Marketing mistakes: The five deadly sins of half-baked communication.

Commit any one of these five no-nos of incomplete messages and you’re leaving your visitors adrift in a sea of confusion. You’ll also miss out on a ton of conversions from your website (translation: you’re losing money). Incomplete messaging creates friction for your visitors by failing to continue the logical thought sequence when they peruse your web page. If potential customers can’t understand you, chances are they won’t trust ‒ or buy from ‒ you. So finish your thoughts (and calls to action) completely and clearly. Half-baked communication can happen in headlines, subheads, buttons…frankly anywhere on your website. Want to see some examples?

DEADLY MARKETING SIN #1: And that’s important to me why?

Here, “12 million+ pieces mailed” is the incomplete message. Tell me why this should matter. Such as: 12 million+ pieces mailed (which means our team isn’t new at this and by trusting us that’s one less thing you have on your to-do list).

DEADLY MARKETING SIN #2: And I’m committing to what exactly?

Example #2 (above) shows how easy it is to commit the sin of assumption by not explaining what a signup actually means. Prominently displayed (but without a hint of what you’re getting yourself into), this e-mail subscription form is half-baked. What’s missing: What do I get by subscribing? Are they daily e-mails? Weekly e-mails? Whenever-we-get-around-to-it e-mails? And what’s in these e-mails? Helpful product/service-related tidbits? Industry news? Pizza-in-a-cup coupons?

DEADLY MARKETING SIN #3: Are you being clever or is that just a typo?

Campaigner’s navigation bar (above) includes a “Solutions For” button. Uhhhhh solutions for what exactly? Either we have to figure it out, fill in the blank or guess. Maybe it’s an undefined market they’re hoping for. Now when you click on it, they’re kind enough to explain that they have solutions for your business. But wouldn’t it make more sense to put Solutions for your business on the button?
That way, it’s a complete thought that doesn’t leave us wondering if the Campaigner folks a) really meant to say that or b) fired their proofreader after lunch.

DEADLY MARKETING SIN #4: Exactly which dots do you want me to connect?

Now, example #4 here takes some explaining. On the left, we have a description of KeepItSafe’s service or software. On the right, we have…what exactly do we have? There’s a fill-in form with no explanation of why I should fill it out. Is it a free trial signup? Maybe a “contact us for more information” request? You need Columbo to solve this messaging mystery. Nothing here leads the reader through a logical sequence of “Here’s how we can help you (who we are and what we do)” to “And here’s how you get started.” In a word, this is a mess. Not to mention a huge crack through which countless potential paying customers will fall.

DEADLY MARKETING SIN #5: Right. What about them?

Example #5 is committed by a lot of business websites ‒ and it’s easy to let it happen when you don’t put yourself into your reader’s shoes (or eyeballs). Here we see a photo with a caption that reads “Physician & Healthcare Recruiters” but that’s nowhere near a complete thought. What about physicians and healthcare recruiters? Is the service for them or to help us find and recruit them or something entirely different? About the only thing this photo and its caption are bringing to the table is a heaping helping of confusion.

Is your business committing one (or more) of these five deadly sins

It’s not done on purpose, but incomplete marketing messages can really do a number on your company’s bottom line. Thankfully, our TFG super sleuths are experts at this whole clear, concise and complete message thing ‒ and eager to lend a hand. Just give ’em a call and say, “Help! I’m half-baked!”

~ Shawn

In successful marketing, it’s not me…it’s you.

If your marketing efforts are all about you and what’s important to you, you’re like that kinda-clueless guy on a first date. After a solid hour of talking about himself, he finally comes up for air with: “Well, enough about me. What do you think about me?” Aaannnnnnd there won’t be a second date. Heck, his bored-to-tears companion might not even hang around for the main course. With that in mind, what does your customer/prospect communication style say about your company? It can make (and often break) your business ‒ and here’s how.

Customers don’t tune in for a monologue about you.

Sure, we’re all selfish creatures. But we’re also busy. Really really super busy.

Your customers and prospects aren’t any different, so it’s always best ‒ and most effective ‒ to focus your conversations on talking about them. When you speak to their needs and concerns (and not just how great you are) it’s exactly what they want to hear and they’ll stick around for more.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that you shouldn’t express pride in your company and everything you’ve accomplished. But all your customers really care about is what you can accomplish for them. How you can help solve their problem, increase their sales, etc. (Hey, I started this post talking about you and your customers and you’re still reading, right? That’s what I mean.)

Don’t let this happen to you.

If this stuff seems obvious to you, you may be surprised to find that it can still sneak up on you (like it did to us for a recent last-minute e-mail for a TFG client). We caught a raging case of the “It’s All About ME Syndrome.” Take a good look so you can learn from our embarrassing goof-up:

Does any of this sound like you?

We know how tricky it is to craft marketing messaging that consistently resonates with your customers for measurable results. The good news is you don’t have to go it alone. At TFG, our super-sensitive marketing experts show you how to turn your company’s voice and focus outward (to what’s in it for them) Give ‘em a call.

~ Shawn

Cracking the code of better-performing websites.

Most people create a site, write its content pages ‒ then give little (or no thought) to the two most important things that not only tell the world what your site’s pages are all about…but draw them directly to you. Nope, it’s not snazzy images or a free donut with every order. The simplest, yet most overlooked aspects of website content are……drumroll please……the META Title and Description tags that describe and promote your online content.

META tags: They’re not just for HTML geeks anymore.

“Shawn, you mean that coding gibberish can actually make or break my website?”
You got it. Together, the META Title and Description determine if your content stands out and persuades folks to take action. Action = click on the search engine link and go to your site.

So what the heck is a META Title tag?

The shorter of our two META tags, Title tags summarize the content of each page on your website. Best practices: Fewer than 70 characters, since this is Google’s search results display limit. Wanna know more?

So what the heck is a META Description tag?

Longer than the Title tag, think of the Description tag as search-engine-results advertising copy. When written well, readers are intrigued and click on your site. Best practices: The optimal length for search engines is roughly 155 characters.

META tags: The good, the bad and the uh-oh.

Actually, let’s start with the bad. The really bad example:

What we have here is ‒ in a word ‒ yuck. It’s not compelling, kinda confusing and chances are you’d only click on it if all the other search engine results suck just as much as this one.

And now…the good. TFG’s (self-indulgent and promotional) example:

This reads much better and has the intriguing “click-me” factor (if I do say so myself). C’mon, admit it…you’re at least a little curious about that Must-Do part. Or the shredder.

Let’s break down the good stuff here. Our page’s META Title (which fits within the 70-character limit): Four “Must-Dos” For a Killer Direct Mail Campaign. And the META Description (which fits within the 155-character limit): Business-to-business direct mail campaigns, if done well, are mighty profitable. Discover how to keep your direct mail pieces out of your prospect’s shredder.

The actual on-page copy (content) headline for the above TFG example page is: Four “must-dos” for a killer direct mail campaign or “How to keep your direct mail pieces out of their shredder.” See how these well-written META tags reflect and “sell” what the page is all about?

If you don’t build it well, they won’t come. Poorly-written (or MIA) META tags mean that even though you have the awesomest web pages, few people (except for friends and family members) may ever get to your site.

Here’s the moral of our META tags story.

The most important thing to remember is that your META tags should never be an afterthought. Whoever is writing your remarkable content (you are writing remarkable content, aren’t you?) must pay careful attention to the Title and Description. Each well-crafted tag should be able to stand on its own and lead your potential visitor to your page. Nicely, smoothly, compellingly. Or you can just ignore it and hope for the best like average, ho-hum companies do.

~ Shawn

Got a strategy to keep former customers interested?

If you answered “Uhhhh…not really…” then you’re clearly missing the boat ‒ and a huge opportunity to nurture past transactions into healthy, viable and ongoing relationships. I’m not talking about awkward weekly phone calls or inviting ’em to your son’s trumpet recital. This is about using your noggin to develop and implement successful, easy-to-execute after marketing* ideas.

*This isn’t the same “after-marketing” as selling razor blades to past razor purchasers.

Remember: One enticement doesn’t lure all.

Some companies will jump at the chance for a sizeable discount on their next transaction with you, but only if they’re already planning to do something. (This is especially true for service-oriented businesses.) So until that ex-customer is once again in the market for whatever it is your company does, stay in touch with scheduled e-mails. Check in on how they’re doing with what they bought from you. Make sure they know you haven’t forgotten them with a friendly “give us a call with any questions” quarterly reminder.

Ask past customers to take your temperature.

When done sincerely (not as a meaningless marketing ploy to harvest addresses), a brief customer survey e-mail is a great way to demonstrate that your business cares enough to want to hear the bad (if any) with the good. Make sure you offer the chance for optional written explanations above and beyond the normal “How would you rate…” choices. Ask if it’s okay to follow up with a phone call to discuss any of their comments and/or concerns. If that permission is granted, do not try to sell anything on that call. That’s a one-way ticket to Buh-Byeville (and one less repeat customer).

Share interesting info and tidbits on a regular basis.

If you don’t have a company blog (and why the heck don’t you?), think about developing short, informative and fun e-mails that’ll resonate with the group of customers you’ll be sending it to. Not chain mail, annoying jokes or links to videos of cats cooking spaghetti. I mean relevant-to-their-business-and-yours tips, tricks and tasty little nuggets of useful info.

Remind ’em that you’re here without crossing into “Geez, are they still here?” territory.

This can be a tricky line to walk. But never fear…TFG’s saddled-up marketing and carrot ranch dudes and dudettes are here to guide the way. Give us a holler and we’ll map out a tempting course for your successful after-marketing efforts. Remember: You want to be a helpful hand and not a pain in the ass.

~ Lenni Lee | word wrangler

Let’s talk business corporatese, empty words and gibberish.

Do your company’s marketing efforts actually SAY anything unique, noteworthy or memorable about you? If not, you’re just taking up space with meaningless language, pointless puffery and way too much “me too” industry jargon.

Want to drive business away with your words? Here’s how.

There are basically two types of guilty pleasures passed off as (truly awful) business copywriting that are even more sure-fire than N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide (or, in simple English, DEET mosquito repellant). Bad writing 1: Spouting plain old industry jargon that needs to die by means of a thousand paper cuts. And some lemon juice. Bad writing 2: Using meaningless, generic phrases that say absolutely nothing at all.

Take this real-world example from a site I just bolted from:

So CompanyX provides “high quality, efficient”…whoa, STOP right there.

Out of morbid curiosity, I used Google’s keyword tool to discover that “high quality” is searched 2,740,000x per month (whereas “good enough quality” only gets 720 look-sees). My point is this: EVERYONE wants high quality. It’s a given. So when you position it as if it’s your unique selling proposition (USP), what you’re actually offering customers is absolutely nothing. I mean, are you really the only one providing high quality anything? The free market depends on that not being the case. So immediately you’ve said nothing helpful and you’ve lost some serious street-cred.

As far as “efficient” solutions goes? Show me a customer, ANY customer, who would prefer inefficient solutions ‒ and I’ll eat my hat.

Copywriter (not her first name) Lenni chimes in: These guys also claim to be “known as a leader in outstanding customer service.” Known by whom, exactly? Not to mention that “outstanding customer service” is another of those pointless, vapid marketing-speakisms Shawn already addressed.

Saying a whole lotta nuttin’ gets you a whole lotta nuttin’.

If your marketing folks only speak fluent corporatese and generic gibberish, you’ve got a big problem. Several big problems, actually.

Problem 1) You’re wasting valuable (digital and traditional media/collateral) space by filling it with the marketing equivalent of chocolate-covered earwax.

Problem 2) You’re confusing people (customers) and giving them nothing tangible to chew on while deciding whether it’s gonna be you or the other guys.

Problem 3) You’re essentially speaking to yourself and people tune you out pronto. Paragraphs of self-indulgent, puffery-filled prose come across as pompous and detached. Not unlike a first (and last!) date where the other person only talks about him/herself the entire time. Yawn.

Don’t let this happen to you.

Unless you’re laser-focused and customer benefit-driven every time you communicate via your website, brochure, direct mail, ads (or any other marketing material), ill-conceived and no-red-meat-here business writing is gonna creep in ‒ and quickly grow into a huge problem. Insert a buzzword here, add a broad generality and  bam!

There’s nothing wrong in asking for help. In fact, we encourage it. You can be so immersed in your industry that you don’t realize you’re speaking in jargon and meaningless generalities. That’s where we come in. Give our highly-trained jargon exterminators a call and we’ll do  a content audit and dissect what you’re doing right and not-so right. In no time, you’ll be communicating with customers normally, meaningfully, persuasively…and measurably more effectively.

~ Shawn

Tell your customers where to go. They’ll thank you for it.

In marketing-speak, this is the Call to Action (CTA). It’s the one thing you want the reader to do after (or while) reading whatever it is you’ve put in front of them. Website, e-mail, brochure, print ad, web banner, postcard or door hanger ‒ it’s gotta have a singular, laser-focused “do this next” takeaway. That’s singular.

One “action” per piece per customer, please.

Otherwise you’re just ramping up the confusion and chances are the reader won’t do anything. Let’s say you’re sending out an e-mail with a 20% off insiders-only deal. In this same e-mail, you also want to announce your website’s new blog. Oh, and let’s throw in some social media diversions while we’re at it. Yikes! Stop. Now.

Without a focused call to action, the aforementioned e-mail will be little more than a steaming pile of confusion. You’re just leading them up a stairway to hell (frustration) that will get you ‒ and your business ‒ nowhere fast.

Stop cramming 10 pounds of “Click Here”s into a 5-pound bag.

Sending out a multiple message/multiple CTAs is a whole lot of wasted effort (not to mention yielding really poor results). So here’s the bare-bones, must-do thing to keep in mind with every single thing you create, print, push, launch or share:

Is it 100% crystal clear to the person receiving it, reading it, watching it or listening to it, what you want them to do next?

If not, it’s time to rethink your effort (which isn’t always the easiest thing to do). Sometimes you need help defining a clear path through the proverbial forest so your prospects aren’t led astray. That’s where we come in. At TFG, our chainsaw-savvy designers and trailblazing marketing minds cut through the crap…clearing the way for your clean and easy-to-understand call(s) to action. Give us a call and see for yourself.

~ Shawn

Wonder why your company’s e-mails just aren’t cutting it?

While you may think last quarter’s e-blast was the most fascinating (and best offer) ever, chances are pretty good your customers’ spam filters thought otherwise. And since spam filters rule, make sure you’re toeing their line.

^#1 Purchased lists are a violation of CAN-SPAM laws…so don’t.

The best way to boost deliverability rates is by using a highly-qualified mailing list: folks that want to hear from you and have proactively signed up. Translation: a double opt-in (requiring a homo sapien response to your “are you sure about this?” confirmation e-mail) is way better than a single opt-in.

^#2 If your content tastes like spam, change the recipe. Pronto.

While e-mail filters are far from infallible, a sure-fire way to wind up in everyone’s junk mail folder is with ill-conceived subject lines:

But seriously, one client’s most recent e-blast had to be scrubbed after we sent a test email that ended up in our own junk folder. Originally, this e-mail contained phrases like “$50 off” (which we changed to “we’ll reduce your total by $50”) ‒ and all mentions of “promotion” and “discount” were removed.

Unfortunately, wording isn’t an exact science. Many of those words can be used, but they do increase the chance of being flagged (depending on firewalls, e-mail software programs, etc.) Heck, we’ve even found stuff from Amazon in our junk folder a few times.

^#3 A subject line by any other name might smell less spammy.

If there’s one thing I can’t stress enough, it’s the value of quality e-mail subject lines. So split test, split test again ‒ then split test some more.

Also, there’s a place for subtlety/intrigue and a place for simply stating the content of the e-mail. In the case of one recent e-blast (which had about a 55% open rate), we chose to state what the users are getting (rather than trying to be clever):
          Version A:        “Your February special from ABC Business”
          Version B:        ”Your February ABC product discount code”
(Version A won)

And while we’re on the subject (pun intended), never forget that e-mail open rates vary wildly from category to category and industry to industry. So while a 30% open rate may be pretty good for your business, a very specialized ‒ or niche ‒ market may achieve 75% or higher.

Bottom line: Keep your e-mails out of their spam (trash) can.

• Add a relevant e-mail capture to your website (with a compelling “why”)
     Example A: http://www.huntingtexastrophies.com (right side) chance to win a free hunt, only hunters are likely to sign up for this newsletter.
     Example B: http://www.fortworthbotoxandfillers.com (top) notified of events, specials and giveaways (only those interested in procedures are likely to sign up).
• Utilize a double opt-in process for e-mail signups.
• Send e-mails on a more frequent (and regular) basis.
• Compose more effective subject lines that pave the way for truly engaging content. Show your community that your e-mails are worthy of their time.
• Resist the urge to send out lengthy (and repetitive) e-mails.
• Every e-mail should leave the reader with only ONE call to action (primary purpose). This is where a crafty copywriter is invaluable: s/he not only writes engaging and compelling copy but skillfully guides the reader to where you want them to go (and what you want them to do).
• Set up ‒ and stick to ‒ a regular e-mail schedule. If your latest e-mail effort was months ago (with no new names on it), it’s time to get your virtual butt in gear.

~ Shawn

Have your marketing efforts fallen behind schedule, too?

Yeah, we admit it. We here at The Fowler Group and pet psychics have stumbled a bit. Okay…more than a bit. In spite of our blogged advice about “marketing consistency,” we fell (and landed face first) into the dreaded pit o’ erratic marketing ourselves.

The road to marketing hell is paved with good intentions.

When TFG kicked off this whole content marketing campaign, we scheduled two new posts every week (with the occasional single-o). Then, after 18 solid months of blogging, we stopped.

“So what the heck happened?” you ask? Pick an excuse. Any excuse:

• “Got sidetracked by the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes”
• “Sustained injuries while practicing our sweet dance moves to those ‘Gangnam Style’ and ‘Harlem Shake’ videos”
• “Seems we booked the wrong Carnival cruise”
• See dog image (above)

Because confession is good for the soul…

…here goes: We got busy and lost sight of the fact that smart marketing should be ongoing. What about you? Do you have a schedule and regular approach to your marketing efforts? Are you posting fresh content on a regular basis? Or just doing random stuff whenever you feel like it (or only for special occasions)?

Why it’s never too late.

Here’s one of the best things about content marketing. Even though we slacked off a bit, traffic and viable sales leads kept coming in (unlike many other marketing methods). The seeds planted by our previous efforts continue to work around the clock. Our older posts about web development and graphic design still draw prospects to our site. The same can hold true for your company’s website. IF you do it right. And regularly.

It’s a bit like building a fire. At first you have to tend to it with great care. Then, after a while, the embers turn white and an occasional log can be tossed onto it to stoke it back into a blaze.

Need some help with your kindling? Send up a flare (or call) our experienced marketing scouts today. And don’t forget to bring your best excuse(s).

~Shawn

Is your website too damn clever for its own good?

In the wide wide world of the interwebs, clear and compelling information trumps clever design. Every time. When it comes to any type of online conversion (downloads, e-mail signups, online purchases, etc.), conversion and optimization specialist Jӧrg Dennis Krüger explains, “Information is the most important element of most websites, far ahead of graphic design.”

There’s way more to it than just publishing your content online.

To be effective, your company’s website has to be organized (navigated) in a carefully-planned thought – and user action – sequence. For starters, don’t clutter up your home page with customer testimonials (before the reader has had a chance to learn anything about what your business can do for them). If they’re not intrigued by what they first see on your home page, all the testimonials in the world don’t mean squat.

Be Clear. The confused rarely convert. Why? Because before they can trust you they must first understand you…and this means you must understand them and what they need.

Be Compelling. Remember: There’s no what (action) without the why. Speak to the reader in terms of what’s important to them (not just boasting about your business). Persuasion simply means you’ve addressed their questions and/or concerns – while showing how you’d help solve a problem, fulfill a desire, etc.

Be on Cue. Timing is (almost) everything. The sequence of what you present matters just as much as what you’re presenting.

It’s time to cut to the chase (and stop chasing your tail).

Now that we’ve addressed the importance of choosing clarity as your priority, I think a final disclaimer is warranted:

Don’t neglect the graphic design. As an integral component of your website’s success, it should accurately represent your brand. And whattaya know…we have super-talented Fowler folks standing by and eager to help with that, too! So give us a shout and let’s discuss how to be clear and clever and generate even more conversions.

~ Shawn

How serious are you about monitoring your marketing efforts?

Most business people who say they’re “doing marketing” are usually shelling out dollars on random projects – and hoping (praying is more like it) that something works. Okay, so they may measure the amount spent against the return or, at the very least, figure out the response rate(s). But for most folks, that’s about as far as it goes. They’ll run an ad, buy some web banners, maybe mail out postcards and then…wait. Look at the calendar. Wait some more. If whatever the heck they put out there winds up bringing in more dough than they spent, they’ll run it again. If not? That’ll be the swan song for that particular effort. Adios. Buh-bye.

Treat marketing like a crapshoot and you’ll wind up with crap.

This haphazard approach is like heading to Vegas and betting it all on red. Or black. Or whatever your lucky number might be. The odds of hitting it big on that ONE try are mighty slim, Mr. Pickens.

Your marketing efforts should do a lot more than just attempt to sell. These are terrific learning opportunities that extend way beyond any one campaign – giving you invaluable insight into the needs and wants of your customers (and what motivates them to respond). Let’s say you spent some dough on a postcard campaign and saw a few new sales…but can you improve on those results? Absofreakinlutely! “How?” you ask? By split testing.

Testing, testing. One, two, three. Sometimes more.

Unlike the all-or-nothing crowd, savvy marketers strategically test their stuff. Continually. When sending an e-mail blast, for example, they’ll test different subject lines (by sending out variations) and monitor which yields the highest open rate. The same goes for direct mail efforts and website landing pages. Test. Measure. Tweak. And test again. Lather, rinse, repeat. Marketing should resemble a tightly-controlled science experiment – not a reckless gambling junket at the closest casino.

You can’t afford to monkey around with your marketing dollars.

Of course, everything has some risk attached to it. But you can have a much tighter rein on why certain approaches work – and build on that knowledge to create more successful (and strategically-focused) marketing efforts down the road. Need some help? That’s what we’re here for. Our miraculous marketing mavens are whizzes at this kind of stuff, so put down the dice and pick up the phone.

~ Shawn