What’s Hot – and What’s Not – in Websites
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 [...]
Are You Using PPC to Test Your Copy?
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 [...]
How Website Copy Can Draw the Reader in Visually
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 [...]
Copy Challenge #1: Can You Encapsulate “Why Should I Buy Yours?”
I've been asking marketers in The Results Obsession for Digital Marketers private Facebook group what their biggest [...]
The 3 Most Common Digital Marketing Budget Disasters . . . and How to Avoid Them
Budget Disaster #1: Creating a New Website – without a Lead Generation Plan – to Solve a Lead [...]
Is Your Website and Email Copy “Conversational”?
Have you heard that copy should be "conversational"? Do you know what that looks like? Conversational copy [...]
It’s Time to Get Past Your Excuses for Not Testing Your Marketing
Testing is the secret to continuously improving marketing results. (If you're not always testing, you're likely throwing [...]
Is Your Marketing Team Confused About How to Analyze Email Results?
Email marketing has been used for maybe the last 20 years. But we still see companies not [...]
3 Ways to Boost Interest in Your Email Messages
Don’t limit your messaging by assuming too much Do you assume that your leads read everything on [...]
Marketing: The 30-Year Lessons
What will marketers learn over the course of 30 years? Here’s what we’ve learned over the last [...]
How Much Should You Spend to Generate a Lead?
It depends on how much each lead is worth to you. You can compute that based on [...]
Is Your Marketing Team “Allergic” to Google Analytics?
It still seems that a lot of companies are allergic to Google Analytics. We’ve been told: “We [...]
How to Write Copy to Motivate Prospects through Your Sales Funnel
Are you still relying on AIDA — Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action — to help guide your sales [...]
How to Use the Value of Every Lead and Sale to Choose the Right Marketing Tactics
Are you keeping track of your Cost Per Lead, Conversion Rate, and Cost Per Sale at every [...]
The 12 Days of Digital Marketing Planning Checklist
On the first day of Digital Marketing Planning, my boss (or client) suggested to me that we [...]
Websites Gone Wrong: The Ecommerce Site that Doesn’t Sell
The company owner believed she needed to re-do her ecommerce website because sales were lagging. Her ecommerce [...]
Characteristics of a Great Website – and How to Measure Them
Are you planning a website redesign in the future? You want to know exactly what IS working [...]
Establishing Your Marketing Budget
Why not dazzle your boss with a measurable marketing plan? What’s a measurable plan? One that includes quantifiable [...]
Is Your Team Managing Your Marketing Based on Results and ROI?
Not sure? If you asked them what it costs to bring in every new customer, would they [...]
If Your CEO Isn’t Impressed with Your Marketing, Whose Fault is that?
As the marketing leader, it’s critical for you and your CEO to get on the same page. [...]
Why are Some Marketing Departments So Much More Successful Than Others?
The most successful Marketing departments get the most from every marketing dollar. Here are the key components [...]
12 Digital Marketing Metrics to Track Regularly
Your key metrics start with Traffic, Leads, and Sales. You’ll also want to track results of [...]
Why Do You Keep Hiring the Wrong Digital Marketing Resources?
Your marketing efforts likely revolve around the most important Sales and Lead Generation vehicle we have [...]
3 of Your Digital Marketing Skills Need a Better Workout
Few marketers seem to understand exactly what elements drive leads and sales overall. Similarly, few marketers [...]
Why Isn’t Your Digital Marketing Getting Consistently Great Results?
Digital marketing strategies have been around for more than 20 years. Haven’t we learned by now [...]
Does Your Website Need a “Tune-Up”?
Is your website giving you great results? Are you thinking you may need some major reconstruction? You [...]
Are You Hoping Your Website Visitors will Hunt Down Your Lead Generation Offers?
If the main purpose of your website is to create leads, is your website focused on that? [...]
Website Diagnosis: Is Your SEO Effective?
Have you diagnosed exactly what's going on with your website SEO -- using your analytics? (Or do [...]
How to Improve Website Conversion Like a Super-Hero
Where do you start — when you want to improve your website conversion? If You Have a [...]
What to Include in Every Page of Your Website Copy
When you create your website copy, those who need to approve that copy will almost always read [...]
Are You Smart About Spending Money to Generate Leads?
I was on a call with the principals of a small design agency, who had hired a [...]
What’s the Secret to Getting Your Email Marketing Messages Read?
If you’re relying on an e-newsletter or other promotional emails to nurture your prospects and retain your [...]
12 Ways SEO and Website Design Should NOT Be Done
Have you wondered how to identify bad SEO and/or bad website design — BEFORE you hire someone? [...]
Does Your Website Copy Really SELL?
Whether you write copy yourself, have copywriting talent in-house, or use outside copywriting resources, you should know [...]
6 Tests to Evaluate Your Headlines
Headlines usually determine whether your web page, direct mail, print ad or email message will be a [...]
4 Tests of Website Copy that SELLS!
How can you evaluate your copywriting? Use our 4-Point Test You’ve drafted your website, email, print ad, [...]
Mailing List Secrets to Boost Your Direct Mail Success
A San Diego company sells heart-healthy supplements on a monthly shipment plan. For their first direct mail [...]
7 Steps to Direct Mail Marketing Success
Make your next Direct Mail marketing campaign work harder for you by following these best practices: 1. [...]
Websites Gone Wrong: When Copying a “Showroom” Design Doesn’t Make Sense
The client told the last web designers they wanted a website design similar to the Prada site [...]
How Integrated are Your Digital and Offline Marketing Activities? Take the Quiz
Do you really tie all of your marketing activities together as much as you could? Cuisinart ran print ads [...]
Marketing Math: Key Formulas to Maximize Your Marketing Dollars
Do you really know how to calculate ROI? How about Lifetime Value? Can you explain how to [...]
Why Should I Buy from You (and Why Can’t I Tell from Your Website)?
Why do we have so much trouble articulating in copy – especially website copy – why our [...]
Copywriting for the Web: 9 Key Elements for Great Copy that SELLS
“No one reads a web page with a lot of copy on it. I can’t believe that [...]
Does Your Social Media Marketing Have a Plan?
Lately, a number of marketers with “Social Media” in their title have posed questions online about having [...]
Do You Think There’s Too Much Copy on Your Website?
Sales says: “There’s a LOT of copy on the website. I’d rather have less copy and drive [...]
What is Good Marketing ROI (Return on Investment)?
ROI — or Return on Investment — is used to measure the rate of return that a [...]
Content Will Boost Your Direct Mail Success
Have you created great Content on your website (or in the products you publish)? Use it to [...]
Why Your Website Offers Don’t Engage 98% of Prospects
Which is the largest group of visitors to your website? It’s likely to be prospects — especially [...]
10 Things Successful Marketing Departments Do
The most successful Marketing departments get the most from every Marketing dollar. They’re focused on maximizing results [...]
When to Bend the Rules of Grammar in Sales Copy
“Gee, that sales copy isn’t even grammatically correct . . .” Good copy is written the way [...]