The SENSIBLE MARKETING Blog for Startups & Small Business

If you’re reading this, you’re probably looking for new ways to attract new customers–and maybe build closer relationships with your existing customers too. In a recent study, 54% of small businesses surveyed rated e-mail as the top online promotion mechanism to drive customers to their Web sites and storefronts. (Source: DMA Interactive) In my next few posts, I’ll walk you through a series of steps that build your “knowledge base” so that, when you’re done, you’ll be equipped to take advantage of e-mail marketing and its power to grow your business.

We’ll start with how to design an effective e-mail marketing message. Design in this case refers to how you present your content (text, images, and links) in the e-mail message.

Design is so important because poor design and bad formatting can frustrate users and increase your opt-out rate.  Once you lose them, you have a very slim chance of ever getting them back.  If your prospects and customers can’t find the information they want–and find it quickly–they’ll either unsubscribe or just delete the e-mail when it arrives. Please don’t be sloppy in this arena; it will immediately undermine your e-mail marketing campaign and result in lost business.  OK!!!???

Here are the keys to designing effective messages

• Develop a simple layout. Design and layout are crucial to moving your reader through the e-mail. Use an HTML template that provides well-delineated sections. Don’t crowd the design with too much content, imagery, or small text. And don’t use white font on a black background, or other high-contrast combinations.
• Create a look that promotes your brand. An e-mail message is a cheap and effective way to promote your brand. Incorporate your company’s color palette and look into your messages. Ensure your logo is always prominently displayed in the header, or somewhere near the top of the page and add a link to your website or landing page.
• Use images. But do so wisely. If you’re using images of people, remember they can become the “face” of your company. If possible, use photos of real people instead of stock images, which can often seem flat and impersonal. If your message focuses on products, prominently feature them and use high-resolution images. High-quality, well-placed images are proven to increase clicks.
• Drive action. As a rule, all e-mail messages should be designed to drive action. Success in e-mail marketing is about clicks–getting customers to open the e-mail, read it, and respond by clicking through to your Web site, signing up for a free trial, contacting someone in your business, or forwarding the e-mail to a friend. Include a call to action (CTA) in each section of your e-mail marketing message–and repeat the main CTA throughout the message.
• Get to the point. Your content should all be relevant and useful–and again drive the reader to take action. People want to quickly “get” what’s being offered. They don’t want to dig around and wait for the punch line. Put all the important information–the offer and call to action–at the top of the message so the recipient can’t miss it.
• Watch the file size. Make sure your e-mail message is not too big or it might get rejected by some e-mail providers. Some experts suggest keeping the file size under 100 kilobytes (KB).
• Consider getting help. When it comes to designing HTML e-mail messages, it might be a good idea to work with a designer or e-mail service provider that uses Web-based software to help businesses create custom e-mail marketing messages.
• Why not try out some of these tips today? Check out this special offer, Constant Contact (60 Day Free Trial) and see how email marketing will make an immediate impact on your bottom line! 

P.S.  Next week, learn the secrets of “Writing E-mail Copy that Grabs Readers”

Filed under: B2B Marketing Ideas, Email Marketing, Lead Nurturing, digital marketing, double opt-in, email marketing best practices, email marketing services, email marketing software, marketing, web marketing | No Comments

Learn about the importance of search indexing and uncover the secrets to getting your site’s pages indexed…quickly. Whether you have a blog, an enterprise website or a microsite/landing page–this video tutorial will help you get those pages indexed and drive the traffic!

(courtesy of SEOmoz)

Filed under: B2B Marketing Blogs, B2B Marketing Ideas, Search Engine Optimization, b2b marketing books, internet marketing guides, online marketing, sem optimization, seo, webmaster tools, website optimization | No Comments

Losing Money on AdWords? Part II

Focus on Your Landing Pages

Now that you’ve focused on finding the right keywords, setting up your Adwords campaigns, and choosing your bids, it’s time to divert your attention toward landing pages. Internet marketers have proven that a change in landing pages, to accommodate your specific keyword groupings, can have a positive impact on results. 

We all know landing pages are important and A/B testing is a common phrase among search marketers, but are we as an industry taking landing pages to the next level? Search engine marketing traffic is highly engaged and quite honestly, different from other online media. So, why do we direct this traffic to the same generic landing pages?

There is a new movement that centers Web design around search intent. Strong keyword groupings that in the past didn’t have a good “home” will now get a custom built landing page with tailored content. For instance, for a travel client, we created new landing pages with content specific to the psychographic intent of the search phrase or phrases.

Landing pages like this take time and effort to brainstorm and build, but the rewards are worth it if thought out. These custom landing pages are also lead generation forms. They created a great experience with tailored content for the consumer and also increased conversions by 25% when compared to the previous destination pages.

In another instance, we built out landing pages for certain geographic based terms that were important to our client, as it was a service offering that had not been hitting our online metrics. When a new landing page was created around the context of the keyword groupings, the cost per lead dropped significantly (think hundreds of percentage points).

The moral of the story is that search marketers should think more strategically in their landing page decisions. It is more than A/B testing these days. Work with your client and creative teams to enhance the full search experience from start to finish.

Filed under: Lead Generation, Viral Marketing, Web 2.0, ad words, analytics, internet marketing guides, marketing, online marketing, ppc marketing, ppc optimisation, ppc optimization, sem optimization, web marketing, web metrics, website optimization | No Comments