Are you getting anywhere with your website?

Questions and Answers to help you get some action with your website and web marketing

Are you doing anything that is getting you anywhere?

Eight Things That Get You Somewhere with Internet Marketing

1. Use Google Adwords to drive keyword targeted traffic to specific landing pages

2. Use Facebook Ads to drive demographic and psychographic targeted traffic to specific landing pages

3. Have landing pages without menu items and with custom forms that send lead info to your CRM system

4. Use a CRM system that supports funnel marketing (sending automated emails based on the lead's score / actions)

5. Score your leads! For example, if a lead opens an email, 1 point; if they click a link 5 points, etc.

6. Use professionally created social media accounts that match your brand on every network you have a potential audience

7. Post daily, relevant content on each social network, categorize content and post when the highest number of potential viewers are online

8. Measure everything. Know your stats! Use Google Anatlyics and a CRM / Funnel marketing system that has awesome stats. You don't know how you're doing if you can't measure!

Do you have real leads coming in from your website?

Eight tips to get and nurture real leads coming in from your website

1. Make sure your ads match your landing pages

2. Offer great content on your landing pages, in exchange for name and email

3. Make sure every page of your website has a request a call, request more info, or requst a quote form

4. Create different followup paths for leads in your CRM system based on the action they take. For example, if lead A opens email B, then put them in list C so they receive next months special offer, etc.

5. Offer relevant, engaging downloads like white papers,free reports, video access, and tips in exchange for an email address

6. Be transparent and advertise the action you want users to take. For example if you're a dentist, advertise that users can request an appointment online and be sure that the ad drives users to a landing page where users can do just that!

7. Give people a good reason to request your service or provie their info.

8. Make sure leads feel secure on your site by using premium SSL certificates that show a green browser bar, lock and https in the url. This increases the comfort for providing information and actually secures the transmission of such information, a win win.

Do you even show up on the first page of Google when someone types in what you do?

The two main ways to quikcly show up on Google

1. Advertise on Google using AdWords. Don't waste your time or money doing it yourself. Most people who manage their own Adowrds end up unhappy because they got nothing.

This is because it takes some time and expertise to research keywords, setup landing pages, measure results, and make adjustments. Working with an agency like us means you have professional team working daily on your account to generate results. Usually advertising on Google Adwords, we can have you on page one within 72 hours.

2. Blog at least twice a week, creating content that is interesting, relevant, and easy to read. Your audience needs to love your blog, they need to look forward to reading what you write. If you can't write, hire an agency (egh em) to ghost write for you. Crosspost this content to social media netowrks and try to get it linked on other websites that cater to your audience. The more readable, engaging, and usefull content on your site, the better you will eventually do with organic listings on major search engines.

What about email marketing?
Can you track any revenue from those efforts?

How we generate an average of $15,000 per email sent

Every time I send a campaign to my personal contact list, the return is about $15,000 in revenue within two weeks of the campaign being sent. This didn't happen overnight but now that we know our audience and understand how to provide real value in both the information we deliver at no charge and in the services and products we provide, our emails generate true revenue. I must say $15,000 on a campagin that costs maybe $5 to send is a pretty good return.

1. Know who your audience is and what would actually help them out. If you have the experience and knowledge to provide some value to your audience then by all means put together an intro email and send it to those people. Don't just blast the email to every person in your list, segment the people in your list who can and want to benefit from what you're writing.

2. Use a subject that piques curiosity. I try not to be too descriptive yet not too vague in my email subjects. I want people to be curious enough to open the email yet not spammy. Usually I ask a question or use a word that is likely to get people thinking about their business. This is because my emails are generally focused on having business owners take a higher level look at their web and marketing presence, so my emails attempt to get people in "strategy mode".

3. Offer something but don't sell sell sell. I have tested various ways of email marketing and by far the best results come from providing truly usefull information that someone can take on their own and do something with. At the end of the email, offering some help or providng a call to action for your services if they "don't want to go it alone", for example is appropriate. Afterall, you're in business to generate some revenue not just provide free advice.

4. Check to see who is opening your emails and how many times they are opening them. Are they clicking the links? Are they forwarding? Does your CRM/Email marketing system allow you to track this? Can you score leads based on their activities? Using these tools lets you know who to followup with and when.

5. Any lead that takes more than three actions is (three opens, an open and two clicks, an open, forward, and click, etc) is a good prospect for a phone call to followup. This is where the money making happens, you must followup with your interested leads, indicated usually by the number of times they interact with the communication you have sent them.

6. If your list is not huge, invite people to respond directly to you. I almost always do this for two reasons. First, I like interacting with my clients, it's fun to have a personal connection even if I am not always the one handling their account. Second, it is easier for people to reply to an email than it is for them to follow a link to a landing page, fill out a form, yadda yadda yadda. If however your product or service just can't scale with that type of personal, one on one communication, then you will have to use the landing page and form method for your emails which is fine, just less personal and a little less convenient.

7. Track the revenue back to the campaign. If you're using a CRM system like we do (we love Vtiger), you'll be able to track any opportunities and closed business back to the initial email campaign. This is how you can determine the cost and return from your email campaigns (as well as other marketing campaigns).

8. Utilize the autoresponder / funnel features of your CRM. If a user opens the email, have another action setup in your system to followup with them. If she clicks a link, or gets to a score of 5, have your system generate a followup alert for you so you know to call. Automate your lead nurturing process so you can focus on converting the leads that are ready into new or repeat customers!

9. And of course, call your leads to action . If you want help with this, or anyof the steps above just email [email protected] or [email protected] (my personal email) and we can talk about one of our hugely effective internet marketing programs to get you the internet presence you deserve.

How is your social media presence? Can you track any business from it?

Managing your social media networks can be daunting. What do you say, where do you post, how often, and when? In a nutshell, you need to be everywhere your ideal audience is and you need to post when most of them are online and likelyto see your content. Before they see this content however, you'll need to get them to like your page, follow your Instagram, connect with you on LinkedIn, and follow your Twitter handle. Going this alone can be a full time job but you can do it! You can also just hire us and we'll do it for you. Either way, I hope these tips give you a good start and dabbling with online marketing for your own edification. If/when you're ready to professionalize your interent presence and get some real results, you know how to find us ( [email protected] / 616-419-5514).

When I first started in this business (12 years ago), having a blog and some social media accounts was really cutting edge. Now, this alone won't get you anywhere on the Internet. Today, ranking on Google, driving traffic, and getting leads from your website and social media require fresh, engaging content, a stunning blog layout, presence on multiple social media networks (Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more). Your messaging has to be carefully planned, authentic, and relevant. Your publishing needs to be consistent in a way that makes people look forward to your next blog, post or upload.

For most businesses I have found that this process can be cumbersome, overwhelming and lacking in results (because they're doing it wrong).

So, I invite you to email [email protected] or [email protected] with your questions or interest in getting real exposure on the first page of Google, real engagement on major social networks, real traffic to your website, and real leads from all of this activity. We're offering a 20% bonus for clients who sign onto marketing service plans through the month of October.

Effective, ROI generating marketing service plans start at $299 per month and go up to $999 per month plus Google Advertising budgets. This amount is less than a tenth of what it would cost to hire a person on at your company to tackle online marketing.

You can learn more about our plans using the links below or by requesting a quick quote using the form on this page. You can also email [email protected] or me directly [email protected]

Funnel & CRM Marketing Plans

Full Service Web Marketing Plans

Let me know how I can help!