On Landing Pages:
The value of strong landing pages is not inconsequential.

 
Success on the landing page is critical. Improving return-on-investment in today’s
highly competitive online marketing landscape requires a focus not just on generating
more clicks but on maximizing the returns of those clicks. Optimized landing pages
can go a long way toward improving marketing campaign results. Not taking the time
to create landing pages with “stickiness” is akin to ignoring a customer standing in
your place of business and asking for assistance.

 
A click represents the raise of a hand. The customer or prospect is saying,
“I’m interested…Tell me more.” In some cases, they’re ready to buy. Others, they’re
simply curious and willing to give you the benefit of the doubt by briefly taking a look
to see if you’ve got what they’re seeking.

 
Whatever their reasons for moving to your landing page, you must grab their attention
in order to have any chance at success. Landing pages have to be clear and easy to
understand and navigate. Highly successful landing pages are also clever, stylish and
targeted to respond to the original call-to-action that led visitors to the page.
Creating landing pages unique to your campaign is an important approach to
improve results. Because you have established a relationship with your recipients -
one of trust exhibited by their willingness to click a link – it’s essential to keep the
focus laser sharp by taking them directly to information.

 
When a prospect decides to take up your offer, the ease with which that process
unfolds can lead to success or failure. Strong landing pages control the flow of
information and the path customers take to conversion. They represent the difference
between a warehouse store, where customers wander around looking on their own,
and a fine boutique in which customers are assisted by a highly trained sales associate
from the minute they walk in the door.

 
Finely crafted landing pages deliver recipients the kind of information that will resonate
with them, walk customers step-by-step through the buying decision, and expand
upon the original call-to-action that the recipient acted on.

 A recent study by the Association of Sales Executives revealed that 81% of all sales occur on or after the fifth contact.

So if you’re not following up with your prospects or customers imagine all the business you’re losing. Not following up is the same as filling up your ice-cube tray and not putting it in the freezer! If you don’t follow-up, all your marketing efforts are in vain.

The Follow-up Formula is nothing new, however when used correctly and consistently it can have a huge impact on your business.

Four Applications of the Follow-up Formula
There are at least four marketing activities where you can apply the Follow-up Formula. (How many of them are you using?)

1. Follow-up after networking
2. Follow-up after receiving a lead
3. Follow-up after giving a presentation
4. Follow up after a mailing campaign

These activities are ways to turn business connections into qualified prospects, and prospects into customers. To get maximum results with the Follow-up Formula you need to apply these seven rules of the Follow-Up Formula:

1. Follow-up sooner, rather than later. Don’t wait a week or even a few days after making an initial connection. Make it a habit to follow-up within 24 to 48 hours. Wait any longer and you lessen the impact of your message.

2. Don’t expect your prospect to follow-up. It’s not that they are not interested in your services – they might be. By taking the initiative to follow up you show your interest in your prospect, respect for them and the opportunity to provide them with your product or service.

3. Use a Personal Touch. I have great success in sending a personal handwritten note. This has more impact than an Email. Turning a client into a prospect has a lot to do with building the relationship. What better way to stand out from the crowd than by sending a personal note? Note cards with matching envelopes are available anywhere. Keep it simple, short and to the point.

4. Be creative. Besides a note, Email your prospect with something of value: an article or reference to a book or an event that is relevant to their business or even personal life (make sure it is something you have discussed with your prospect).

5. The follow up call. Think of these calls as “introductory calls,” not as “sales calls.” The follow-up call is the bridge between marketing and selling. Its purpose is to determine if the opportunity to do business with a prospect exists in the first place.

6. Be prepared. Never “wing it.” Use a script or outline to guide you through the call to keep you on track and focused instead of worrying about what the person you are calling is thinking. This is the key to effective calls.

7. Always end the call with an agreed-upon action: a) you won’t call again as there is no interest in your proposition, b) you will call back at a later time to explore further, or c) you will set an appointment (in person or by phone) to explore working together.

The Numbers of the Follow-Up Formula

My experience is that, on average, with three to five follow-up contacts, you can turn at least one prospect into a client. But, if you do nothing, there are NO results. You are right back where you started.

Think of your marketing activities over the past month. How many opportunities to follow-up have you taken full advantage of?  How many times have you avoided following up quickly, sending a note, sending your prospect information of value, making a follow-up call or done a poor job with the call?

If you put some basic marketing activities into place, you will generate qualified prospects. And then, if you use the Rule of Eight Follow-Up Formula you stand a much greater chance of turning a percentage of them into paying clients.

Building your business as a service provider or independent contractor requires more than just an error-free resume or a killer project list; you need to set yourself apart from the competition. This is often easier said than done.

As a Business and Creative Marketing Coach I work with companies and individuals daily to help them take their businesses to a higher level. And I begin with one simple statement: “Tell me about your Brand”.

If you have a business you have a Brand.

No matter what service you provide, you have a Brand – You can call it your reputation – but in essence it’s your Brand. It encompasses everything your name brings to mind within your market.

Your Brand is built not by being clever or slick but by being honest and sincere, – by being yourself. A brand is not about attracting clients. It’s about delivering on a promise, keeping your word, being genuine, generous and fulfilling your client’s expectations.

Start by asking yourself these questions:  What do your clients think of your service?  (If you don’t know, then ask them). Do they give you repeat business or referrals? (If not, find out how you can get better – none of us is as good as we think we are). How familiar are prospects with your business? (Perhaps you are not clear about the service you provide).

All these factors are influenced by the basic building block of self-promotion from a one-man shop to a major corporation-Your brand.

Acknowledge yourself: Become your Brand.

Acknowledge yourself and become your Brand. As a Business and Marketing Coach here are 4 steps I use with my clients to assist them in embracing this concept. They will help you to build and strengthen yours.

One: Act with integrity: perform at such a high level of consistency that you create a baseline of confidence and comfort with your clients and prospects.

Two: Focus on what your Brand represents; it’s meaning. Hone your core message so that you can explain what you do in one simple sentence. Then consistently present that to the marketplace. Be specific. You can’t be all things to all people. Expressing what it is you do best gives your Brand depth and meaning.

Three: Develop your Brand. Find new and creative ways to deliver this message into every aspect of your business marketing and communication materials. Consistency is key!

Four: Invest in your Brand. Have your stationary and business card professionally designed and printed. Hire a graphic designer to help you build a powerful, eye catching website. Correctly branding yourself gives your business an edge and communicates much more than you can ever say in a cover letter or interview.

Follow these four steps. You will be amazed how quickly they reflect your uniqueness and reinforce the quality of your Brand. The quality of YOU!

I think most would agree that social media, internet marketing and all the other wonderful attributes of the digital age have taken the place of what I would call “Traditional Media”  such as Print Advertising.  For me, there is still nothing more beautiful than an “In-Your-Face” classically designed Space Ad.  Ahh, I love the smell of newsprint in the morning.

I still believe, however, that the disciplines of Direct Response Marketing are as valid today as they were “back-in-the-day”. You need to let your reader (prospect) know what you want from their lives and you need to do it in a heartbeat.

This quote from the legendary Leo Burnett sums it up quite nicely:
“If you are writing about baloney, don’t try and make it Cornish hen, because that’s the worst kind of baloney there is. Just make it darn good baloney”.

Below is a classic Direct Response space ad for Lifebuoy Soap from the early 1050′s, which
introduced the concept of “B.O.”, and there’s no B.S. about what they are selling and why.
FYI “Big Town” was a popular TV series in the mid-fifties.

I just love it! For all you Direct Mail aficionados out there…enjoy!

The companies and business I have been involved with at some point invariably come to the realization that they “need to do some marketing” Suffice it to say, some of them get it right. Unfortunately many do not. Why?

Because marketing is a process and it begins not by deciding whether to run a print ad, mail a post card…or do both.

If you want customers to look at you – look at yourself first.

Marketing is anything you do that either enhances or detracts your ability to sell your product or service. So think about this:

1. Your Brand – It’s who you are and what you do. Can you explain your business
simply in one sentence? How familiar is your brand in the marketplace? This might be a
great time to give it a tune-up.

2.  Continuous Improvements – Conduct research. Get consumer input. Stay focused, organized and on track. No matter how good we think we are; we can always do better. Maybe its time to introduce a new product or service, offer incentives, discounts.

3. Building Relationships & Trust – Talk to your existing clients and customers. They are like gold.  Let them know how much you appreciate them and their business; over and over again. Develop a referral program that provides benefits to your existing customers. Develop a Customer Relationship Marketing program and Customer Loyalty Programs.

4.  Networking – Get out there. Carry your business card with you wherever you go. You never know who you may meet while getting a cup of coffee, having dinner, or traveling. We meet people just about anywhere – if we want to. Attend seminars, and events that your target market attends. This will not only increase your knowledge but it’s great networking and can be fun!

5. Your Message and Presentation – Hone your message. Re-think and sharpen it for clarity. Review your sales and marketing materials. Are they consistent with your Brand and messaging? Perhaps they need a face-lift. Power lies in the Presentation- verbal and written.

6.  Online Presence – Review your website. Is it easy to get through? Cut the copy in half. And make sure that it is optimized and accessible to all search engines. If you don’t have a web presence, there’s no time like the present.

7.  High Performance – Develop new management skills and take your business to a
higher level of performance. Hire a business coach to assist you in setting and achieving powerful goals.

8.  Selling Skills – Be clear, concise and brief. Refine your presentation. Learn how to turn prospects to clients. Learn the secrets to getting clients to commit and close the deal quicker than ever before!

9.  Be a Good Neighbor – Create local community action strategies through Chambers of Commerce, Schools and Sponsorships to increase your brand’s awareness and
good will.

Quote by David Ogilvy

Never write an advertisement which you wouldn’t want your family to read.  You wouldn’t tell lies to your own wife.  Don’t tell them to mine.
~David Ogilvy