Category Archives: Content Writing

Thinking beyond SEO: Website Attention = Retention

Posted on by Jeremy LaDuque

Beyond SEO

Franchise online marketing strategy is as much about engaging the visitors on your website as it is about building traffic and search engine optimization.

The goal of online marketing is to convert leads into business.  Beyond all of the SEO work to get people to your website you must also pay attention to the content, layout and aesthetic appeal of your website in order to turn attention into conversion and even better… retention (which is driving people back to your site again and again).

Here are some actions you can take today that will optimize your online marketing:Franchise Online Marketing

  • Make sure that any links that lead visitors off of your website open in new windows. Do not direct traffic off of your webiste.  Ushering people off of your website is not productive.  By opening links in new windows,  your website will still be up when they close that window.  This is also applicable to your social media icons. Make sure they open in a new window as well.  Keep the traffic on your site as long as possible.
  • Be aware of the users display.  Remember, an increasing number of people are viewing your website on mobile, or handheld devices.  Recent studies show that mobile traffic is on the rise, so having a strategy for a mobile friendly website both at the national and local levels is a must for 2012.
  • Review your website for deficiencies regularly.   It may be just as easy as mending broken paths or replacing broken code. Again your site is only as legitimate as it is functional. Use websites like http://validator.w3.org/ to validate your website and find issues with it.

Following these simple suggestions will garner results. You will see a decrease in your bounce rate (visitors to your website who land on a webpage and leave without clicking deeper into your website) and an increase in the amount of time visitors spend on your website, the amount of content that they will read and ultimately the number of leads will you receive from your website.

Learn more about refining your Franchise Online Marketing by attending our Franchise Online Marketing Webinar on January 18th at 12:00 p.m. CST.  For more information visit : ElementsLocal Webinar – Franchise Online Marketing Tactics

The Inbound Advantage: Tips to Evolve Your Franchise’s Marketing Strategy

Posted on by Jeremy LaDuque

 In a world where marketing messages abound in nearly every aspect of daily life, a new, discerning consumer has evolved – one adept at filtering and tuning out information irrelevant to personal interests. Rightly so, franchise marketing tactics need to also undergo a major shift, since traditional outbound techniques such as advertising and unsolicited email blasts are increasingly becoming blocked or ignored.

                “Franchises should focus the majority of their marketing budget on inbound, not outbound initiatives,” said Jeremy LaDuque, CEO of Elements Inc., creator of ElementsLocal™, a new software solution for franchises that increases company leads through maximized search engine results. “When you push your message out far and wide with little discretion, you’re essentially crossing your fingers that it will resonate with a few individuals. Inbound marketing generates leads that are more abundant and credible, as potential customers seeking your services have been attracted organically through search engines, blogs and social media.”

          

  • Get Local. Instead of relying on just one national web site for the entire franchise network, provide cross-linked autonomous and brand-compliant web sites for each location. As the franchisor, you benefit from:

o    A “network effect” of hundreds of web sites, each displaying relevant content about the company, being seen by search engines, which increases rankings and visibility

o    An ability to leverage each franchise by allowing franchisees to customize (according to franchisor specifications)  their web site with local content and local e-marketing campaigns

  • Get Optimized. Some simple ways to get started with search engine optimization:

1)       Focus the attention of each webpage to just a few keywords

2)       Add relevant content about those select key words to that webpage

3)       Add those keywords to the title and meta tags of that webpage

 

Get Social. Social media is the fastest-growing segment of the Internet, and best of all, it’s much less expensive than most other marketing tactics. Get your franchise on board by:

o    Participating in social media sites such as Facebook and You Tube. Start a corporate Facebook profile and seek out fans or upload informative – or even humorous – videos that have “pass-along” potential, such as an engaging company story or client testimonials. This will help attract more visitors to your web site, increase your exposure within a larger audience and boost your search engine ranking.

o    Using a blog and/or Twitter to publish information about your business. Gaining “followers” or subscribers not only increases the audience for your company message, but also helps you gain valuable insight from the comments consumers leave on your posts.

  • Get Efficient. Inbound marketing efforts are highly track-able, so employ various strategies to monitor the efficiency of your efforts. This will allow you to repeat what’s working, discontinue what’s not, and gauge what’s providing you with the best return on investment (ROI). Some helpful hints:

o    First, establish exactly what it is you want to track and make sure you have a way to measure what you want to track

o    Use statistical programs like Google Analytics to monitor web site traffic behavior – from number of pages viewed to length of time on the site

o    Use landing pages to track specific ad campaigns and/or marketing initiatives

o    Track throughout – from campaign to conversion to sale!

                “As franchises start to ‘think inbound’ in their marketing strategies, they’ll attract customers who are appropriate for and receptive to the company message,” said LaDuque. “This competitive advantage will not only save franchises money, but will also help them build lasting and loyal relationships with clients.”

               

The SEO Labyrinth and Successful Natural Search Results

Posted on by Michael Boyer

Website Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is complex and requires a systemic approach when working to enhance your natural search results strategy. “Natural” or “organic” searches that drive traffic to your websites are just that: the natural choices a user would make in entering search words (or sometimes, a singlular word…resulting in the user finding a new universe on the internet rather than more directed results).

A natural search assumes that you may not yet have other strategies in place, or if you do, you are still trying to optimize this type of search. Other strategies you can pay for include SEO/Search Engine Marketing (SEM) analysis services, pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, linkbuilding services and trend analysis.

It Happens Overnight?

Not exactly, it takes a few months, maybe as many as 4-6 or 7 after you’ve put these strategies in place for you to see good results. One source sites “over 200 SEO factors that Google uses to rank pages in the Google search results.” So a working understanding of how search engines (SE) do their magic will help increase the chances of your site appearing high in a list of thousands or more search results.

Certain keywords and/or keyword phrases are highly competitive – meaning they describe and are used for a wide array of businesses with websites offering those products or services. “Cooking” and “appliances” describe a huge variety of products and services and keywords like these are competitive. So, logically, there are hundreds and hundreds of websites using these as keywords; it would be an uphill battle to achieve a Top 10 search result with natural searches.

Most internet users know what they want and often know specific details about what they want. One of the keys through this Labyrinth is to understand what specific goal or target users have when they search. For example, after a home fire, a user may know they want to find a “residential restoration” service or they may know they want to find a “residential restoration fire water damage” service or even more specifically “paul davis residential fire water damage  restoration theirtown.”

The last two sets are much more specific and competition for these is probably lower – they are applicable to fewer companies offering those products or services. Using more specific keywords and phrases can help better optimization and search rankings, providing there are enough numbers of people searching on those terms. Choosing keywords that are specific but not popular with users won’t necessarily deliver better results.

A Good Foundation

Doing some keyword research will help you build a good foundation for choosing keywords for your website. Doing some marketing research for your geographic area or your own target audience will give you even more ammunition. And trust yourself. You are the expert in your industry and your local area…how would your target audience search for you?  There are several free keyword search tools online. They give you an indication of how popular certain words or phrases are based on current databases from companies such as Google and Nielsen. Keep in mind, the results provide good indicator – not the end all of keyword results. Your industry, vertical market, product and geographic location are among the things that affect the outcome, not to mention results from automated traffic (you guess it, another Labyrinth path).

Cross check your word search with various free tools. We found a few:

Improving Your Search Results Ranking

When a user enters words into a search field, the search engines go to work and in seconds, have wound their way through countless number of websites and web pages looking for the combination of keywords the user entered.  By using some smart content strategies you can help increase your search results ranking. The following are some factors that affect page ranking and most are things you can put into place yourself.

So there are a few important “on-page” items and “off-page” factors that we look at:

Things to do On-Page:

  • Include one or more keywords in your site domain name.
  • Use keywords in your directory paths or folders on your site.
  • Include keywords in your Title Tag.
  • Use the keywords in your Title Tag in several variations that mirror your product or service and get a lot of searches as well:

    Home Fire Water Damage Repair – Fire Water Damage Mitigation – Residential Reconstruction and Restoration

  • Include keywords in your H1 Tag (first header tag).
  • Make your content keyword-dense; include your keywords often in the body content.
  • You need to incorporate your keywords and phrases logically in your content; you cannot merely repeat these words over and over. Use your keywords in your content in a logical and relevant way.
  • Create a customized keyword set for each section of your site, or better, each page.

Things that affect your site ranking Off-Page:

  • Length of time your site has been live.
  • How popular your website links are.
  • Link popularity within the site’s internal link structure.
    ~ Whether others linking to your site are relevant to the topic of your site.
  • Topical relevance of inbound links to site.
    ~ Whether the inbound links to your site are well-worded and use your keywords.
  • Anchor text of inbound links
  • The quality of sites who link to your site.
    ~ Whether your site links are popular overall and draw users to your site.
  • Global link popularity of site

Several off-page items are dependent on other websites’ awareness of your website and content. There are strategies you can employ on your site that can influence this, especially when they involve other sites linking to your site. Since this is yet another path in the Labyrinth, we will save this topic for another discussion.

Search Engines Are Your Friends

These days there are so many metrics that add value to search rankings, but keywords still provide the foundation of attracting search traffic. Search engines, depending on how many (or few) words the user queries, return a list of relevant sites that is ordered by relevancy or importance to the keywords. Again – searching through what could be thousands of websites and thousands and thousands of webpages, almost in a blink of an eye. As the web designer and/or content author, you can help your search engines friends by making your sites and content more SE “compliant” – by getting with their program and using keywords in the same key positions on the webpage.

Page Construction to Optimize Keywords

Once you’ve determined your keywords and phrases that users most often use to find your company, product and/or service, you’ll need to incorporate them into your webpages. The days of hiding keywords with white text (stealthy invisible), or using them repetitively in every html tag are gone. Keywords must now be incorporated logically into your content and add to the usability of your page and content from a users’ standpoint. Using the stealth strategy will actually cost you SE ranking as the SEs will realize the tactic and penalize your site accordingly. Search engines and their algorithms don’t like when we webmortals think we can outsmart them.

On-Page Factors

Again, the goal is to place your keywords in positions on the page that SEs can find them easily. Search engines interpret how important the keywords are to the user by the keywords’ placement on the page. Roll up your sleeves and revamp your pages and content:

Title Tag. Place a keyword phrase in the title tag; the title tag is about the most important factor when SEs rank webpages. Including keywords in the title tag shows the SEs the page’s focus. It is important to have a title tag on pages such as special interest, product, and services pages.

Header – H1 Tag. In HTML-speak, your “H1 tag” is the “header” or “headline” – generally, the large one liner at the top of your page. Bigger is better in this case: SEs consider larger type to be more important because it is more visible and easily read.  HTML header codes go from largest to smallest, H1 to H6. Your H1 Tag should contain your keywords for that page.

Other Header Tags – H2 to H6. The H-Tags specify a text hierarchy for headlines or subheads on your page. The higher the H-Tag number the smaller the text size. Generally, H1 is the only headline on the page, appearing at the top of the page. H2 tags are slightly smaller and can appear as subheads for the page. H3 tags are even smaller and may serve as a header for a bulleted list. H6 is the smallest text size and you may want to use this tag for image captions.

You don’t need to use all of the H-Tags, but their hierarchy should stay in tact. Again, part of the SE search involves keywords in the H1 tag, so remember to use a keyword or two in the headline of the page. In this way, you are optimizing the relevance of the keywords on the page as well as providing reinforcement to your users. They’ll see the Title Tag and the page headline (H1) with the same words they’ve searched for and know that they’ve come to the right website.

Keyword-rich Content. This may be “logical” but it is still worth mentioning. Your page content should contain your keywords and phrases several times. If you have target keywords per page, each page should mirror the unique set of key words. The content should be relevant and different for each page.

Creating extra pages on your site with duplicate content is another strategy that SEs don’t like; they will recognize the duplicate page content and give your site a lower rating. Also, if you mindlessly repeat your content, SE filters would catch it and not rank your site.  Unique content using your keywords is critical when you are dependent on natural search results.

There are a few ways to increase unique keyword-rich content that make SEs happy:

  • Break up your content by using subheads containing keywords.
  • Include keywords in the first sentence of your content and tie it up nicely with a summary sentence containing keywords.
  • Depending on the page design, bold your keywords now and then for emphasis. Create visual interest by pulling out important aspects of content as a bulleted list – keywords should also appear in this list.
  • Attribute images with a caption containing keywords.
  • Give your images and links Alt-Tags (or a Title Tag) using keywords.
  • Also, provide a way for your users or solicit your users to send you testimonials about your product, service or company (for example, a blog that users may participate in by submitting comments)
    ~ Content from your users is highly coveted because it can provide relevant and unique content without you having to generate it.

Keyword-rich Links

Search engines also looks at your internal links (page containing a link and the page the link goes to within your website). By making some text a link, you create “anchor text.” When you use keywords in your “anchor text” search engines consider the page it links to important to that keyword.

Meta Description Tags.

Meta Description Tags summarize the page “in 25 words or so” and are put into a “hidden” or background part of the webpage. When search engines display search results, they typically display the Meta Description Tag under the title of the page in the results. Again, include your keywords and keyword phrases. Use the most important keywords for that specific webpage.

If you feel as if the Tasmanian Devil has just whirled around your head a few times, you’re not alone. Search Engine Optimization is logical, but its logic contains many, many variables. These variables must be in place for the SEs to find your site among possibly thousands in a natural search query. Some of the variables are more difficult to control (mainly the age of your site). But by following these key strategies, you increase your search result rankings within the SEO Labyrinth.

Let’s review:

  • Update your site often – with photos and content. Activity on your site always verifies to SEs that your site is authentic.
  • Generate key words and phrases for each page of your site. You can do this just by sections of your site as well.
  • Include keywords in your Title Tag. Make sure your keywords are also in your Headline (H1) of the page; use the H1 to H6 tag hierarchy giving relative importance to text on your webpage.
  • Mirror your key words and key phrases in your content at least 3 or 4 times. Use the terms logically – you cannot just type your key word over and over and over.
  • Use bullet point lists containing keywords as a way to break up the page content and add key words w/out having to write longer sentences.
  • Bold at least one of your keywords within your content – it gives importance to that word. If you can do this to several keywords without making the content awkward, this is even better.
  • Use keywords in your text links to your own site pages.
  • Give your images captions and alternative text – this is an opportunity for you to get more key words on the page.
  • Acquire user-generated content.

Website Optimization and Marketing Consulting
ELEMENTS Inc. | 805-547-1160 x205

The primary objective of any focused marketing initiative is to drive qualified leads, which convert into users, customers and clients. ELEMENTS specializes in creating business results for franchise and mid-size companies using integrated website optimization and internet marketing strategies, with a firm belief that success can not be obtained with a singular focus on one small portion of “Search Engine Optimization”.

Successful website optimization requires holistic planning and management of all aspects of search engine marketing (SEM) including public relations, website content, keyword buys and search engine optimization, as well as most aspects of information architecture, user-interface and online community best practices. ELEMENTS applies both marketing sensibility and technical expertise for campaigns that focus on customer acquisition and retention.

Beholding the Eye of the User

Posted on by Michael Boyer

Numerous research groups have conducted studies to determine how people read online (and print) content. Eye tracking research tests the theories and assumptions about this consumer behavior and can help us build a better website and guide better designs.

Although the test methodology may differ, researchers have collected and analyzed data regarding how different aspects of a web page are viewed (headlines, subhead/tag lines, ads, photos and other graphics); how people navigate a website; how long the readers stay with an article and how much of the content they read and content placement may affect any of this. Some research even tests reader retention.

Generally, eye trackers use fancy eye tracking equipment that records the users’ eye movements on a page. The results typically show red/orange/yellow spots where the reader’s eye stops or lingers; green/blue indicate areas that the reader finds less important or interesting, or, in some studies, the areas a reader does not even look at. Some tests also record where the reader clicks on their mouse and how far down the page the participant read or scrolled before bouncing away somewhere else.

Left, Right, Left

Reading in our Western culture flows top left corner to right and has a great influence in these studies. Not surprisingly, the upper left corner of the page (print or web) seems to be the overwhelming favorite gateway to websites. The upper left side of the page was strengthened when strong headlines and company logos (flags) were incorporated into the design of the page. Larger sized headlines obviously being more noticeable than smaller headlines.

Top, Right or Left

After starting in the top left corner of the web page, users’ eyes then moved left to right so logically, users focused on  main navigation bars or other navigational elements that were placed at the top of the page. In some studies, main nav elements in the right hand column got more attention than those in the left hand column. The argument for a right side secondary nav is that the scroll bars are usually on the right side of the browser window. By putting the navigational elements on the right side, you increase your users’ efficiency on your website.

The argument for a left hand secondary nav is that the users’ eye always traveled back to the left side of the page (Western reading), so using the left column for this navigation would seem appropriate. The majority of websites are designed with left hand navigation and users’ are comfortable finding it in this area – force of habit. Forcing a change in this habit could force your user to have to work to figure the page out and potentially spend less time on the important content, or leave the site altogether. A good compromise is to leave the secondary navigation  in the left column and include other calls-to-action items or links in the right column.

Pretty Picture or Catchy Headline?

There’s some controversy over whether people are more attracted to a photo or the web page’s headlines. After landing on a homepage, most users were attracted to content – catchy headlines – more than they were large photos. Content also guides the users’ actions on a site, so good content is critical. Users gravitated toward headlines and summaries leading into the main article as well. In most studies, they preferred content written in short paragraphs. Remember most online users scan for what they are looking for, rather than reading entire paragraphs of content.

However in some studies, users were attracted to larger and more eye-catching photos with good placement: mid-page and above the fold. Users do like content broken up with images (photos or graphics; photos were viewed more than graphics in general), whether larger or icon-sized. Since the text dictates the users actions more than images, compelling images will supplement your content well.

Ads and Folds

Ads placed in those same areas (left side of page, top of page) received a lot of attention, but that placement can cause a design challenge if you want to establish clear brand identity. Ad placement on a web page has more limits on the real estate, so it’s an extremely important exposure issue for advertisers. Users also looked at bigger ads over smaller ones and those placed near content they were interested in reading.

Content and ads placed “below the fold” or in the lower parts of the screen received some attention, but were often overlooked, especially if the user has to scroll too far down. There is some controversy over content placement in the lower right corner or lower parts of a web page, as those areas would be the logical end of the users’ eye movement. The decisions about where to place a call-to-action or an ad are: how far south on the page and above or below the fold. Best practice is usually above the fold.

F+

What we’re really looking at here is an ‘F’. The user enters your web page at the top left corner of the page (top left corner of the ‘F’) . Their eyes them move across the page to the right, comes back to the left side move down the page and then across the page to the right again….a loose ‘F’ pattern. Good web design will take advantage of this almost automatic reading behavior and place critical elements in the page’s strategic hot spots.

  • ~ Place a captivating image or a dynamic headline in the top left area is great; combine the two and placing them together has even greater impact.
  • ~ Use your left column for secondary navigation – it’s a natural fit for the spine of the ‘F’. And place other important navigational or calls-to-action on the right side of the page where the users’ eye naturally travel makes perfect sense.
  • ~ Keep your most important content and eye-catching photographs above the fold helps grab users quickly.
  • ~ Write in a way a scanner can rapidly absorb information on your home page to keep their interest. Include links or other strategies to lead users to sub pages where they can read articles in full or gather more information.

What is good design?

Posted on by Tony

Good design. Very subjective topic even when following rules of “good” design…maybe almost too general a topic. But it’s important to examine “what is good design” and discuss some basics of design itself. By “design,” we mean elements that are brought together and constructed for a very real and specific purpose. Design affects us all daily in every interaction we have with something, even when we’re not conscious of a “design” form. From vacuum cleaners to Velcro, we consider here points that constitute good design.

Do it, and do it well.

The point of anything ‘designed’ is to serve purpose or fill a need. Well-crafted designs accomplish this goal easily. Good design bridges the end with the means with innovation and a realization of the best way to do its intended task. Take for example, the first ipod. After the fanfare died and the dust settled, we had a product that lived up to its promise, and then some. It did one thing unbelievably well — it played mp3s (not to mention was one of the first portable hard drives). But better than that, it enhanced its purpose with a couple of other critical features — an intuitive and innovative interface that was a breeze to learn and fun to use, and it utilized Firewire technology as opposed to USB which allowed faster download speeds. Good design by innovation, intuitiveness and efficiency.

Look good doing it.

Let’s face it, good design looks good. We appreciate the aesthetic. It appeals to the artist in all of us. Form and function are the Batman and Robin of good design. The ipod again is a great example. Scrolling wheel? Genius! All-white? Alluring! Curved surfaces and a backlit display? Sexy! The entire package is an exercise in ground-breaking and clever design. But what about something so commonplace and mundane as to take it for granted and even overlook it. A paper clip? Is that good design? It’s certainly easy to use. It does its intended task extremely well. It’s efficient. And hey, look at a paper clip. Nothing but curves within curves…its’ very good design indeed!

Designing for the web

This all had to relate somehow, right? What is good web design? All of the above rolled into one – good web design must absolutely meet the above criteria. A good website will illicit that ‘wow’ factor (form) and be easy-to-use (function). Moreover, a well-designed website will have attention to detail, masterfully laid out, innovative in its presentation, and if successful in its implementation, will inspire the user to perform its appointed task — be it inform, react, sell, whatever.

Design for the common man

There’s an interesting trend that’s happening for a while – society’s increased desire for well-designed, sleek, sexy, useful products. This increases the importance of good design in our daily lives. Not to say we didn’t have it before, but in the age of better, faster, smaller (and shinier) and technology’s easy access to everyone, we’ve all become a little more aware, and dare we say, artful. Product design was an afterthought in board room meetings ten years ago, but now take a look at Target stores. When we needed a trash can, we  just simply needed a trash can. It didn’t have to be cool. We never even looked for “cool.” But now, anyone can buy a cool, well-designed trash can. Now if someone could just make one that would take itself out when full, that would be truly excellent design.

Website content … Why does it always have to updated and enhanced?

Posted on by Michael Boyer

Content, content and content.

As a business owner with a website I’m sure you’ve heard this chant a thousand times …

Content tells your audience about you, your company or organization. This mish-mash of text, graphics, photos and imagery is all “content,” in this post we’ll focus on text, the main type of content search engines find on your website.

Okay, enough with the small print, let’s break it down …

Relevant Content and Linking to Relevant Websites

Successful online marketing always begins with content that is highly relevant to your business or organization. Relevancy is one of the more important factors when writing your content. The textual content on your website should be focused around the topics that specifically describe your industry, your business, your local community and yourself. This content should be written to communicate to your human target audience, not for the benefit of search engines .

If written correctly, relevant content will contain a high density of keyword terms that your target audience can type into Google to bring up your web site in their search results. These keyword terms are very important to understand so you can make sure that your content is written to maximize relevancy.

Linking to other relevant website content is another way to help your target audience find relevant information. These links also help establish your website as a knowledge leader in providing relevant information and sources concerning your industry, your business, your local community and yourself.

The content you write and link to should ALWAYS be done in the best interest of your human audience. If you create this strong foundation of great relevant content your human and search engine audiences will both like your website.

Updating and Adding Content

Adding new content pages provide your users with up-to-date information about your products and services, your local community and your industry. None of these are static, so the information you provide on your website should not be static either. For example: every new customer changes your business just a little bit … the more of these customer testimonials you have, the better perception your audience will have of your products and services. Incorporating new content such as new testimonials will help Google will see more relevant content as well. For more one how search engines rank webpages …

Local Content

The reach of the Internet is huge … When you write content for your website, focus on the geographic location of your target audience. Your audience and search engines will have a much easier time finding your website if you provide City, County or State/Province information interlaced in your content. For example: case studies should talk about specific locations where services were rendered or products were successful. Content about local community activity with links to local community websites also enhances your ability to build trust for your business in the local community.

Quality Content

One thing is also certain, quality writing counts! The following are basic best practices for writing quality website content.

  • Spelling and grammar: Few or no errors. No page had more than three misspelled words or four grammatical errors. Note: spelling and grammar errors were identified by using Microsoft Word’s check feature, and then ruling out words marked as mis-spellings that are either proper names or new words that are simply not in the dictionary. Does Google use SpellCheck? Keep in mind that no one really does know what the 100 factors in Google’s algorithm are. But whether the mechanism is SpellCheck or a better shot at link popularity thanks to great credibility, or something else entirely, the results remain the same.
  • Paragraphs: Primarily brief (1-4 sentences). Few or no long blocks of text.
  • Lists: Both bulleted and numbered form a large part of the text.
  • Sentence length: Mostly brief (10 words or fewer). Medium-length and long sentences are sprinkled throughout the text rather than clumped together.
  • Contextual relevance: Text contains numerous terms related to the keyword, as well as stem variations of the keyword. (thank you to webcredible)

Keep these concepts in mind when crafting your website content. Know your audience, make your content keyword dense, include local content and add to your site consistently. Keep your content focused and relevant will put you ahead of the competition…your site search engine results will benefit and your business will as well.

A Recipe for Successful Local Marketing …

Posted on by Michael Boyer

Franchise companies have many challenges, one of which is local marketing. Traditionally, it has been difficult to produce consistent local marketing campaigns that drive leads to the local office. These campaigns normally consist of some sort of direct mail, “yellow pages” or print advertising, all of which are becoming much less effective in these techno-savvy times.

A new recipe for local marketing includes 2 cups website, 1/2 cup email, 1 cup search engine and a dash of tracking. Mixed well to make a successful local marketing campaign.

2 cups Website – A website is made of visual imagery and textual content. When mixing up your website, please choose only natural and relevant text for your content. This will allow the search engine and website to blend well together and produce a better tasting (more leads) dish. Use the combination of visual imagery and text to produce the fragrant smell (call to action) that entices your guests (site visitors) heads toward the kitchen (your contact information)

1/2 cup Email – An email is one page of your website delivered to your contact’s email box. It’s a combination of problem-solving and education. If you can brew these two items together to create interest and anticipation then you have succeeded in stirring up interest in your website. Email should never outwardly sell your services, but should educate your customer.

1 cup Search Engine – Search engine is the final and most often forgotten ingredient to your successful local marketing campaign. Search engine is only effective if it is incorporated well with website. If your website and search engine have similar content then customers will find website in their search engine queries.

A dash of Tracking – To realize success is to measure success. Use Google analytics to track your website and your traffic sources to understand if these ingredients are producing an increase in customers coming to your website. This tool will also show you the increase the number of customers who contact you.

We hope you enjoy this new recipe! If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Keep ‘Em Coming Back for More – The Write Way

Posted on by Michael Boyer

Cultivating users and customers who return to your site is no easy task. What? Your business doesn’t offer a product that you can advertise as “special clearance!” or “for a limited time only!” that will entice users back? Well, developing repeat customers the “write” way can keep you connected to them as well as build your reputation as an industry leader, grow your brand awareness and spark interest from prospective clients.

First Things, First

Unless you have a way to capture your users’ contact information, you won’t be able to send out an online marketing campaign. You’ll need an online marketing manager that includes a database to store your client information list.

That in place, include a “join us” or “sign up” call to action prominently on your website, in multiple places (tastefully). Whether the user visits your site once or several times, or visits one page or explores your entire site, that call to action should always be available.

Special E-livery

For any company, e-newsletters and/or e-mail campaigns are a logical start. Make no mistake, however, compelling and successful campaigns take work

  • ~ Share your knowledge and choose a topic relevant to your client base to focus on. Whether it’s an intro or advanced level topic for a service, clear and direct copywriting will always inspire learning. Include tips and advice – builds trust and shows your expertise.
  • ~ Providing an in-depth view of a product or service may also introduce clients to something new. Emphasizing benefits rather than features encourages the customer to view you as a solution-provider. How are you leaps and bounds in front of your competitors? Leading with benefits inspire confidence in your company, your brand and your product.
  • ~ If your clients experience a Success Story, write about it. Testimonials about your product or service increase your credibility. Real life stories also give your campaign another dimension and human touch – your customers relate to each other.
  • ~ Q&As and interviews are a creative way to break up the content of the newsletter while offering quick nuggets of information. Generate participation by inviting your clients to submit questions and choose a few to answer. Or, a more interesting approach is to interview another expert in the field answering the question. Your partner should offer a product or service that complements your own.
  • ~ If you do offer a product for sale online, sending an e-mail campaign featuring products often encourages return visits. Whether it’s seasonally, monthly or weekly, schedule the email consistently so that your customers look forward to “what’s next?”

What Can New Do For You?

“New” and “free” and “Improved”…but especially “new” and “free” attract us like…well, you know. They are probably the most attractive and potent words product and service providers can use in marketing and advertising. There are studies that show that something in “new” activates a reward center in our brain. And whether the reward is to be the first to get the newest, shiniest widget, or to learn something new, it’s a great tool for online marketing as well.

Advertising new products on your site and in your e-marketing campaigns is a no-brainer, the novelty is built in.

If your company doesn’t offer a product? This “new” does not necessarily involve developing a new service each month…it’s you “new” content. Keep your site content (articles and images) updated regularly. Your users will return often to see what’s “new.” If your content doesn’t change for months and months, your web analytics return rate will probably reflect that.

An excellent source of new content is your own company news – New and Press, Press Releases, Media, Press Center. Give your news some prominence on your home page, include a spot for it in your main navigation and make it easy to find. More importantly, keep on top of issuing your news – being diligent about this takes commitment and dedication. Sending out monthly news is good; sending out weekly news is great!

It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It

  • ~ Your writing should paint a picture in your client’s head: write in the active voice (who did what, rather than what was done by whom.
  • ~ Be persuasive and clear: avoid the $25 paragraph to say 25-cents worth of message.
  • ~ Be engaging in your approach: clever writing balanced with professionalism in a tone that is appropriate to your message: urgent-action needed; helpful; warm-fuzzy; fun.
  • ~ Write to inspire action: think about radio spots or movie reviews – they’re quick and evocative, and they make you want to see the movie.

One-on-One

Write as if you were talking to your best user or client. Your ONE best user or client. Writing as if you were presenting your widget or widget service to your entire client list takes away from the personalization of your message. Writing on a personal level, like a one-on-one conversation addresses your client’s individual needs…just the way he or she receives your e-mail or e-newsletter – as an individual.

Journalism 101

Learn the upside-down paragraph used in journalistic writing. Write general to specific. Remember to lead with benefits, so start with that in your headline. Repeat that benefit early on in first paragraph and include a few more benefits as well. Detail the features and logistics of how your company delivers your benefits in the following paragraphs. Learn it, use it, live it!

The Marketing Manager who never sleeps (and it’s not insomnia) – Can you read in your sleep?

Posted on by Michael Boyer

Online marketing is all that it’s cracked up to be and isn’t as difficult as it’s cracked up to be.

It doesn’t even need to be a wazoo marketing campaign. In fact, it’s already on every page of your website. It’s your copy. If crafted thoughtfully and clearly, your entire website is the Marketing Manager who sells your company, your brand, your product or your service 24/7/365 (or 366 depending).

Great website content is the foundation for driving great qualified leads to your site. But what makes the content great? Snappy writing? Tech-speak and pop culture buzzwords? Lots of it? Not really…and it’s much simpler than finding your inner-copywriter.

GET IN THE 10-RING…KNOW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

Who are you speaking to? What is your niche market? What does your target audience want and need? Define these users and tailor your copy to them. Your copy should address their specific wants, needs, questions or “yeah, but…” hurdles, just like an in-person sales pitch would do.

Take some time to figure out your users’ behavior and habits on your site. Your website host, Google Analytics reports or other web stat program can tell you a lot about things such as:

  • ~ What page gets the most user time?
  • ~ What time do you get the most visitors?
  • ~ From which page do users most often bail from your site?

PUT OUT A CREATIVE WELCOME MAT

Here’s where the snappy writing does help.

Your site headlines are quick snippets of information. Your users often decide whether they are interested in your site and/or page right here. So easy-to-understand, attention-grabbing headlines will help make users want to hang on your door step and then delve deeper into your website.

Choose your words wisely and keep them relevant to what your users want to know.

THE SCAN ARTIST

A copy-heavy page is not well-received or read in full. But don’t distract your user with a ton of images, flash, slideshows, automatic videos or intro music either.
Users tend to skim through websites and scan pages, so large paragraphs are not useful, even if you think it will help with key word relevancy. Your user will skip out before you know it.

  • ~ Write short 4-5 line paragraphs. Even a one-liner, now and then, adds good je ne sais quoi.
  • ~ Use bullet-point lists.
  • ~ Mix the above two to break up the page.
  • ~ Use subheads to divide longer chunks of copy.
  • ~ Use easy-to-read, web-friendly fonts like Verdana or Arial.
  • ~ Avoid dark, patternend backgrounds; a light-colored plain background gives the most readability.
  • ~ Less is more – choose your images and graphics carefully and make them applicable to the copy.

Hot Chillys does this really well …

HOW’S YOUR STREET CRED?…OK, WEB CRED?

How is what you have to say more credible than the rest of oh, say, every other company in your industry that has a website? Yep, those hundreds, maybe even thousands of sites?

People want to know and trust that what you’re offering has credibility, integrity, quality…you need to establish this quickly and early on in your users’ visit.

  • ~ Your About Us section – what about you? Talk about your credentials and what separates you from the rest of the herd. Show your users you are solid.
  • ~ Who are you? Not your company, product or service as a business or commercial entity, but as a person. Make your offering relevant as a person, not as an object. Your users want to relate to the total package and the way to do that is tell them who you are, what’s your story?
  • ~ Use testimonials to build trust. Testimonials from your happy clients or customers pack a powerful punch to your credibility. Engage past clients to write about their expectations and results they received by partnering with you. Make sure to include your client’s name, business name and their website URL…it helps the user know the bandwagon is real.

GOOD TO GREAT

Features are good, but get to the real great thing: what benefits do you offer? How do you fill a need and make your future client’s life easy, painless and stress-free? Anticipate that your client will want to know “what do I get out of this?” and show them how you can solve their problems.

  • ~ Good: ElementsLocal offers Franchise companies a website platform that provides a local website for each of their Franchisees.
  • ~ Great: ElementsLocal provides each Franchisee with a customizable local website in one-third the cost AND capitalizes on the strength and power of national branding and established online presence.

CALLS TO ACTION

Now that your user must absolutely have your product or service, you need to let them know how to get it. Make your calls to action clear and easy to find. Include them in several places (tastefully) on each page, for example as a side bar button.

  • ~ Use the online wizard to purchase your site in 4 easy steps. (inline copy)
  • ~ Purchase your site now! (button copy)
  • ~ Click here to receive your sprocket, risk-free! (inline copy)
  • ~ Order your sprocket! (button copy)

Your website copy, especially that on your home page, is your 15 seconds for a great first impression—that awesome smile and pleasantly firm handshake. Your clients need to be crystal clear about why you are the person they should partner with.

You don’t need to embark on a site overhaul and rewrite all your content. Employing some of these techniques will help you build your website into an effective marketing tool. Employ all of them and you’ll produce an outstanding online marketing manager who will sell your product or service 8760 (or 8784 depending).