Today we launch the new design4brand home page, with the specific goal of increasing contacts and client contracts. We’ve applied insights and tips from our friends at Marketing Experiments to increase clarity and reduce friction. The fancy term for this is “landing page optimization.” What it means is that your website visitors know where they are when they hit your site, what they should do, and why they should do it. Why should they buy your products or services?
So, what specific changes have we made? The graphics at the top remain, but we now have a stronger and clearer value proposition. Visitors know right up front what we do and how that may benefit them, and how they can contact us to start the discussion. The flow of information follows a natural progression with a call to action.
We’ve moved the educational components of branding strategy from the home page. We thought we were so smart in placing tips and tricks right there so that clients would realize just how smart we were.  Now we know better. Now we want to connect with our clients’ issues first, then educate them later. We still have our search engine optimization words so that you’ll find us organically, but now you have clearer information as to whether our services match your needs.
We are now certified by Marketing Experiements in the area of Landing Page Optimization - which simply means that we can help you get more sales once a customer finds your website. 

Popularity: 43% [?]

Mainstream high-tech firms have been dipping their toes into the shallow waters of web social media for the past five years. But finding a shining example of social media among the fortune 100 firms is a futile search. Take HP, for example. Their websites are designed to present, and sell, to you their prdoucts and services. All well and good, especially as they have made selection easier by customer segment. But conversations with, and among, customers is not visible. You have to go within the Customer Support area to find any kind of forums. And while kudos to the Customer Assurance groups for even having these forums, the content is naturally geared toward solving product issues. And the forum page is filled with legal cautions and warnings HP wants you to know before you dare join a forum (talk about throwing some roadblocks!). Apparently participants can be awarded points, but who knows what those points will get you?
Compare this with the Skittles website, which takes you directly to the conversations from and among customers. Some are very positive, but there are the negative ones as well. How about “I don’t like skittles,” or even “Skittles are (swear word). M&M’s rule.”? This is akin to having customers complain about the price of ink on the HP Home page. Don’t see that happening? Neither do I. But they and IBM and Nokia and others should lean more in the direction of Skittles. What does this say about Skittles? That they have FULL FAITH in thier Brand!
“Some will question whether it’s wise to give up control on the Web–whether this is a good use of social media,” says Charlene Lin, author of business best-seller Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, consultant, speaker and blogger (altimeter.com). “But they are controlling content in the most important sense, which is that they’re getting people to talk about and engage with the brand. It’s hard to get people to engage with a candy, but this is generating incredible buzz and PR. This is a big brand pushing the envelope toward what a brand will be in the future.”
High-tech marketeers - go take a look at Skittles, and then chew on it.

Popularity: 51% [?]

I recently participated in a survey conducted by Forrester Research. The results: spending for E-Marketing and B2B social media will likely remain the same or increase over the next year. In spite of the economic downturn, interactive marketing continues to be seen as a worthwhile investment across 333 businesses that Forrester surveyed. Investment categories included blogging, social networking, email, and search optimization. Traditional marketing tools, such as display ads, should see a decrease in budgeted dollars.

A full 70% of recipients said that their spending would stay the same or increase. As you might expect, professional services, financial services and E-Marketers were the most likely to say they would continue to invest in interactive marketing tools.

How about you? Is this where you’re spending your dollars? If so, you should have an overall game plan and mapped out campaign, and a way to measure success. This is way to make your emarketing a tool for long-term growth and success, not just the “next great gimmick” to try out.

E-Marketing should be an important part of your marketing and brand strategy. Incorporate it wisely for the long-haul.

Popularity: 36% [?]

Nowadays online marketing is important for just about any business. But all those new terms can be confusing: web sites, blogging, search engine optimization, e-mailing, webinars. It’s enough to make your head spin. As a business owner, I had to sort through if, and how, I was going to use online tools to create and promote my brand. So many, terms, and me on a tight budget. Let’s quickly sort through them.

1. Your Web Site.
   This is basically your store front. It’s where customers come to window shop. Is your window attractive. Does it catch my eye? Does it reflect who you are (think law firm vs. donut shop). And, very importantly, can I look in your “window” and see what you have to offer? Any specials today?
2. SEO (search engine optimization)
   SEO helps customers find your website. This is not unlike having a well-designed Yellow Pages strategy. The big consideration here is have you thought about how I want to find you? If you are a travel agency, I may look for you under that title in the phone book. But online, I’m going to be looking for very specific information about what I want to do. So, I’m likely to look for “Bed and breakfasts in Vermont” or “Low-cost Hawaiian vacations.” Am i going to find you when I click on the search button?
3. Blogging
   This is all about having conversations with your customers. Think about going into a hardware store and talking with an expert about using plumbing tools. Or the talking with the guy who owns the imported cheese shop about when and how to serve brie vs. Camembert. With blogging, you present yourself as the friendly expert, AND converse with customers.
4. Webinars
   Also known as e-learning, webinars are an opportunity to show your expertise to a wide range of customers. Usually 45 minutes to one hour in length, you can think of these as a sort of guest lecture at a local college (only the students come from all over). Depending on your business model and the amount of intellectual property involved, you may or may not charge for a webinar.
5. E-Mailing
   This is NOT spam. E-mail campaigns are best used like a newsletter, sent to those who want to hear from you about updates, new offers, perhaps a follow-on to a webinar that you’ve hosted. Like blogging, e-mail campaigns should contain information that is useful to your customers. If you give a webinar on the basics of making premium ice-cream, you might follow up with a series of tips on how to add specific flavors, like summertime peach or espresso chocolate.

I obviously need an ice-cream break! How do YOU use your online marketing tools? What successes have you had? What frustrations? I’d like to know!

Popularity: 22% [?]