Event Marketing Articles and Event Promotion

Keeping Your Event List Engaged

How often do you engage your list?  Engaging your list means sending some type of information to a group of target market subscribers. The materials could be anything from an email newsletter to using “snail mail” to keep in touch.  In other posts I’ve given out information for growing your list. In today’s post, I’m going to quickly look at some ways to deal with people unsubscribing from your list.

When you’re growing your list it’s really important to get your timing interval set for what works best for your target market. Over the years I’ve seen both sides of the engagement spectrum, from too much to too little. My clients engage their list anywhere from once a quarter to every week. Contrary to popular belief, too many people under engage their list.

Ask Two Questions . . .
My one recommendation for determining how many times to engage your list is to look at all your points of feedback and data. There are two recommendations I have for my clients. Ask yourself the following two questions as they apply to your list:

1. Are a number of people unsubscribing from your list?
   If you’re getting a high number of people unsubscribing from your list you might want to take a hard look at your tactics. A big factor in high unsubscribe rates is people feeling like they’re getting “sales pitched to death.” If you are sending high quality information you can probably send more often and not see as many people unsubscribe. There is one client I have with a list of almost 600 email subscribers. They’ve been sending regular emails out, now sending weekly, and two people have unsubscribed. I would argue that 2 people unsubscribing is a very low rate for sending emails over 5 months.
2. What type of feedback are your list subscribers sending you?
   Are people very positive with their responses to your emails?  If nobody is writing you back and you find people are still unsubscribing, you might not be connecting with your target market. Look for quality versus quantity on the feedback issue.  Don’t assume that because you’re not getting a deluge of positive emails that something is wrong. When my client with the 600 person email list ask for feedback from their list only 10 people responded. But all the responses were very positive. If you are getting primarily negative responses or people are expressing concern, it’s time to change how you engage your list. 

The Simplest Thing to Do
Send your list an email and ask them what they think of the information you are providing them.  Every time I ask people to write what they think the response has been extremely enlightening. If you’re having challenges with your list, you might find that you list subscribers can give you value feedback for improvements.

Maintaining your list might be more important than growing your list. It doesn’t matter how many people you get to subscribe if they don’t stay very long on your list.

Additional Resources:

• Start Building Your List Early
• Multiple Ways to Engage Your Event List
• The Second Worst Thing For Your List
• Building Anticipation For Your Event with Email Marketing

Huge Marketing Decisions: The Devil is in the Details

Over the last few weeks I’ve been sending and producing a decent amount of electronic event marketing materials for clients.  Part and parcel of the emails is the data which the system provides.  Collecting good permission based data has opened my eyes to marketing possibilities and other view points I would have never of considered. As an example, have you ever had a scenario where you knew you were absolutely positively right about something? Then, you find out an important piece of information and what you were convinced was an absolute gets completely turned upside down. Having good data tends to force us to consider other marketing solutions or ideas.

"I Have a Hunch About This . . ."
The above scenario plays out all the time with a numerous well meaning companies. Someone in senior management gets a marketing idea in their head based on a strong personal belief or hunch. In many cases they back up their decision with “I’m the boss and this (whatever it may be) is going to be done!” What they should ask themselves and what other people should diplomatically inquire about is providing data for their viewpoint. Obviously it can’t be for every marketing decision, but consider examining good supporting data for your most important marketing decisions.  Why am I so adamant about data to backup big marketing decisions?  I’ve seen companies needlessly blow valuable human resources and countless dollars on decisions that would have been different with very basic data. 

The Idea of the Day
My suggestion for today is to always try and collect as much good data as possible. The data could be anything from email open rates, to link tracking, web stats, or even customer surveys. Online technology has made collecting data quick and very inexpensive. What took marketers weeks and months to accomplish in previous years can now be completed in a few short hours.

Multi Million Dollar Example
There was an interesting “testing and tracking” interview I listened to last week between Scott Hallman and Eben Pagan that really drives home the point.

In the interview Scott brings up the methodology of A/B split testing. He told the story of a “big realization moment” while presenting to a room full of high end marketers. During a pause in Scott’s presentation one of conference facilitators asked “How many people in the room A/B test?” Almost everyone raised their hand. The question was finally refined down to “How many people test daily?” Very few people in the room still had their hands up. The facilitator asked the few people who tested daily, “How much do you make a year?” Those people responded individually, “$20 million, $3.5 million, $6 million . . .”

If you’re serious about being successful with any type of marketing, data collection is quintessential.

The Second Worst Thing For Your List

A few years ago a clients had an email subscriber list of almost a 1000 people.  Recently, the client’s list was migrated to a new database that featured tracking of email open rates and bounce backs.  The first newsletter I sent out for my client utilizing the new system returned horrifying results.  Over 60% of the emails were returned undeliverable. Of the 40% of emails that were delivered less than half actually opened their email.  The end result, of almost 1000 emails sent only about 200 people opened the email my client sent. Unfortunately the client hadn’t sent an email to their subscriber list in some time. 

The problem was further compounded by the fact that there was no tracking to determine email effectiveness. You can’t improve if you can’t measure and reapply knowledge.  In order for any email list to be effective you must be able to track open rates, click through, and bounce backs.  I recommend a third party application like 1ShoppingCart or Constant Contact.

Beyond Delivering Value
If you’ve read any of my other posts on list building you know the importance I place on delivering a tremendous amount of value to your list subscribers.  If you can’t deliver value to your list, your emails are probably viewed as SPAM.  There is a second caveat to list building that a number of businesses never consider. It isn’t enough just to have a list and grow it. Regardless of the size of your list, you must constantly engage your list subscribers on a regular basis. Each signup you have to your list has a limited amount of time. It is up to you keep your list subscribers engaged. 

How Often to Engage Your List
One of the biggest problems I see businesses make is not engaging their subscriber list enough.  As a result their list suffers atrophy. If you aren’t engaging your list on a regular basis, subscribers quickly lose interest.  As a general rule of thumb, send an email to your subscriber list no less than once a month and no more than once a week.  Keep in mind that there are exceptions to almost every rule. The exact time frame is dependent on your actual target market’s tolerance.  You can either test or conduct a survey with existing list subscribers.

You need to accept that very few prospects are going to become lifetime subscribers to any email list. Focus your efforts on constantly growing you list and delivering maximum value on a regular basis.

Your Domain Name and Television Advertising

For today's post I'm going to concentrate on getting the most out of your web site with television advertising.  The premise hinges on the core concept of web centric marketing. How many details can you remember about a commercial you just viewed? Chances are not very many. Getting the viewer to remember your domain name should be one of the main objectives of any form of advertising. A domain name is far easier to remember compared to numerous other details. One of the fundamentals behind web centric marketing is to get people back to your web site where they can digest the information at their own pace.

Starting Point
I'm writing from the premise that your commercial already has a unique selling proposition for the viewer and that it doesn't drown anyone with too much information. Make sure your messaging connects with the viewer in a meaningful way.

Use a Letter Box
Using a letterbox allows you to chisel out an area of the television frame to display a message. If you aren't sure what a letter box is check out the Wikipedia Letterbox article for an example. There is a matte at the top and the bottom of the screen.  You are going to use the bottom matte to insert a brief call to action and your domain name.  It is your discretion if you wish to keep the top matte. The call to action and domain name should be constant throughout the length of the commercial. By using the bottom matte you also insure that your domain name doesn't get lost due to audio or video.

Have a Strong Call to Action
Regardless of the length of your commercial, it is imperative to have a strong call to action. There are numerous commercials that list a web site but don't give people a good reason to visit the listed web site. What can you do with a few words to get your target market to your web site?  Below I've included some quick ideas:

• "Watch Exclusive Video ..."
• "Get a Free Report, Chapter, Information Packet ..."
• "Discounted Online Tickets ..."
• "Exclusive Interviews ..."
• "Get Insider Information ..."

Keep your call to action short and to the point. Consider reemphasizing your call to action at the end of the commercial.

An Excellent Example
Follow the link below for a great example of a 30 second commercial that embodies the suggestions from above. Notice the bottom static banner. The domain name is accompanied by a brief blurb "FOR TICKETS & INFO." It gives the viewer a reason to view the web site.  The domain name is constantly in front of the viewer and reemphasized at the end of the commercial. Production quality on the commercial is also excellent.

• Gathering of Mustangs and Legends 30 Second Spot (AirShowBuzz.com)

Don't Forget to Test
If you have the budget and a little extra time test your commercial with your target audience. The web and ease of digitizing has made testing quick and very affordable.  It can be as simple as posting your commercial online and emailing the link to a small group of people. The results might surprise you.

Getting Your Marketing Message Across

Last week I listened in to a teleconference presented by Eben Pagan. Some people might know Eben by his pen name David DeAngelo. One of Eben's most successful web sites can be found at doubleyourdating.com.  If you visit the doubleyourdating web site and cringe, hold off judging "a book by its' cover." The model used for doubleyourdating.com generated over $20 Million USD in revenue for Eben last year. Some of the core marketing concepts he used to generate his $20 Million in revenue were presented in his teleconference. For today’s post I’m going to share my notes from Eben’s teleconference. The crux of Eben's information focused on marketing, listening, and testing.

What is Marketing?
There are a plethora of different definitions for marketing. One really useful definition brought up during the call was that marketing is “letting people know about something they already need.”  Marketing isn’t about being manipulative.  Marketing is about identifying and meeting your customer’s needs with the products and services you offer. Most companies approach marketing and product/service creation by assuming the wants and needs of their target market.  Making assumptions about your target market is a recipe for disaster. During my own business journey I’ve been witness to several businesses create marketing campaigns built upon dangerous assumption. I cannot think of one marketing campaign that was ultimately successful. Focusing on your end user is also crucial for any successful web venture. Put the user before your company, product, or service.

Get Into Their Ego
In order to create better marketing you need to separate you and/or your company’s ego from providing your customers with the best possible product or service.  Egocentrism and idealism end up costing companies dearly.  Instead of approaching your marketing message from the “we know best” angle, as most companies do, concentrate your messaging on your customer’s wants and needs. Use words like “you and your” in your messaging.

It is far easier to get your marketing message across when you establish trust and credibility with your prospect.  Don’t try to change your customer’s mind, because they won’t let you.  You can’t use logic to talk someone into doing something they don’t want to do.  Tie your customer’s wants and needs into their emotions and feelings, “we understand your pain and here is a solution we think might help.” If people don’t have the sense of being understood they aren’t likely to feel trust or take action.

Listen to Your Market
If you want a better understanding of your market you need to listen to them.  Start with asking insightful questions and don’t make assumptions. Something as simple as an email survey can give you valuable information to help identify your target market’s wants and needs.  Drill down deep to get the best information possible.  Here are some questions to consider . . .

• What’s most important to my prospect?
• Is the prospect unhappy about something?
• Am I overlooking a want or need?

Don’t Forget to Test
Eben passes along the advice to “test everything and never get too attached to anything.”  You can test everything from your marketing messages to your products and services.  You can’t afford to approach your marketing with the “there is only one best way to do this” mindset. Think about how many different ways you can do something without overextending your time or resources.  When testing it is important not to set your expectations too high. Businesses should expect an 80% failure rate. Each failure is an opportunity to learn something new. You can only fail so many times before you figure it out. If you’re not testing you’re setting yourself up for failure. You need to repeat the cycle of testing and reimplementing on a continual basis. Approach everything you do in terms of marketing as a test.

Marketing is by far one of the most important factors in determining the success of your product or service. The most effective way to get your marketing message across is by listening and constantly testing. Take a few minutes to consider how you might be able to integrate some of the concepts presented above.

Additional Resources:

• Ego: How to Destroy Your Web Site
• On Failure: Thomas Edison and the Internet

Do You Test Your Web Site Often Enough?

If you bring up the subject of testing your marketing, most people let out a groan of exasperation.  Most companies don't like to test their marketing or their web site. The process to develop a web side is arduous enough, then to go and test can be even more work. The honest truth is that testing your marketing message and your web site is one place that will make a world of difference in terms of your online success.  You should constantly be asking yourself if your marketing and web site are connecting with your end user.

The Right Kind of Testing
One problem companies have with testing their marketing or web site is the potential hit to their ego. Companies put a great deal of pride into their work.  In the case of the company web site, it's the company's version of a digital presentation.  Difficulties arise when companies can't separate themselves from their own pride. The company's ego is getting in the way of its' online success. The best kind of testing is accomplished when a company can separate itself from its' ego. Putting the user as your focal point will put more dollars into the bank, guaranteed!

What to Test
When it comes to web site testing the possibilities are nearly endless. There are a few core areas where you should definitely focus your efforts.

Key Areas to Test

• Headlines
• Web Site Copy
• Checkout Process
• Forms

How to Test
One of the easiest ways to test is with an A/B Split Test. You have one version of a web page and test it against a similar version. Some of the differences can included different headlines or body copy.  The bottom line is that you want to test which message or web page better connects with your user.

Test on a Regular Basis
There is no best time frame for testing. My personal recommendation is test your web site on a quarterly basis. The more testing you can do the better.

Usability and Marketing Intersection
The realm of testing is one crucial area where web usability and internet marketing intersect. If you test to ensure your marketing is effective and that your web site is easy to use, it's difficult not to make money online.

The web was built for versatility. It is fairly easy to update and change almost any web site. Use that versatility to your advantage.

Stop Drowning Your Users

Have you ever gone to a new web site and been completely lost upon arrival? If so, take note of that feeling. Too many business web sites have a tendency to overwhelm their users upon arrival.  It’s like getting hit with a fire hose of information. Instead of staying focused on a very specific message that connects with the user, web sites try to cram as much information onto the home page as possible. If you want to be successful online you can’t drown your users in information.

Being Bombarded by Advertising
Consider how much advertising you get bombarded with on a daily basis: billboards, television commercials, radio advertising, junk mail, etc. If your target user sits down to their computer after being bombarded with advertising, what is their frame of mind? They’re probably at their wits end and won’t entertain any more marketing ploys or advertising.

Users Don’t Complain, They Stop Visiting
As a side note, most users don’t take the time to send a web site owner an email indicating their dissatisfaction, users just stop visiting.  There is enough competition and variety that if a user can’t find what they’re looking for on your web site, they’ll probably be able to find it on another web site.  It is imperative to hook any new users that your web site can provide them the information they seek. If you’re getting traffic to your web site and people are taking a desired action, you must honestly ask yourself “why not?”

Give Them One Simple Message That Connects
Successful online web sites typically have one message that is usually contained in a strong headline. The message is specifically targeted at the target audience. Everything contained on page, design, graphics, and text, is there to support the messaging. Take the time to identify what you’re prospects are looking for and then create your marketing message that hooks them in immediately. Copywriters follow this process with any ad they create. The headline leads to the first sentence, the first sentence to the second and so forth.

Some Simple Tips:

• Keep the message simple and specifically for your target user.
• Don’t add elements to your web site that will distract your users
  (advertising, distracting multimedia, unnecessary verbiage)
• Pull at your target user’s heart strings, get them emotionally involved

Remember it’s usually the simplest and most direct message that makes the biggest difference in marketing. Instead of focusing on dozens of ways to get your message across, just focus one very specific high impact message.  In today’s world, less is more.

Online Success: A Hands On Example

On Tuesday, Beth Davis of HandAnalyst.com was good enough to give me some of her time to conduct a phone interview. I would encourage anyone reading this post to give her web site a quick look over before proceeding further, HandAnalyst.com. Per her biography, "Beth is a professional palm reader specializing in non-predictive palmistry." Beth was just recently awarded the Glazer-Kennedy 2007-2008 Information Marketer of the Year.  She sells a Hand Analysis home study course on her web site, entitled "How To Read Your Own Hands: 5 Proven Steps To Bring More Health, Love and Money Into Your Life," and provides a variety of coaching and consulting services. During my telephone conversation with Beth, she gave some tremendously helpful advice and insider knowledge on how she's attained a high level of success. The best part is that her success continues to grow. Anyone looking for success on the Internet should read carefully and think about some of the ideas presented as they pertain to their own web site.

Going Beyond the Graphics
Too many businesses get caught up in how a web site looks. Beth does web usability people proud by emphasizing the delivery of high quality content before graphic design. At the same time she doesn't believe that web sites should be ugly. She actually passed along a great quote regarding web design:

“Better to have a basic boring site web site that generates interest and captures traffic than a beautiful web site that strokes your ego. It’s about the depth of the content.  Pictures should be there to add validity to the content.”
Beth Davis
HandAnalyst.com

• Present your users with easy to understand, relevant, and useful content FIRST.
• Support your content with good design SECOND.

Capture Leads and Build a High Quality List
Beth's web site has several places where she asks her users to sign up for her e-zine. To some businesses the sign up box and pop up might seem a bit overkill, but in truth Beth is doing a very smart thing.  Most people visit your web site never to return. Beth's site is structured for the permission based capture of email addresses. The only people who sign up are those that are interested. Are you doing something to actively capture visitor information?

Many Internet marketers are caught up on the size of their mailing list. Beth's list is comparatively modest in size, but very high in quality. She emphasized her desire to create the highest quality list possible. Most of her list growth has occurred over the course of the last year. Beth sends out an e-zine every two weeks to her subscribers with relevant high quality information. The e-zine helps Beth build relationships with her customers and potential customers.  Always remember that trust and credibility are huge factors for any web site looking to sell a product or sell services.

• Are you engaging in lead generation on your web site?
• Do you currently have an e-zine?
• If not, can you provide useful information to your subscriber base on a regular basis?
• Provide way more information than sales pitch in your e-zines.
  (95% Info, 5% Sales Pitch) per Joe Vitale.

Be Passionate!
One point that Beth really emphasized was the need to be passionate about your work. If you love what you are doing it helps to drive your business and your success. The only point I might add is don't get discouraged. A number of my friends who have for their own businesses tend to get discouraged far too easily.  Some of the biggest success isn't always found by working hard, but by being persistent with the right things. In many cases the right things are so simple that many people don't consider them important.

• Stay tenacious about your passions and let it drive your work.
• Turn your failures into lessons, the more you fail the more you learn.
• There are only so many times you can fail before you get it right.

Make sure you take the time to consider some of the points presented above and visit Beth's web site.  The advice might seem overly simplistic but it work wonders when implemented. Thanks again to Beth for her time and all the great insight that she provided. Beth's tremendous success was originally brought to my attention by my friend Nancy Roberts of iNsights PPS, so my thanks also goes out Nancy.

Additional Resources:

• The E-Zine Queen - How to publish your own simple ezine
• Looks Lousy But Performs Like a Champ
• The Most Fun You Can Have with Your Clothes On

Separate Yourself From Everyone Else

Today's post is a short riff on finding success online.  This post is geared a little more toward entrepreneurs, hopefully traditional business people can get something out of it. It has absolutely nothing to do with what technology or any given Internet strategy.  It has more to do with "stem power," brain stem power to be precise. Of all the great Internet techniques and strategies I've come across few if any are universal to every online success story.  One person might be extremely successful with something that doesn't work for anyone else. There are commonalities at the mental level and they have to do with you as an individual and your business approach.  If you have the right mindset and approach you'll probably be far more successful than the person with all the tricks up their sleeve.

Your Mindset
The first place any online entrepreneur needs to start is with their own mind set.  This might sound cliche but what you believe dictates your reality both online and off.  If you think that there is little opportunity online or off for you than that is your reality. The most successful online entrepreneurs see the Internet as a hotbed for opportunity. You need to adopt an abundance mentality. There is more opportunity than you could possibly imagine.

Don't Limit Yourself Because of Your Educational Background
Many of the most highly sought after Internet Consultants don't have a Masters Degree in Computer Science or Internet Marketing. Some super successful online entrepreneurs don't even have a college degree. There are certain people who can teach you more about being successful online in a few days than you'll ever learn from a top Business school and you'll save yourself $100K+.  Formal education is important, but it isn't required.  It is more important to educate yourself on a continuing basis than it is to have a traditional education in a specific field.

One of the best education steps you can take is "going to the top of the mountain." Find something your passionate about and then approach the very best in your field. Don't let the Monday Morning Quarterbacks try to tell you what to do. Attend the conferences and seminars where the best in your field are to be found.  You can also find a wealth of information online in blogs and forums. Follow the advice of the best, not the second or third best.

Execute Your Ideas and Embrace Failure
Focus in on ideas that you are passionate about.  Play around your ideas and then QUICKLY put your ideas into motion. I spent years on perfecting million dollar ideas that have never been launched. How many times have you heard the saying, "An idea is no good unless you do something with it!" You'll be amazed by what you can learn just from trying something new.

I have friends with unbelievable talents and ideas who started their own web sites.  They're not going to see their dreams come to fruition because the can't overcome simple challenges and minor failures. Too many people are easily discouraged.  Learn to embrace failure and quickly get back in the saddle.  Just like Thomas Edison it isn't about how many times you fail, it's being able to look at each "failure" as a valuable lesson. You can learn an abundance of things online without spending a dime.

The ultimate litmus test for any online business endeavor is dollars in the bank, regardless of what technique or methodology you use.  I've seen the most improbable web sites make money and the most pristine fail miserably. Tomorrow I'm going to follow up with a real life success story full of great actionable advice.

Simple Customer List Building Suggestions

Every company or business owner should have there own dedicated list of customers, members, or perspective customers.  For all my years doing Internet development and marketing, I believe that list building is one of the best ways to generate interest and sales for your products and services. In a number of cases a well build list can significantly reduce and in some cases replace the need for traditional advertising.  For all the benefits a dedicated customer list has there aren't that many businesses that build a list. Even fewer businesses properly manage and leverage their list. Below are a few consideration that almost anyone can easily implement.

Permission Based List Building
If you are doing any type of list building, make sure it is permission based.  Always ask for permission and acknowledgment from every person you add to your list.  For list building purposes, acknowledgment comes in the form of the double opt-in.  In a double opt-in the person is asked to verify their intension with an email send back to them.  Most bulk email programs have the double opt-in as a standard feature.

If people are signing up for an email list, make sure they white list you in their email and SPAM programs. Contact information is no good if you can make contact with someone.

Start with The People Who Know You
The easiest place to start list building is with your existing and perspective customers. If you have a traditional brick and mortar company like a restaurant, consider asking your patrons to sign up first.  It is much easier to get emails and mailing addresses from people who have an affinity for your product. If you have an event web site that has been running for a few years, consider asking all the people that emailed you to become subscribers. It is important that you ask people to sign up for your list. Because someone emails you doesn't give you the right to automatically add them to a subscriber list.

Use a Contest or Promotion
Remember when the Nintendo Wii or the iPhone was released? People will jump through hoops to get something they really want for free.  It might be worth giving away a highly sought after product or service in exchange for people subscribing to your list.  Consider running a promotion or giveaway to collect email addresses.

Disclosure
Let people know what they are getting into when they sign up to your list. If you promise them coupons on a regular basis make sure you deliver on your promises.  Create a privacy policy that is easily accessible.  Be very specific in letting people know they won't get spammed. Last but not least, don't spam! The quickest way to negate the effectiveness of your list is by spamming list subscribers.

Consider a List Broker
List brokers are a great way to jump start your list building endeavors. You can give a list broker specific demographic parameters and for a reasonable fee they will return target list of prospects.  If you're just starting with list building a broker might be the easiest way to go.

Go Old School For Big Returns
There are so many businesses that are currently using email marketing that you might want to consider going retro. Some of the savviest Internet marketers use the web to generate leads online and then follow up with snail mail.  For some this might be counter intuitive, but it really does work. One of my client's enjoyed a 1200%+ return on investment by leveraging one of her mailing lists with traditional snail mail. In today's digital world people still like tangible items.

Think Small for Big Returns
An intriguing question for any list builder is the quality versus quantity dilemma. Some would argue that the bigger the list the better. Interestingly enough smaller lists have proven to be diamond mines for a number of Internet Marketers. A small highly focused list will always get you more than a large board list. You are better off building a solid relationship of trust and credibility with a smaller list, as opposed to a general list

I'll be revisiting the notion of list building in future posts. There should be enough information above to at least get you thinking about setting up and refining your own list.

Leveraging Your Existing Customer List

Last week a client sent out a direct marketing piece to their customer list via traditional snail mail.  I was aware that the client had both an email and traditional mail database for two years, yet I wasn't aware of the size of their traditional mailing list until last year. To my surprise the client had over 3,500 people on their mailing list for their local and national clients. They had built their list over the last twenty years.

It had been a few years since my client last tried any paper sales letters or announcements with their existing client base. They decided to send out an announcement about upcoming education sessions and the redesign of their web site.  I received a copy of the letter they sent out to their list and it left much to be desired.  But my emphasis was on getting something out, regardless of quality.  After almost a year of urging the client finally caved in to my request. The original mailing went out to 100 people in the local area. It pulled a very respectable response rate of around 5%. A few weeks after the campaign we measured the Return on Investment to be over 1200.00%. The above example illustrates one of the best revenue generating tools available to almost any company, an existing customer list.

Lead Online Follow Up With Mail
Now that many businesses are preoccupied with email marketing fewer companies are using traditional marketing methods. Some of the best internet marketers use their web sites as lead generation tools and follow up with traditional methods such as paper sales letters. Cultivating online leads with paper follow up has proven to be highly successful for a number of people.  Yet it is technique that few companies consider. It is important to remember that in today's digital world, people still like tangible items. Use tangible marketing materials to your advantage.

Those Who Have Bought Are More Likely to Buy
If you have spent the time to cultivate a good relationship with your potential customer and existing customer base, try approaching them before anyone investing in additional marketing of new customers. Some of the easiest people to sell to are those who already value and trust your advice, service, or product line.

A major blunder companies make is soliciting their customer lists with relentless sales pitches. People grow resentful of such techniques. I'm still a firm believer in Dr. Joe Vitale's suggestion of giving your customers/potential customers 95% information and 5% sales pitch.  You should build and reiterate the feelings of trust and credibility with customers and potential customers on a regular basis. Send them information that would be useful to them and don't get preoccupied with making the sale.  It might seem counter intuitive, but it really does work.

Revisiting Something Successful
In terms of event marketing, consider ticket sales. I have had experience with a service that sold event tickets online.  That particular service was able to enjoy an over 90% satisfaction rate for their ticketing service.  What good reason would there be not follow up with previous customers for upcoming or similar events? In my opinion, one of the single best investments of time and money for event marketers is in their previous customer list.  Use the time between events to build your list and keep your existing list subscribers informed.

If you are looking to quickly generate some additional revenue, start with your existing customer list. It's hard to think of any other marketing conduit that offers such a high return on investment.

Fortune is In the Follow Up, But You Need to Follow Up

Do you have a follow plan for all your prospects? A few days ago I posted on a new client's success with traditional advertising they ported to a different medium in "Bring Your Offline Marketing To The Online World." Since then, the client was fortunate enough to have the same advertisement emailed to a list of local government employees.  According to the client, their telephone didn't stop ringing for two days with government employees calling to inquire about the email advertisement.  The success garnered with the advertisement is a great start. If you have advertising or marketing that is pulling a great initial response, it doesn't mean you can rest on your laurels.  It is important to have a follow up method to engage warm leads.

Start By Getting Their Information
When a perspective customer calls or emails you and they're interested in your product or service based a piece of marketing or referral, get their contact information. One of the most important things you can do is kindly attempt to get their contact information. This is the first step in establishing a follow up process with warm leads.

Have a Follow Up Process In Place
One of the biggest mistakes I see businesses make is not having enough follow up with a perspective client or customer.  Most businesses send one or two pieces of marketing material, usually laden with a bunch of sales pitch and little valuable information.  They don't do enough to establish trust and credibility with a perspective client or customer. How many businesses do you have a five or more step follow up process?  I'm not trying to encourage anyone to frivolously spend money. But the more times you target the right people with the right message, the more success you'll enjoy.

People Are Unlike To Say "Stop!" if there is Value
Some people are nervous about asking for contact information or beginning the follow up process. There is a difference between "I'm not interested right now" and "stop calling because you're getting on my nerves!" Always have some information ready to go to send out to a perspective client or customer.  It can be anything from a free report or other pertinent information.

Engaging your customers or clients takes more than just a few short interactions.  Consider the sales process like a relationship.  How many people are successful with asking "Would you like to get married?" after the first date?  Compare that with someone who asks the same question after the 50th date.  Take some time to build trust and credibility through a good follow up process.  You'll find it much easier to close deals and keep your business going.

"I Have No Clue What They Do, Do You?"

A few weeks ago I was in a follow up meeting with a client.  The client couldn't stop raving about the positive feedback they were receiving on their newly redesigned web site. The design firm that redesigned the client's web site had done a great job. My part of the project was to advise on web usability issues. During the course of our discussion the client decided to visit the development company's web site.  It was at that point that the discussion became very interesting.

We've Spent Three Months Working With Them
As the client loaded the developer's web page, I took the opportunity to conduct an impromptu usability study.  Initially, the client spent a few moments on the home page and then a few minutes noodling on secondary pages.  After a few more minutes of exploring the developer's web site the client responded with this statement, "we've spent the last three months working with this company, yet when I go to their web site I have no idea what they actually do." The irony of the situation is that this same scenario presented above plays out on a regular basis for many companies. Regardless how good your product or service, your web site might not give users the information they seek.  It is also important for companies to ask the question, "am I giving the web user a good reason to pickup the phone or contact me via email?"

Going to the Stat Sheet
After meeting with the client, I decided to look into the matter a little further. The first place I started was with the development company's web statistics.  The owner of the development company is a friend and he was good enough to allow me access to the company's web statistics. Their web statistics tell a very interesting story.  The average user spends over eight minutes of time on the company's web site and views more than 7 individual pages.  Those are some pretty respectable numbers for any company web site. A majority of their users aren't bouncing out off the site after viewing a page or two. Thousands of people visited this company's web site, and not one visitor has picked up the phone or emailed to inquire about their services. If thousands of people are coming to your web site and taking absolutely no action, you should be concerned.

A Silver Lining
I do believe that the situation presents an advantageous opportunity for the development company or any other company caught in a similar dilemma. If you haven't had an opportunity to do so, get your current clients to review your company web site. I find that satisfied clients are pretty good about providing good feedback without patronizing.  If don't have clients to rely on, ask some friends who are objective to help. As long as you can view the feedback objectively, the information you collect can be used to strengthen and refine your online presence. You might be surprised what you can learn.

The lesson to be learned is pretty straight forward. If thousands of people are visiting your company web site, viewing numerous pages, and spending a lot of time on your site, then doing nothing about it . . . you have a problem.  You need to recognize the situation and do something about it.

The $martest Advertisers Recognize the Need To Test

Over the last two years I've spent a tremendous amount of time studying some of the most successful marketing strategies on the Internet and from traditional marketplaces.  Most, if not all, of the top marketers test their marketing materials. Those that fail to test their online efforts: web site, email marketing campaign, Adwords campaign, etc. are setting themselves up for failure.

Test, Measure, Change, Retest
The ability to test and measure a web site or a piece of marketing material, e.g. an Adwords Ad, can make a significant amount of difference in your marketing efforts. Tested ads save advertisers money and increase their revenue. Too many companies and individual are turned off by the prospect of repeatedly testing a web site or their ads for effectiveness. Some classic excuses are "we don't have the time" or "we tried X once and it didn't work."  Consider your Google Adwords Campaign.  Do you test, measure, and retest changes to your Adwords copy and associated landing pages regularly?

The Internet is one of the single greatest testing mediums available to almost anyone.  Thanks to live web log analysis and the ability of online interactivity you can test marketing ideas in just a few minutes.  One caveat to this that you are giving other an opportunity to see "the cards you are playing." But if you test smartly and regularly the benefits far outweigh the risks.

Testing Outside the Company
Another mistake prevalent to testing of ads, marketing pieces, or web sites is failure to test with the intended audience.  Numerous companies test inside the company with their own employees, but this isn't true testing.  It is very difficult to understand the user's perspective objectivity unless you are testing with the intended audience.  Whenever and whatever you test make sure you make use of real users from a targeted demographic. Someone in the next department doesn't work.

It is possible to get carried away with testing at times so make sure to set reasonable limits.  Some testing is far better than no testing at all. From my experience, as it pertains to web site testing, companies are amazed by user feedback derived from web usability testing. Objective user feedback can give companies information and insight they might have never considered.  Dollar for dollar testing your advertising or web site shouldn't even be a discussion, just do it. Provided the web site or ads are tested properly, they'll always perform better than untested ads.

Additional Resources:

• Do You Make These 12 Adwords Mistakes?
• How to Test Your Online Advertising
• Online Ads Tested

Bring Your Offline Marketing To The Online World

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak with a local business owner regarding a marketing campaign for her business. She had recently integrated portions of a print ad into a Craigslist post.  The strength of the ad was rooting in a compelling headline, a good unique selling proposition, and a specific call to action. Within a short time of posting the online ad she had a number of inquires regarding the promotion. The ad reinvigorated a promotion that the business had been running for a few years with only some success.

Have you run successful marketing campaigns offline?
Businesses should explore the possibilities of bringing some of their offline marketing campaigns to the online world.  Do you have an ad or piece of print marketing material that could be easily integrated into an online campaign? One of the easiest ways to integrate your traditional marketing materials to online marketing is through a keyword based pay per click (PPC) campaign. PPC campaigns allow advertisers to setup an ad and test its effectiveness in a matter of a few minutes. Not only is the advertising time frame to market shortened, but so is the cost involved.  You can start most PPC campaigns for less than $10 USD. I cannot think of any other form of advertising that allows you to test advertising with so little initial investment.

If you want to take the test a little further, setup a specific landing page to expand on your offer and give users even more interest in what you have to offer.

Beware Watchful Eyes
As with most things in life, for every virtue there is a vice. One of the dangers of bringing marketing items from the offline world is that competing advertisers and marketers will see your ad almost instantaneously.  Savvy competitors can quickly reverse engineer one of your ads for their own purposes.  The offline world allows marketers to run certain campaigns for a few months, in some cases a few years, before they need to make changes to their headlines, copy, or unique selling proposition. Unfortunately the speed of the Internet can create a marketing liability for certain marketers.

Regardless of some of the vices associated with bringing your offline marketing to the traditional world, every business owner should consider the possibilities of modifying offline campaigns for the online world. The results might just be a pleasant surprise.

Additional Resources:

• Watch Your Pay Per Click Advertising
• Part I: of The Most Powerful Form of Online Advertising
• Part II: of The Most Powerful Form of Online Advertising

Beyond the Obvious: Regarding Your Web Site . . .

One of the most common questions asked in the business world is "Do you have a web site?" The question is somewhat of a self validating factor for many companies. "If you build it, they will come" worked wonders for Kevin Kosner in Field of Dreams, but as many companies and individuals find out that mantra doesn't pan out so well on the Internet.  There have been companies that spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on their web development with little or no return on their investment.  Companies should view web sites as an extension of their marketing, not as a piece of artwork to be admired.

All Looks and No Brains
There are company web sites that are visually extraordinary and do absolutely nothing in terms of generating leads or revenue. The lack of return on investment then prompts these companies to dump even more cash into a hopeless cause. At the same time there are web sites that look visually horrendous yet bring high quality leads and thousands in revenue month.

In my experience the companies that have the most successful web presence are those that are steeped with good marketing experience.  Those companies take the basics of good marketing and bring that to their web site. The best web sites are a amalgamation of directing marketing basics, strong copywriting, consistent testing, and lastly decent design.  Design is one of the most over emphasized components on the web.  Design is important to any web site, but it isn't the most important element. Users will almost always opt for simple and useful over superior graphics and technologically advanced web sites.

It helps to set practical marketing goals for your web site. How many sales leads did you generate from your web site last month?  If you didn't generate enough leads, what are you doing to correct the problem? 

Think about the following questions as they pertain to your web site:

• Is your web site part of your current marketing plan? If not - why?
• How does my web site contribute to additional sales or services for my business?
• Do you integrate feedback given by your users?
• When was the last time you looked at your web statistics?

Companies need to start thinking of their web site as a tool for marketing and extending their business, not just something you have "because everyone else has one."

Additional Resources:

• Companies Need to Connect with the User
• Ego: How to Destroy Your Web Site
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum

Keeping Email Marketing in Perspective

In a previous post, “A Simple Way To Sell More,” I explored the importance of delivering value in every email you send.  Delivering value is a critical element in any sort of email marketing campaign.  Today I’ll look a little more into email list performance, tracking, and some other simple suggestions. 

Delivery Tracking
Make sure if you are sending emails you employ some type of delivery tracking.  Most people would be surprised how many companies DON’T utilize some sort of tracking for their email campaigns.  Many companies assume that just because they send an email that users open everything they receive.  It is critical from a marketing perspective to employ some sort of performance tracking on your emails

Email Open Rates
Recently I looked at open rates for all my clients who do email marketing and asked friends to submit their data.  Of almost 70 separate emails broadcasts sent to permission based opt-in lists the approximate average open rate was around 40%.  The data isn’t to discourage people from email marketing, but to give perspective.  One of the biggest shocks to clients is seeing how few people are opening emails. It is important to keep expectation grounded in the reality.  Nobody gets 100% of their subscriber list to open an email.

Home Grown
The best email list is the one you grow yourself.  There are lists that you can purchase, but you are better served building your own.  Always think in terms of the user’s perspective. Users won’t sign up to an email list that isn’t of at least some interest to them.  Focus on your target market and giving them a good reason to sign up.  Also make sure you properly advise your list subscribers on how to setup their SPAM filters.  You wouldn’t want them unintentionally blocking your email.

List Size - Quality Versus Quantity
You need to keep the highest quality list possible. Too many list owners focus on the size of their list compared to the quality of their list. You’re better off with a smaller list of interested readers who are excited to dive into your offers.

The Copy Factor
The more I read, learn, and experience, the more credence I give to good copy writing.  I would argue that the single most important factor to any email marketing campaign is the ability to create compelling copy.  Regardless of how nice the pictures, users need words to give perspective and incentive.  Headline, benefits, and a call to action are just a few things to keep in mine.  The importance of copy is a lesson few ad agencies and graphic designs truly understand.

Email Marketing is an important step for keeping in contact with customers and clients.  But it is only one facet of an overall marketing campaign.  Make sure you diversify your marketing both online and off.

A Simple Way To Sell More

Over the past few years I’ve been doing a decent number of electronic newsletters (ezines) for clients. One of the hardest things to get any client to understand and incorporate is the concept of delivering value before asking for a sale.  The concept isn’t just limited to electronic newsletters.  It can be anything from the sales process used by a company to a sales letter or email. 

A History Lesson
Last year I worked on an electronic newsletter project that was visually spectacular. The ezine contained a number of articles that were loosely related to their company’s areas of expertise. There were two offers displayed within the ezine for services the company provides.  Much to the client's dismay the ezine failed to provide any leads or sale.  The client sent the ezine once and has yet to send another almost a year later.  This is a typical scenario for many companies.

Those Who Win
At the same time there are people who generate thousands of dollars each month via their electronic newsletter or sending a sales letter via snail mail.  One of the big differences is that those who are successful with their newsletters place an emphasis on delivering value first and asking for a sale later.  In some cases the successful people ask for the sale much later.

An Abundance of Value
Dr. Joe “Mr. Fire” Vitale has a great standard that he uses when it comes to delivering value to your user base.  He suggests providing your user base with 95% information and 5% sales pitch.  I completely agree with his statement.  The concept of delivering value also plays into trust and credibility.  Regardless of how compelling the offer, perspective consumers buy from you if there isn’t a high level of trust and credibility.  When you provide value you raise the level of trust and credibility.

Whom to Buy From
Who would you rather buy from?  Someone who pushes an offer in front of you every opportunity they get, or someone who your trust and they go out of their way to provide you value first? Always provide the client with value several times over, before asking for the sale.  It can be a difficult concept to integrate, but eventually leads to a great return on investment.

Additional Resource:

• The Value of Free Information
• What is the Perceived Value?

 

Looks Lousy, But Performs Like a Champ

I can’t help but come back to this conclusion time and time again: some of the most successful web sites are visual bombs.  These visually unappealing web sites usually follow a systematic method which includes a specific focus on proven direct marketing principles.  When you ask most companies what they'd look to improve with their web site, the most prevalent answer is: "We need to make it look better." Few web site owners or companies say "we need to find a better way to generate leads or increase our online conversion rate."  What is your online litmus test for success?

Flashy Air Show Web Sites
One industry that is very visually oriented when it comes to web sites is the air show industry. There are some extraordinary looking web sites produced by very talented artists. Yet, I honestly question weather most of the flash and dash air show web sites bring their owners an appreciable ROI. Yes you should look good, but at the cost of increased sales or marketing potential?

Stay Marketing Focused
Most web site owners are better vested in spending more time focusing on sound sales and marketing principles as opposed to focusing too much on the visuals. Dan Kennedy has some very interesting viewpoints as it applied advertising and marketing:  “Some of the most productive, profitable advertising and marketing in the history of the planet could never qualify for any of the awards.  Much of the best marketing gets its results in an ugly way.”

Kennedy also points out some of the challenges faced by most web sites. “Most web sites are designed by techno-geeks and/or graphic artists who are not sales people. They do not know how to sell. They do not know when they are disrupting or destroying the selling process with their technological bells and whistles.”

It isn’t about what a web site looks like, it’s what the site can accomplish.  Is your web site generating good leads for your business and helping sell your products or services? That should be the ultimate question for any business oriented web site.

Radio versus Pay Per Click: Snapshot

This is a follow up to last week’s radio advertising post.  That post revolved around a buzz marketing web site, Pony-Hawk.com. Because of the short run of the project the following information should be considered more of a casual observation as opposed to any type of definitive and tested evidence.  One of the most intriguing findings was the difference of radio impact versus the performance of a simple PPC campaign.

To My Surprise
I thought that having the web site pushed on a local FM radio station with tens of thousands of listeners would result in more web traffic.  The premise and content were an ideal match for the station’s demographic.  It was mentioned on the radio at least three times during the morning hours and then numerous other times during the day. The associated graph shows the start of radio coverage and resulting traffic.  The highlighted numbers represent web site visitor counts.

PPC Numbers
The PPC (Pay Per Click) campaign was run with a budget of $5.00 per day and bidding on two keywords, sanjaya and pony-hawk, in Google Adwords.  A number one position could be bought for 4-5 cents per click.  $4.80 delivered an average click through rate of approximately 2% on 6300 impressions and approximately 113 visitors. The PPC campaign was started after the noon hour.

One thing to keep in mind is that the site had not been indexed by search engines.  This made organic search engine optimization extremely difficult and an Adwords PPC campaign the first choice.

The entire process gets me interested in comparing and contrasting a well implemented radio advertising campaign with a pay per click campaign.  Every web site owner should understand the importance and usage of basic web analytics to track and measure advertising impact.

Additional Resource:

• Radio Advertising: What You Ought To Know

Radio Advertising: What You Ought To Know

Last week I started an interesting project with a friend revolving around buzz marketing. We decided to setup a niche web site for American Idol’s Sanjaya Malakar. The web site focused on Sanjaya’s “Pony-Hawk.” You can visit Pony-Hawk.com for more information.  One of the marketing channels that we had at our disposal was FM radio. We were able to secure a number of “plugs” from a local radio show.  The station we selected was an ideal demographic match for the web site. 

Our project didn’t involve actually buying advertising.  The station agreed to feature the web site a number of times during the morning as part of a cross promotion.  Each time the web site was mentioned the listener was prompted to visit the site.  Pony-Hawk.com led to some interesting observations when it comes to radio advertising.

Compare Ad Run Times with Web Traffic
If you are advertising on a radio station make sure you can get a report of when your ad is broadcast. To my understanding this is something the radio industry will provide clients as part of their advertising package or upon request. Use your web statistics and compare the advertising times with when people are visiting your web site.  Use the correlation to determine a rough return on investment.  It might take a few weeks of advertising to get accurate and good data.

Try To Advertise When People Are Using Their Computers
It’s so easy to forget a domain name by the time you get in front of a computer.  There are also times when you can’t even search for the company or service because the web site isn’t indexed properly.
Try to run radio spots when people are at work or in front of their computers and listening to the radio.  Companies try to dissuade personal internet use during work, but people check the web all the time.  If someone hears an ad and is interested in the product or service, they might be apt to visit the web site.

Some Other Radio Advertising Points To Remember

• Is the domain name easy to remember?
• Is the domain name repeated at least three times during the ad?
• Does the radio add have a USP and call to action?

Our radio results for web site mentions that translated into web site traffic were fairly low.  This isn’t to suggest that radio advertising doesn’t work.  I’m a big believer in consistent messaging across multiple channels.  You can’t just advertise for short period of time expecting big results.  At the same time I don’t believe you should advertise on a medium with no ROI.  You statistical data can help determine if you’re missing the mark.  Dan Kennedy has great advice when it comes to marketing: “get the right message to the right people via the right media and methods.”

Additional Resource:

• Your Domain Name and Radio Advertising

The Myth of the Magical Online Bullet

Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with a perspective client. They are looking into the possibility of redesigning their web site.  As with almost any web site conversation, the myth of the “magical online bullet” was brought up.  The magic bullet myth goes like this: “If you build a great web site the flood gates of traffic and sales immediately open up to your company.” Too many companies and web site owners think this way.  In order for your web site to be successful you need to approach marketing in a holistic manner and beyond just your web site.  Business success involves both online and offline marketing.

Diversify Your Marketing Investment
A web site represents one important aspect of a company’s overall marketing and sales strategy.  Yes, web sites have amazing versatility and capability. But you can’t place all your eggs into one basket.  Too many companies hedge their marketing bets entirely on their web site.  Look at traditional investing as an analogy.  Any financial planner is going to tell you to diversify your portfolio. The same should be done with your marketing strategy. Spread your marketing strategy across both online and offline marketing.

The Holistic Approach
Recently I listened to an interview with marketing guru Dan Kennedy and the late Corey Rudl.  Savvy marketers combine a variety of techniques with both online and offline marketing.  There is no magic bullet or perfect web strategy. Successful marketing requires constant analysis and time appropriate changes.  It’s also important to recognize you aren’t going to get it right the first time around.

Online Leads – Offline Follow Up
One of the examples from the interview touched upon lead generation. Web sites are great for lead generation via permission based marketing.  At the same time email marketing is becoming so saturated that people are starting to ignore it.  You take the leads you acquire online and apply them to the offline word.  What takes months or weeks to get old online could take years and decades to get old offline.

How Many Times do you Follow Up?
How many times do you follow up with current clients and perspective clients?  Most people follow up once or twice.  There are some marketers that have a follow up process that is over 50 steps and they’re extremely successful. Those 50 steps are 49 more than most marketers are willing to take.

Ultimately, the most successful online strategy is carefully married to smart offline strategy.  Learn how to leverage both and get the most out of your marketing. There are no “magical online bullets” that will guarantee you success.

Additional Resources:

• There is No Perfect Web Strategy
• Missed Opportunity and Online Strategy

Money Back Guarantee

Money back guarantees are nothing new.  They have been around for decades if not hundreds of years. Guarantees help to alleviate the risk of buying.  I’ve seen guarantees for products and services priced from $9.97 to $4,997.00 and higher. Many business people are averse to offering any guarantee.  The biggest fear is that too many customers will try to use the guarantee and a company will “lose their shirt.”  In reality this rarely happens. Some people I know say their return rate for their money back guarantee is in the low single digits, less than 5%.

A Real World Example
It takes a little daring to offer a guarantee. One of my business mentors, Ray Justice, was the first to offer a 24 hour “clean car” guarantee in the car wash industry.  If you car became dirty within 24 hours you could get it washed for free.  At that time people thought he was dooming his business with such an audacious idea.  Today most car washes offer at least a 24 hour “clean car” guarantee.  Some car washes offer a week or longer clean car guarantee.

Money back guarantees aren’t for every business person or service offered. But if you take some time to implement a guarantee you can make the potential purchase of your product or service even more attractive.  Think through the process carefully.  Below are some points and suggestions.

Some People Will Abuse the Guarantee
There are some people who will take you up on your guarantee.  They’re going to purchase your product or service knowing that they’ll make use of the guarantee.  This happens in every industry regardless of how good the product or service.  Remember most guarantees are measured in single digit percentages.  You’re going to need to accept a little risk with the opportunity for greater reward.

Set a time limit on the Guarantee
Depending on the product or service the length of guarantee can vary.  I’ve seen guarantees as short as a week to an entire lifetime.  Make the time frame long enough to properly evaluate the service or product, plus additional time to evaluate the benefits.  Again, take some time to find the right length of time.  Look towards your competition and see what they are offering.

Well Defined Return/Refund Process
Let your customers know what is required to properly process a guarantee. Be very specific and clear on the return process. Leave nothing to chance.

Use a Guarantee to Improve Your Product or Service
If a customer is unhappy and request a refund use the opportunity to collect feedback. Use the customer feedback to improve your product or service.  This will lead to a better product and fewer returns in the future. 

Does Your Web Site Stick?

Do you have a sticky web site?  To some people this notion conjures up thoughts of your fingers after handful of cotton candy.  When it comes to the Internet a sticky web site is desired.  Some companies spend years trying to create a sticky web site.

Why is a Sticky Web Site Beneficial?
If a web site is sticky users not only stay on web site longer, but also visit more often.  The benefits speak for themselves.  You get more traffic, more often, and they’re interested in what you have to say.  The easiest way to make a web site sticky is by asking yourself: “what can I do to attract users to my web site and get them to stay longer.”