Training Marketer

Surveys are a cost effective and quick way to gain insight on what your customers are thinking. If administered correctly, online surveys can be an invaluable business tool.

Like other emails, you can track and test online customer surveys to find out the best way to mold your marketing for your customers. You can even increase survey response rates drastically by molding your survey content correctly.

MarketingSherpa released a new “How To” last week that examines how one survey company creates powerful surveys with high response rates for their small and mid-size business customers.

Tara Zanecki, Director Online Sales Channel at Workshare Inc. boasts that in the past year, four surveys have had completion rates of up to 12% and they have an average 31% completion rate with new online purchasing customers.

With each survey, businesses find something new about their customers, according to Zanecki. Survey results can help marketing companies and small businesses develop effective email subject lines and messaging.

The survey guru shared 12 tips on broadcasting and writing customer surveys. Here are a few of the best survey tips:

Test and retest. Send the survey out to a test list to see how the email renders in different platforms. Testing surveys and having others read them over helps you catch small mistakes like typos that could be embarrassing once sent out.

Keep surveys short. Try to get the information you need in the least amount of questions. She advises no more than 20 questions for emailed customer surveys, but adds that B-to-B surveys may be longer.

Follow send best practices. The middle of the week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) is generally are the ideal days to send. If you’re sending to international customers, think about where they are. An email sent on Friday to a customer in China may be received on Saturday.

Survey the competition. Take a look at your competitors’ surveys and complete them, with an honest opinion. The more surveys you take, the more you find out what you like and don’t like.

Read the full “How To” at MarketingSherpa.

After reading an email that someone new is following me on Twitter (very exciting news, since I have about 3 followers so far), I go to the site and get this message on the homepage:

“Something is technically wrong. Thanks for noticing–we’re going to fix it up and have things back to normal soon.”

Apart from scheduled maintenance, do you think shutting down your whole site when having technical difficulties is the right thing to do?

I think it’s a good decision. It will save both you and your visitors wasted time and frustration.

You could spend hours answering lists of emails from irate customers about how your site isn’t working. Instead, shut it down, put up your message acknowledging the problem, let them know you’re working on it, and maybe throw in a funny message or picture to make them smile.

Be honest with your visitors. Most people will understand and come back later when you’re up and running again.

At least that’s my opinion, anyone out there have other ideas? Please share.

Last Thursday, Seth Godin pointed out a known, but scary truth about Website traffic -

“When traffic comes to your site without focused intent, it bounces. Any site, anywhere, anytime. 75% bounce rate within three seconds.”

It’s happened to all of us, you find a great looking article on Digg or click on what seems to be a promising search result, but come to find that the site you land on doesn’t have what you were looking for. So you leave, and do so quickly.

On the business side, a high bounce rate can seriously devalue your Website’s visitor counts.

Seth’s advice - Instead of devising ways to get your bounces to stay, focus on keeping your current visitors engaged.

Here are some of our tips on how to keep visitors on your site and keep them engaged:

Have a clear purpose. You must be able to communicate to your visitor the purpose of your site in a matter of seconds. If a person can’t figure out why they landed on your site, they’re on to the next.

Keep your site simple. Make it easy for visitors to find what they need with organized navigation and keep a close eye on broken links

Use targeted advertising. Create targeted pay-per-click campaigns and take clickthroughs to tailored landing pages.

Provide valuable, timely content. Give visitors access to articles, archives, white papers and past newsletters with archives to old content. Also, create libraries full of audio, video and past webinars for viewers to watch.

Build an interactive community. Create a forum or host message boards focused on hot topics related to your site. Topics can range from product information to industry tips.

Initially, all marketing has good intentions - to sell. But, at what point does bad marketing turn into plain stupidity?

Well, we’ve come up with a few examples for you. While there are probably hundreds of stupid methods out there, and some that haven’t been thought up yet, we cut it down for you a little.

Here’s our list of 10 stupid ways to sell along with some suggestions on how to raise your sales IQ:

1. Use a complicated message. Big words, lots of jargon, vague offers — the more complicated the message, the harder it will be for customers to figure out what you’re trying to sell.

Instead, get to the point and keep your messaging simple. Speak to the reader, use the word “you” in your copy

2. Focus only on making the sale. “We want your money now! BUY! BUY! BUY!”

The main focus should be on the value your product/service provides for the customer. We know you want to sell us your fancy new widget, but remember we’re people too. I  want to know how it will solve my problem and make my life easier.

3. Have a complicated purchase/checkout process. “You must register, fill out these 20 forms and give a blood sample before checking out.”

Make it easy for customers to buy your product and navigate around your site. You can have people register, but try to keep it as simple as possible. The more frustration a customer finds, the more willing they’ll be to find another vendor.

4. Think the sale is over at checkout. “Thanks for you’re money, see ‘ya later!”

Wrong. This is just the beginning of your relationship with the customer, nurture it. After the checkout, send a thank you with additional offers or introduce your newsletter, keep the relationship going.

5. Skip customer research. How do you know the best way to sell to your customer before you even know who they are?

Research is critical — knowing your target audience’s demographics will help you mold your message and communicate more clearly. A little time spent now on customer research will help you save money in wasted advertising later.

6. Bombard customer inboxes with dozens of promotional emails. Just because I bought from you today doesn’t mean I want to buy another one in a few hours and even more tomorrow or another fancy widget on Monday.

Emailing customers too frequently is an easy way to turn people away, fast. Even worse, making it difficult for people to unsubscribe can get you in trouble, possibly even blacklisted, a hard thing to bounce back from.

Instead, target emails to different customer groups in your list. If someone just bought yesterday, don’t send them an email tomorrow advertising something else. Look at your sales cycles and determine the best times to email — weekly, monthly, quarterly.

7. Use outside links (ads, emails) that land on unrelated or general landing pages. I clicked on the link for a certain book title I’ve been looking for, don’t make me search through an entire page full of products to find it. I’m lazy, impatient and won’t do it.

Landing pages are a great place to focus your sales, don’t waste them. By clicking on the link, you already know the customer is interested. Keep the sale going and keep your focus clear. Tell them about the main features of the product or service, give them links to find more information, and tell them how to buy.

8. Send people to a “broken” Website. Broken links, missing pages, tons of error messages, poor content - clean up the house before you start bringing guests over.

Instead, spend some time and maybe a little bit of money fixing up your site, be proud of it before you start sending customers there.

9. Fail to respond to customers quickly. “The current wait time is approximately 735 minutes. Please stay on the line, your call is important to us.”

Click.

When a customer calls or sends an email with a question, be sure to respond as soon as possible. Not only will the customer appreciate the attention, but you’ve started a good relationship and established your company as one that cares about it’s customers.

10. Create a Website and then ignore it. This also goes for blogs, online networks and groups.

You put in all of that effort way back when, why throw it away? There’s nothing sadder on the Web than finding a blog that hasn’t been updated since January 24, 2005.

It’s worthwhile to keep your blog or network going, even if you only have time to post once or twice a week. Producing constant keyword-rich content will add value for your readers and make you very attractive to search engines.
Take a look at your marketing and sales activities from the viewpoint of an outsider. How have your past marketing ideas failed? What stupid sales ideas are you still keeping around?

Patch-up the cracks and fix your leaky pipes - your customers will appreciate it and you’ll see the results when all the sales start rolling in.

You created a Website to increase sales and enhance your business, and have been spending money promoting it all over the Web. Even with all the advertising dollars you spend, your Website could slowly be “leaking” those dollars away, drip by drip.

So, how do you protect your investment and make sure you’re getting the best out of your Website?

Bill Gadless at the B2B Web Strategy Blog shared five ways your Website could be losing you money. Here’s a quick summary of each:

1. You have an unclear, out of date message that could be “out of synch” with your brand. People will lose interest in your site and leave.

2. Your content is bland, unfocused and lacks important keywords. All lead to disinterest for both human visitors and search engine spiders.

3. Clear calls to action are missing. With no clear path to purchase, people will go to a different site where it’s easier to buy.

4. Your landing pages don’t compel the visitor to continue browsing your site or the offers are unappealing.

5. You’re unable to track sales from entry point through to the confirmation page. This critical data could be showing you where your site is falling short.

Take a look at all of these aspects of your Website and try to see where you need to patch up some leaks. Once a person clicks on an ad and lands on your site, it is up to you to keep them there and close the sale.

Revamping your newsletter can help you transform stale old leads into fresh new prospects. MarketingSherpa released a case study today with tips on how you can also bring your newsletter and old lists back to life.

The study followed a technology marketer in their quest to increase weak open rates and clickthroughs. What began as a challenge to improve their newsletter, turned into a complete overhaul of everything from design to content. After the process, open rates increased by 52% and clickthroughs were up 1315%.

(I’m not lying on the figures, read the full case study to find out.)

The company used a six step process to achieve the outstanding results. Here’s what they did:

1. Designed a new template. The company did away with their old, excessively busy layout and adopted a more streamlined two-column design.

2. Improved content. Instead of straight advertising, the company decided to create content that positioned their brand as a thought leader in the industry.

3. Approached old leads with caution. Some of the company’s leads were three years old. Instead of annoying any of them with a barrage of emails in their inbox, the company first tested the newsletter on a rented list that had never heard of the company before.

4. Shortened subject lines. The company standardized subject lines to 30 words or less - “Business Insights - January.”

5. Stuck to a regular schedule. They committed to send the newsletter during the last week of every month on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.

6. Used pre-populated landing pages. When a reader clicked through a link requesting a demo or information, they landed on a page with the newsletter title at the top and four fields below, partially filled in with their email address and first name.

The results:

• 52.3% increase in open rates
• 1315% increase in clickthrough rates (from 1.3% to 17.1%)
• 18.3% of clickthroughs requested a demo or meeting on the landing page
• 2% increase in overall sales

Read the full case study at MarketingSherpa.com.

Whether used at trade show booths, on your Website or in customer emails, a well-products product demo can help explain your product and reinforce your marketing message.

A product demo can also get your sales team on the same page with the same marketing pitch and help generate quality leads.

MarketingProfs posted an article today on the best way to create marketing demos for products. The process should start by asking yourself four questions:

1. What is your demo’s objective?

A clear objective will help your team stay focused when deciding on visuals and message.

“If you’re a marketer for a retail Web site and your goal is to encourage more users to purchase products online, build a three-minute demo using actual screen shots of your site with a voiceover that tells users how to buy online as it shows them.”

2. What type of demo should you produce?

Should it be focused on the product, or conceptual? Product demos are very useful for people who want to see a product and understand how it works before they purchase. A conceptual demo can be used when the customer is already familiar with the product. Think about car commercials these days that barely show any features, but you still know what they’re selling.

3. How do you get the greatest return on investment with the demo?

The demo should be easily accessible to all of your customers. Make sure the demo does not take a long time to watch or load on your site. Don’t force people to download an application before being able to view a video, because they won’t take the time to do it.

Make sure the demo is easily portable in order to show it at trade events, to use on sales team laptops while on the road and easily sent via email.

4. Should you produce the demo in-house or outsource the work?

Do you have the resources in-house to create a professional demo in a timely manner? Outsourcing the project to a reputable firm that specializes in demo-development will free up more of your team’s time. If you choose to keep it in-house, be sure to produce a demo that you’re proud of. This is your chance to create a lasting first impression with customers.

Demos should be used anywhere you see fit - linked to in emails, newsletters, on your homepage, even given to your customer service and sales representatives to email customers.

The demo may be the first time a customer has ever come in contact with your company, make sure your marketing message comes out loud and clear.

What makes a White Paper valuable? Jonathan Goodman of the HRmarketer.com blog recently asked that exact question (via LinkedIN Answers) in the “Hiring and Human Resources” category.

Answers rolled in, not all from HR professionals, but a variety of “industry folks” voicing their opinion on the topic.

Here are a few outstanding quotes:

“The value of vendor white papers to HR officials is inversely proportional to the amount of vendor promotion in the white paper.”

“The pros will be exaggerated and cons will be omitted. The bias never goes away in any white paper…I always feel that I am told half truth.”

“White Papers are only valuable if they contain information that is otherwise very hard to find.”

“I believe that, white paper[s] should never be written just for the sake of writing but always for the sake of answering somebody’s query or dilemma.”

You can read all of the answers on the LinkedIN Answers page.

The conclusion - most professionals read White Papers with skepticism, asking “What are they trying to sell me?” in the back of their minds. But, the responses also show that White Papers still hold communication value, especially on the Web.

Through experience, Goodman advises to take pride in everything you publish. He also reminds us that credibility is something we earn from our readers and their trust should never be taken advantage of.

Not only is Twitter a great social media network and an innovative business tool, it can also help get you out of an Egyptian jail cell.

Earlier this month, journalist and UC Berkley student James Karl Buck was covering Egyptian riots in Manhalla, Egypt. Police arrested him and his translator for photographing a demonstration under charges that the two were revolutionary leaders, according to Buck’s story on his website.

Police let Buck keep his cell phone while detained. Buck Twittered one word: “Arrested.”

The single Tweet alerted his followers of his situation and made it to the U.S. embassy by the next day.

From the Q & A section of Buck’s site:

Q: Did Twitter save your life?

A: I have no illusions that the networks supporting me like my university, my embassy and the various networks of influence that have to do with being a white American student weren’t at play. Twitter and SMS both allowed me to contact those networks.

If Twitter can help a man get out of Egyptian imprisonment, I’m sure there’s a way it can help your business.

One author at DoshDosh came up with 17 ways to use Twitter for business. Here are some highlights:

Personal branding. Twitter can help you establish a more casual image, one that people see as connected and approachable.

Direct traffic. Once you have a network of friends set up, Tweet about your sites. Hopefully, your friends will also start to Tweet about it, then their friends, taking on a life of it’s own.

Get feedback. Use Twitter to get an outside perspective and advice for an issue you’re having.

Customer notifications. Send out a message when you have new products in stock or when you start selling an exciting new product.

Event updates. Notify your network when webcast or seminar times and dates change.

Visit DoshDosh for the full list of ideas.

A recent post on Velocity brings up a good point about most B2B technology copywriting - it’s boring.

Why is it boring?

• It’s written in passive voice.
• It’s full of industry jargon.
• It’s abstract instead of concrete.
• It’s all written in the third person.

“The best copywriting looks the prospect squarely in the eye and says, ‘I’m going to sell to you and you’re going to enjoy it.’”

Take some of your copywriting and try speaking to your customer in a way that they will listen - use the word “you.”

Speaking directly to your reader by using “you” creates copy that is engaging, more conversational and personal. While it may not be appropriate in all situations, it can help you target specific audiences and will help your readers hear a clearer, more direct message.

Test it out on some of your copy pieces. Write two versions, one in third person, the other in second (you). Then, let someone outside of your office read it, preferably someone who is completely unfamiliar with what you sell (for example, Mom or your teenage son). Tally up the votes and find out which version does better.