As I watch the snowflakes and do what I do best (and that’s to try and relate my surroundings to how I do business), I cant help but think …  ”What if each of those snowflakes was a potential customer?”  There are many different shapes, different sizes, some fall faster than others and some just don’t make it to the ground, the get stuck on roof tops or tree tops and never get to the desired landing area.

The question I ask myself is … “How would I catch as many of them as possible with a bottle that just sits there waiting to be filled up?” (in this case, the bottle represents your web site)  If you think you are going to catch every snowflake, you are crazy. You will never catch all of them, and in most cases even the ones you do catch are not going to be the ones you had hoped for.

What’s the purpose of this off topic rant, you ask?  Well, in my ADD brain I can’t help but relate this to lead generation and targeted marketing strategies. When you develop a method to guide those snowflakes to the location you want them, you are creating an effective funnel that collects the snowflakes for you. Think of this funnel as your sales process, you can use targeted Google AdWords campaigns to reach out and guide these flakes towards the funnel. Once they land on the funnel they start making the trip down the tube into the bottle.  The tube being the “Auto Responder Campaign” that leads them into the bottle over a pre-determined time frame, and the bottle, being the website that encourages the sale or the conversion.

How well do you catch snowflakes?  Are you catching them with a funnel or are you catching them with your bare hands?

I will leave you with a final note:  Last time I cought a snowflake with my bare hands it melted within seconds!  WOW … that means (in my mind) I just turned that potential lead or customer into nothing.  No communication, co sales pitch, no conversion.

What’s your next move?

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• Add keywords gradually, and in new ad groups when possible. Ideally, ad groups should consist of no more than 15-20 tightly-related keywords around a theme.
• Test one thing at a time. If you just added new keywords to an existing ad group, don’t start an ad copy test at the same time. If you just turned off the search network, don’t start fiddling with your bids too much.
• Test ad copy systematically. Always test against a control ad — don’t throw everything out and start anew.
• If you’ve made major changes to your landing page(s), don’t change your PPC campaign too. In fact, you should test the new landing page against the existing page and pick the winner of the test, instead of changing your pages first.
• Interpret test results from each PPC engine, and each channel (search vs. content) independently. They can and do act differently, and what works in one may flop in another. It’s OK to take one engine’s “winners” and try them in another engine, but don’t be surprised if they turn out to be “losers” in the new engine!

read the full article here:  SEW

A quality landing page is one that reinforces ‘conversion intent’. To do this, you need to consider the mindset of your visitor and provide just enough information to persuade them to convert. And no unnecessary distractions… ok?

So what are the 10 things you need to know about designing landing pages? Read on to find out…

Firstly, let’s remind ourselves of where Google is at. In emails sent to Adwords advertisers Google says:

“There is no one specific formula to determine the quality of a landing page or website. On a case-by-case basis, we will evaluate the content, structure, and navigation of a website. Keep in mind, the most relevant landing pages will include a substantial amount of content that is highly relevant to not only your choice of keywords, but also to your ad text.”

Curve ball alert. Google must be automating this process, regardless of that statement about ‘a case by case basis’. There are potentially millions of landing pages, so surely Google isn’t doing this manually? And if it is automated, then your landing pages must be text-based (which isn’t always the solution to increasing conversion rates, but hey ho…).

What else does Google say about landing pages…?

“The best way to figure out whether your keyword, ad, or landing page is relevant and useful is to put yourself in the shoes of a user. Do your ad and landing page include language that makes sense in the context of the keywords you have chosen? For example, if you have selected the keyword ‘hiking shoes,’ have you made sure that your ad mentions hiking shoes or related name brands? Does your landing page actually offer the name brands you mentioned, along with detailed information about this shoe type?”

“Targeting your keywords, ads, and landing pages in this way likely will lead to several positive results. First, it can help you gain the trust of your customers and therefore keep them coming back to your site. You will also minimize the money spent on clicks from users who might not be interested in what your website offers. And finally, you can increase your overall Quality Score and lower the minimum bid necessary for your ad to appear.”

Ok. That’s the official line from Google. It contains some useful pointers and sensible advice.

Now, here’s my 10-point checklist to help you create a quality landing page, aimed at improving conversion rates:

1. Brevity
Keep it short and to the point. Paragraphs should be no longer than three sentences, if they are used at all. One idea per paragraph is plenty.

2. Relevancy
In the case of PPC landing pages you need to match the offer to your text ad copy. Keywords should be highlighted or displayed prominently. Keep it relevant to that person’s search query, because that’s all they care about.

3. A direct approach
Bullet points work well online, to help communicate the benefits of a product or service. Keep in mind that people skim read on the web. Use bold text to reinforce key messages.

4. A clear call-to-action
That potentially means a big Buy Now button, above the fold… or Sign Up Now, or Download NOW.

5. Fact over fiction
Stick to the key facts and be transparent, especially when the landing page is related to an ad campaign. Do not hide the price. Avoid flowery prose.

6. Persuasion
Persuasion means removing any links that might distract, focusing the consumer’s mind on the end goal: the checkout. This means writing compelling copy. Persuade visitors not to drop out by limiting their options - remove link navigation, for example. Prominently display delivery options and costs. Sell the product or service.

7. Clear scent trails
How easy is it for a novice web user to get from A to B? You need to encourage visitors to walk / run down that conversion path. Conducting usability testing on your landing page templates may also provide you with some answers.

8. Grammatical accuracy
Its important, right? Because people don’t like spelling misteaks (lol) and stuff like that. First impressions count.

9. Reinforcing credibility
Testimonials, press, partners, visible customer support options. All these things convey trust and respectability. They ease the mind of the prospective buyer, who might not know your brand. Trust is very important.

10. Good use of images and color
Presentation (eg: colors, graphics, icons) can play a big role in reinforcing purchase intent. Avoid clutter. White space and big fonts. Smart layout.

source: econsultancy

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When we think of the new year, we think of a new, fresh and clean beginning.  Almost like being granted the ability to start over and leave behind the failures of the previous year. Would be nice, wouldn’t it?  It is strange how we need such an event that opens our eyes to the reality of what each of our businesses need to remain competitive.  If we know what the requirements are, then why do we wait until that ball drops in Time Square to get off our rear-ends and improve our online presence? Shouldn’t this be a 24/7/365 task that is priority #1?

This should be the area of business that we pay most attention to.  After all, your image and your message is what makes that first impression or creates that instant connection. Realistically speaking, we can’t wait until every December 31st to decide “This is the Year for me” or “I am going to re-create my business and give us a new image”. Your business brand and marketing message need to be focused on and analyzed through out the entire year, changing when change is required, tweaked when you see an opportunity to create a niche and most important … fine tuned into something that creates a positive ROI.

For 2010 the rules have not changed.  The game is still competitive, the risk is still great, design and brand matters more than ever, your marketing message must be strong and compelling. The only thing that needs to change is our outlook on the importance of “GREAT” design and marketing. We need to Focus on the task and clear the path for success!

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Lets assume you already have a Google Adwords Campaign setup to drive highly targeted traffic to your website. Here are the top 7 things based on my experience that you should check or hire me to check for you to force your pay per click campaign into profitable and fruitful efforts.

1. Wasting Money and Clicks on the Content Network – Edit your campaign settings and turn off the “Content Network” check box. All you are doing is telling Google to only show your ads on the search network when people are actively searching for what you are offering. My experience is lower click through as a general rule with the Content Network, and it can have an adverse effect on the profitability of your search campaigns. ** NOTE: the Content Network should be targeted in separate and individual campaigns as it requires a completely different set of rules for efficiency and profitability. By no means am I recommending that you stay away completely, just do not blend search and content together.

2. Use your Keywords more often in your display ads. – Make sure you are using your keywords in the ad title, the body text and also in the display URL. This will make the keyword highlight in bold and draw the users eyes to the keyword that they were searching for. The more you can use the keyword in the ad without looking like you are keyword stuffing the better. Think higher relevancy for increased CTR.

3. Lazy Keyword Selection….. The Lazy approach is to group loads of keywords together in one ad group. This will affect how relevant your ads are and will also give them a lower CTR. A simple example is “Cheap Sneakers”, should not be in the same ad group as “Air Jordan Sneakers”. If you are creating an ad group for “Air Jordan Sneakers” it could contain “Air Jordan Sneakers”, “Nike Air Jordan”, “Michael Jordan Shoes”, but not “Cheap Sneakers”. Focus on drilling down to highly focused niche groups for increased effectiveness and click through to conversion.

4. Generic & Non Specific Landing Page – If you are running an ad about a specific product or service then make sure the landing page is only about that product or service. You will get more conversions because you are giving your potential customers exactly what they are looking for without making them search for it on your site. This means DO NOT send your Google ad clicks to your home page that has numerous additional links on it. In addition to the Lazy Keyword example above, if they were searching for the keyword “Air Jordan Sneakers” then send them directly to your Nike Air Jordan Sneaker page. You will see your conversion rates increase.

5. Not Using Negative Keywords – Keywords that you do not want your ad to show up on. You do this by placing a dash “-” in front of the keyword in your keyword list or within the designated location underneath your campaign settings. Nearly all clients existing AdWords campaigns that I review do not use this feature, which is bad because it means they are paying for clicks on non relevant search terms. This is especially the case if you are buying clicks from “Broad” keywords, because your ads will be triggered on keywords that utilize “additional” words than what you have selected.  Ex: Broad match keyword you are bidding on:  Sneakers.  When a user searches for “Nike Sneakers” your ads may be shown and will potentially be clicked even if you do not sell Nike Sneakers.  In this case I would enter a ” -Nike Sneakers” or “-Nike” negative keyword into the list to prevent your ads from showing on that particular phrase.

6. Neglecting to Split Test Ads – Always, Always, Always …. create a second, third and sometimes fourth ad and make small changes to your copy and split test which gets higher click through and conversions. An example would be testing the use of punctuation and/or capitalization in the copy body or URL’s to increase conversions. eg. www.moreclicks.com used as the display URL in an ad is likely to get 1% or 1.5% less click through than www.MoreClicks.com. If you are not currently split testing your ads then stop reading now and go implement this because it is the best thing you can do for your business.

7. Using Unprofitable Generic Keywords – Some Keywords are more profitable than others – Focus on the “buying keywords” rather than “generic keywords” to keep the cost of your clicks down and only pay for clicks from potential customers who have a higher probability of buying. Ex: Say you are an electronics retailer and you are selling specific MP3 players. Don’t bid on the keyword “mp3 player”, instead focus on your buying keywords such as “iPod Nano Video” or “Microsoft Zune MP3″. Your more likely to land a more relevant visitor that has a higher percentage of buying.

If you follow the above 7 things to Increase your AdWords Profits in 2010, I am sure they will do just that!

Here is to your success in the New Year.  May all your efforts be honest and fruitful.

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This will change the face of relevance and searching on targeted keywords. Real-time results opens up tremendous potential to reach your niche audience by further embracing the social platforms, but strategy will prevail.

There are millions of people that spend weeks/months and years trying to get heir message to the first page of Google.  It is an expensive and painful process that bears much fruit. But, the game is changing … and is changing fast. Those who embrace will prevail.

My questions to you are …

1) How will this effect they way you Tweet?

2) How will this effect you engage your Friends/Fans on Facebook?

Please leave a comment with your thoughts.

2) The most crucial time is the beginning
Buying your product or service does not mean they have a relationship with you. Are they open to it? Perhaps. Do you have to earn it? Absolutely. Their interest in your product is high, and they are willing to listen, but don’t be deceived, their interest in the category is also high. They are listening to what the competition is saying. Acknowledge them. Let them know, through words and deeds, that you value their business. Surprise them with value beyond your product’s functional benefits.

3) In established relationships continually reinforce the decision to buy
Once you have established a connection don’t abandon your efforts. The most important purchase isn’t the first, it’s the second. Reinforce how smart they are for buying your product. Give them every reason to buy from you again. Talk to them like you have a relationship, not like the sales guy trying to make his numbers.

4) Good customers expect to be rewarded
This isn’t to suggest that every customer gets a prize. Understand who your best customers are, the 20% of your customers who generate 80% of your revenue, (There is that good old 80-20 rule again) and reward them. Surprise them. Delight them. Make them customers for life. Make them so happy they tell friends and associates what a pleasure it is doing business with you. The ROI on these relatively small investments, especially compared to the cost of acquiring new customers, is huge.

5) The second most crucial time is when the relationship is at risk
Again, this isn’t for every customer, but for your best customers take the time to really understand what went wrong and then do something tangible to address their concern. Don’t take the relationship for granted. Whatever went wrong used up some relationship equity. You need to earn it back.

Extra points of interest …

• Customer relationship marketing is a very efficient use of resources in a challenging economy. Don’t cut budget here. In fact, add budget if you can.
• Make an active and tangible effort to build the relationship immediately after a customer’s first purchase. Their interest in you and the category is high, this is the time to stop being a product with a name and become a brand.
• Don’t be afraid to sell them more. But, take cues from their behavior. Don’t sell them the next widget on your product list. Sell them the widget that will most benefit them, based on their behavior. Done correctly, the sales process can become a relationship building tool.
• Customer service is a key element in successful customer relationship marketing. It’s a factor in every principle.

source:  James Hipkin