Author Archives: John Pfeiffer

Google be Walkin’ the Plank

Ahoy Matey!

Raise the Jolly Roger an’ keep a weathered eye open.

Them scurvy dogs at Google will soon be swimmin’ with the fishes down in Davey Jones Locker.

But before Google walks, we’re gonna make ‘em talk. Keelhaul ‘em and get ‘em to tell us where X marks the spot.

Avast ye! This is where I need yer help.

Me hearty . . . I’ll be meetin’ with Google this Thursday, September 22nd for a video-taped interview an’ I need some good stuff from you to grill ‘em.

https://ppcmanager.wufoo.com/forms/google-be-walkin-the-plank/

Send me yer toughest questions an’ I’ll broadside them bilge rats. Things you’d like to know about AdWords, SEO, Google My Business and the like.

Go on account an’ take no prisoners.

We be getting’ Google to show us their colors an’ true intentions.

So get yer swagger an’ send over yer questions.

https://ppcmanager.wufoo.com/forms/google-be-walkin-the-plank/

An’ no quarter given.

Arrrgh!

Cap’n John Pfeiffer

P.S. In case yer forgettin’, September 19, 2016 be Talk like a Pirate Day!

Yo-ho-ho.

“Allow the Google Interrogation to Begin”

Below are funny quotes I found yesterday while Googling “interrogation movie lines”.

Bad Guy: “I get it. Good Cop, Bad Cop, eh?”
Good Cop: “If you like. But we’re a bit short staffed here. So if I give you a cigarette, would you mind kicking yourself in the teeth?”
― Terry Pratchett, Night Watch

Now, here’s your chance to play Bad Cop.

On Thursday, September 22nd, I plan to conduct a very insightful and direct interview of Google.

I’d like your questions to ask them.

https://ppcmanager.wufoo.com/forms/your-chance-to-play-the-bad-cop/

This will be important Qualitative Information that’s difficult to capture in the world of Big Data. Please keep your questions relevant to AdWords, YouTube, GA, GTM and other Google properties.

https://ppcmanager.wufoo.com/forms/your-chance-to-play-the-bad-cop/

Let’s hope they get it.

Here’s to your online success!

John Pfeiffer

P.S. Send me your questions for Google today . . . before it’s too late. – https://ppcmanager.wufoo.com/forms/your-chance-to-play-the-bad-cop/

Let’s Put Google on the Hot Seat!!!

In a few short weeks, I’ll be interviewing Google at their Boulder, Colorado office. It will be a privilege and honor to spend time one-on-one inside the walls of Google.

So, I say . . . Let’s Put ‘Em on the Hot Seat!!!!

Finally, here’s your opportunity to ask Google the tough questions you always wanted to ask. And, hopefully, get the inside line to help you navigate Google’s ever-changing online world.

Just click on the link below and send me your question(s).

https://ppcmanager.wufoo.com/forms/lets-put-google-on-the-hot-seat/

Please keep your requests related to AdWords, Shopping, Remarketing, SEO, YouTube, or other Google products.

Ask as many intriguing questions as you’d like.

Questions for the interview will be selected based on relevancy, creativity, degree of difficulty and level of interest among all participants.

After my interview is completed, I’ll post the video on my blog at ppcforsmallbiz.com/blog. We’ll then notify you via email and social media to come check out the interview in its entirety.

So . . . ASK away.

Here’s the form link again.

https://ppcmanager.wufoo.com/forms/lets-put-google-on-the-hot-seat/

I look forward to making ’em squirm in their chair.

Here’s to your online success!

John Pfeiffer

4 Ways to Build Credibility to Grow your Business (plus a Tip for Decreasing Uncertainty)

Recently, while being interviewed for an article by Hub Staff, the reporter’s questions gave me reason to pause.

His questions made me think about where I’ve struggled at times as well as how we’ve grown, and continued to evolve as a business.

I told the reporter that running a business is a lot like navigating a ship through uncertain waters. Sometimes it’s smooth sailing and the business model works like a charm. Other times, you need to anticipate the wave and tack in one direction or the other to avoid getting wiped out.

While I’ll be revealing more about this in the coming months, today I wanted to share some of the things which I believe have allowed our business to consistently grow and expand.

Here are (4) things you can do to increase your credibility and keep your business on course:

1) Define your values and be authentic. Often you are told to deliver what your customer wants. While this is true, it’s not just about attracting clients with bold promises. It’s about boldly proclaiming what you believe and attracting clients that line up with your authentic beliefs and values.

I take an analytics –first approach. Testing and analyzing the data of different product offerings, services, pricing, and so on is something which helps me to decrease the uncertainty about the direction of my business. I am passionate about and deeply committed to this approach. I also have a belief that my clients want to decrease their uncertainty too. After all, less uncertainty reduces stress and increases your chance of success. Right?

What are the values you feel passionate about and are deeply commited to?

2) Align your personality and brand personality. As a business owner, YOU are the face of your company. If you try to be something you’re not, people see through that, lessening your credibility. However, when you align with your personality, it strengthens your credibility.

PPC for Small Biz focuses on analytics. This approach not only lines up with my values and who I am, but it is something that oozes out of me. My clients are loyal because they can see we are deeply committed to this approach which saves them thousands of dollars by allowing them to test ideas, price, copy and other data for a small investment rather than spending tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more) developing an idea or product that won’t sell.

Our approach which lines up with my personality gives us an advantage because clients can see it’s important to us that they have peace of mind and get a return on their investment (ROI.)

Is your personality and brand compatible?

3) Be consistent. When you are unwavering in your commitment and messages, it breeds credibility. Once you define your values and align them with your personality, your messaging needs to stay consistent. To be clear, this doesn’t mean you can’t expand your product or service offering. It’s just that your expansion should line up with your values and personality.

Personally this is something I question in my own business on a regular basis. For instance, the majority of our business over the years has been managing Google AdWords for small businesses. More recently we’ve started supporting large enterprise level clients too. At first I wondered if this expansion lined up with our messaging and brand. But here’s the thing. My real brand personality isn’t just about doing PPC for Small Businesses. It’s about taking an analytics-first approach. It’s about being personally committed to my customers to help them get the best results I can. And that doesn’t change no matter what size or type of company it is.

Are you being consistent in your messaging? Are you conveying the RIGHT message?

4) Make sure new products and services align with your personality. New York Senator Chuck Schumer said, “In today’s competitive economy, to stand still is to die.” Whether you agree with Schumer’s politics or not, this statement is true. I once read, people don’t ask, “What’s old?” they ask, “What’s new?” To keep people engaged and interested, you have to keep making new offers.

Product offering is another area I frequently question. What can I offer that is consistent with my brand personality? I’ve comfortably expanded into offering BingAds, Yahoo Gemini, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook because these easily relate to and align with my core offerings.

But I’m continually evaluating how we should proceed and what direction we should take with our product and service offerings. I’ve realized that I may have limited myself more than I need to because I wasn’t considering that my REAL personality is an analytics-first approach, not my original core offer which is PPC for small businesses.

Do your new product and service offerings line up with your brand personality? After examining your brand personality closer, could you offer something more than you are now?

Keeping a small business afloat –especially during difficult times isn’t always easy. However when you embrace your personality and values… convey consistent messaging and product offerings…and are authentic… you’ll find your credibility rises and attracts more and better customers. Which means it will be much easier to not only stay afloat, but stay on course to grow your business.

Take time to consider these questions. In thinking about your answers, you may just find you surprise yourself. Plus, making your business more closely align with your values and personality, you may find you enjoy your business more than you ever have before.

Here’s to your online success!

Why are you a better choice than your competition? Here’s a simple way to find out.

Last month I wrote about creating a “Buying Guide” to help distinguish your business and eliminate your competition. Along with a lot of positive feedback about this idea, I received a common question. Many wanted to know what you should include in your buying guide to make yourself stand out.

One of the best ways is to determine what makes you stand out is by simply asking your clients, customers, or patients what they like most about your company, product or service. If their answer doesn’t directly point to an obvious advantage, more often than not their answers give strong clues for you to draw on. For example, let’s say you are a dentist. Your patients tell you that they always feel like they are coming to see a friend because your staff always greets them with a smile and asks about their family members by name. Because many people have a fear of going to the dentist, your advantage here would be that you have a dental practice patients actually look forward to visiting.

Another powerful way is to evaluate the most common reasons prospects tell you they are looking to change from their current product or service provider to your product or service.

For example, something I hear a lot from clients as to why they left their previous PPC management company is that they are tired of being reassigned to new account reps.

In fact, a recent prospective client told me he was looking to switch his PPC management from a large marketing company. When I asked him why, he told me that his account kept getting bounced around between different PPC managers who he felt had very little vested interest in his business. Every time his account was reassigned to a new point person, he had to re-educate this new person on his company’s goals, needs, and so on.

Because it is common for digital marketing companies to hire young, inexperienced people to manage their clients’ PPC campaigns and because Millennials tend to job-hop between companies, this creates a distinct advantage for my company.

So one of the things I want to play up in my “Buying Guide” is Big Business vs. Small Boutique Firm.

How I showcase this in my “Buying Guide” is like this:

Should You Choose a Big firm or a Boutique Firm?

Considering the small business owner needs every dollar spent to mean something, you’ll want to take careful consideration in choosing the firm that represents you. Because every good opportunity missed and every bad move made has big consequences.

With that in mind, here are some questions to consider before hiring a firm to handle your PPC management.

• Would you prefer to work with employees or directly with the boss of the company?

• Are you okay with having information passed on second hand or do you want to hear information straight from the person with whom the buck stops?

• Are you okay with having your point person re-assigned or would you rather have the same person who knows your account inside and out, backwards and forwards?

• Which do you prefer? A beginning level employee or someone with not only years’ of experience but who is also passionate about PPC?

• Are you okay with re-educating people on your goals, needs and so on should there be turnover in the firm or would you rather explain your goals and needs one time only when you first begin with the firm?

It is common for big digital marketing companies to hire young, inexperienced people to manage their
clients’ PPC campaigns, especially for small business clients with smaller ad budgets. These Millennials tend to job-hop between companies in order to climb the corporate ladder. This means your account not only is handled by inexperienced people, but it’s common to have your account passed off to new hires when your rep leaves for another job. This requires you to educate the newly appointed representative handling your account.

With boutique firms, you are much more likely to deal directly with the owner or a highly experienced PPC manager. Because you are dealing directly with the owner, there is a vested interest in your success. Plus if you are dealing with the owner, you’ll never have to worry about having your account turned over to a new representative. Small boutiques understand that every dollar you spend must count and that bad moves can’t be afforded because they are in the same boat since they are small business owners themselves.

For example, as the owner and operator of PPC for Small Biz, I have a vested interest in the online success of all my clients. It’s my number one concern and it’s one of the main reasons that I started PPC for Small Biz in 2007. I’ve seen the disservice that many small business owners tend to receive from their digital marketing service providers and I opened up my shop to stop this injustice. You see – there is a big difference between large businesses where you’re just a number and a small boutique firm like ours where you can actually have a free marketing consultation with the company founder. In big agencies, their bottom line matters most. In our company, your bottom line matters most because if you succeed then we all succeed. In big companies, you’ll tend to work with newbies just out of school. In our firm, you’ll work with database marketers with over 25 years of experience. In large businesses, you’ll experience working with lots of different employees who can’t wait for 5pm to arrive. At our firm, you’ll find us burning the midnight oil whenever called upon. “

If one of your new clients or patients recently changed from a different company, ask them what it was that made them switch to you. You may be surprised at what you learn. Plus, by asking prospective clients why they are unhappy with the choices available to them or why they are looking to make a change, you may unearth the key points that make you stand out the most.

Now go out and create your “Buying Guide!”

Eliminate ALL of your competition with this one effective idea

In a small retail store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the business owners face a problem most business owners face today…

Competition due to commoditization.

This particular store sells mattresses. In their market there are 136 other stores that also sell mattresses.

What about your product or service? How many others sell what you sell in your market space?

Here’s the thing. Even if you only have one other competitor in your market, you must find a way to be in a category of one. In other words, to be different and offer something that no one else offers.

How do you do that?

Today I’ll show you how to create a bait piece that will not only effectively generate leads but will pre-sell your prospects making them predisposed to buy from you instead of your competitors.

One of the reasons the method I’m about to share with you works so well is that most business owners will not take the time to implement this.

Having said that, it’s the kind of thing that over and over customers say is the deciding factor for customers. Here’s what one customer of that small mattress store said, “It is what helped “sell me” on choosing your company…it also showed me your commitment to being the best place I should consider for my purchase.”

So what is this bait piece?

A Buying Guide.

Continue reading and you’ll get the entire step-by-step process for quickly and easily creating your own buying guide to generate leads for your business.

Before you get started, keep in mind that the purpose of your Buying Guide is to educate your customer about the issues and decision points you want your customers to be aware of. In other words, you want to produce your Buying Guide with the end purpose in mind which is to create an educated customer that after reading your Buying Guide will believe you are the only possible source that can supply the solution they need.

With this in mind your Buying Guide should be a short guide that teaches your customer, client or patient HOW to consume your product or service. This can be delivered in the form of a printed book or booklet or a downloadable guide. (I recommend one or both of these formats so that you can get prospects on your list and follow up with them.)

Your Buying Guide should produce a customer or client that understands your views as follows:
• How your prospect currently perceives your industry.
• How you perceive the industry.
• How you are different (i.e. your Unique Selling Proposition or USP).
• How the person reading your Buying Guide can benefit by engaging with you.
• What they will learn and why it is important to them.
• What mistakes they will avoid with this information.

After your prospective customer has read your Buying Guide, he or she should:
• Understand your language.
• Have a comprehensive idea of what to expect from you and how you will treat them.
• Be able to clearly identify how you are unique and different.
• Feel as if you’ve added massive value to their purchase.
• Move from a “need to do this mindset” to a “I want to do this and am excited” to purchase your product or service.
• Have all fear and apprehension lowered or gone.

To set up your Buying Guide, I suggest incorporating the following six items:

1. A forward explaining your view of the industry you are in and how you understand that this can be confusing or scary.

2. An “About Us” and an introduction page.

3. A table of contents so those who skim can go right to the information they want right away.

If you have something very unique be sure to showcase this across from the table of contents so that people will see it front and center. For example, at PPC for Small Biz you receive Free consulting in important areas of your Internet Marketing such as email marketing, landing pages, and conversion rate optimization directly from the founder of the company who has over 25 years of direct marketing experience(learn more at www.PPCforSmallBiz.com)

4. Your Buying Guide should have at least eight chapters, remember more is not always better. However, keep in mind that a chapter might only be one or two pages long.

Each chapter should be about helping your customer better understand what they are buying and how to buy it more effectively and without remorse, remember you want to create a hyper buyer ready to do business with you and you only.

5. Insert testimonials throughout your Buying Guide and have a section dedicated to just testimonials.

6. Since you are educating your customers, if you are planning on printing your Buying Guide, you may also want to include a place for your customers to write notes.

Now let’s look at example from my Buying Guide, “A Guide to Overcoming 8 Common PPC Buying Mistakes”

Mistake #1: Not Confirming Who Will Be Handling Your Account

Really, this statement seems ridiculous. You would assume that the person who sells you your service would be the person servicing your account or at least that the person that is showcased in your presentation would be. But you would be surprised by the number of people who purchase PPC services from a company in the U.S. only to find out later that they must speak to someone overseas who speaks English as a second language.

Other situations include:
• Only being able to communicate via email and unsure who is reading and responding to your email.
• Being assigned to a rookie fresh out of school who only has little experience in one area—which may or may not be right for you.
• Being put into a recorded call center where you have to answer a series of questions such as what your name, phone # and account number is and an upsell conversation before you ever get to speak to someone.

The time you spend trying to explain your question or answer unimportant questions to someone who doesn’t even know anything about your account directly impacts not only your satisfaction with your PPC service but how successful your campaigns will be.

Helpful Tips

Be sure to ask direct, specific questions about who will be handling your account, how you will communicate with them and what the process is. Be sure you are completely satisfied with how you will communicate before you purchase from them.

Ask the following questions:
 Is the person handling my account a PPC expert with 10 or more years’ experience?
 Will I have a number I call directly to reach the person handling my account?
 Will I be able to contact you by phone?
 Does the person handling my account speak English as their first language?

If the answers to the questions above are not positive, you should really think about whether the company you are considering is right. Do they care about you getting the best results and experience or are they just there to sell PPC?

PPC for Small Business never passes your online advertising programs off to junior level admins, foreign subsidies, or rookies just out of school. We are the only Search Engine Marketing Specialists that offer all of the following:
 Adwords Certified Professionals
 Over 25 years of database marketing and SEM knowledge
 Winner of the Google Partners All-Star Competition for 3 years in a row.
 Guarantee that you will only work with seasoned advertising professionals who understand small businesses as well as the franchisee/franchisor and manufacturer/distributor/dealer relationships.
 Completely U.S. based company
 Custom & proprietary database of internet marketing knowledge that brings qualified leads to your small business, franchise or dealer network quickly and cost effectively.
 Free consultation with a senior internet marketing executive

All of this is done at no extra cost to our clients. We offer this and go the extra mile so that you receive the best possible results and can experience a competitive advantage for your business.

Create your own Buying Guide as a way to show your prospective clients just how important a decision it is to buy your product or service from you and you alone.

Maximize profits by turning customers into sales ambassadors . . .

We’ve all witnessed the power of a recommendation…

The way your perspective instantly changes when a friend tells you they’ve tried a product, eaten at a restaurant, seen a great movie or read a book and said, “It was unbelievably amazing-you have to experience it!” Or “I’ve tried that and I loved it!”

You’re instantly inclined to try whatever product or service is in question simply because you trust your family and friends. In fact, according to Nielsen research, 92% of people trust recommendations from their friends and family more than all other forms of marketing.

Some other findings about referrals that make them even more desirable:
– Customers referred by other customers have a 37% higher retention rate. (Deloitte)
– A referred customer has a 16%-25% higher lifetime value. (Wharton School of Business)
– Referral customers tend to be more loyal than other customers. (American Marketing Association)
– According to Market Force, “81% of U.S. online consumers’ purchase decisions are influenced by their friends’ social media posts.”

It follows that one of the best marketing strategies you can put in place is a referral marketing campaign. Not just the traditional “ask for a referral” campaign, but one that leverages your customers and turns them into sales ambassadors who spread the word about your product and services.

Imagine having a whole sales team of customers out there working for you for free. Not only that—as the stats clearly show above, they are more effective!

Which means…because referrals have a much higher close percentage, they are an excellent way to maximize your profits.

The best part… you can create sales ambassadors for your products and services…essentially at no cost to you.

Let’s look at a real live example of this in action.

For the past three years, the Walt Disney Company has done a summer campaign called “Jet, Set, Go.” Now I want you to think about Disney. It’s a name people already know and trust. There is a massive audience already engaging with Disney who are loyal fans. Yet with this one single campaign, Disney received a 40% increase in their reach of core television media thanks to referrals.

Imagine what a 40% increase could do for your business? Even better imagine what a 40% increase looks like in your profits when you don’t have to deduct advertising costs because the increase came from free referrals.

Now you might be thinking…sure this can work for a company like Disney, but it will never work for mine because I don’t sell a product or service that people talk to their friends and family about.

The thing is, this works for even the type of businesses that people rarely, if ever, talk to their friends and family about. It even works for products and services that are considered uninteresting to talk about…such as insurance or accounting.

You see when it comes to referrals, there is a lot more to it than what type of product or service you sell.

Here are three things that will affect referrals:

1. A customer’s entire experience. Have you ever visited a website and although you loved the product, you were so frustrated with your user-experience, you left without buying? Or maybe you went to a restaurant where the food was terrific, but when you went to use the restroom it was dirty.
It’s not just about having a great product or service. It’s about the entire experience. Impressions can affect whether or not a customer gives you a recommendation or not.

In fact, if their experience is bad, you might receive negative publicity. Remember impressions don’t always have to do with the product or service you sell. It could be that they experienced slow service, were treated badly by a staff member, the packaging was awful, or that they grabbed your product off a dirty shelf.

2. Your communication. A friend of mine has a large online following. Although she wanted to recommend a business she loves, when she went to their Facebook page, the posts did not reflect the brand she had come to know and love. Therefore she opted NOT to give the recommendation because she was embarrassed to tag the business Facebook page.

3. Your ads. Another thing to think about is how your ads are structured. We’ve all seen clever Super Bowl commercials that spread like wildfire—yet, when asked later, nobody can remember what the product is that was being sold.

When creating your ads and videos, be sure that you don’t get so caught up in the creative that your ad doesn’t sell your product. The content of your ad must match your company’s message and reflect a core benefit of your product or service.

That way, if your ad or video is shared, it has the potential to convert casual viewers into eager buyers.

Focus on intentionally creating referrals for your product or service and you’ll grow your business faster and easier — and maximize your profits too.

Part 3 of 3: Two cutting-edge strategies to double, triple, or even, quadruple your sales

Today, in the final part of our series, I’ll discuss how you can drive your unconverted leads back to your landing page. These methods, when done correctly, frequently double, triple and even quadruple response. Which means…if you’re not employing them, you are leaving A LOT of money on the table.

The money is in the follow-up.

Research shows that only 2% of all prospects are ready to buy “right now.” The remaining 98% need to be nurtured, especially if they find you online. That’s because when they first make contact, they don’t know you, like you or trust you. You have to prove to them that you and your product or service will actually do what you claim, and that takes time and education to accomplish.

There are a number of ways you can do this, but today we will focus on two of them.

1) Retargeting.

Retargeting (a.k.a. remarketing) works by keeping track of the people who visit your website and displaying your retargeting ads to them as they visit other sites online, thus keeping you top-of-mind.

Retargeting works by placing code in your website that tracks potential customers’ browsing history so when they visit your site and leave before purchasing or taking the desired action, you can follow up with them.

The data collected creates an ultra-customized audience. This information allows you to display retargeting ads to this ultra-customized audience at appropriate times. In fact, customers can be retargeted just about anywhere they might go online. Which means you’ll have additional chances to send people back to your landing page.

Retargeting is fairly quick and easy to implement and can be done on any budget. More importantly, it will keep you in front of that 98% of traffic that you are currently losing. Plus, it builds awareness and trust by putting your brand in front of this targeted group of customers much in the way Apple or Microsoft repeatedly puts their brand in front of customers. When you do this, you’ll bring back the customers, clients, or patients who were interrupted so you can increase your online sales.

2) A Drip Campaign.

A drip campaign is an email and/or direct mail program that automatically delivers emails, letters, or postcards to customers or prospects on a scheduled basis.

In the past, these campaigns would continue through the end of their predetermined schedule. Today, the developing trend of the most successful drip campaigns deploys emails and letters based on a customer’s actions.

Let me show you what I mean.

Let’s say you want to sell a personal training package. You set up a PPC campaign that drives people to your well-written and designed landing page designed to capture people’s name and email address. To entice them to input their information, you offer a free trial gym membership.

Now that you have captured their name and email, you can begin delivering your drip campaign. The drip campaign delivers messages that address and overcome your prospects objections. Within the messages, there are links that drive your prospects back to the landing page to buy.

The thing is…you’ll have a variety of responses to this campaign. Some will return to your landing page and buy. Others will return without purchasing. Others won’t open a single email.

What your prospects do (or don’t do), will dictate what action you take next.

For example, if a prospect buys after reading an email, they will be not receive any more messages driving them back to the landing page to buy. Instead they will be sent a different message… perhaps an email offering a product or service that will enhance their new purchase or congratulating them on their purchase with directions on what to do next.

If a prospect reads the whole series, returns to your landing page but still doesn’t purchase, you might offer an additional incentive to encourage them to complete the sale such as a free workout planning tool. Or maybe a short survey will be sent to try and understand the prospect better so you can make an offer that is more compelling the next time.

If a prospect never opens an email, the message may be changed into a postcard and mailed to their home address.

The level of complexity and number of triggered events should be carefully considered based on your business model, sales cycle, seasonality, revenue per sale, and so on.

And while setting up an effective drip campaign can be a complex process that takes a fair amount of time and effort, it can pay off big time. Plus, with email, once the system is in place and producing measurable results it should only require basic “care and feeding” to keep the triggers and campaign messages optimized.

Remember, your primary goal is to follow-up with your prospects to give them multiple opportunities to buy from you.

Retargeting is an effective and inexpensive way to compete with bigger brands and repeatedly stay in front of your customer so they will know and recognize you. Drip campaigns give you the opportunity to educate your prospects on what you do…how you do it…and why you’re the best solution for them.

Both are automated and consistent. This is a great complement to skilled sales people and can give them a huge advantage since it’s often impossible for sales people to provide detailed follow-up with each new lead. By looking at who is engaging in your drip campaign, you or your sales people can identify who are the best qualified leads and concentrate their efforts on them.

When you do these two things, you’ll see more leads turn into opportunities and sales will increase dramatically.

Part 2 of 3: What would you do with a million dollars for your business?

Leave a reply

Last month, in part 1 of our 3 part series, I discussed the most effective and efficient way to attract more and better quality leads to your landing page and website. (You can read it here).

This month, we’ll talk about how to convert more of those leads.

“So, if I gave you a million dollars to take away any problem or issue in your business today, how would you use that money?”

That was the question I was recently asked by a vendor. The only stipulation the vendor gave me is that I couldn’t use the money to pay off any debt.

After thinking about it for some time, I decided the first thing I would spend money on is developing and testing landing pages. (A landing page is a stand-alone webpage designed with the single objective of receiving campaign visitors, starting a conversation and closing a deal.)

Why?

Because a high converting landing page is the foundation of a successful online business and the key to making money in your online campaigns.

I know what you’re thinking…developing out and testing new landing pages on a frequent basis can be expensive, time-consuming and frustrating.

However, all it takes is one high-converting landing page to bring in the big bucks. And when your landing page converts well—you can buy traffic and predict what you will make. Which completely makes it worth the time, money and effort.

Plus, if you are driving your traffic to destinations that don’t entice customers into your sales funnel, then you are wasting your time and money.

Not long ago, a conversation with an entrepreneur who sells advertising revealed that one of his customers was getting a lot of leads from advertising his product. In fact, 20 solid leads in the first week the ad appeared. But not one lead closed.

This is not a result of the advertising, but rather something broken in the sales process.

Similarly, if you are getting traffic to your landing page and it’s not converting…that is not a symptom of the campaign driving the traffic but rather a sign that there is a problem with your landing page.

Unfortunately there is no “one-size-fits-all” instruction manual for creating the perfect landing page.

However, here are some of the areas that high-converting landing pages have in common that are worth examining and testing:

Your Headline — Your headline and the quality of your visitor are said to make up 80% of the success of your landing page. A killer headline hooks your reader –grabbing their interest, attention, and understanding. It makes them want to read more.

Messaging — You can use your landing page for almost any purpose such as capturing leads, selling a product, inviting people to an event or webinar, or offering a discount. However you have to remember that your message needs to be:

– Clearly communicated. The purpose of your landing page needs to be communicated clearly and linked to a specific call-to-action. For example, “Save 50% at the restaurants in Colorado when you sign up now.”

– Specifically targeted. Motives are different for why people respond to messages. More than ever, you can inexpensively target very specifically–yet businesses still use very generic messaging. Instead of having one landing page with generic messaging, test having multiple landing pages with different messaging specifically targeting different audiences. For example, a fitness business could create four different messages for four separate landing pages. Each landing page would target a different audience: One to people who want to lose weight. Another to people who want to tone and build muscle. Another for people who are looking for group classes. And a forth for people who are training for a specific sport they participate in.

– Benefit-oriented. Messaging should be clearly focused on the user instead of company-centric. You want to show the reader what’s in it for them. For example, instead of saying, “We’ve been in business for 25 years and offer financial planning products and services that have helped thousands of customers to retire in style,” say… “You can afford to retire! Discover the 3 questions you must answer now to ensure you enjoy the retirement lifestyle you’ve imagined for yourself.”

– Logical flow. The logical flow of a landing page is important. An engaged reader will follow the thought process when you use a compelling message that logically leads them through the process and persuades them every step of the way to take the action you want them to take. Start with your headline, then a clear message and explanation with benefits, include testimonials and end with a call to action.

Trust Elements — Logos, images, graphics and videos can attract your visitors and persuade them emotionally to take action. In fact, images are processed 60,000 times faster than text. Use elements relevant to your product or service. For example, include a money-back guarantee badge, client logos (shows you have experience), payment logos, and a better business bureau logo. A picture of your face can also add a personal touch and go a long way in building trust.

Testimonials also help readers trust your product or service. Seeing a sincere and real quote from a current client can be the push someone needs to take action. Testimonials are strongest when you include a full name, picture, city and state, and when appropriate name of company or title such as CEO or Doctor.

A Guarantee — Guarantees help readers feel reassured and improves the likelihood of conversion. For example, “Try our product for 60 days. If you aren’t completely satisfied for any reason, return it and we’ll give you every single cent back. We’ll even cover the cost of return shipping.”

The Call to Action (CTA) — A powerful Call-to-Action is one of the most significant pieces of your landing page.

In general:
– Make your CTA larger so it stands out.
– Make your CTA compelling. Don’t use the word “submit.” Instead use more exciting and explosive language. For example, “Getting started takes less than 5 minutes. Try it FREE now.”
– Use a button. Users have been trained to expect the CTA to be a button. Stick with the tried and true so people know what to do.
– Use a contrasting color. Your landing page has a color scheme. Now, whatever color you use on your CTA, make it different. At the most basic level, your CTA button needs to possess color. And, to make it stand out, that color needs to contrast from the other colors on the screen. Contrasting colors help to attract the eye, and compel the click. For example, if the font is blue and black on your landing page, then you might choose a green button.

There are a lot of small changes that can increase your conversion rate. As mentioned, small tweaks such as the button color, font type, and spacing can all increase your results. However, I’ve found that the biggest increases come from testing bigger things such as headlines, the flow, messaging, guarantee and Call-to-Action.

If you want to make more money in 2016, then looking at ways to test your landing page might just be the ticket.

Part 1 of 3: When Google is Bad for your Business

Leave a reply

Today is the first article in a series of three.

I’ll be showing you the most effective and efficient way to attract more and better quality leads and increase their conversion.

Let’s get started…

J.G. recently confided in me …

“Why are other psychotherapists doing better than me? I have 10X more experience and a brand new website.”

During my diagnosis of his business, I determined that when prospective customers were searching on Google for the products/services he offered, customers were finding his competitors, not him.

This is a common occurrence.

Most small business owners I consult with can’t understand why other businesses rank higher than them in a Google search—even though they have more experience, larger businesses, superior credentials and so on.

In essence, what the Internet and Google have done is to commoditize or devalue a lot of businesses.

Because let’s face it, searching online is becoming a habit.

Most people go to Google as their first stop for shopping for just about anything, and this especially applies to consumers looking to hire local service professionals.

In fact, according to research by BIA/Kelsey, 97% of people use the Internet when searching for local products and services. And over two-thirds start their search on Google through their desktop computers or smartphones.

Pre-internet, customers, clients and patients relied on the advice from the best businesses they could find.

They found businesses through referrals from friends or looked in the yellow pages to find the product or service they wanted.

But today, the Internet is their go-to source when searching for local products and services. This means it is critical for your small business to show up on page 1 when customers, clients and patients search for the products or services you offer.

And whereas, the jeweler, the doctor, the accountant, the lawyer and so on used to educate their clients, customers and patients, it is not unusual for people to educate themselves based on what they find when searching on the Internet.

According to Bright Local’s 2014 Local Consumer Review Survey, 88% of consumers trust what they read online.

The result? Whatever business shows up on the first Search Engine Results Page (SERP) when your prospect is searching will more often than not win their business. In fact, 98% of searchers choose a business that is on page 1 of the results they get.

The question is: If Google is hurting your small business—what can you do?

Well, you can either beat your competitors at the Google game…or rise above it.

So how do you beat other small businesses competing in your space when your customers, clients or patients are turning to Google to find people who do what you do?

1) Optimize your website for Google and other search engines.

The bulk of people who do a Google search contact those few vendors who show up on the first screen of the SERP.

If you aren’t there and instead appear on the third page or the seventh page or whatever, you are essentially invisible. Almost no one will find you.

Prior to enlisting my services, that was the problem that Richard Cauvin of PaverCenter.com had. Now he outranks his competitors and is no longer needlessly losing business to them. Richard says, “I did a Google search using our keywords and the majority of the time, we were in the top 3, if not the first.”

2) Guarantee you show up where your audience is searching. PPC is the fastest, most efficient way to get people who are actively searching for your products or services to find your website. Effectively it guarantees you’ll immediately show on page one of the SERP, instantly connecting you to your target audience who is searching for your product or service (and on the verge of buying) right now.

While I believe you have to do a combination of types of advertising, once you have built an effective landing page with an offer that converts, there is no more efficient way to grow your business.

Dion Riccardo of VictoryTapOut.com was struggling to get new students for his martial arts studio. After looking at his business, we built a PPC campaign for him. Dion says, “Today, I am no longer wasting time and money trying to drive web traffic by myself. Now, all of my new martial arts school students come from the quality pay per click campaigns.”

When people can find you when searching for the products and services you offer, the quantity of your leads will increase tremendously.

Scott Schoen of KarateAurora.com increased the amount of leads he received by five times over the previous month once he started incorporating PPC into his marketing strategy.

Not only will you increase the quantity of people who will find you when searching for your products and services, but you’ll also find that the quality of your prospects improves..

Richard Senker of AutoCrash.biz says he used to not get a lot of traffic to his site and when he did it was poor results. Since he began doing PPC campaigns with us he says, “Now, my best leads come from your PPC campaigns.”

I don’t have room here to teach you how to do SEO or PPC. BUT, I do have time set aside to take a look at your website, investigate your competitors’ websites and give you recommendations on what you should do…and it won’t cost you a penny.

You can receive this free service by contacting me today.

Once you achieve your goal of appearing on the first screen of the SERP, a chain reaction of great things start to happen. More and better prospects lead to more customers which results in more revenue, more profit, a more stable business and more peace of mind for you.

Here’s to your online success!

John Pfeiffer

P.S. Next month I’ll discuss, the one element that when you invest in getting it right can turn your business into an ATM machine.