The Work Media Internet Marketing Blog

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Friday, January 04, 2008

Improving Paid Search Performance Through Better Targeting

If you are driving traffic to your web site through paid search, but that traffic is not profitable, then you may need to re-examine how you are targeting your ads. Chances are your targeting is too broad. Remember, you don't just target with your keywords - you target with your ads and you target with your landing page copy.

For your keywords, you should use a wide package of keywords that includes broad, high volume keywords as well as more specific, low volume keywords. Make sure you have tracking in place so you will know exactly which keywords generate sales or leads. After a few weeks, you should have a very good idea which keywords you should be spending your money on.

If your keywords are driving traffic but no sales, then you need to look deeply at your ad copy. Are you attracting the right prospects? If you attract a lot of traffic that is not converting, then you need to tighten up your ad copy to attract the right prospects. You will generate less traffic, but it will be much more profitable traffic. Ask yourself this: who is your ideal prospect? What industry does he work in? Does he drive a truck? Does she have good credit? Whatever characteristics make up your perfect prospect, you can use that information in your ad copy. For example, if your ideal prospect is a deer hunter, maybe your ad copy should mention deer hunting. If your ideal prospect is disabled, maybe you should try an ad header like "Disabled? We can help". These are just hypothetical examples, but you get the idea.

The same thing applies to your landing page copy. You need to make it clear who you are looking for and write your copy with that person in mind. Think of this whole process like a big funnel, and you are doing everything you can to apply filters so that the prospects who arrive at the end of your funnel are very eager to do business with you. By fine-tuning ads and ad copy for specific groups of people, you should greatly improve the performance of your paid search campaign.

If you need some help better targeting your paid search campaign, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: ad writing, conversion strategy, copywriting, internet marketing, paid search, pay per click, ppc, search engine marketing, search marketing, sem, sponsored search

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Scripting to Improve Conversions from Natural Search

One of the most important rules of paid search marketing is that there must be a strong connection between the search phrase used in the search engine and what is shown on the page when the visitor arrives. In other words, if a person clicks on your search engine ad after searching for "binoculars", then, if possible, he should arrive at a page that talks about binoculars. This will tend to greatly increase your conversion rates.

The same concept holds true for natural search rankings. If that same person searching for binoculars clicks on your organic search engine listing, then you have a better chance of doing business with the person if he arrives at a page about binoculars. The problem is that organic search engine rankings are much more mysterious and out of your control than paid listings. And generally, the page on your site that is listed in the search engine results will be your front page.

So how do you create this same kind of congruency between the search phrase and the web page content? The answer is to use scripting to detect the source search phrase, parse it out, and then display custom content based on that phrase. For example, keeping with the same example, if the search phrase was "bargain binoculars", then your web page script would parse out each word and compare it to some kind of database table of pre-populated words. So when the script makes a match with the word "binoculars", it would display whatever content is indicated in the database table.

The specifics of how to do this are beyond what we can go into in this article, but if you discuss this idea with a competent web programmer (not a "designer", but a real programmer), he should be able to figure out how to do it.

If you need help thinking up or implementing strategies to generate search engine rankings and improve conversions on your web site, please contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: conversion strategy, internet marketing, scripting, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, search marketing, seo, web site marketing

Friday, April 27, 2007

Designing for Search Engines - Simpler is Better

We have a client for whom we are managing a small pay-per-click campaign. We are trying to implement tracking, with a conversion being defined as the submission of a form on their site. We need to do this to determine what keywords or ad copy results in the best performance. But we have had a devil of a time getting the tracking to work because the site is built using .NET, so the page with the form submits to itself rather than to a separate confirmation page. And this got us thinking...

Why .NET? Now, we have nothing against .NET (Jerry was employed as a .NET programmer several years ago), but for a small site, we suggest avoiding this kind of technology if it is not necessary. For one thing, you run into problems like we are having now - doing something as basic as implementing a tracking script. It's unwieldy to work with a platform as complicated as .NET. For another thing, a .NET web page will often be returned from the server with a large amount of junk data called "View State". We don't know if the occasion would arise when a query from a search engine robot would return View State, but if it did, it would greatly weaken the on-page optimization of the site.

If you have a small site that you will be updating manually, stick with the basics - preferably good ol' fashion HTML. If you need to use a scripting environment, use something like PHP or ASP, which is much easier to deal with than a compiled environment like .NET that requires a degree in programming to understand.

If you're a Web geek or programmer reading this, you can probably tell us all kinds of reasons why a site built on .NET is desirable. We have no doubt there are many occasions when this is true. But coming strictly from a search engine marketing/optimization perspective, simpler is better. So stick with the basics.

If you need help optimizing your web site for better search engine results, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: conversion strategy, HTML, internet marketing, scripting, search engine optimization, search marketing, sem, seo, tracking, web marketing, web site marketing

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

The Power of a Cohesive, Integrated Marketing Campaign

You need to think of all of your marketing efforts as an integrated campaign - TV, radio, print, search, online content networks...it all needs to support one another, and it all needs to be tightly focused on achieving some kind of objective.

Now that video is a mainstream feature of the Web, you can make multiple uses of any video you shoot. For instance, let's say you shoot a TV commercial. If the commercial has some element of humor or takes on a very serious topic, then you could re-package it as a video for use on YouTube and similar sites. With any luck, some people will find it, like it, and start passing it around. Then you could repackage it into a short video ad for use on the Google content network. We have found that, up to this point, video ads generate fewer clicks, but it may turn out that those clicks convert at a higher rate than text ads. We don't have the data to back that up yet, but it's a hunch.

As far as the marketing message itself, you should decide on a single converting event and create all of your marketing material so that it emphasizes that single event. Singularity of focus will go a long way toward helping you accomplish a goal with your marketing. If your message is watered down and you give people too many choices, your campaign will not be as powerful. For instance, let's say you have created some kind of free downloadable item that you want to give away on your web site as a means to gather email addresses. Your marketing related to this should all focus on the single event - getting people to your web site to fill out a form and download the item. Your TV ads should focus on it, your radio ads should focus on it, your print and online ads should focus on it.

Think about it: if all of your marketing is consistent in look and feel, and if it all points to a single event...that's powerful. Which do you think would make the most impact? A standalone TV ad asking the viewer to do one thing, a print ad asking them to something else, and a search engine ad asking something else again - or all three ads asking the viewer/reader to do the same thing? Just like singleness of purpose is a key to success in life, it's also a key to success with your marketing.

If you would like help implementing a cohesive, integrated marketing plan, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: advertising, conversion strategy, marketing, search marketing, TV advertising, web marketing

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Internet Marketing Copywriting - Connect the Dots for the Reader

When writing copy for your web site (or any other marketing piece), don't assume that the reader will understand why he should do business with you. Don't overestimate the intelligence of the reader. Write in such a way that a person who doesn't know anything about your industry will understand what you are saying. Don't worry about insulting anyone's intelligence.

In addition to producing more sales, a detailed letter written for a wide audience will be easier to read. It will flow. The reason is that reading on a computer screen is more difficult than reading on paper. It's hard on the eyes. So short sentences and short paragraphs, along with bullet points and other visual effects, are easier to follow.

Use stories, anecdotes, facts and figures to make it crystal clear to the reader why she must do business with you. You probably won't accomplish this by listing the details of what you do or sell. You must convert those features (of the product or service) into benefits (to the customer). Provide an inventory of all the benefits that will accrue to the customer. One after another. This is no time to be modest.

Give proof that what you say is true. If you have specific training, education, or certifications in your industry that are evidences of your status, then tell about it. If you have specific experience and have accomplished certain results, then tell about it. You will do this after discussing the benefits. In essence, you are trying to entice the reader into purchasing from you, and then using concrete evidence to reduce skepticism.

The final dot that needs to be connected is what action the reader needs to take. Again, don't assume that it will be obvious to the reader what he should do. Tell him what phone number to call, when to call, what email to use, when to email, what web site to go to, etc. etc. etc. Using the ideas of scarcity ("supplies are limited") or time constraints ("Offer ends this Friday") are ways to prod the reader into action. People naturally procrastinate, so you have to do something to force action.

If you would like some help writing sales copy for your web site, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: ad writing, advertising, content, content creation, conversion strategy, copywriting, internet marketing, marketing

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Applying Direct Marketing Concepts to Your Online Marketing - Your USP and Advertising Copy

Yesterday's post got us into that direct marketing kind of mode. The weather in Nashville was beautiful so I (Jerry) spent some time in the afternoon sitting outside reading a Dan Kennedy book, No B.S. Wealth Creation for Entrepreneurs. Highly recommended, as are all of Kennedy's books. Anyway, in keeping with the theme of applying direct marketing concepts to your online marketing, I thought I would spend a little more time talking about headlines.

Following is a short list of classic, proven headlines that you can modify to your own situation:

How a New Kind of Clay Improved my Complexion in 30 Days

How I Improved my Memory in One Evening

6 Types of Investors - Which Group Are You In?

A Little Mistake that Cost a Farmer $3,000 a Year

Advice to Wives Whose Husbands Don't Save Money

Are You Ever Tongue-Tied at a Party?

Discover the Fortune that Lies Hidden in Your Salary

Who Much is a Little Leak Costing Your Company?

One thing these ads all have in common is that they pique the curiosity of the reader without giving away too much detail. Each one is a little bit of a mystery. The point is to make the reader want to read more to find out the detail. Each play on a concern or problem that the prospect has, and implies that reading more will reveal the solution to the problem.

The headlines should also be tied to your "USP" - your Unique Selling Proposition. This is the thing that separates you from others in your industry, and the reason someone should do business with you. Jay Abraham has a technique for creating a USP that is very simple but does a great job in helping you discover the USP for your business. Here is what you do:

1. Get a couple of sheets of paper and a pen.
2. At the top of one sheet, write "You know how..."
3. At the top of the other, write "Well, what we do is..."
4. Then just fill in the blanks.

For example, if you are a stock broker, you might say:

"You know how some stock brokers don't ever call you to let you know how your portfolio is doing?"

and then respond with:

"Well, what we do is call all of our clients every Friday afternoon with a report about how their portfolio did that week."

You could then build your USP around the idea that you provide superior customer service by calling all of your clients weekly to discuss their portfolio. This could then be tied into a headline such as "Does Your Stock Broker Ever Leave You Wondering What's Going on With Your Account?" Your headline then feeds into your marketing content where you explain about the extra effort your firm puts into maintaining communication with your clients.

So start with your USP, and then use it to create a powerful, provocative headline which leads into benefit-packed advertising copy. Do this on your web site, your emails, and all other forms on online marketing.

If you would like help implementing an effective online marketing campaign for your business, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: ad writing, advertising, content, content creation, conversion strategy, copywriting, internet marketing, web marketing, web site marketing

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Internet Marketing: Conversion Strategies for Turning Visitors into Customers

You put a lot of work into getting people to your web site - search engine optimization, pay-per-click, content creation - but it doesn't mean much if you are not able to convert traffic into customers. Following are a few tips for improving your conversions.

Make it easy for the visitor to convert

Make it very easy to do whatever it is you want your web site visitor to do. If you want her to fill out a form, make the form easy to find and don’t ask for too much information. This is another area where testing can help you find the best way to do things. For example, you could create two different landing pages with different forms, and then use pay-per-click ads to drive traffic to those two pages. Your analytics (discussed later) will then tell you which one converted better. You will then know with great confidence which of the two forms works better.

Get the visitor involved

You want to draw visitor into your web site and get him involved. Get them clicking, selecting and typing. Devices such as text boxes, radio buttons, check boxes and dropdown lists cause your visitors to interact with your web site. The more they interact, the more likely they are to engage in some kind of conversion event. Even if it's simply getting their email address, that is far, far better than their leaving with no conversion event at all.

Tell the visitor exactly what to do

Don’t assume anything! Give your visitors specific instructions on how to go about ordering, subscribing, contacting you, or whatever action you want them to perform. If they need to click the big red button, tell them to click the big red button. And despite what you may have heard, there is nothing wrong with a link that says “Click here”. Research has shown that those types of links actually have higher click-through rates. Don’t worry about insulting your visitors’ intelligence. You won’t. It is much safer to design for the lowest common denominator – those with little web surfing experience who need specific, step-by-step instructions.

If you need some help converting your web site visitors into customers, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or info@workmedia.net.

Labels: content, content creation, conversion strategy, internet marketing, search engine marketing, search marketing, sem, seo, sponsored search, web marketing, web site marketing