Questions? Feedback? powered by Olark live chat software
Nov 1 2012
posted by

The Real Reason Your Guest Post Flopped

Thursday is guest post day here at Duct Tape Marketing and today’s guest is from Tommy Walker – Enjoy!

Better guest posts

Image credit: WhatTheCell

 

You did it!

You got past the discomfort and pitched a popular blog – and they’ve agreed to showcase your magnificence. You poured hours forging the most epic work of writing. Gods will weep and babies will smile.

You’ve read it, re-read it, and read it some more, and truly, this is the apex of your craft.

Surely this will be your ascension to the pantheon of popular bloggers because YOU got a guest post on an A List Blog.

But when it goes live… crickets….

What Happened?

Like a teenager waiting by the phone desperately trying to believe they’re not being stood up, you stare at your computer -  waiting for any sign of life. But it’s like high school all over again.

Your traffic barely spikes and the comments trickle like a leaky faucet..

At first – you just sit and scratch your head. But when happens on the next guest post, and the one after that, it eats at you.

“Are blogs dead?” You ask yourself. “Maybe people just aren’t reading blogs anymore.”

They’re reading. You’re reading this now, aren’t you.

When a guest post doesn’t quite hit, it is usually lacking in one of four departments.

Your headline didn’t break reader’s guessing machines

You’ve heard it a million times, headlines matter.

In 2012 and beyond, standard headline templates still work, but they’re getting a little played out. That’s why it’s more important than ever to stop relying on templates and start understanding the fundamentals of what makes a headline work.

Sites like Upworthy, Lifehacker and Gizmodo consistently write headlines that break your guessing machine and make you just curious enough to wonder what you’re missing out on.

For your consideration:

Notice how each of these headlines makes you ask yourself a question?

Really, what movie could be so intense even Hollywood wouldn’t make it? Why would a website give away a detailed blueprint on how to destroy the internet?

Now consider the A.D.D inducing speed Twitter feeds and Facebook Tickers update – the only way to convert passive eyes into readers is to interrupt their patterns and get them to ask themselves a question.

Co founder Eli Pariser has stated the editorial team at Upworthy will start with dozens of headlines for any one article and work on it until they create “a curiosity gap” – or the must read impulse that makes the headline impossible for you not to click.

You didn’t promote it

A single tweet and Facebook update does not a promotion make.

Often times, guest authors rely on popular bloggers to do the promotion for them. Why not, they have the bigger reach, right?

But your guest post is something to be proud of – you should be sending out emails and DMs to anyone you can think of to get the word out there.

If you’ve referenced another popular blogger’s work send them an email with a link to the article.

You should be sending private messages to any of your friends who might be interested encouraging them to check it out.

Yes,it might be uncomfortable sending out so many private messages, and this may even toe the line for you on what’s ethical, but really the information fire hose makes those who are thirsty for good content appreciate you’ve taken the time to filter out the good from the rest of the noise.

But don’t abuse this – if the material isn’t something that’s truly great, don’t bother. Also, there is a fine line between sending Dms to good content and spam. If all you’re doing is sending Dms to your own stuff, it won’t be long until you’re abusing that relationship.

Oh, and don’t be afraid to ask if there’s anything you can share for them too.

You Weren’t Writing like Pandora

One of my favorite things about the music site Pandora is that showcases new music based on the common traits of a musician or song I already like.

This is how guest posting should work. Unfortunately, many guest posters will sacrifice their own voice and do everything they can to sound exactly like the blog they’re posting on.

Yes, it’s true that you’re supposed to analyze successful posts for copy structure, tone, etc and incorporate that into your writing.

But don’t lose your own voice in the process.

Like Pandora, one of the best things about guest blogging is that it exposes you to something that’s new based on something familiar.

 Your Close Was Weak

Starting a conversation that really gets people talking, pretty much guarantees you’ll get invited to post again. It’s also no secret that most comments come from a successful close.

There are many theories on how to close a post successfully – like being inspirational (Jon Morrow is the master at this) – to “write full and detailed articles…but don’t finish them.” to end with a thought provoking question.

But guess what, it’s all crap, there is no one right way.

The only universal truth for a good closing is that it can’t be weak.

Do your research, you’ll know what works best.  But you must also always remain true to yourself as a writer.

You don’t need to rely on gimmicks, like “end with a thought provoking question” if all you come up with is something flaccid like “so what do you think?”

You got the guest post – which means you’re doing something right, now prove it.

Forget about traffic. and act like your blogging career depends on:

  • All the conversations you want to start.
  • All the connections you want to make.
  • All the lives you want to change.

All of this can hinge on a few short words.

So choose wisely, we’re counting on you.

Tommy Walker is on a mission to mainstream online marketing by making it entertaining (if not a little silly) to learn. When he isn’t hosting Inside The Mind, he’s guest posting on every popular website known to man to raise $100,000 in 30 days via an experiment with crowd-funding.

Filed Under: Content marketing Tagged With: ,
Oct 25 2012
posted by

6 Ways to Create Buzzworthy Content

Thursday is guest post day here at Duct Tape Marketing and today’s guest is from Gregory Ciotti – Enjoy!

Everybody is all abuzz about “creating buzz” these days.

We as marketers operate in an industry obsessed with content that is “buzzwothy”, “viral”, and all other sorts of names that aim to describe a single scenario: getting people to talk about your business.

Let me tell you the tale of a truly buzzworthy endeavor by an internet business: back in 1999, Mark Hughes convinced the town of Halfway, Oregon to rename itself Half.com to generate publicity for the growing e-commerce start-up.

Needless to say, Mr. Hughes was a guy that really knew how to create buzz, and in 2005, he wrote down his techniques in the wonderful book known as Buzzmarketing.

In it, he outlines the six buttons you need to push to get people talking… every single time. With enough exposure and a form of content that pushes these buttons, people will be guaranteed to spread the word.

Much of Mark’s book overlaps with the recent research from Wharton Business School on “What Makes Online Content Go Viral” (specifically with the types of emotions triggered), so today I’d like to break down how YOU can use the 6 buttons of buzzmarketing to create content that gets people talking.

Let’s begin!

1.) Taboo

The very first of Mark’s “buttons of buzz” is the taboo.

Taboo content is defined as something that is “labeled by a society as improper, unacceptable, prohibited, or profane.”

A lot of people jump right to conclusion that taboo content must be scandals, sex, and bathroom humor, but that’s because the context is out of focus: instead of creating content that’s taboo to society, YOU need to create content that is taboo for your industry and community.

Take a stance on something that will make people in your industry do a double-take, and then back it up with evidence!

Many bloggers say they hate pop-ups and just “know” their audience hates them too, so when Dan Zarella showed the data on why pop-ups still work, he was engaging in the creation of taboo content specifically for his industry (online marketing).

2.) Unusual

Things that are unusual are those that just don’t seem to fit in. The kind of stuff that we simply†have to look at, not even because we want to, but because the call is just too strong for us to ignore.

As you know, content doesn’t always have to mean blog posts, and when it comes to getting attention in spammy areas like forex trading, creativity is king: one supreme example is MahiFX’s You vs. John Paulson.

That page allows you to create your own content, an infographic style breakdown of how quickly billionaire investor John Paulson earns your entire yearly salary (ouch!).

It’s 100% strange: it outright insults your current earnings, it requires your input for the content to even be there, and it even mixes in a bit of the taboo! (Comparing salaries).

…and yet, it’s hard to look away!

It’s been mentioned and shared a ton of times, and here I am now sharing it with you again, showcasing the power of creating unusual content that gets mentioned and linked to.

3.) Outrageous

In the Wharton study mentioned above, one of the “emotions of high arousal” was that of anger, and here is where it comes into play: in the form of truly outrageous content that gets us fired up and tripping over ourselves to leave feedback.

The study cites articles like What Red Ink? Wall Street Paid Hefty Bonuses, and it comes as no surprise that news articles make for a great source of outrageous content.

One that is closer to marketer’s hearts is the recent piece on Why Every Social Media Manager Should Be Under 25, a piece of “flame-bait” that did it’s job so well, it hooked a bunch of so-called marketers into leaving long-winded comments on why the author was wrong… and even resulted in a ton of them sharing the piece in outrage!

Marketing folks should have known better, but they didn’t, and I’m not here to rag on them for it, I’m here to point out just how well outrageous content works.

The outrageous differs from the taboo in that it’s not pulling moral strings, it’s all about creating a debate over opinions and dividing people among that debate. When division occurs, people literally fall over themselves to have their voice heard and to affirm their opinion… our brains just can’t help it!

4.) Hilarious

Funny content is often the most viral (see: YouTube videos), but it is harder to incorporate into your typical small business content strategy.

While comedians can get away with being hilarious + outrageous all the time, utilizing humor for business related content has to be done a certain way, or it will seem unprofessional or not genuine.

One example I always love to showcase is Grasshopper’s “$!@# Entrepreneur’s Say” video, because it takes an industry relevant spin on a popular viral trend on YouTube:

“Dude, let’s go viral right now!”

Taking a jab at the tech entrepreneur community (their customer base), Grasshopper†was able to generate 70k+ views and a broad, fun brand impression in front of the right audience.

5.) Remarkable

This is likely the most difficult content to define, and yet it is often the most memorable and effective to create.

Without making people angry, without being profane, remarkable content still manages to outshine the competition and live up to the source of its name: being worthy of remark.

As an example, let’s look at the fitness market. While weight loss stories are inspiring, they are a dime a dozen in a place as large as the web, and won’t get the kind of traction that allows them to “go viral”.

However, the project Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit†did. That’s because the founder put a spin on the tried-and-true fitness journey: being a fitness model already, he let himself get fat, only to lose the weight again in 6 months, to prove that it could be done.

That’s thinking outside of the box!

Other (more tame) forms of remarkable content come when brands take time to make something truly awesome in a crowded space, just like SEOmoz did with its Beginner’s Guide to SEO, a multi-page work that looks as beautifully as it reads.

Now ranking on the homepage for simply “SEO”, I would say their remarkable project has made a huge splash!

6.) Secret

This is my favorite sort of content, as it’s the type I practice most often on my blog.

Secret content reveals knowledge that only the “initiated” know about. The post you are reading now is secretive in its own way: it reveals information from a book and a Wharton research paper that not everyone has read.

Other forms of secret content come to us in the form of this infographic on KISSmetrics, which looks to answer the question, “How do colors affect purchases?”, while citing research that gives the answer.

Since we were just talking about the fitness niche, did you know that most diets fail because our brains are susceptible to “abandoning ship” as soon as their diet starts to falter? When you learn about that research you become initiated, free to share the “secret” with others.

Secret content is more than just regular information like “How to set up a Facebook page”, it’s the kind of stuff that comes out of left field and totally blows the lid off of a topic people care about. You can only create secret content by reading good books and by breaking new information in your industry.

A tough task to accomplish, but one with a ton of viral potential.

Your Turn

What did you think about these “buzzworthy” forms of content? Which ones can you apply to your content marketing efforts?

About the Author: Gregory Ciotti is the content strategist for Help Scout, the invisible help desk software that makes email support a breeze for you and your customers. Get more from Greg on the Help Scout blog or download our free e-book on 75 Customer Service Statistics.

Filed Under: Content marketing Tagged With:
Oct 18 2012
posted by

5 Social Media Lessons Gleaned from a New SMB Study

Thursday is guest post day here at Duct Tape Marketing and today’s guest is from Frank Strong, director of Public Relations, Vocus – Enjoy!

There is no shortage of social media advice.  Unfortunately, much of it is often at odds, conflicting and even confusing.

For example, consider scheduling tweets.  A quick Google search will return many passionate arguments both for – and against – the case for scheduled tweets. Proponents point out automation allows them to space out their social posts to avoid inundating their followers. Meanwhile, opponents say it can lead to disastrous results when these posts coincide with unforeseen events.  There’s always room for middle ground.

While such advice comes with a great deal of experience and has points of merit, it often also comes with the unique and perhaps, narrow perspective specific to that person or organization.

This is why sound research is so important and why we teamed with Duct Tape Marketing to conduct a statistically valid social media survey of small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB). As we have studied the data over a course of several weeks, we have come to several conclusions based on research.

Here are five lessons we have learned from the study:

1.  You have to find your own path to influence.  Social media users are almost spiritual about the ‘right’ way to approach social promotion.  Many believe that building a tighter, highly engaged community is the best approach – it is a concept I subscribe to as well.  However, 27% of SMBs reported focusing on building a very large number of followers or fans on social media, regardless of interaction.  While this flies in the face of conventional social media wisdom, this same group was also more likely to say that social media has been very helpful for their business.  This is a testament to the fact that every business is unique: What works for one, may not work for another.  We all face different challenges in terms of industry, budget and finite resources and have to experiment to decide what will work best for us.

Lesson:  Listen, study, and observe what others are doing, but do not be afraid to go against the grain and try something different.  After all, that is what entrepreneurs often do best.

2.  Social works, but only with effort.  Most SMBs believed that social media was moving the needle for their organization. Fifty-eight percent said social media had been somewhat helpful, while almost one-third said it was very helpful. Just 10% said it had no impact.  However, there is a clear correlation between effort and results:  Those that were more willing to work at social media saw better results.  Entrepreneurs understand this concept. In many ways, it is the very reason they decided to strike out on their own.  Social media can be productive and it certainly takes an investment of time. Those that invest the time are more likely to see a return in the long run.

Lesson:  When committing to social media, keep in mind it is a marathon, not a sprint.  An aspiration of a quick hit that goes viral and leads to instant sales is setting you up for disappointment. 

3. Addressing customer service issues is an untapped opportunity.  Ninety-one percent of SMBs say they use social media to share news about their organization – the most common activity.  That is not surprising, since it is easy to share good news.  The least cited activity was managing customer service complaints, with just 46% of SMBs saying they engage in this activity online.  That is less than half and the reason is clear:  It is uncomfortable to address service complaints in such a public manner. Certainly there are different levels of customer complaints online – marketing strategist Peter Shankman breaks them down into five types – but more often than not, complaints represent an opportunity.  What opportunity?  It is the chance to resolve an issue and earn greater loyalty from the customer.

Lesson:  Addressing service complaints quickly may not just resolve the issue, but turn a customer into an advocate; there is a bonus in that those observing will credit you for addressing the matter.

4.  The challenge of dual hat responsibility.  Seventy-three percent of SMBs have added social media as an additional duty of an existing marketing person. In other words, they had a job, and then got a little more work on top of it. As your community grows, so too will the time demands of social media. How you resolve this challenge may vary – perhaps new tools, new efficiencies, or even new people. The danger of simply assigning someone an additional duty is in forcing people to do things that may not meet their natural abilities, skills or inclinations. Sure, we all have to roll up our sleeves and do grunt work sometimes, but it is the sort of commitment John Jantsch is referencing in The Commitment Engine Resources that we should be after.

Lesson:  Consider carefully who gets assigned social media as an additional duty; experience matters, but then so too does enthusiasm.

5.   Facebook dominates but keep tabs on emerging social sites. Google+ and StumbleUpon were ranked by fewer SMBs as effective social platforms for their engagement, but those that use them were also more likely to say they were very effective. It reminded me of the first solid case study I saw several years ago that used FourSquare, where a burger joint named AJ Bombers, had tapped the network with such success it captured national attention.  With social media, we do not simply build a presence and hope people visit. Instead, we go to where our customers and prospects are spending their time.

Lesson:  It may seem like everyone is on a platform, but it is important to understand if the users there are the people you want to engage. A less popular site may be the answer to driving business results.

* * *

If there’s one overarching value proposition of engagement on social media, I would borrow a phrase from a respondent to this survey:  “It has allowed us to promote our products to people we may not have been able to reach normally.”  Indeed that is simply the power of the Web.  To download a copy of the survey please visit: Path to Influence: An Industry Study of SMBs and Social Media.

Frank Strong is the director of PR for Vocus. Find him on Twitter and the Vocus blog.

Filed Under: Customer Service, Social Media Tagged With: , ,
Oct 11 2012
posted by

“But My Business Is Different”

Thursday is guest post day here at Duct Tape Marketing and today’s guest is from Laura Roeder – Enjoy!

The “Problem”:

Ever felt overwhelmed by social media advice? Everywhere you look, there are articles full of conflicting information about Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter strategies.

Much of the available advice seems not specific enough to apply for your industry or business. So instead of sifting through the mountains of resources, you end up spending your time (and hours of it) on Social Media without much direction, unsure of your ROI, and posting pictures of cats.

So, how do you use Social Media strategically if your business or industry is different from most other online players?

It’s especially challenging to know where to start when your industry doesn’t use social media at all or the predominant opinion among your peers is that it’s too casual or too personal.

But, think of it this way, if others in your industry aren’t using social media (yet – it’s just a matter of time), then now is the perfect time for you to start. You’ll be ahead of the curve!

When you’re on the forefront of using social media in your market, you can take inspiration from all kinds of other businesses. Just because you have a different business model than the examples you see in articles doesn’t mean that the strategies discussed won’t work for you.

What you thought was a problem (“these strategies don’t apply to my business”), is really no problem at all, it’s simply an opportunity to learn to think differently (“how can these strategies apply to me and my business”).

Make a practice of applying strategies from across different industries and markets, and see what sticks!

When I read a blog or business book, I like to force myself to apply the ideas to my business – what if I HAD TO use this pricing model or marketing campaign? How would I do that? Not only does this expand possibilities for how I can grow my business, but it also turns reading and researching into a game!

Here’s how to apply this approach to your business, no matter what your industry or model is:

1) Start following people from all different industries on Facebook and Twitter. Look for thought leaders and brands that you
respect or admire. Bookmark their content that interests you and dedicate an hour a week to reading ideas, opinions, and strategies
from a variety of people and businesses.

2) Practice translating ideas. Just because it hasn’t yet been done doesn’t mean that the idea or strategy doesn’t apply to you or your
field! Think of it this way: the more “no one does that in my industry” the better, as you will stand out!

3) Get more personal on social media. Generally, your customers want to connect with you rather than your business or brand. (Would you rather interact with someone’s face or a logo when you’re at a networking dinner?) Whether or not it’s “industry standard,” it’s important to share your values, your personality, and your uniqueness in order to forge connections with your customers. Social Media is an amazing tool for building the all-important “know, like, and trust” factor with your audience. Don’t miss the opportunity to use these free platforms as a way to help your prospects and customers get to know you.

4) Look at what’s working. Many Social Media sites (and tools like HootSuite) offer critical analytic information to help ensure that the content you share is “sticky” – i.e. generating clicks to your site, social sharing, comments, likes, retweets, etc. It’s important for you to look at this data – whether on Facebook Insights, Hootsuite, or Google

Analytics – and then optimize the type (and timing) of content you share to what is getting the most activity. Don’t be afraid to find out that you’ve been wasting your time – you have a business to run! Make sure the time you spend on Social Media is giving you a return on investment! The only way to know for sure is to look at the data.

Ready to step outside of the industry box and try some new Social Media strategies? Great! Leave a comment below with three potential resources for ideas that are outside of your field, and then make a habit of playing the strategy game to see what new ideas will stick!

Image Credit:  Moyan_Brenn flickr creative commons

Laura Roeder, founder of LKR Social Media Marketer, is a social media marketing expert who teaches small businesses how to
become welcome-known and claim their brand online. Social Media Marketer is an online classroom and community for extraordinary entrepreneurs.

Laura is also the creator of Creating Fame and author of Facebook Fame: The Facebook Marketing Bible for Small Businesses. Follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook!

Filed Under: Marketing Strategy, Social Media Tagged With: , ,
Sep 27 2012
posted by

A Crash Course in Landing Page Conversion

Yesterday you learned what makes a good landing page and the 9 concepts below can be used as a checklist to keep you on track the next time you run a marketing campaign.

1. Where landing pages sit in the funnel

To understand the role of a landing page it helps to show visually how they fit into your marketing flow, from the traffic source, through your different test variants, and finally, the confirmation page.

(Click the image for to explore in more detail)

2. Message match: Ad to Headline

This should be your first concern. Read your ad phrasing and then read the headline on your landing page to see how closely they correlate. One of the biggest reasons for a high bounce rate (and a poor PPC quality score for PPC) is that people lose the information scent when they arrive at your page, thinking they are in the wrong place.

Next stop? The back button. Then your competition.

3. A single CTA

Having a single call to action gives people only one thing to do and stops them wandering down the wrong path. Drill this into your head: only give them one thing to do and they will be more likely to do it.

4. Social sharing

There are 2 ways to add social sharing to your page. You can add them to your main page to show social proof or add them to your confirmation page (covered in part 9).

Don’t forget that a low count shows “negative social proof” so if you want to use them, try using paywithatweet.com to get your ebook instead of a form. This boosts tweet counts in the background. Then show the widgets when the count is high enough and switch back to a form.

5. Use video to increase conversions

Studies have shown that using videos improve conversions. But why?

  • Higher engagement: Videos increase the time on page, giving your brand message longer to sink in
  • Feature yourself or company employees: Raise the trust factor by showing you’re real
  • People are lazy: Many prefer to watch rather than read

6. Trust factors

Some things that can help instill a sense of trust in your visitors are:

  • Number of participants: My personal favorite is for webinars or events. If you show a running count of how many people are attending it can really sell people on the value of the event.
  • Testimonials: They can be video, but written ones also work well, especially when associated with a brand that your visitors know
  • Client logos/endorsements: If you have recognizable clients include their logo.
  • Media mentions: Show the logos of big sites where you’ve been featured. Often achieved via a PR push around a product launch.

7. Visual design

Professional page design is also important for establishing trust – but bad designs convert too (usually for cheesy pages selling miracle weight loss pills). So what can you do to improve your conversions using design?

There are a variety of techniques including directional cues like arrows, or people looking at your CTA, contrast, whitespace and color etc.. Read Designing for Conversion – 8 Visual Design Techniques to Focus Attention on Your Landing Pages for a detailed exploration of this.

8. A/B Testing & Optimization

Your page is awesome, right? How do you know? You just made an assumption because you spent a boatload of time designing it and you are feeling proud of your masterpiece. The thing is, EVERY page can be better, and this is where testing and optimization come in.

How do you optimize your pages? Most people just throw out some ideas (often untrained people) and try a quick test based on a headline or button color change… but most tests fail.

A good process goes something like this:

  1. Gather user feedback on your page using tools like Olark (live chat) and Qualaroo (simple surveys). You’ll be surprised to learn where people are hitting barriers in your conversion funnel.
  1. Brainstorm ideas with a diverse collection of team members: Include customer support, designers, copywriters and information architects.
  1. Develop a hypothesis: Now that you have feedback and some ideas for a test page you need to create a hypothesis for why you think it will succeed and build your page with this in mind. Try writing it like this:

“Our Test Hypothesis: Will allowing visitors to download our PDF by providing their email address perform better than receiving it in exchange for a tweet? Considering that not everyone has a Twitter account, or is willing to share such information with their followers.”

It’ll you build a test page with a strong sense of purpose.

  1. Run the test: Finally, you need to set up a test with your new page against the original (control) page. Make sure you leave it running for at least a week to cover daily variations in behaviour and don’t stop the test until it’s had enough traffic to achieve statistical significance.
  1. Choose a winner: This is easy. Whichever performs best should be promoted to be your new champion page and the loser discarded.
  1. Try, try again: Remember that test will often not give you the results you were hoping for, but don’t give up if your first few attempts don’t pan out. Learn from them and keep trying.

To see how good you are at spotting what converts the best, try ConversionSkills.com. The value in trying to pick the winner is to remember that your decisions should be driven by data, not assumptions.

9. Post-conversion strategies

We’re at the end of the funnel, and the most under utilized conversion opportunity space you have at your disposal. Your confirmation pages are prime real estate to engage with your new lead/customer, after all they have just signalled positive intent by converting.

Things you can add to your confirmation page:

  • Webinar follow up: Remind people that they will receive full videos and slides of the webinar even if they weren’t able to attend.
  • Social sharing: Ask people to share your page with their colleagues.
  • Follow you: on the social networks they hang out on the most
  • Freebies: If you were doing lead gen to give away an ebook or whitepaper, give them an extra one free as a thank you.
  • Ask them to subscribe to your newsletter: This is a great way to keep people in your sphere of influence for further re-marketing in the future.
  • The Amazon model: Use “People who liked this also liked… ” to drive extra sales.

For an even deeper dive, read post-conversion strategies for lead gen landing pages.

Now you’re a real landing page pro, so visit the landing page we put together just for Duct Tape readers and take the next step.

– Oli Gardner

Oli Gardner is Co-Founder & Creative Director at Unbounce – The DIY Landing Page Platform. He is an opinionated writer, primarily on the subjects of landing pages and conversion rate optimization. You should follow him on Twitter @OliGardner.

 

 

Filed Under: Small Business Marketing, Social Media, Web Marketing Tagged With: ,
Sep 26 2012
posted by

How To Create A High Converting Landing Page

Today’s guest post is from Oli Gardner.  This is a two part post, the second part will be published tomorrow – Enjoy!

You’re do loads of awesome marketing: ads, promos, contests yada yada yada. And you send all that hard earned traffic to your homepage where people lose the information scent from your ad, get confused and leave.

You need a landing page. Landing pages are targeted specifically the intent and content of your ads.

In this post we’ll learn how to construct a high converting landing page by examining:

  1. The anatomy of a landing page
  2. Some landing page examples critiqued for conversion

Then tomorrow we’ll finish things off with a crash course containing 9 tips to ensure your landing pages are converting as well as possible.

Let’s begin today with…

Part 1: A Quick Landing Page Anatomy Lesson

There are 7 main elements to consider when designing your page.

  1. Unique value proposition in a concise headline

This is your intro to your prospect and should match the message that you promised in your ad, ideally in a way that explains the benefit your solution provides.

  1. Image/video showing context of use

Remember the goofy squinty guy from the SlapChop ads? Of course you do. He was awesome, and demonstrated the product “in use”. That’s context and whether it’s a cheap vegetable chopper or an online SaaS business, showing your product or service being used will get you more sales, guaranteed.

  1. Core benefit statement(s)

People hate reading. So keep your main points in bullet form, not big paragraphs, and make them focused solely on the benefits that people will get from using it. A feature is meaningless without an associated benefit. Always think “How would this help people?”

  1. Request for data (and a fair value item in exchange)

Every B2B marketer wants one thing above all else, email addresses. Remember this phrase: “Match the quantity of the data you’re asking for with the size of the prize.” People need to feel like they are getting value from their personal data in order to convert. Two ways to do this – make amazing content or make the form super short – ideally both.

  1. A strong call to action (CTA)

Your CTA should use principles of conversion centered design to stand out from the rest of the page and leave no doubt about it’s purpose. Aside from the design, a crucial aspect for your CTA is what it says – copywriting, especially for conversion can be challenging.

One good tip is to ensure you describe exactly what will happen when the button is clicked. Never say “Submit” – say “Download my free ebook” – big difference, and it lets people know they are making a good click. A good rule of thumb is to complete the sentence “I want to…”

  1. Trust elements

Would you buy from a company you didn’t trust? No one. So what can you do increase the trust of your landing page? Here are a few things you can use:

  • Testimonials: Make them authentic and try to use video if you can. And don’t be afraid to ask your customers if they are willing to help.
  • Twitter comments: Show a live stream of people saying nice stuff about you.
  • Endorsements: Show the logos of media placements or high profile customers.
  1. Post-conversion socializing

Want to take advantage of warm leads? There’s no better place than the confirmation page of your lead gen page or cart page. Use this opportunity when the lead has expressed intent, and ask for something else, like a follow or newsletter subscription.

Part 2: Examples of Good Landing Pages

Now that we’ve covered what goes into making up an effective landing page, let’s check out a few example pages, and run through a short critique of each to see what they’re doing well, and what could potentially be changed or optimized via an A/B test.

 

What works – It’s all about the benefits

People want to know how your product/service can make their life/work better. There’s no better way than writing in terms of benefits.

  • The image supports the implied benefit of the process; a happier family in control of their finances.
  • The bullet points take the benefits further, leading you to a more positive feeling about your situation.
  • The CTA caps it all off nicely by indicating that theres a solution there for you.

Things to change or be tested

They’ve done a really good job here, so I wouldn’t really change much. They could make the form shorter, but the target demographic for this page should be motivated enough to complete it.

  • If you were to remove any forms fields choose: Verify email, alternate phone and city.


What works

  • Directional cue: People need to be guided, so I like that they take you from the benefit statement to the action area by using an arrow.

Things to change or be tested

  • The headline is more of a branding/naming concept, rather than a descriptive title that explains the purpose of the page. The explanation in the black section is a more powerful message. I’d move “Web Marketing 2.0” to the header opposite the logo.
  • Take advantage of the white space below the form to display a supporting trust element such as a testimonial.

 

What works

  • Directional cues: Even better than the last example, this page makes great use of arrows to direct your attention through the flow of the page and it’s benefits.
  • Strong CTA copy: The copy explains exactly what you’ll get which is what every good CTA should do.
  • Guarantee: At the top right there is an excellent guarantee statement, which is repeated at the point of conversion – the CTA. The no-risk factor will lead to higher conversions.

Things to change or be tested

  • Example logos: The value proposition of this page is getting logos made – so show some examples to improve the trust in the company’s design skills.

Now you’re well on your way to craft compelling landing pages for your campaigns. As a final note, hop on over to a landing page we put together just for Duct Tape readers.

– Oli Gardner

Oli Gardner is Co-Founder & Creative Director at Unbounce – The DIY Landing Page Platform. He is an opinionated writer, primarily on the subjects of landing pages and conversion rate optimization. You should follow him on Twitter @OliGardner.

Filed Under: Content marketing, Small Business Marketing Tagged With: ,
Sep 20 2012
posted by

The Brand Personality Test

Thursday is guest post day here at Duct Tape Marketing and today’s guest is from Bob Bare – Enjoy!

Does Your Brand Pass The Personality Test?

Consumers often seek out brands they like, know, and most importantly, trust.  A brand’s functionality is crucial, but the emotional benefit attached is equally important.  Marketers help cultivate this consumer-brand relationship by aligning their brand’s identity with what consumers aspire to be.  This job is not always easy and must be nurtured over time.

What is brand identity and how do you create one?

The best way to distinguish your brand’s identity is to fully understand what the term really means.  Your brand is what your company stands for and what it is known for.  Think of it as a lifestyle, embodying the characteristics of a particular person, group or culture.  Luxury-based brands such as Louis Vuitton and Chanel are often associated with a lavish lifestyle, so consumers who purchase these high-end products might like to feel sophisticated or elite, whereas a brand like Campbell’s is often associated with family and comfort.

Creating a solid personality for your brand is something that takes a lot of consideration, time, and commitment.  Marketing experts use a number of tools, tricks, and techniques to define a brand, but it is not always easy to keep the consumer-brand love affair alive.  They can expect that today’s price conscious consumer will shift between brands to find the best deal of the day.

So as a marketer, how do you keep the flame alive and stop consumers from finding someone new? It’s simple.  Offer them just what they want, when they want it, in a manner that appeals to them, and you can be sure that they will stay.

Brands with Benefits:

Start by defining your brand’s strengths and unique benefits.  Is your brand fast-paced and energetic? Stylish or practical? Casual or professional? Marketers sometimes use the car analogy to get the descriptive words flowing. If your brand were a car, would it be a minivan or Maserati?

Keep them coming back:

Next, determine what makes consumers return to your brand versus going somewhere else. What added value do you offer, or could you offer, that would attract new customers and keep the current ones interested?  It is crucial to stand behind your brand and deliver on what you promise.

Experience is Everything:

Also remember that your brand is the experience customers take away when doing business with your company.  Was their experience easy and gratifying?  Did they feel well educated with their purchase?  Was the checkout process safe and secure? 

Make Messaging Memorable:

“Just do it” is a slogan that resonates with consumers beyond the sports enthusiast. Memorable messaging will help you create a feeling just as Nike did with this powerful message.  Equally important is an impactful logo and great graphics.  Remember a picture is worth a thousand words.

Consistency is Key:

Once you determine the look and feel of your brand, keep it consistent across all channels.  Every detail matters, from your packaging and website to your press material and social media initiatives.   Remember that continuity is key and repeating those elements throughout your entire marketing campaign will help garner a greater impact with your audience.

Repetition is a Must:

Experts talk about “The Rule of Seven,” the number of times a prospect needs to see or hear your message before they take action.  It’s time to put your message out there and take the noise level up a notch.  Remember that you need to shout it loud and clear for potential consumers to take an interest, remember who you are, and buy your brand!

It’s time to take the personality test: 

  1. Do you have a powerful and unique reason why your potential clients should invest with you instead of one of your top three competitors?
  2. Can you articulate your brand clearly and concisely without hesitation when asked?
  3. Can your employees and/or friends correctly describe to you what your branding strategy is?
  4. Does the message your brand expresses inspire loyalty and trust among your current customers?
  5. Does the message your brand expresses attract and comfort new clients?

If you answered yes to these 5 questions, your brand has passed the personality test!

Image Credit: Flickr Creative Commons aditza121

About Bob Bare

Bob Bare is an author, speaker and founder of More Power University, an online business school and community for entrepreneurs looking to start, build, and grow their companies to the elusive seven figure sales mark.  A 40-year serial entrepreneur, Bob is known for his ability to create, grow, and turn around a successful multi-million dollar business while keeping his vision and values in sight.

Filed Under: Branding, Marketing Strategy Tagged With: ,
Sep 13 2012
posted by

How to Make an Impression in 8 seconds

Thursday is guest post day here at Duct Tape Marketing and today’s guest is from Barry Moltz – Enjoy!

This is a world of talkers. Business people are constantly chatting on their cell phones, email, blogs, texting or using whatever social media tools they can find.  They are telling people who they are, what they do and what they think about a situation.  But, can anyone really understand them? In fact, is anyone really listening?  Most importantly, are they doing it in a clear way that helps others understand how their company can help? 

This becomes a huge issue since the average adult attention span is 8 seconds. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_span  In reality, most business people will stop listening after 5 seconds. Unless they have become interested, they are lost or on to their next thought about what they want to say.  Telling someone what a particular business does in 8 seconds or less is a talent and needs to be practiced word for word. Do not depend on any improvisational skills in order to be successful. In fact, each employee at a company needs to be taught the answers to these questions:

1. What problem does the business solve?

Customers always buy painkillers, not vitamins. This is true even during challenging times. Where to Start: Complete the following sentence, “My company helps _________ who are __________” or “Customers rely on my company because we are the best at ____________________”

2. What is the business’ voice and are they consistent with their values?

Are they communicated consistently in everything that comes out of the company? Where to Start: Ask customers to name positive and negative adjectives that best describe the business. While the feedback may be uncomfortable, it is important to ask for both.

3. Who is the business’ community? What type of customers are attracted to what the business sells? To they voice their opinion in a constructive way? Where to Start: Look at the current clients.  What is the profile that is now served? (Additionally, is this the community of customers that is important to be serving?)

Ok. I am ready to listen. You have my undivided attention for the next  8 seconds. Go!

Barry Moltz gets business owners unstuck. He is the author of 4 small business books www.barrymoltz.com/books . His latest book is Small Town Rules (www.smalltownrules.com) He hosts a weekly small business radio show.

Filed Under: Content marketing, inbound marketing, Lead Conversion, Storytelling Tagged With: