About Jodi Kaplan

The Ridiculously Easy Way I Increased Click Through Rates by 2300%

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Jodi Kaplan

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I talk a lot about getting inside your readers’ heads, and offering solutions to their problems, rather than yours. Sometimes, though I need to read my own advice. I was looking at one of my Squidoo lenses (which were sort of one page mini-sites) and saw that while it got traffic, the click through rates were terrible. I was trying to figure out why that was and how I could increase them.

The page was about Thomas the Tank Engine coloring pages (in honor of my nephew, who loves Thomas). I had lots of links to coloring pages for all the different characters, but none of them were converting. We got paid based on visits, clicks, sales, and other interactions with the pages, so clicks were important, even if they didn’t lead directly to selling something.

Too much friction

As I looked at it, I realized that I had all the links in a big block. There were about 20 of them, one right after the other. Sure, the page had exactly what my visitors wanted (pictures of each train character), but that big block of text was awfully intimidating. You’d have to carefully read through all those links to find the engine you were looking for. It was too hard. So, nobody clicked.

Eureka! Easy access will increase click through rates!

So, I reorganized. I divided the links into categories, by character (Thomas, James, Henry, etc.) I put a big headline on top of each one so they were easy to spot. Now all my visitors had to do was scroll down to find the right train. Clicks shot up from 1% to 24% over two days. An increase of 2300% for a few minutes work. Go look at your own pages. Would a little redecorating make a big difference? Try it and find out.

Improve Email Marketing by Planting Seeds

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Jodi Kaplan

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We usually think of seeds as something we plant in a garden. There’s another kind of seed you may not know about. And, you can use it to improve your email marketing.

In direct marketing (paper!) seeds are names you add to make sure your mailing gets delivered. If you don’t get your “seed” mailing when you should, it’s time to check on your campaign.

How to use email seeds

The same principle works for email too. Add your own email address to your newsletter sign up list. If you set up an email broadcast and nothing happens, you know something went wrong. Once, I thought I had scheduled something (and didn’t set it up properly). When no email showed up, I went to check and realized what had happened.

Bonus tip: if you’re setting a broadcast up in advance, set an alarm to alert you when it’s supposed to go out.

Place seeds on several email services

Add one or addresses on Yahoo!, Google, and Hotmail. Send a few test messages to yourself at those addresses. This checks several things: one, whether they’re delivered; two, how they look; and three, whether they get sent to the spam folder. Naturally, if your message is stuck in a filter, nobody will see it, or read it, pulling down your opens, clicks, and response rates.

So, go plant some seeds.

Tuesday Travels: Four Things Every Freelancer Should Know

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Jodi Kaplan

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This edition of Tuesday Travels is focused on the life of a freelancer: evaluating clients, earning more money, and getting more work.

Conversation Marketing: The Potential Misery Index: Ranking Potential Clients

The Well-Fed Writer: Query-Free Freelancing

Men with Pens: How to Wrestle with Deadlines and Win

Freelance Folder: It May Be Your Fault if Your Client Doesn’t Appreciate You

P.S. Thanks Tom! You know why.

The Simple Five Step Formula for Effective Landing Pages

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Jodi Kaplan

Graduated cylinders and beaker filled with che...

Image by Horia Varlan via Flickr

When you’re ready to launch a new product, you’re pretty excited. You’ve been living and breathing this for a long time. You want everyone to love it as much as you do.

But how can you share that excitement? And how do you get others excited too?

The formula for effective landing pages is actually pretty simple.

1. Fascinating headline

Something that makes them stop and take a second look. Pull them in with a headline that seems strange, such as Marketing Lessons From My Cat. Or, try the curiosity approach: Celebrities: See Them Bare All (thank you Bill Jayme), or those “one weird old tip” ads.

2. Bond with your readers

Show them you understand their problems. “Have you ever struggled with….?” “When my computer broke…” If you had a problem (and solved it), talk about how frustrated you were, and your joy when you discovered the solution.

3. Offer solutions

Remember that problem you had in step two? Tell them what happened when you fixed it. How you saved time. Or earned more money. Or got more sales on your web site. Have a specific audience in mind. Don’t write a job search guide for everyone, create one for older workers looking for a new job.

4. Prove it works

Get some testimonials. Make them easy to spot in your copy (bold or quote). Add photos if you can. Or, highlight how many other people have already used your product (if it’s not new).

5. Ask for the sale

Don’t be shy. Ask straight out. Make it absolutely clear what you want people to do. Call. Click here. Fill out this form. Use a big button that’s easy to see and stands out from the rest of the page. The harder it is (the more friction) the fewer sales. There’s a reason why paypal and amazon buttons are bright orange.

P.S. This works in print too. Shhh, don’t tell the online marketers.

How to Write Email Newsletters That Work

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Jodi Kaplan

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I signed up to a top, brand-name newsletter a few months ago. The blogger’s posts were really helpful, and I thought that his newsletter would be too.

It turned out to be useless. The newsletter was composed entirely of links back to that week’s posts. There was no extra value to subscribing at all. I could have just used an RSS feed and gotten the exact same content.

It felt as if he couldn’t be bothered to spend a few extra minutes to create something special (and incidentally nurture his email list).

Send your readers fresh content

If you want people to read your newsletter, tell them something extra. Give them articles you don’t post on your blog. Or, add additional links or resources that they can’t find easily elsewhere.

If you don’t have fresh content, curate some useful tools or links (not necessarily your own). Group them together with a theme, such as “15 web design hacks” or “5 expense tracking tools.”

Give subscribers special treatment

For instance, when I publish a free ebook, I offer it to my newsletter subscribers first. That gives them a chance to look it over before anyone else sees it. If you create a new course (paid or not), or schedule a webinar, tell your readers first.

This serves two purposes: first you have a chance to get feedback and update the course or product based on what your subscribers think; second, your subscribers will feel special because they’re first in line for new products.

Offer your readers bonuses and extra goodies

Another tactic is to put together special discounts or offers that aren’t available to the general public. Send an email offering a deal on your ebook or services. Or, arrange to offer them an extra bonus or discount on someone else’s product.