Tasty Marketing Tidbits

You can find out right away if your email newsletter is a smash or a dud. Bulk email services (Vertical Response, Constant Contact, etc.) give you instant gratification — statistics on how many people are opening your message and clicking through to your website.

But wait, those open and click-through rates don’t tell the whole story. The numbers only allow you to compare this month’s newsletter with last month’s. How about if you could see where your statistics stand in relation to others in your industry?

For example, let’s say 20% of recipients opened the most recent issue of your email newsletter. And 16% of those readers followed a link to your website to find out more. Would you consider your efforts successful?

If you’re promoting an accounting firm, you can give yourself a gold star because you beat the curve. But if you’re in the crafts field … uh-oh, you fell below the average of 27% opens and 22% clicks. Basically, you got some ’splainin’ to do.

Find email response benchmarks for your industry

How do we know response rates are different for accounting and crafts firms? Because email marketing service Constant Contact tracked 200 million of their clients’ emails and established a list of industry benchmarks. Granted, these benchmarks can’t take every variable into account and are just a guideline, but they’re a great way to put your results in context.

Once you have a feel for the kind of response you can reasonably expect, look for ways to improve your newsletter statistics. Which, of course, will increase the number of inquiries,  leads and sales you generate. Start your newsletter overhaul by refining each of these critical elements:

1. Recognizability - Does your “from” line includes your company name to tell the receiver the message is not spam? If not, you’re spam on toast.
2. Content - A constant sales pitch is the worst sort of “me-me-me-ism.” What’s in it  for the reader? Include relevant, usable information and suddenly you’re a resource, not a pushy salesperson.
3. Subject line - Short, straightforward and clear. No need for sassy puns or clever twists. You have about 45 characters to get your point across, so … just the facts, ma’am.
4. Email list - Your list is golden if everyone on it expects to hear from you and is looking forward to your next email. Make sure all the people on it have opted in and know what they’ll be getting from you. Don’t promise tips and send ads.
5. Timing - Are you delivering your message at the optimal time and day? In general, midweek and either early morning or later in the afternoon are best. Mid-day is peak email time, so try to avoid being buried in an overflowing inbox.
6. Links - Give readers a choice of links and topics to follow onto your site and you give them more opportunities to act.
7. Purpose - Is it clear why you’re sending the email? Successful mailings focus on a single topic and provide clear instructions so readers can easily take the next step.

No question, the ideal time to put these best practices into play is when you send out your first newsletter. That way you’re training your readers to expect something of value from you. If you’ve already made a few mistakes, make the switch now to a newsletter that consistently and clearly serves your customers interests.

5 common mistakes that cost you new business and repeat sales

Buyers are looking for you online. Can they find you? And once they do, are you giving them what they need to make an informed buying decision?

Now that 70% of all purchases start with an online search, it makes good business sense to build a web presence that makes you visible and viable. You can no longer rely on the yellow pages or even a newspaper ad to do the job.

A robust and optimized website helps you attract qualified prospects and turn them into customers. If that’s not happening enough, and you’re wondering why, chances are you’re committing one or more of these 5 costly mistakes:

1. Overlooking the power of keywords and optimization
2. Underestimating the value of good design
3. Failing to provide compelling content
4. Assuming your site is easy to use
5. Failing to craft a compelling marketing message

Common website blunders and how to fix them
Blunder #1 - Overlooking the power of keywords and optimization
Fix - Identify the words and phrases your prospects are using in their searches. Apply these terms judiciously to your website page titles, headlines, subheads and text. This enables search engines to make a relevant match between the searcher and your site.

Blunder #2 - Underestimating the value of good design
Fix - Clear, simple design is critical to your success. It engages visitors and supports your content. Remember, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. And readers decide in about two seconds whether they’ll move further into your site or leave.

Some design elements that help you reel in customers:
o prominent logo and a descriptive tagline in the masthead

o color palette that supports and complements your brand

o easy-to-read sans serif fonts - and please, no large blocks of eye-straining italics

o photos and images that are relevant to your message. Poor quality snapshots make you look unprofessional.

Blunder #3 - Failing to provide compelling content
Fix - Customers come to your site looking for information. Too often, what they need to make a buying decision either isn’t there or isn’t easily found.

You can help them and your business by providing clear, engaging, customer-focused copy. This requires objectivity on your part, to step back and think like your customer.

Here are some additional ways to boost your website’s effectiveness:
o update your content regularly to attract visitors and search engines

o format for readers and skimmers with short paragraphs, informational headlines and subheads for at-a-glance reading

o hire a professional website writer who can build a convincing case for your product or service

Blunder #4 - Assuming your site is easy to use
Fix - Of course you know where to find everything on your website. But will a first-time visitor? When she lands on your home page, Will she easily spot the topic she’s looking for? Even though there are no hard and fast rules for navigation design, best practices have emerged based on extensive usability studies.

Some of the most basic include:
o placing your navigation bar at the top of the page

o providing hyperlinks in your text to lead visitors deeper into the site

o organizing information so readers get the main the message without having to scroll

Blunder #5 - Failing to craft a customer-centric marketing message
Fix - Potential customers come to your site with an agenda, so make sure your copy addresses their interests and needs. Don’t just blow your own horn.

Make it easy for shoppers to say yes by providing a clear path that lets them know what to do next and how to do it.

Are you committing any of these costly errors? One way to find out  is with a Website CheckUp — a new service I’ve launched with a team of content, design and SEO professionals. We evaluate your site and give you a step-by-step plan for turning it into a robust marketing tool.

Are you staying in touch with your customers? Believe me, they notice if the only contact you initiate is an invoice.

With an email newsletter, you can seize the opportunity to keep your name top of mind — in an easy, affordable and customer-friendly way.

My favorite benefits of regularly scheduled email newsletters:

1. Increase sales to existing customers
Your email list is a gold mine, loaded with folks who already know and trust you. So why spend 5 times more to attract a new customer?

2. Get the word out — fast
It’s simple to announce new pricing, products and services before your competitors know what hit them. Introduce promotions, respond to changes in the market and drive people to your website lickety-split.

3. Be well remembered
Studies show the main reason customers run off is because they feel ignored. So don’t leave the door open for your competitors by being inattentive. You can show buyers that you value and appreciate their business by staying in touch with a monthly email newsletter.

4. Eliminate  printing and mailing costs
No paper, no ink, no postage. And no waste. Email marketing is not only friendly to the budget, it’s a green, resource-saving way to go.

5. Become the go-to resource
A newsletter helps you serve your customers better, by providing them with useful information. Answer frequently asked questions, offer tips, present relevant industry news. In every case you’re building stronger customer relationships while you demonstrate your capabilities. A great venue for introducing members of your staff, your newsletter can highlight their special areas of expertise, which creates  warmer connections with readers and stimulates inquiries for new business.

6. Guide a stream of qualified traffic to your website
Your email newsletter gives readers a chance to follow their interests. Entice them to learn more about their choice of topics and offers by providing links to multiple points of entry on your site.

7. Get immediate and measurable feedback
Unlike most forms of promotion or advertising, an email newsletter gives you very direct response tracking – and in real time. Every time you mail an issue it generates a report that is constantly updated. You’ll see immediately who received and opened the message and what links they followed for more information.

To wrap it up with a pretty red ribbon, an email newsletter is an agile, cost-effective tool for hanging onto existing customers and increasing sales. Plus, when you add a signup box on your website, you can begin the conversation with new potential buyers as well.

Hats off to companies serious about making good products, but not to the point of taking themselves too seriously.

A perfect example is Big Ass Fans, a Kentucky-based producer of … you guessed it … enormous industrial ceiling fans.

Led by a donkey mascot named Fanny, the company’s marketing is loaded with playful puns and silly imagery. But don’t worry, the light-hearted approach doesn’t diminish their credibility one bit. Just the opposite — in 2008, Inc. Magazine ranked the company as Kentucky’s fastest growing manufacturing company and one of the country’s 5,000 fastest growing firms.

Web 2.0 builds trust

The company is clearly committed to interacting with prospects and customers on its website. Visitors have posted more than 70 pages of unedited “kudos and complaints” there. They cover everything from product questions to stories about where people first spotted the fans. And a company representative responds, clearing up questions, directing people to customer service and thanking supporters.

Besides lots of product and installation information, the engaging site also features an “ask the expert” email form, FAQs, customer case studies, photos of employees’ pranks and a page that outlines the firm’s charitable efforts. This wealth of content has obvious SEO benefits, but it also adds up to a warm and fuzzy feeling. Check out a few pages, and you feel like you know who these Big Ass people are.  They care about their customers and their community. They’re people you can trust.

Marketing with personality gets remembered

Even though the company’s cheeky name and persona may offend those with the most delicate sensibilities, Big Ass Fans speaks out loud and clear to the facilities managers and construction professionals who are their best prospects. And plenty of folks who will never buy a fan are on board anyway, helping promote the company by wearing the branded t-shirts and baseball caps. No doubt about it, once you’ve heard of Big Ass Fans you’ll be one.

So take a page from the Big Ass marketing playbook. Stick your neck out now and then. Make the effort to truly connect with your customers. A memorable brand personality and authentic communication pays off.

You may think your blog is working its magic. Even while you’re on vacation, current and potential customers are reading your posts and benefiting from your expertise. And your search engine rankings are on the rise, too.

Alas, that might not be so.

Instead, you could be like someone I know, who was unaware of the privacy settings on her blog dashboard. Unfortunately, with no input, the default position was essentially “invisible to the public.” No wonder people weren’t finding my … ahem … her blog.

So if you’re the type who doesn’t have the patience to read the manual or do the tutorial, take a minute and check your blog settings.

Here’s a bright spot, brought to you by my fortune cookie from lunch yesterday:  “The simplest answer is to act.”

I have to congratulate the writer, because the statement is brilliant in its clarity.

Do nothing… and you can expect nothing.

On the other hand, take a step toward your goals and whatever the outcome, you still make progress. Either you learn and adjust your course or you gain ground. Whew, I needed that!

“On the average Web page, users have time to read at most 28% of the words during an average visit; 20% is more likely,” says usability guru Jakob Nielsen.

All the more reason content on your web pages must be impeccably organized and written in simple, easy-to-digest language.

See how formal language can trip you up in this clever Bizarro panel by cartoonist Dan Piraro. Scroll till you find his December 31 entry.

I have a website, but not a single search engine has sent me a check. How about you?

Let’s not hold our breath, because no matter how much SEO we employ, spiders and algorithms will never whip out a check or credit card and buy from us.

Fortunately, it’s still those organic creatures – customers – who keep our businesses thriving. So, first and foremost, website content has to serve their interests, not the site-crawling bots’.

Yes, yes, a website must tip its hat to the search engines to rank high enough to be visible. For example, writing keyword-rich title tags and headers go a long way in showing Google your site’s purpose and intended audience.

Just resist the urge to overstuff your pages with repetitious and awkward keyword phrases at the expense of clear, readable copy. Studies show that visitors come to your site with a task in mind, a low tolerance for confusion and an itchy finger on the mouse button.

I walked out of the electronics store fuming. Why did the salesperson think he could bulldoze me into buying five enormous TVs? Not a specific one. He was selling me all five and hoping I’d pick one.

Instead of the generic hard sell, what if he had bothered to walk me through a checklist that narrowed my choices? Or asked me a few questions and created a customized list of the best options for my space, budget and viewing habits? Really… what if he had helped? I would have felt served instead of pressured and might have bought.

“I’m the decider.”

You can bet I’m not the only one who wants to make my own buying decisions. Ever notice that if you push someone to buy they resist? But if you help someone understand your product and how to apply it to their situation, you’ve gone a long way toward establishing credibility and trust.

So, how to create and maintain a respectful interaction with our customers? How about information marketing… When you provide answers to questions, guidelines for choosing or directions for using, people naturally think of you when they’re ready to buy.

You can offer that help on your website or blog, through webinars or podcasts. Or check out designer Chuck Green’s ideas on how to give your customers the information they’re looking for. You’ll sell more and look like a hero to boot.

I hear you saying, “I’m too busy to read a blog, let alone write one.”

But don’t worry. Since you’re already an expert in your business niche, you’ll need less preparation than you think. Simply keep an eye out for blog topics as you go about your usual activities and your posts will practically write themselves.

Give ‘em the scoop
So do your thing – read your favorite industry publications, attend trade shows and assist customers. Then take a moment to write about what you’ve learned, presenting it in clear, customer-friendly language. This specific, relevant information is exactly what customers and prospective buyers are looking for online, and they’ll recognize your blog as a goldmine.

Try these ways of squeezing some juicy posts out of your routine:

· Comment on an industry-related news article and add a link to the original piece
· Tell the story of how your company solved a client’s problem
· Summarize trends you spot at a conference or trade show
· Post a customer-focused checklist or roundup of how-to tips

If you get stuck for a topic, your customers will likely have a few requests. You’ll also find plenty of blog support online, such as 101 Great Posting Ideas.