Good Marketing Tip #197

Today's marketing tip is all about testing. Did you know that by testing landing pages, the average lift in response is 40%? Yes... forty percent. If you're doing any direct marketing, you know how significant that number can be.

I sat in on a Webinar today that talked about optimizing landing pages and improving conversion rates. This is something I do on a regular basis and is essential for anyone trying to improve search engine ranking. The key is to do A/B testing ALL THE TIME!

The easiest way that I've found for regular testing is to use Google Webmaster Tools. This is incredibly helpful because they have something called Google Website Optimizer. This allows you to test either a single web page element or multiple elements (multivariate testing). Regardless of which one you choose, Google does all the heavy lifting.

So today's marketing tip is this. Sign up for Google webmaster tools, learn more about A/B testing, and start evaluating how to improve conversion rates on your web pages. You'll learn a great deal about browser behavior and more importantly improve conversions.

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Posted in: google

Marketing Tip #196

Link to me please! I find it pretty funny that so many people have, all of a sudden, woken up to search engine optimization and the concept of improving organic search results. I don't know why it's taken so long but I feel like the industry is finally starting to shift.

As a marketing person who has always been involved with promotion - from print to the web - organic and paid search marketing has always been important to me. I've taken dozens of courses, seminars, etc. on both of these topics (I even wrote a book about it) yet I still feel like there is always more to learn.

Now the rest of the free world seems to be focusing on taking their online marketing to the next level. What does this mean for each of us? I think for some of us it means that we're in a good position to teach others about doing business online, what works, and what doesn't. I think for others who are less experienced in this area, it's more of a wake up call.

If you're not comfortable with doing business online, search engine optimization, or even PPC marketing, then get comfortable. Take a course, an online seminar, or do-it-yourself. I was reminded while reading a book last night that nothing can take the place of actual experience. Do you have your own Adwords account? Website? Blog? If you don't, get started. This is the best way to learn and costs very little.

By staying on top of your game you can help others and more importantly help yourself. Where do you stand on this topic? Do you feel that seo and ppc are now part of your discussions more than ever?

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Posted in: PPC,seo

Marketing Tip #195

Is your marketing proving more challenging today? I hear from a number of marketers that they are having major difficulties acquiring new customers. So in today's blog post I wanted to talk a little about new client acquisition and some marketing tactics you can use.

Tactic #1: Referrals. This is something this is largely overlooked but very effective. Reach out to your current customer base and ask them for referrals. Even better, provide an incentive for signing up and/or referring new customers to your product or service.

Tactic #2: Introductory Pricing. This is usually called try before you buy and is a great way to get people started. Offer an introductory fee that is a fraction of what it normally costs for a month of your service. Or offer first time buyers a 30% discount. All you need to do is break even on the first purchase as many of these customers will become repeat buyers.

Tactic #3: Offer Value Add. One of my favorite tactics is to offer a free guide or work shop. This equates value to you, your service, or your product. Offering something that gets people engage at little or no cost is paramount to success.

Try these marketing tips to see if you can drum up some new business! After giving it a try, be sure to comment below so that others can learn from your success.

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Posted in: marketing tip new client