post on the local Job Fair or other event for one post.
3. Assign a team member to write each post. Remember, no over production here: clear, pithy writing with a punch is required. Not too formal, not too long.
4. Work your plan, post weekly.
5. After 10 weeks evaluate the comments and clicks on the posts. (Most Blog Tools offer a simple way to check this) What was hot? What was not? What links worked which did not? (WordPress is hot these days, but TypePad is another Blog authoring tool to try)
This is a fairly simple way to get started in the blogosphere with limited time investment. The next steps include developing a more sophisticated strategy development, more formal keyword research, Google Analytics set up and monitoring to watch your traffic and increasing your posting frequency. More on all that, later.
Give it a try. Your audience and your bottom line may like it.
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I am no business school graduate – sometimes wish I was. But I have had some fabulous mentorship over the years. One boss, fresh out of a Health Care industry debacle, taught me about White Space Management. Heard of it?
White space management is seeing to all those details that flow between the boxes on a process chart; and on an organizational chart, for that matter. It’s easy to think linearly down those diagrams and check off “points of efficiency” in your mind. It’s a whole other game to manage the effectiveness of the process and people relationships in between.
Every organization has worn out processes and procedures. Every department has programs that need to be tested and weeded out if they are not longer relevant to current business goals. I hope your business has grown and changed, evolved. If it has, then your processes, positions, strategies and funding priorities need to follow.
Seems simple, but this in between space is where most organizations are needing the most improvement.
Your production line is on time and efficient in every way. But are the packaging teams reflecting the current product? Do customers benefit from the features you added because of surveys they filled out? Who follows the “added features” all the way to customer satisfaction?
The marketing department launched an online media group that grew like crazy a few years back. But the web and online media have transformed radically since the beginning. Has your team? Is the looming Social Media trend and add on or a legitimate thoughtful “strategy included” aspect of your approach to your market? What needs to be scrapped? Where do those dollars go instead?
Something to think about.
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People still sign up to hear from companies they like, buy from or otherwise have warm fuzzies about. And yes, they even still sign up for emails and RSS feeds, from them. The sad thing is that many of the companies that run email marketing campaigns abuse the trust that has been placed in them to deliver timely (not too much), relevant content to their audience.
Some of my favorite companies have disappointed me with too frequent emailing, cheesy content, pushy stupid offers. Ouch, I say, they have their TV and Direct Mail act together but hire a digital marketing crew people. This stuff is bad. Anyway, I digress.
With the onset of social media upon us like a tycoon, email and content feeds certainly have their place, but I think that the messaging and strategy (link, list, deliverability, etc.) needs to be that much tighter in the current digital environment. Emails to an internal list need to be relevant & timely. Both take strategy and research but the time spent is not wasted. Get it right for these valuable brand advocates of yours.
Relevant
Either based on the known interests of pains of your audience, or their known product needs, interests, content in emails that gets opened, read and clicked, is relevant. And it gets there quickly. The article relevant to me is not #6 that I have to click 3 times to find. This takes a list segmentation strategy that works and is constantly optimized. And a constant listening ear to the changing and evolving needs and interests of your audience.
Timely
I guess the most common mistake I see here is firms that email me too much. I love my National Home Gardening Club email. Its relevant, timely – once a week, and useful to me as a gardener. It has a handful of articles, colorful, creative graphics and is well organized.
I hate and have unsubscribed from many feeds and email newsletters, most recently a few from individuals digital marketers who were just hounding me with too many emails. I love my feed from @neverstopmarketing. This guy’s posts are interesting, relevant to me as a digital marketing consultant, maybe weekly, and not too long. This guy has interesting gigs and a very blunt style he uses to tell you about them. If he can make his point in 4 sentences, he does.
I know we all have our favorite off the beaten path emails and blogs we treasure. Frequency just right? Right mix of text and graphics? Love the writing style? Have a nugget to share? Please do.
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Email, SEO, PPC, site optimization, pay per call, online chat, video, podcasts, blogs, vlogs, content sharing, display ads (yes, I mentioned the dreaded display ads, or banners), text ads, behavioral targeting…oh my…the list goes on and on. How to deploy digital media in a timely relevant manner to my audience. Tell them who we are but not self promote, share a good deal but don’t shove it in their face.
The way I see it there are tools to deploy on behalf of your business, to discover how your audience wants to be reached, communicated with. Believe it or not some people like email. Yep, read it faithfully from company’s they trust. And some CEOs are making time to blog, casually,every day! Amazing! They understand the value of providing human connection and relevant meanderings, to the real people who buy their products. And yes, great bloggers, some anyway, practice tasteful SEO practices!
I guess this is a response I see right now amongst my online comrades, taking allegiances to one side or the other of one of these media types or more. The hard work discipline of understanding the needs of a client, where they are in their adaptation cycle to online media, (yes, some are not doing anything yet, talked to one lately? ) and accommodating their budget, passions, messaging, goals, etc. There is just no way around this. You have to listen, and check your bag of tricks for the tools for the job.
I want to see marketers remain excellent acrobats. The circus, you say? Yes, I think it takes a bit of an acrobatic balance to service clients with the world of marketing tricks in the bags these days. (the list of social media tactics alone must be hundreds long by now) I would like to see marketers remain balanced and strategic, rather then hop on the loudest bandwagon that comes our way. And I say that as an online marketer who has resistance to traditional media but at times admits, it is a better fit then online for certain clients. Sometimes good old fashioned direct mail is the “money on the table” everyone is ignoring.
Okay, stepping down of my bandwagon. What do you think of all this? Where are you in your adaptation? Sold an direct mail/email package lately? Dare I say?
Carry on.
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Researching social media management tools today. Do you have one you like?
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So email marketing gets a bad rap at times from social media gurus as an outdated medium whose retirement has come. Not so fast, I say, especially given some statistics I got from a Twitter buddy today.
Okay, so I will qualify these stats as MailChimp did, with sharing that the data is from their 70% single and 10 employee companies doing email marketing for all kinds of companies. What is certainly not included, is the actual sales results from these emails, which, in my opinion is crucial to the meaning of the data.
So, given what is here, I say email marketers go to church more with their foodie, architect, and photographer friends. Ha! Seriously – upwards of 30% open rates, (hoping that this is not hugely due to auto open email settings) presents opportunities to get clicks and leads. And hopefully close business. Even more compelling are the click rates. The high click rates point back to food, beauty, videography services and healthcare industry opportunties for testing email marketing.
I would cross compare these stats with other sources, from more corporate, large email campaign data. But there is enough here to compel a test of email marketing if you have not yet tried it.
We all know, getting people to click an email, depending on what you are trying to compel them to do, or tell them about, is not an easy task. It takes copy, image, link, lay out and overall design strategy. So if these industries, even just going by the Mail Chimp data, are indicators for success in these industries, I would say that email is not up for retirement but a promotion. There are opportunities to communicate effectively via email, whether you are sharing information that is useful to existing customers, or passing a special offer along.
Please post any compelling recent data you have seen for email. I know the regular sources, but thought this one off Mail Chimp sample was interesting. Thoughts?
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I found a cool product through my account on FuelMyBlog called ReboundTAG. It is a micro chipped luggage tag that is inexpensive and easy to use. All you do is order one from their web site, register it online and attach it to your luggage. Since your personal information is stored online, no need to write it on the bag. The tag has a human readable and a bar code readable number on it – so it is easily traced back to you from any country in the world. If your luggage is lost the airline sends you a text, or ships the luggage where you would like, all using your information stored on the ReboundTAG web site. You can even choose to keep your information anonymous so that the retriever of your bag only sends messages via the ReboundTAG web site.
Order any number of tags – they all come with a 3 year membership. So far, I have not had to retrieve my bags, but it is nice to carry luggage without personal information showing. the other advantage I see is having a back up to the airport's methods of tracking and retrieving luggage. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
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Sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook present opportunity to share your personality, professional and personal interests. Like any presentation of personal information, people will form impressions of you based on what they see and read. It is important to present a consistent, personable yet professional impression online, especially in this season of job hunting, transition and career redefinition. A lack of good information is as bad as sloppily presented information. The web is a casual environment but people are still busy and well written, well organized content will benefit you no matter what your career endeavor or level of accomplishment. Here are a few tips to get your started:
Repurpose your resume content on LinkedIn. I recommend even closely matching your LinkedIn profile somewhat to your current resume, since talent seekers will likely review both. Organized information does not need to be dry and boring. Add your story details like big accomplishments, your passions, and goals in an organized format. Follow the same rules as a great resume, organized, visually appealing and full of action words that spell out your key accomplishments. Since companies are making tough choices in this market include your contributions to the bottom line, percentage of growth your contributed etc. Companies want to hire people who produce results in a tough economy.
Know thy elevator speech.
Common in start up company environments and sales environments I have worked in, as well as amongst professional communicators of all kinds is the “elevator speech”. A company elevator speech, states their company “dna” or “code”. “Here is who we are, in a snappy way so you remember us.” Individuals, present their personal brand. “I am Joe Smith and I love to grow technology businesses. I am looking for sales and account management opportunities in the greater Dallas area.” Wallah! Your elevator speech.
Again, your elevator speech is your 2 to 3 sentence blurb about you, your passion and professional interest. Write one down, try it our on friend and professional contacts and memorize it! It will save you nervous stumbling the next time you meet the VP of Sales of the largest firm in your area in the grocery store line.
Use New Technolgy to your advantage. A simple video resume is not a tough thing to accomplish. A home type video camera will suffice. Just highlight who you are and what you are looking for, how to contact you. Video presentations gain great results for advertisers, why not use this to your advantage in your job search?
Spread the wealth. That is the wealth of you. You have great talents and experience to offer. Be generous in the number of postings to your personal and professional online communities. Check out Meetup and Biznik for online communities to support you and attend their local meetings too. Email your search details and resume to colleagues and former partners. Offer to help them in return. Have fun reconnecting and supporting others in their changes and challenges. When you get stuck, find a colleague to help through their search. The old adage of “what goes around comes around” applies. If you are busy helping others your own best opportunity just may present itself.
If you want assistance in writing or editing your resume or online profiles, want ideas for sites to post on, or just to chat, contact me — I am happy to help. Godspeed and Good Luck!
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I was thinking today about how simple good email post card design is.There is a simple brilliance to great email marketing post card design, actually. That old adage, “don’t over do it”, it applies here. Keep It Simple Sweetheart. Here’s why:
Email, like most web mediums is scanned – more read then others, but still scanned. Of course in boxes are deluged these days, including mine, and ever changing email addresses and spam filters are a factor. List maintenance is another post, but don’t ignore it, it’s crucial. Email that stands out is simple, focused, well designed and brings relevant and useful content to it’s recipient.
There are two major types of email marketing, (being very general here but hang in there with me). There is email you mail to an existing customer (my favorite) and email you mail to prospective customers. This post is about the former, the ones who love you already. Existing customers are a hotbed of opportunity for email marketing done right. Now for the “doin it right” part. There are (in general) 2 major formats for email, post card blast and email newsletters, this post is about the former.
Great email postcards with good response go something like this:
1. Use one maybe 2 messages, a strong tag and maybe a sub point. Don’t over do the copy. Remember, they are scannnning….and they are in a hurrrrry.
2. Use colors that are the appropriate contrast or style for your audience. Older folks like high contrast, younger folks the more hip colors – check a fashion magazine or their favorite web sites and design within the realm of their ability to read and their liking.
3. Choose imagery carefully. Don’t pick images that will limit the design appeal unless you plan to design several versions of the piece. For example if you are targeting men, age 40 and up that play sports, be sure to provide a general enough image to keep both the soccer players and the out doors men engaged. Be sure to vary your photos to include all the beautiful people in the world, within your targeted demographic. This is something you can schedule in over time, certainly not something to worry about in each piece.
On a budget or without a photographer, try these sites for reasonable and beautiful work:
www.corbis.com, www.dreamstime.com, www.gettyimages.com, www.istock.com.
4. Lastly, give your deep divers, or those that want to read more or better yet buy from you, a place to go. Give them content that is relevant to them and will tie your brand to things they value. Include links to your web site with relevant content to that postcard’s message. Specifically designed landing pages are not required, but definitely test landing pages vs deep dives on your web site. And do more of what works. (remember, simply brilliant.) Making this work takes segmenting strategy not covered in this post!
So, strong, strategic messaging, simple but relevant content, stand out imagery that your audience can relate to and links for deep diving.
Have fun, and send along samples if you want to brag on how great your post cards are. Cheers!
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