We did our first “What’s Hot and What’s Not” list for website design in 2006. And we updated the list in 2012, 2016, 2018, 2019, and now in 2021. The focus of website efforts has changed in 15 years. But many websites still struggle with the same issues. What’s changed since 2006 in terms of [...]
PPC advertising is a great Testing vehicle. You can test headlines, individual words within your headlines, descriptions, benefits, and Offers. In usually a very short time, you can find the best options to use throughout your marketing. And when you keep testing, you keep learning and continuously improving your results. Even if you’re not managing [...]
Copy on your website has a visual component that affects its ability to get read. And it’s the job of the copywriter to create copy that draws the reader in, not only by the words, by also visually. When you write or review copy, here are the visual elements of copy to consider: Key points [...]
I've been asking marketers in The Results Obsession for Digital Marketers private Facebook group what their biggest challenges are. Here's the #1 answer: COPY! What is it about copy that challenges even the most experienced marketers? Great copy starts with a great strategy Before you ever create or evaluate a piece of copy, it's best [...]
Budget Disaster #1: Creating a New Website – without a Lead Generation Plan – to Solve a Lead Generation Problem The tech company had a website that wasn’t generating leads. Their immediate solution was to create a new website. They first hired a web design firm who told the client the solution to their lead generation [...]
Have you heard that copy should be "conversational"? Do you know what that looks like? Conversational copy reads exactly the way you’d say it out loud So the best test of whether your copy is conversational or not is to read it out loud. It should sound exactly the way you'd say it if you [...]
Testing is the secret to continuously improving marketing results. (If you're not always testing, you're likely throwing away money.) What do we mean by “Testing”? You compare two or more versions of something at the same time, to learn which version is best. What we DON’T mean by Testing: “We tried that Offer and it [...]
Email marketing has been used for maybe the last 20 years. But we still see companies not understanding how to properly analyze its results. Email marketing isn’t the sexiest marketing channel, and sometimes it just doesn’t get much attention. Sometimes the basics – in even the most organized marketing operations -- just seem to fall [...]
Don’t limit your messaging by assuming too much Do you assume that your leads read everything on your website – or everything in the piece of content you sent them? You may be missing MAJOR opportunities to fortify your key selling points. Don’t assume your leads read the entire document you offered (or watched the [...]
What will marketers learn over the course of 30 years? Here’s what we’ve learned over the last 30: Testing and tracking are just part of a marketer's critical skill set now Testing your way to success is the smartest way to invest your (or your client’s) marketing dollars. If you’re not testing (which can be [...]
It depends on how much each lead is worth to you. You can compute that based on how much each new customer (or order) is “worth” to you. First, consider your “profit per sale” and your objectives: Do you have to make a profit on the initial sale? If so, you’ll need to factor that [...]
It still seems that a lot of companies are allergic to Google Analytics. We’ve been told: “We periodically hire someone to review our Google Analytics.” How can you only “periodically” learn where your traffic is coming from – and what traffic you’re getting from each marketing effort? I guess that means you’re only spending marketing [...]
Are you still relying on AIDA — Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action — to help guide your sales funnel messaging? AIDA is said to represent the stages that a prospect goes through before making a purchase. I still hear copywriters, even copywriters trained in direct marketing, refer to using AIDA. AIDA is perhaps a very general [...]
Are you keeping track of your Cost Per Lead, Conversion Rate, and Cost Per Sale at every step of your sales funnel? Do you know those numbers by marketing effort? Understanding the value of every lead and sale can help you decide whether to continue particular marketing programs. When you can prove to your boss [...]
On the first day of Digital Marketing Planning, my boss (or client) suggested to me that we need: One Measurable Plan! On the second day of planning, my boss said to me: 2 Website Questions What is each of our Buyer Personas looking for when they visit our website, and can each Persona instantly find [...]
The company owner believed she needed to re-do her ecommerce website because sales were lagging. Her ecommerce website sold courses to particular industries. She wasn't familiar with Google Analytics, so she didn't know whether it was a traffic problem or a conversion problem once traffic got to her site. She was also short on cash. [...]
Are you planning a website redesign in the future? You want to know exactly what IS working – so you don’t change the successful elements. And you want to identify exactly where your website needs improvement, so your revisions (or a whole new website) actually address those areas. A great website should: Be built for [...]
Why not dazzle your boss with a measurable marketing plan? What’s a measurable plan? One that includes quantifiable objectives and a budget to reach those objectives based on past results. When management gives you the company’s sales objectives, be sure you’re ready with a grounded-in-fact budget proposal to achieve them. Where the budget begins Let’s say [...]
Not sure? If you asked them what it costs to bring in every new customer, would they know – or would it be a guess not really grounded in actual numbers? Do they know your cost per sale by individual channel? What about cost per lead? Do they know lead conversion percentage at every step [...]
As the marketing leader, it’s critical for you and your CEO to get on the same page. Sadly, 56% of marketing executives say their C-level Executives don’t understand Digital Marketing. As a result, their company isn’t setting effective strategies. Well, whose problem is that? That’s a Marketing problem. It’s up to you (the marketer) to [...]
The most successful Marketing departments get the most from every marketing dollar. Here are the key components of their marketing plans . . . 1. Unique brand messaging drives sales The answer to “Why Should I Buy From YOU” is your brand positioning. The most successful Marketing departments have the answer to this question posted [...]
Your key metrics start with Traffic, Leads, and Sales. You’ll also want to track results of your on-going digital marketing programs. 1. Traffic: number of unique visitors to the website You want to see the number of Users to your website steadily increase. (In Google Analytics, see “Audience,” “Overview.”) [...]
Your marketing efforts likely revolve around the most important Sales and Lead Generation vehicle we have – a website. But it seems to be the single area where companies make their poorest decisions when choosing outside marketing resources. Why is that? The blame is shared between client -- and the outside resource. [...]
Few marketers seem to understand exactly what elements drive leads and sales overall. Similarly, few marketers understand what drives the success of each individual marketing tactic. It may be because marketing has so many different areas to learn. We tend to rely on agencies, web developers, writers, designers, or [...]
Digital marketing strategies have been around for more than 20 years. Haven’t we learned by now how to maximize results from every effort? What prevents stellar marketing results? Usually, it’s due to two strategic gaps: 1. Lack of focus on results (and ROI) You may not be focused on Traffic, Leads, and Sales — [...]
Is your website giving you great results? Are you thinking you may need some major reconstruction? You might just need a "tune-up" -- of the 4 items that affect leads or sales: 1. OFFERS: For the Biggest Change in Results, Remodel Your Offer NEED MORE SALES? A more attractive Offer (the special reason I should [...]
If the main purpose of your website is to create leads, is your website focused on that? Is your marketing team focused on creating leads? Is your agency? The company president advised me, “we’ve had 2 agencies in the last 18 months . . . the first was a design firm. They did great design, [...]
Have you diagnosed exactly what's going on with your website SEO -- using your analytics? (Or do you just look for your site on google.com?) Are you happy with the results of your website's search engine optimization? It seems few businesses are. In general, the complaints seem to go in these 3 directions: “We’re not [...]
When you create your website copy, those who need to approve that copy will almost always read line-by-line, word-for-word, from page 1 of the copy through to the end (like they’re reading a book). But website visitors rarely (if ever) do that. In fact, website visitors first scan the page they’re on — and about 85% of [...]
I was on a call with the principals of a small design agency, who had hired a lead generation company to handle some email business development for them. The design agency told me the lead generation company had “done a few emails” for them. Results to date? “We had some visits, but nothing came of [...]
Have you wondered how to identify bad SEO and/or bad website design — BEFORE you hire someone? Usually, SEO and design ideas for a website should make sense for VISITORS first. When they don’t, you likely have a problem. A site I recently worked on revealed 12 POINTS of what NOT to do in SEO and website [...]
Whether you write copy yourself, have copywriting talent in-house, or use outside copywriting resources, you should know how to recognize copy that really SELLS. If you review and approve copy – you should know the key elements to look for, those key elements that create copy that really SELLS! If you hire agencies or copywriters [...]
The client told the last web designers they wanted a website design similar to the Prada site . . . And so, the “showroom website” project began, seemingly without thinking about whether the overall “showroom” approach of the Prada website made sense for Company “C”. The website design company was experienced in creating sites in [...]
Do you really know how to calculate ROI? How about Lifetime Value? Can you explain how to calculate “marketing contribution”? Here’s a simple presentation of the key marketing math formulas, along with practical ways to calculate things like Lifetime Value. (Discussion of the formulas appears below.) Marketing Math: Key Metrics to Maximize Marketing Dollars from [...]
Why do we have so much trouble articulating in copy – especially website copy – why our company is different? Is it clear “why should I do business with you” on your website (and in your direct mail, email – EVERY marketing effort)? A large seminar company called us recently. They were just about to [...]
Sales says: “There’s a LOT of copy on the website. I’d rather have less copy and drive visitors to Contact Us to learn more.” Although Sales/Biz Dev might want the entire focus of the website to be on driving leads (and so, may believe there is “too much copy” on the website for lead generation), [...]
The most successful Marketing departments get the most from every Marketing dollar. They’re focused on maximizing results — and tend to be set up around some key activities. Here are the key components of their Marketing plans that help ensure their success . . . 1. Use Data to Craft Relevant Communications The smartest thing [...]
