Author Archives: Jodi Kaplan

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My Biggest Online Marketing Mistake

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Inspired by Michael Martine’s confession, I thought I’d share my biggest online marketing mistake.

It was really dumb.  Especially considering my background.  What was it?

I fell for the RSS/subscribers blogging stuff – and didn’t put enough energy and time into building my email list.

Old direct marketing words of wisdom: ‘The money is in the list.”  In case you missed it the first time, “The money is in the list!”

Build yours.  Offer a free ebook, or a video course, or an email course.  Build that list!

Why?

Because people who trust you enough to welcome you into their email inbox (or snail mailbox in the old days), are your best source of buyers.

You “visit” them every week or every month.  They know you, they rely on you, and they trust your expertise and advice. Subscribers are far better prospects than someone clicking on a banner ad on a web site or a search result in Google. In fact, email subscribers convert far better than any other internet advertising option.

Don’t believe me?

There are three times as many email accounts as social media accounts (according to Kissmetrics, as of 2012). Not every business is on Facebook, but they all have email, and they all check it regularly.

It’s more business-oriented than Facebook or Twitter. And, you can speak to subscribers directly. You can personalize your emails with their names, their past purchases (if any), or data about their behavior.  You can’t segment Facebook or Twitter or Instagram. Plus, with Facebook’s algorithm shenanigans it’s tough to even reach your audience in the first place!

And, email marketing drives more clicks and more conversions too.

OK, your turn.  What’s your biggest online marketing mistake?


Hair, Glue, and Customer Service

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While browsing through the online TV schedule Sunday, my TV froze. Then it went black and turned off. I rebooted the box.

Nothing.

I did it again. Nothing. So, I called the cable company. They tried to reboot it.

Nothing (it got stuck halfway through).

After about 40 minutes of this, the rep decided I needed a tech visit. OK. But the first available visit was for March 7 (?!?). No worries, he said. Just call early Monday morning and ask for same-day service. Give them your confirmation number and you’ll be all set.

Monday arrives, and I call. The new rep says no appointments, wait until next Monday. But… but… Sorry, nothing she can do. But?!? BUT!!?!! What the??!! Grrr.

So, I’m getting more and more annoyed. But, I decide not to blow my stack. I ask if there’s a “level 2” person (like in tech). No. There’s nothing she can do. How about a supervisor? She grudgingly transfers me. I talk to the supervisor. He checks around, then calls me back. Nothing that day, but I can have an appointment Tuesday afternoon). Hooray!

Now, why did that have to be so hard? And does anyone know how I can glue back the clump of hair I tore out?

5 Email Marketing Myths: Busted?

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This post was inspired by a recent post on Problogger written by Georgina Laidlaw, Darren’s content manager.

She decided to do a split test of two emails, and what she found busted some common email marketing myths.

Do you follow these common rules (that aren’t necessarily true)?

Five email marketing myths

Here are the myths:

1) use call to action links
2) sell the customer before they’ll click
3) offer a discount
4) drive readers to action
5) use bold, bullets, and subheads to make your message easy to scan

Myth #1: Use call to action links

This means using words such as “order now”, “click here” – as a link vs. a link with the name of the product or other information. I would use both. See which kind gets more clicks, and then repeat that in the next email. And make sure it’s clearly a link – make it a different color or underline it, or put it on its own line (if you’re doing text emails).

Myth #2: Sell the customer before they’ll click

Where should the first link to the product be? In the fifth paragraph? Or near the beginning? Put both in. Some readers are convinced to learn more after reading a few lines. Others need more information.

Myth #3: The subject line must offer a discount

A discount isn’t the first thing people want – unless they’re sitting with credit card in hand, ready to buy that exact item. If I sent an email selling pink snow boots at 25% off it wouldn’t do much good – unless I absolutely knew that my audience was ready to buy pink snow boots. If they’re men, or hate pink, or live someplace without much snow, it won’t matter how big a discount I offer – it will be irrelevant.

Myth #4 -Drive readers to action

Yelling at people definitely doesn’t work. Instead, build a picture in their minds of what they’ll get from using/buying your product. Explain the problem, and how your service is a solution.

Myth #5 – Bold fonts, bullets, and subheads equal easy to read

What’s important is to break up the text. Long paragraphs are hard to read online. I agree about the bullets – do use them – and put the important words at the beginning. Use action words (such as achieve, master, learn).

What do you think? Are these really myths? Has she busted them? Do you think they would be effective with your emails?

Do You Make These Common Landing Page Mistakes?

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Ever wonder why your marketing campaign isn’t doing as well as you’d like?

You’re getting plenty of visits, but nobody is signing up, or downloading.  Your conversion rate makes you want to weep.

Maybe it’s your landing page. A landing page that’s confusing, hard to read, or hard to navigate can turn a great campaign into a hot mess.

On the other hand, a page that’s easy to read, easy to use, and compelling will turn a failed campaign into a roaring success.

Here are five common landing page mistakes  (and what you can do to fix them).

1) Not having one

The first step in a successful landing page is having one. Many companies forget to do this. Even big ones. They invest lots of money in Adwords, banners, and social media marketing – and then forget to make a landing page. Visitors get confused and discouraged, and then leave without buying anything.

2) Drinking your own Kool-aid

Sometimes we get so caught up in our products we forget what other people might think. Do they care that your widget has 1,047 different uses? Or are they mostly interested in just one or two of those? And why? Sell the holes.

3) Too many choices

I confess, I did this once, with snail mail.  I listened to my then boss and included both a cheaper book and an expensive training program in the same offer letter. Guess which one people bought? Ugh!

4) A weak guarantee

Offer a strong guarantee – and stand by it. My favorite is the backwards and forwards guarantee: if you don’t find your purchase useful, return it for a refund (just ask). Send the product to someone else you think can use it. Let me know why it didn’t work, and I’ll improve it for the next version or suggest other people or resources that may help.

5) Fancy wordplay

I love words. I do. But when you’re writing a landing page, keep it simple and direct. Not everyone may know those big words. You don’t want them stopping in the middle of reading to click on a dictionary widget (or, gasp, grab a book off the shelf). If you have to, run your text through a reading level analyzer.  Most word processors have them built in, and if you have the Yoast SEO plugin, that will check your blog posts.  You want a higher number score.  For example, this post clocks in at 81.5, which is roughly 8th or 9th grade level.