Category Archives: Small Business Online Marketing Strategies

Marketing your small business online can be an effective way to market your products and services. It can also be an enormous waste of time and effort, especially if you are using the wrong online marketing strategies

First, your design, writing, and offer all have to work together. Poor copywriting, bad design, and painful user interfaces can all drive away your hard-won traffic. Using social media to shout at people can also drive people away (instead of drawing them in).

Get tips on the right way to write for the web. It’s different than writing for print and you may have to toss out some of the rules you learned back in school.

Small businesses make plenty of other online marketing mistakes, such as using too much jargon, or concentrating too much on a pretty design, instead of usability. Hard to use designs are just as bad. If visitors can’t use your site, they will leave.

And, of course, there’s landing pages. Landing pages are your 24/7 sales team. They’ve got to answer all the questions you can’t answer in person. If they’re not working, neither are your sales (or your profits). Learn the most common landing page goofs and how to correct them.

How to Write a Landing Page That Converts: 10 Secrets That Really Work

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Jodi Kaplan

Image by viZZZual.com via Flickr

If you don’t already know, a landing page is a special sort of page on your web site. It’s a page designed for one thing, and one thing only – to generate action. This could be a sale, a newsletter signup, or a lead generation form.

Here’s how to write a landing page that converts.

In order for your landing page to work, you’ll need these ten essential components.

1. A great headline

The headline pulls people in and tells them that there’s something on the rest of the page that they will be interested in reading. It promises to solve a problem, help them learn something, save money, or perform better. It’s the most important part of the page – blow the headline and you’re sunk. Luckily, there are some proven ways to write great headlines.

2. Testimonials

This is proof from other people that what you’re selling or offering really works. It’s called social proof. It helps you build credibility online (or off) with people who don’t know you. Include full names (Bob L., from Kansas isn’t very reassuring), and a photo (if you can). The testimonials should be as specific as possible. For instance, “My teeth used to be dull and yellow, but after using Dr. Rick’s super-bright smile booster for one week, they’re now dazzling white and beautiful.”

3. A photo of the product

People like to see what they’re getting. Put in a picture. If it’s an e-product, create a representation of it (such as a book or a CD).

4. Ask for one thing

And one thing only. Don’t try to get a newsletter signup, a tweet, and an ebook purchase all on the same page. Even if it’s something that’s going to be in front of lots of people. You’ll just confuse people. You’ll also dilute the response you get, as it will be spread out among two or three things. And make sure it’s absolutely clear what you want them to do. Make it a big red button.

5. State the benefits

Tell your readers what they’ll get. You made the promise in the headline, now explain how it works. What results will they get? What problem does it solve? How long does it take?

6. Sub-headings

It’s tough to read a big block of text (especially online). Plus, there are two ways people read. Some read every word, many just skim the headlines and sub-heads – and then stop to read the full paragraph when they find something interesting. Allow for both.

7. Multiple order buttons

People click more when there’s more than one button – even if it goes to the same place. Use two or three and distribute them throughout the page(depending on how long your page is) .

8. A big, fat guarantee

Stand by your work. Offer a money-back guarantee. This is another way to show credibility – you’re so sure that your product will work, that you’re willing to risk a refund. You’ll actually make more sales with a refund.

9. A value statement

Explain how much the product(s) are worth, compared to the actual price. If it’s an e-book, compare it to your hourly consulting rate. Or several products (sold separately) to the price of one product.

10. A thank you

After someone fills out your form, or buys your product, thank them. You might also suggest they do something else, such as read your blog. Or, explain what will happen next – whether someone will call them, or how the rest of the delivery process for the e-book works. Besides, it’s polite.

Is This Common Website Design Mistake Driving People Away from Your Website?

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Jodi Kaplan

There’s a marketing guru whose blog I used to read quite often. I like his posts, but I can’t stand to read them any longer. His website design is driving people away.

His content is great, but he’s got a thing for bright, shiny toys – and kept adding more and more widgets, ads, and popups – to the point where I couldn’t read his blog any longer. It gave me a headache. I did keep my subscription to his newsletter though (because that stood still).

Well, today I clicked on a link back to his site – and voila! he’s fixed it. Still some blinking and moving, but much, much better. So now I can read his blog again.

Does your website do the same? Are you driving people away with your addiction to “shiny toy syndrome”?

It doesn’t matter how great your content is, or how skilled you are, if the visitors to your site can’t use it.

Videos, popovers, popunders, hello bars, and subscription requests can all be useful and helpful additions to a website. But not when they overwhelm your visitors. Or worse, when the video plays automatically, the popover covers the page, or readers have to fight their way through a thicket of ads/popups/subscription requests, and videos just to read the first words on the page.

I just looked at another site that greeted me with a popup (asking me to subscribe to their blog. That was layered on top of another popup for an ebook. There was another subscription request (for the same ebook) in the right sidebar. Plus, a long list of sharing icons on the left.

I haven’t read one word of the article yet, and already they want me to make a long-term commitment. Nope.

Take a step back. Think about the user experience. Then cut back on some of those blinky flashy lights and shiny new toys.

Your readers will thank you.

Use A/B Split Testing to Write Better Copy

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Jodi Kaplan

Image by Yodel Anecdotal via Flickr

Would you like to improve your copywriting ? You can. And, you don’t necessarily have to write a single word.

There’s an old technique we use in direct mail (the kind with paper) that also works on the web. You can do it with copy, a button color, the wording on your call-to-action; anything you like.

Do a split-test

It’s called an A/B split. Essentially what you do is you divide your list into two pieces: A then B, then A, then B (etc.)

One thing at a time

Then you test something. Just ONE thing at a time. It could be a different headline. Or, a different call to action. Online, or in an email newsletter, it might be text link copy. Whatever you choose to test, the idea is to see which one gets a better result.

This could be more clicks, more orders, phone calls, whatever your goal is. The version with the most clicks (or orders) wins!

There are paid tools to do this (such as Unbounce), or you can use Google’s Website Optimizer (which is free).

Select something to test

Say you want to test a “buy now” button (A) against a “free demo” one (B) You make two web pages, one with each button. Then you tell Google (or whatever tool you use) to alternate which version people see when they visit your site. The first visitor gets a page with version A (the buy button). The second gets version B (the free demo one), the third gets A, etc.

When you have enough data, you check to see which version did better. Then, if you like, you can run the winner against a third version, to see if the results hold up.

One thing to remember is to make sure you have enough data before you stop the test, or declare a winner. You’ll need two more tools for this.

The first is a sample size calculator. This will show you how many responses you need before you have a valid result.

The second is a tool to calculate the statistical significance of your results and declare a winner. You plug in the number of visitors for each page, add the number of conversions (whatever you decide a conversion is) and look to see which had a better result.

Why split test at all?

We often think we “know” which one is better. Oh, the button that says “buy now”! Or, definitely the button that says “Free Demo” will beat “30-Day Trial.” Guessing can be wrong. Experience can be wrong. Often, the version you think is best isn’t. What works for one company, or even for one product, may not work for another. The only way to know for sure is to test it.

How to Turn Problems Into Cash

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Jodi Kaplan

: Image by tauntingpanda via Flickr

You may have heard that New York has gotten a lot of snow this year.

Heck, we’ve had more snow this season than Winnipeg, Canada (and there’s more coming).

It’s getting hard to find places to put all of it.

If you have to go out, or if you have a car, you’ll have to face huge piles of dirty snow, and trying to figure out exactly which vaguely car-shaped lump is yours.

A big problem

Yesterday, I went out to run some errands and saw a woman starting to shovel her car out. I came back over an hour later, and she was still working on it (now with someone helping her).

Some of the more enterprising among us have turned this problem into an opportunity. I passed another car with a little flag-like sign stuck on the roof. It said, “If you want to free your car, call 212———.” Bet that guy is cleaning up (sorry, couldn’t resist).

What can you fix?

When you’re thinking about a new product or service, look around. See what other people are complaining about. Or struggling with. What frustrates them? Is there a way to profit from those frustrations?

Someone decided to use a big snowstorm to make money. I saw people asking for website critiques over and over – and making the same mistakes repeatedly. So, I created a website review ebook. I also offer a personal website review service.

Have you done this? What services do you offer based on common problems?

The Worst Marketing Idea Ever

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Jodi Kaplan

Image via Wikipedia

Have you heard about the new Facebook feature? It’s called sponsored stories. Facebook has a reputation for shall we say “aggressive” marketing. But this is one of the worst marketing ideas ever.

Here’s what it does.

It takes something you post to your friends, check-ins and likes from other websites and highlights them in the right-hand column of their pages. They call it a “sponsored story.”

It almost sounds useful, but it’s actually a terrible idea.

So wrong. On so many levels.

First, they take your content, without permission or compensation of any kind. They don’t notify you that they are doing it. And, in fact, there was also no advance notice of the new feature.

Second, you cannot block your content from becoming an ad. There’s no opt-out.

Third, it works for anything you “like” on the web (not just on facebook). So if you “like” something on “Wired”, and “Wired” buys advertising, your “like” becomes free advertising. If you mention you just had a Budweiser beer, your post becomes a Budweiser ad (they’re one of the early sponsors).

Fourth, they’re using your posts to spam your friends. The content goes out with your post, and your name on it.

Fifth, they’re charging advertisers money for this.

It’s theft, it’s interruption, and it’s spammy.

Have you heard of this? What do you think? Am I right? Or doesn’t it matter?