MarketingSherpa Blog

Wow – I just spent the past 45 minutes blowing off email and phone calls to read a brand new report on the results of a focus group Enquiro Search Solutions conducted last month.

Although it focused on consumers, the data is highly relevant for b-to-b marketers as well. Some highlights:

– Landing pages and sites loaded with informational non-salesy materials such as specs, product photos, research, guides, reviews, etc., were much more likely to convert than overt sales messages.

– Aside from one demographic (mostly young men) who want to get shopping over with as quickly as possible, most searchers are extremely circuitous. They search multiple terms, click on multiple links, veer from retailer to review site to manufacturer and back again.

So, if you rely on simple measurement of view/click/convert to judge performance you are significantly underestimating your search campaign performance.

– If a brand comes up in a high organic position early in the process, it may result in a sale much later in the process, even if the searcher never clicks on that initial link. Search success is much more about building brand awareness than most of us guessed.

– Almost 80% of searchers skip over sponsored listings initially or entirely (especially Google users); only 21% will click to a second page of listings if they can’t find what they want on the first; and if a review site such as ConsumerReports.org shows up in the top organic listings it’s almost “guaranteed a 50% plus clickthrough.” Which means if your listing is nearby, you’re close to invisible in the glare of the review site’s glory.

– People won’t cross over the “anonymity threshold” to give your site any information about themselves until they have absolutely no option and are ready to engage in a significant relationship with your site (such as purchasing or signing up as a sales prospect with the intention of putting your brand on a short-list.)

Combine that fact with the data that 72% of searches are conducted with the mindset of researching prior to making an engagement decision, and there’s a problem with using search for direct response goals alone.

The vast majority of searchers hitting your landing page (or site) are not in a response mindset – are, indeed, highly resistant to the idea. It’s the old asking someone to marry you on the first date dilemma.

So, how can your landing page still convert the 28% who are ready, while gaining mindshare and future purchases from the 72% who are not? Plus, how do you measure the latter’s success?

That’s the dilemma we all face.

Anyway, enough of me babbling on and on. You can check out the research results for yourself. The 30-page PDF is complimentary, but there’s required registration (oh the irony):
http://www.enquiro.com/Downloads/

Since we launched our new experimental service – Marketer’s Desktop Resource Center – a week ago today, more than 500 of you have downloaded it. And everybody’s been emailing me with feedback like crazy. (Thanks.)

Here are the newest lessons I’ve learned from the whole thing:

Lesson #1. Offer RSS as an alternative

The vast majority of you wanted to know, “Is this RSS? If it’s not, why don’t you offer RSS?” Well, it’s not RSS. It’s a downloadable application like Weatherbug only it’s completely dedicated to MarketingSherpa content.

RSS doesn’t allow us to give you a useful toolbar, permanent links, or graphics (I have big plans). All users get is the story headline with a link. Plus you can’t measure RSS (easily at least), and we estimate fewer than 500,000 people have RSS readers installed. (Compared to tens of millions using downloads like ours.)

But, obviously many of those 500,000 are our readers. So Holly Hicks in our production department is working on starting an RSS feed for you in the next week. I’ll include a link in my Blog when it comes out.

Lesson #2. Corporate IT departments are cracking down

A bunch of marketers working for large companies wrote in that they had to ask their IT department’s permission before downloading anything.

The IT guy doesn’t know our brand name or trust us when we promise not to send pop-ads, or banners, or spy on users, or suck up their bandwidth unnecessarily. So, now we need to add extra tech facts to our FAQ on the download page to help user wanna-bes overcome their IT department’s suspicions.

Lesson #3. Twice daily pings are too many!

While everyone liked getting updates automatically, just as twice daily email would be too frequent, twice-daily “pings” were annoying.

The problem is we have new stories about twice a day, and I don’t want folks to complain because they missed something. So, now we’re working with Arcavista (our tech provider) to create a preferences form where users can say, “Only ping me when you have a story on a topic I’m particularly interested in.”

The update will take a few weeks (you know what tech dev is like), and in the meantime, I’m mulling over ping frequency fixes.

Lesson #4. Make it big enough to clearly read

I told the designers to make our application about as big as Weatherbug because I like the size and it’s got that cool “gizmo” factor. I was wrong.

Enough of you wrote in to say that you find the small size harder to read, that for our next update the designers will go bigger. Live and learn.

Useful links related to this Blog:

-> Part I of this Experiment Diary explaining how we came up with the new service in reaction to filter frustration, and 4 lessons I learned while developing it:
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/sample.cfm?contentID=2630

-> Web page where you can see a picture of the service and decide if you want to get your own complimentary copy:
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/desktop.html

Last Thursday, Thomas Korte, International Product Marketing Manager over at Google, emailed me, “I just wanted to let you know that your newsletter has recently started to be classified as spam 🙁 when it is sent to my work email.”

Arrgh! Despite the fact that we’ve been researching how to get permission email past filters for two years now, I get notes like this all too frequently.

The problem is at-work email accounts. Corporate IT departments are so desperate to stem the spam influx that they hurl every filter they can at it — including content-based filters that are infamous for high “false positive” rates. And since we use words in our stories like “advertising,” “online marketing,” and “opt-in” these filters sometimes stop our issues.

We’ve leapt through all the hoops to get as much email through as possible, including getting our own dedicated IP address, sending story-summaries instead of full-stories (fewer total words means less stuff you can be filtered for), and switching consistently non-opening subscribers to text-only.

It worked – our open rates now run 55-67% depending on subject line. But I wasn’t satisfied.

So when Matthew DeGanon at Arcavista asked if I’d like to try offering a desktop application, powered by his tech, that sends content directly to readers’ PCs without going through email, I was very excited about the experiment.

I’m a big huge fan of Weatherbug – a desktop application more than 13 million people have downloaded to get weather news without having to go to email or a Web site. It’s fun, it’s cute, it’s useful, and it’s free. Hey, I thought, how cool would it be to launch a “SherpaBug”?

Well, it’s launching today. You can see for yourself:
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/desktop.html

And, here are four lessons I learned along the way:

Lesson #1. Set Goals Prior to Development

I’m horribly easily swept into doing projects because it will be really fun and cool. And then later I kick myself in the pants and say, “Was there an ROI worth mentioning?”

Example: We invested in creating a “Torture-a-Spammer” online game 18 months ago. The rationalization was that it would be a great viral marketing tool. Hundreds of thousands played it, but only 5% signed up as newsletter subscribers and they had a rotten, dreadful conversion rate to becoming MarketingSherpaStore customers. The experience was fun, but a waste of money.

Unmitigated creativity is not the path to business success. Setting goals and measuring results is.

So, I set a few worst case scenario assumptions in place prior to saying yes to the Arcavista project, including:

o If 1% of current readers download the application and keep it on their desktop for at least a year;

o and, these readers spend an average of $1 more per year than the average newsletter reader spends in our online store, presumably because they’ll see and click on more of our content than newsletter readers;

o and, production time cost to update and maintain the application with our articles would be lower than this extra $1 more per year per user we made;

o will this at least cover costs?

OK, this reasoning is a bit flawed because the people most likely to download a MarketingSherpa desktop application are probably also likely to be among our biggest fans, and thus more likely than most to spend more money anyway.

If I had a perfect customer database backend I’d be able to account for that. We’re still building it, but if you have one and you’re trying a similar experiment, be sure to include that factor in your calculations. (And then let me know your results.)

Lesson #2. Design will be hell

Think about the first Web site you were ever allowed to direct the design on. You wanted to go wild — and probably a lot of the ideas you had were dreadful from a usability standpoint.

(My first professional site in 1996 had round icons swooping about the page instead of a traditional navigation bar or readable text. Looked fabulous, but it was miserable to get around on.)

Although I yearned to take the format for a test-drive and get really creative, I knew unmitigated creativity does not a successful design make. Arcavista’s design team had some ideas, but let’s face it, these guys are not in my target audience or familiar with my brand. Their ideas looked like a military videogame suitable for male 20-somethings.

My Web designer had some ideas, but let’s face it, he’s a Web designer. His idea looked just like a little square Web page. Anybody downloading that would think, “and the point would be?”

I had some ideas, but let’s face it, I’m in love with MarketingSherpa so my idea was to overwhelm the poor user with 20 buttons to different parts of the site. It was nothing more than a giant, scary-long navigation bar.

After two months of dithering, I printed out a copy of everyone’s mock-ups and cut and pasted a new version together (yes, with scissors and tape) using the best bits of each.

I liked the way the Arvcavista guys made theirs look like a gizmo instead of a flat screen. I loved the colors from my Web designer. And a tiny handful of my buttons got tossed in as well.

It looks OK, but not as incredible as my first feverish dreams. But hey, we have years to evolve in. Plus, as more folks launch desktop applications, there will be more places for me to steal design ideas from.

Lesson #3. You can’t update apps as easily as email (or sites)

Once we settled on the final design, Arcavista made me sign a letter saying in effect, “This is the final design for version 1.0.” I thought they were a little admin-happy but whatever.

Whups.

When I called up a few days later to ask, “Hey, can we tweak that yellow a bit?” my account rep had to say, “Sorry, not unless you want to delay launch for a week.” I said, “Why? What’s the big deal? It’s a two-second tweak.”

Turns out something, that might be a two-second tweak for your Web site, is a much bigger deal for your desktop application. The guys have to make the change, then test it in the lab to make sure no other code got broken, then update the version… it all takes more time.

So, if you’re considering an application, you can’t make sudden, swift changes to your format creative even though it’s super easy to update the content inside the format. (We’re planning to do it about seven times per week.)

Lesson #4. Copywriting will be hell

Finally we were ready to launch. So I had to write the copy for the landing page to describe this wonderful new thing. Great. How?

If you say, “desktop application” many of us creative types shudder away. It’s a techy term that doesn’t sound remotely enticing. Neither does “bug”. Neither does “peer-to-peer device” which is what one friend suggested. And “spyware” is out of the question (especially since we’re not watching anything besides normal email stuff — how many users we get and then if any of the clicks turn into sales).

I ended up writing so much descriptive copy in an effort to explain what exactly this thing is, that the first landing page was frighteningly long. Nobody was going to read all that.

In the end, I cut and cut and danced around the issue entirely.

Because desktop applications are relatively new, there isn’t a term you can use like “Web site” that everyone will know what that is. You just have to describe the benefits and say “Free” and “New” and cross your fingers.

You can see the copy I wound up with on the info page. The good news is, it’s a Web page, so if the copy doesn’t work we can change it nearly instantly….

Let me know what you think — aholland@marketingSherpa.com

And thanks for your support.

http://www.marketingsherpa.com/desktop.html
http://www.arcavista.com

I’ve come to the conclusion that any serious marketing training course should include sitting around cable TV to watch a few old episodes of Bewitched.

Remember how Darren Stevens would be working away on a great campaign at the ad agency and then a magic spell would mess it all up by turning the client into a chimp or something? That’s exactly what it feels like to be a marketer in the wonderful, ultra-measurable, Internet-age.

Last week an SVP of marketing for a very well known company, who I personally have admired for years, sent me a note turning down my invitation to speak at our upcoming Subscriptions Summit.

He explained, “We recently found there is a glitch in our ecommerce system and thus all marketing tests from the past have to be thrown out and redone. i.e. What we think we learned from tests is all in question because of system failures that lost orders.

Therefore, when I imagine what a group of my marketing peers would ask me on stage, I would feel like a phony trying to answer on this subject.”

When I read that, a big pile of guilt slid off my shoulders. Our marketing tech isn’t perfect either. We never measure everything I think we should – nor do we always have the time to pay attention to the results properly.

But I guess that’s condition normal for marketers these days. Tech SNAFUs are inevitable, and you can’t guilt yourself out for not being perfect all the time. I guess it’s just about doing our best and not letting that magic chimp thing bother us too much.

I’d like your input for some Buyer’s Guides projects we’re working on.

Whether you are a client, a potential client, or a vendor yourself, you can nominate any company you chose to these Guides. Every single nominated vendor will be reviewed for complimentary inclusion — and we try to include as many as possible.

Nominations only take a few seconds, and they are anonymous:

a. Buyer’s Guide to Email Broadcast Services 2nd Edition

Nominate email services that send out bulk (broadcast) messages for clients. Questions? Contact editor Jill Keogh at jillk@marketingsherpa.com:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=59232397756

b. Buyer’s Guide to Web Analytics

Nominate any or all software you would use to analyze your site’s traffic. Questions? Contact editor Terry Lund at terry@terrylund.com:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=84220365265

c. Buyer’s Guide to Selling Content Online

Nominate software/technology services you would need to sell content online, including PDFs, pay-per-view and subscriptions. Questions? Contact editor Andrew Benkard at andrewb@marketingsherpa.com
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=39901365264

Thanks for your support,

Anne

Anne Holland – Publisher
MarketingSherpa

This week the New York Times ran a story that began, “Can small businesses be persuaded to pay for online advertising even if they do not sell their products or services on the Web?”

Well, hair salon owner Jet Rhys, told me the answer is, “Heck yes.”

Jet, a self-described “right-brainer” didn’t want anything to do with online at first. “I do hair. I’ve never even owned a computer.” But, her young staffers kept bugging her to put up a site, so when she discovered a client worked for the Red Door Interactive agency, she decided to try it.

Clients loved the site – especially the form where they could request a phone call to book an appointment. But Jet’s client base didn’t grow much … until her agency began testing local PPC search ads.

They tried using local terms such as “San Diego hair salon” in Overture and Google; and since Google started offering localized ad serving (where your ad only appears for searchers in selected zip codes) they’ve tested broader terms such as “hair cut.”

Results? Jet’s business has boomed, especially for expensive new services such as Japanese thermal straightening and hair extensions that consumers tend to research online. 30% of the Salon’s total appointment requests now come from the site, and roughly 50% of these are first-time customers.

Some ads have done as well as 6.25% CTR; and, Jet’s average click rate is a respectable 1.09%, with 1.5% of clicks converting to filling out the appointment form.

“It’s catapulted me into thinking I can never be without these buys. I’m able to take my blinkers off and see how I can grow in new services,” Jet told me.

If you’d like to check out Jet’s site, here you go:
http://www.jetrhys.com

I get incredibly frustrated when I hear about a new marketing idea, but no one has any real-world results data.

This week I called around to a bunch of marketers who’d added a spokesperson headshot plus an audio clip to their site. “How many visitors click to hear the audio?” I asked. “Does it improve conversion rates?”

Nearly everyone said, “Oh, we’re not measuring it, but we figured it’s really cool so why not stick it up? It probably helps.” Arrgh! Finally I got a tidbit of data (see below for the Case Study.)

John O’Dwyer, who helps out his dad the famed Jack O’Dywer with his publication for the PR community, told me he’d been kicking around the idea of having sponsors add audio clips, of Jack briefly discussing their product, to their site ads.

John said, “It’s not too hard to create one of these things. It’s just Flash with audio popped in. People believe in something more when they hear an authority say it.” Plus, most audio clip tech companies allow your spokesperson literally phone in their message.

Which made me think, what about using audio for celebrity
endorsements online? Click here to listen to what so and so says about …. Could be anyone from a big-name tech analyst to a Hollywood star.

Has anyone tested it? Got data? Lemme know.

Article: Adding Audio to Your Business Web Site
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/sample.cfm?contentID=2595

Tuesday afternoon you should have gotten an email from us with the link to the ‘Marketing Wisdom 2004: 99-Best Real-life Stories & Tips’ Report. (http://wisdom.marketingsherpa.com)

I heartily recommend you take a look now, if you didn’t have a chance earlier, because it’s highly entertaining and definitely inspirational.

In my introduction to the Report, I noted that this year it’s all about ‘in person marketing.’ One reader wrote in to share another example. Turns out a group of college students started an agency called called ‘Headvertise.’ They’ve recruited students at a whole bunch of colleges such as UMASS who agree to have your ad stamped on their foreheads.

Then the students walk around for a few days as living forehead billboards for your brand and URL (if it will fit).

So far 69-Gear.com and Roomates.com have tested it. Mike Peters at Roomates.com says, “5 heads brought in over 10% of the school advertised at.” Eric Gerth at 69-Gear says he got some traffic, and items in shopping carts, but no actual conversions… yet.

Anyway, it’s a fun idea, and yes, the students involved are looking for either outside investors and/or jobs in advertising when they graduate shortly. http://www.headvertise.com

When I was interviewing Forrester Research’s Claire Powell for our new Case Study (link below), she mentioned they have tested a way of coming up with keywords for Google AdWords:

Instead of just putting ads under obvious terms that describe Forrester’s services, Powell’s team is trying newsy phrases – such as bits of quotes and headlines that are top of mind for their prospects.

For example, when the Harvard Business Review published a high-profile story entitled “IT Doesn’t Matter”, Forrester’s team tested paid ads using that exact phrase, as well as its opposite, “IT Does Matter”.

Claire told me, “For these very specific phrases, the impressions we get are extremely low, but the clickthroughs got up to 10-15%.”

Every search expert I know says that often the best keywords are the niche ones. So this is definitely a tip worth testing. Let me know how it goes for you.

http://www.marketingsherpa.com/sample.cfm?contentID=2582

“It was shocking,” Philip Krim, Marketer for The Sleep Better Store told me. “We really, really loved our site redesign. We were impressed with it. I was hoping for an immediate 20-30% sales jump. But, it was flat, if not declining.”

Krim had based his site revamp on what his vastly bigger competitors were doing online. He figured since they had more experience and gargantuan advertising budgets, they must know what they were doing. So he tried to steal smart.

Luckily he watched his Web metrics like crazy. His average sales cycle is 60-90-days, and 80% of site-generated sales come in via the phone. But, within just a few days Krim knew by watching visitor click paths and site abandonment rates that the new design was a failure.

With help from Michael Behrens at WebMetro, Krim whipped up a new site in just two weeks. The funny thing is, he doesn’t like the new site as much at all. It’s far simpler and even less professional-looking. Beautiful images and a heavily detailed navigation bar have been replaced by non-descript text-links.

But potential customers — boomers looking to spend over $2000 on a new bed — love it. Total monthly sales doubled, and search-driven clicks converted 500% better than before.

The moral of the story: don’t assume your competitor’s Web site is better designed than yours, even if it looks prettier. And watch your metrics like a hawk.

By the way, Krim also asked me to tell you he’s discovered for high-price items such as beds, that consumers tend to research heavily online prior to buying, your paid search position doesn’t matter. A #1 position won’t really outpull #3 because folks in research mode often work their way carefully down the results list, clicking on absolutely everything.

Again, it’s your site that counts — it’s all about conversions.