Capture and Conversion
The difference between successful marketing campaigns and those that fail often comes down to how comprehensive the strategy is. If you tend to think solely in terms of tactics, it’s easy to fall short on execution. Marketing is a process that builds and reinforces relationships over time. Much of the disappointment business owners endure trying to generate a return on marketing investments comes from an over-emphasis on finding that one magic thing that will “take them to the next level.”
Having the power to buy qualified search engine traffic and direct it to your website is addicting. Even more intoxicating is the idea of generating free traffic by ranking organically for high priority keywords. But to actually make a profit from the traffic that comes to your website, you need a process in place to capture leads as well as a follow up system to nurture leads that are not quite ready to buy. This is the area where 99% of most small business marketers fall short.
Search Engine Marketing provides small business marketers with revolutionary opportunities that simply did not exist a decade ago. At the same time, it’s also one of the top distractions that can get a business owner off-track with her marketing program. The pitfall comes when generating traffic takes priority over all else.
Traffic for the sake of traffic is useless. If you have a static, brochure-style website that does little more than let people know you are in business, a #1 ranking in Google isn’t going to mean much. On the other hand, if you have a content-rich website that provides value to interested customers and encourages them to interact, you can literally blow the doors off higher-ranked competitors that are using the same tired techniques everyone else is using.
So how can you start implementing a conversion process on your website? One of the easiest and most effective ways to convert traffic into leads is by offering something of value to your prospects in exchange for their contact information. Not too long ago we discussed some ideas to develop that content here.
The idea is that instead of simply expecting people to land on your website and call immediately to buy something, you assume the role of a purchasing consultant that helps prospects make an educated decision. By doing so you not only provide a helpful service, but you also position yourself as the obvious expert in your field. Once you’ve succeeded in establishing that kind of credibility, it makes price comparisons between you and your competitors difficult and largely irrelevant.
One last thing to keep in mind is that a large percentage of the prospects that respond to your lead capture process are not going to buy right away. This is where a well thought-out lead nurturing sequence comes into play. We’ll discuss that in the near future.
Digital Insight
Razorfish recently released their 2009 Digital Outlook Report. It’s 180 pages long but well worth the read as it provides some great insight into current trends in digital marketing. You can view/download the whole thing here. If you have a short attention span there’s a nice summary here. Enjoy!
Smith & Stallworth
Legal marketing can be quite challenging. For one thing, lawyer advertising is closely regulated by each state’s respective Bar Association. Without going into excessive detail, many of the concepts and much of the language you might typically employ in marketing messages is forbidden in legal advertising. All copy must be submitted to the Bar for approval and they have no problem responding with a long list of revisions to be implemented before they will give their blessing to run the ad.
The regulatory hurdles are just one of the factors that contribute to the general lack of quality you see in lawyer advertising. The other problem is that attorneys, like most business owners, tend model their advertising efforts after those of their peers. Ever wonder why so many legal advertisements feature a lawyer sitting in front of a bunch of law books? Because that’s what everyone else does. Ever wonder why lawyers all talk about how “aggressive” they are or how many years of “experience” they have? Because that’s what everyone else does. And don’t get us started on production quality; how many times have you seen attorney commercials that look like they were shot on a cheap VHS camcorder? If that’s what everyone else does it must be sufficient right?
Differentiation is a key component of a successful marketing campaign. In many cases it can be difficult to find new ways to truly carve out a unique position for a particular business. But sometimes, you can make quite a statement by just looking around at what all your competitors are doing and exploiting an obvious weakness.
The law firm of Smith and Stallworth is one of Tampa Florida’s newest and fastest growing law firms. Courtney Smith and Mark Stallworth are not only outstanding attorneys, but all-around great guys as well. Here’s a sample of the TV creative we recently developed as the first part of a comprehensive campaign to introduce them to their home market.
Using URLs in ads
Most marketers include phone numbers in their ads. It’s intuitive to do so and appeals to that most primal of all marketing urges – the desire for an immediate phone call in response to an ad exposure. But, as readers of this blog know, the process of earning new customers usually involves multiple steps between the initial exposure and the first transaction. One of the most important stops along the way occurs when someone is encouraged to visit your website for more information. While it’s not unusual to see URL’s in advertisements these days, it is still fairly common to see basic formatting mistakes that can make it difficult for interested consumers to note the address. Here are a couple of very simple guidelines to keep in mind when placing URL’s in your advertisements:
- Do not use all caps to display your URL. Despite the fact that it looks bad, it’s also harder to read and generally looks unsophisticated.
- It’s okay to skip the “www” part if you want a cleaner look. Most people get that URL’s begin with “www” and most browsers navigate to the right place without it anyway. If you want to get picky about it a full URL includes the whole “http://” thing as well but you hardly see that anymore do you?
- Use capitalization or other font treatments to seperate words. Unless you are lucky enough to have an address like IBM.com, you probably have several words in your URL. It’s asking a bit much to expect drivers passing a billboard at 65mph to decipher:
www.joesfriendlypoolcleaning.com
But if you capitalize you end up with a much easier to read:
www.JoesFriendlyPoolCleaning.com
Different colors or other font treatments also work well:
www.JoesFriendlyPoolCleaning.com
- When you include a URL in an advertisement, make sure that the landing page is strategically relevant to the ad. If someone sees your ad offering “buy-one-get-one-free cheeseburgers” and then types in the URL to find out more, they should be taken to a page with information on that offer. Don’t just send people to your homepage and expect them to dig around. Again, sounds simple but lots of businesses still get this wrong.
- Simplify, simplify, simplify. Once you start adding a bunch of forward slashes to your landing page address you might as well forget it. Nobody’s going to hear this on the radio and recall it later that night after dinner:
www.ClarkSmithMcDonald.com/freereports/taxplanningtips
Using subdomains is a better option:
TaxTips.ClarkSmithMcDonald.com
Campaign Specific URL’s are even better still:
TampaTaxTips.com
If you really want to use your homepage as the landing page for an offer make sure you include a button, banner, or other link that is prominently featured and will take your visitors where they need to go.
The Magic Bullet
There is no “magic bullet” in advertising. Despite reports to the contrary, social media tools are not the exception to this rule. While we’re at it – television, search marketing, radio, outdoor, bus benches, bathroom stall posters, sky writing, giant inflatable guerrillas, and tissue packs don’t qualify either. If you current marketing strategies are not producing results, moving them around to different media will not make a difference.
It’s true that social media and digital content are revolutionary forces that are literally unraveling traditional advertising models. You do need to know about Twitter, Facebook, UStream, WordPress, Typepad, Friendfeed, Flickr, Slideshare, RSS and all the other emerging platforms. But the most important thing to remember is that if your product or service is not remarkable and relevant to a well-defined niche there is no amount of friends, followers, viewers, subscribers or fans that will make up for it.
I realize that the whole “create something remarkable and relevant” thing is a little overdone these days so here’s a specific shortcut: Educate Your Customers – otherwise known as information marketing. Information marketing is the act of creating educational content about your product or service and marketing it (giving it away for free) to interested customers. Executed well, it’s probably the closest thing you’ll find to a “Magic Bullet” for marketing. There are numerous advantages to this strategy including:
- The content is inexpensive or free to produce
- You are offering something of value instead of trying to sell
- It gives you an opportunity to provide much more information than you can with traditional ads
- Provides a database-building opportunity
- Can enhance SEO efforts
- Differentiates your business from most competitors
- Takes the focus off price
- Trackable ROI
- Scalable
- Great way to leverage social and other digital platforms
Looking for ways to get started? Start a blog, write an ebook, record an audio presentation, make a handbook or users guide, produce a “how-to” video, create a survey, or publish an interview with an expert in your industry. Don’t do them all, pick one or two and knock it out of the park. Don’t look for shortcuts – create it yourself. Take your time, do your research, make it valuable and stick with it. We’ll talk about what to do with all this stuff in future posts.
Time and Money
Prior to the Internet, money was the throttle that governed an advertiser’s ability to dominate a market. More money meant larger ads in the paper, more ads on TV, and more billboards around town. The goal was to spend as much as you could, sell more stuff, and then reinvest in more advertising. Scarcity kept the system in balance. There were a limited number of providers that could deliver an audience and there were limited dollars to spend.
The Internet gives anyone a broadcasting platform. YouTube videos often generate larger audiences than TV programs. Many blogs routinely attract more readers than the local newspaper. This doesn’t make traditional media obsolete but it does make it possible for businesses that cannot afford traditional media to achieve equal footing by substituting time for money.
In the online world content, not money, is king. It costs nothing to write useful blog posts, create a LinkedIn profile, or to use Twitter – but it does take time. In addition to time it takes patience. Social marketing has more to do with building relationships than selling. The results don’t come right away. You have to provide value for an extended period of time before you can expect a return. The good news is that it will not drain your bank account while you’re waiting.
Demand More Value
So things are slow right now and the economic forecasts show no sign of improvement. You have two choices – read the news all day long and wallow in the negativity or take advantage of the opportunities that volatility creates. No matter how bad things get people will still buy things and will seek out businesses that can provide a great value. At the same time, you need to demand more value from your partners and suppliers as well.
For the foreseeable future the supply of advertising inventory will significantly exceed demand. Consumer spending is down, advertisers are pulling back, and there are more options available than ever before to communicate with customers. For the intelligent marketer this is actually good news because it means you have the opportunity to squeeze more value from every dollar you spend*.
As you begin negotiating your advertising contracts for 2009 here are 5 things you can do to maximize your investments:
1) Demand lower rates.
The simple truth is that supply exceeds demand. The political spending is over and every other category is down. Even online spending forecasts are being revised downward. If your media partners are telling you that rates must go up, it’s time to find other partners.
2) Expect added value.
Most media vendors have plenty of incentives they can offer you in addition to paid inventory. Ask for features, sponsorships, preferred placement, bonus advertising, promotional opportunities, third-party partnerships, links, mentions, category exclusivity etc.
3) Expect preferred placement.
We’ve all heard of under-booked airlines, hotels, and cruise ships offering free upgrades to passengers. As a loyal advertiser you should expect the same type of VIP treatment from your media partners. Ask for larger ads, higher traffic locations, higher-rated programming, better daypart rotation, or prime positioning at no additional charge.
4) Expect more favorable terms.
Avoid restrictive contracts. The market is turbulent and you need to remain agile. Getting locked into anything restricts your ability to rapidly adapt to changes. Make sure that all contracts can be revised or canceled with reasonable notice. Ask for discounts for timely payment i.e. within 15 days, 30 days etc.
5) Expect better service.
If you only hear from your sales reps when it’s time to renew it might be time for a change. A good salesperson should keep you informed about your campaign, offer ideas and research, and care about the success of your business. Let them know what your goals and expectations are and ask for their ideas on how to get there.
Please note – this is NOT about beating up your partners. A strong working relationship with your vendors is essential and will pay dividends. At the same time, it would be irresponsible to not take advantage of the opportunities that a slow market creates for advertisers. If you do not raise your hand and ask for these incentives then they will go to someone else. Ask nicely and be sure to remind your sales reps that any extra value they can provide now will come back to them in the form of increased budgets as your business grows.
Worth Your Time
Advertising as we know it is quickly heading towards extinction. Many would argue that it’s already extinct. This isn’t as gloomy as it might sound however because it is being replaced by more accessible, affordable, and powerful methods of interacting with your customers. The opportunities are so massive that it is difficult to understate them.
The only way to keep up with these changes is to get engaged with the technology and jump in. It also helps to read like it’s going out of style. Here are two fantastic (and free!) resources that are well worth your time if you have an interest in seeing where it’s all going and why.
This book has been around for a while (published in 2001) but it was definitely ahead of its time and is 100% relevant today. Want to know why your customers are smarter than you? Want to know what to do about it?
FEED: The Razorfish Consumer Experiment
Razorfish is one of the top digital marketing agencies out there. This report reflects their current research into how connected consumers are interacting with social technologies and how it applies to marketers.
Enjoy!
Patience
Looking for a sustainable competitive advantage? Try patience. There are no shortcuts to marketing your business. We live in a marketing culture obsessed with finding the right tactic to boost sales instantly; that one big idea that will immediately define a brand and differentiate it from competitors. Here’s a tip: If you really want a strategy that is unique, one that 90% of your competitors will not be able to duplicate, go with patience.
It’s not surprising that advertisers and agencies continue to search for a quick fix. We live in a world of instant gratification and, to be fair, there was a time when it was possible to get an edge on your competitor using clever offers pushed out to the masses with traditional advertising. So what’s changed? Attention. Today’s consumers are not paying attention to mass market advertising like they used to. There are too many ads in too many places and 99% are irrelevant to the audience that is exposed to them. Yet even with all the news of TV ads getting Tivo-ed, print ads being ignored, and direct mail going straight into to the trash you still see streams of hopeful business owners putting hard earned capital on the line to run a 4 week campaign expecting an immediate 2-to-1 return on the investment. Once they realize it’s not going as planned, they pull the ads and start searching for another magic bullet. It’s the marketing equivalent of yo-yo dieting.
Don’t fall into the trap. Once you have decided what and how you want to communicate with your customers, design a plan that allows you to implement that strategy consistently over a significant period of time. Treat your marketing plan as if it were any other operating expense such as rent, utilities etc. This will enable you to maintain a more consistent presence than your competitors and will allow your messaging to gradually seep into the minds of your customers. Realize that only a tiny fraction of the market is ready to buy your product at any given time. Your goal should be to reach customers well in advance of the transaction so that your brand is the first one they think of when the impulse hits.
Deception
The secret to great online marketing is relevancy. The reason so many advertisers get this wrong is because they try to apply traditional offline strategies to online campaigns. Traditional marketing is based on reach and frequency. The more eyeballs you can aggregate, the better, because only a small portion of the market is ready to buy at any given point in time. You cannot buy TV commercials that are only shown to people that need to buy a vacuum cleaner within the next 48 hours. This theory is completely reversed online. You can very easily – with a search campaign for example – buy ads that are only shown to people actively shopping for nickel-plated sprinkler heads or authentic decorative tumbleweeds. But with all the powerful targeting that online advertising offers, there is plenty of room for abuse.
When online advertisers start sacrificing relevancy for reach, they often end up with deception. This happens to me all the time on Ebay. I search for something like: “Fender Twin Reverb Guitar Amplifier” and receive a page full of results that all appear to be exactly what I’m looking for. But when I start clicking through to the items, I find that half of them are for things like copies of the user manual, promotional posters etc. instead of the actual amplifier itself. This isn’t Ebay’s fault by the way. It happens because merchants craft their listings for related products to appear as though they are the actual item. They are trying to take advantage of product search traffic in order to sell other stuff. It’s dishonest and does nothing but infuriate the very customers they’re trying to attract.
Doc Searls has an interesting post about online advertising that demonstrates why deceptive advertising gimmicks not only do not work, but could very well “pop” the online advertising “bubble.” The message for advertisers that want to get it right is simple – be relevant. The brilliance of online marketing lies in the ability to establish a true dialogue with people that are already interested in your business. It’s a quality, not quantity, based system.