Why (B2B Landing Page) conversion is like the TARDIS

26/09/2012 By 4 Comments

This is a first in a series of posts about improving conversion rates for different types of content on a typical website. Check out the post about case studies.

tardis landing page conversionThe TARDIS is a ship used by Doctor Who, an alien, to travel through time and space. From the outside the TARDIS looks like a phone box, while on the inside it has the square area of a mansion.

What does it have to do with website conversion?

Conversion rate optimization, on the surface is about increasing the click through on call to actions on a site. But dive deeper and the whole subject starts looking like a tapestry with strands of marketing psychology, design, copywriting and other stuff woven in.

Let’s talk about conversion rate optimization for landing pages today. [Read more...]

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Site audits- just what the Doctor ordered for an underperforming website

04/09/2012 By 5 Comments

Site Audit- Doctor WhoAudit.

That’s a pretty un-sexy word, and it reminds you of accountants, the tax department, endless paperwork and plenty of hassle.

Relax!

I am talking about an entirely different kind of audit that you will actually look forward to.

This one does not involve a government department or accountants.

You don’t need to get involved in it, save for answering some highly targeted questions about your business goals.

And best of all, you get a solid plan that can improve your site and help you properly sell yourself.

I am talking about a site audit. [Read more...]

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Why short B2B copy can turn prospects into runaway brides

02/08/2012 By 14 Comments

self sabotage in B2BHi B2B marketer, can you spare a moment to answer a few questions?

Do you enjoy betting against yourself?

Do you want to make the hard job of converting skeptical prospects to clients even harder?

Are you okay with plateauing or even declining revenues and profits?

If you answered YES to even one of these questions, please use short copy to make your case.

But if you want to move the conversation closer to getting a prospect to talk with you face to face you will have to use persuasive content to make your case.

And 8 times out of 10 that involves using long copy.

[Read more...]

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11 reasons your B2B technology whitepapers are broken

19/07/2012 By 3 Comments

why are whitepapers broken?If you are a B2B company and you don’t use whitepapers in your marketing mix you will get your clock cleaned by the competition.

Study after study over the years has consistently shown that whitepapers are one of the most influential marketing collaterals ever.

In fact, the only thing that can beat them in influence is positive word of mouth or personal recommendations.

According to the Eccolo Media 2011 B2B Technology Collateral Survey Report

  • 62% of the respondents read whitepapers, second only from product brochures and beating other collateral like case studies.
  • 65% considered whitepapers to be very or extremely influential in purchase decisions, the highest for any content collateral.

This quote from the survey captures, in a nutshell, what exactly is it about whitepapers and B2B technology marketing [Read more...]

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The Secret Words That Keep Your Prospect Reading!

07/07/2012 By Leave a Comment

Secret words in copywritingThe secret of great copy is pretty simple.

If you can connect emotionally with your ideal reader and write a sentence that builds upon the preceding one as effortlessly as water rolling off a duck’s back you have done your job,

For B2B copywriters and content marketers  getting this skill right is even more important. Your copy is meant to persuade people to do something that hopefully ends with a substantial amount of money changing hands.

For this reason I have always believed that studying direct marketing sales letters  is one of the best ways to write great B2B copy.

DM copywriters can’t use anything other than words to convert readers. So they pull out all stops and use everything from a catchy headline that grabs readers by the throat, a lead that sucks them in, body copy that makes them nod their head in agreement and a finely crafted close backed by rock solid guarantees that has them whipping out their credit cards.

[Read more...]

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10 little known factors that make mobile users trash your emails

04/07/2012 By Leave a Comment

Two quick questions:emails in trash

Do you often use your smartphone to check email? And do you delete many of them because they are plain ugly and unreadable?

I won’t be surprised if you said yes to both.

Let’s look at some numbers

  • Morgan Stanley predicts that mobile devices will globally outsell desktops and laptops by the end of 2012.
  • Ericsson states that by 2017  there will be 9 billion mobile devices- more than the number of people on earth.
  • According to research by Tricom B2B and University of Dayton School of Business Administration 59% of US B2B decision makers used a smartphone to gather  information.
  • See this  data from a Google survey called “Think B2B: Connecting with the Customer”:

C-suite execs outnumber their juniors when it comes to mobile usage as per Think B2B: Connecting with the customer

Properly done, email marketing is still one of the best ways to reach out cheaply and effectively to decision makers, especially in B2B.

But there are still a lot of marketers out there who are making mobile users want to poke their eyes out by sending them emails designed for viewing on larger laptop and desktop screens.

That’s like melting a candle, pouring the wax into your car’s gas tank and expecting to hear the engine start when you turn the key.

[Read more...]

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Are Asian marketers mastering digital?

13/06/2012 By Leave a Comment

digital in Asia

This is one of the more interesting titbits contained in Econsultancy’s report titled State of Digital Marketing in Asia

And the answer is- yes and no. There is a mismatch between digital skills and business knowledge. Senior management is not as enthusiastic about digital while most are overwhelmed by the fast pace of changes and can’t keep up.

In other words, much like Asia, the answer is complicated and has several facets.

Marketing has changed in Asia Pacific

The Asia Pacific region is in the middle of an economic churn. Led by China and India, populations the size of mid sized European countries every month are bridging the digital divide.

And because of this, digital marketing is no longer getting the leftover treatment.

Budgets are actually being allocated to digital instead of it having to do with whatever scraps fall off the table. Companies outsource social media campaigns and hire SEO experts to get to the top of the search results.

And I am bombarded by spam SMSes that promise to teach me English, book a cheap flight  or find me a girlfriend  if I reply back with a code. *bangs head on desk*

Have a look at these stats from the report

[Read more...]

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