About the Authors

Chris BarnesWhether it’s teaching college students,junior marketers, or clients, I’ve come tolearn that simplicity is the key to learning.That’s why I think that even with theendless stream of marketing tools andtechnology, online marketing boils downto three things: attracting, converting, andkeeping customers.

My Areas of Focus are…

Pay Per Click (PPC) or Search EngineMarketing (SEM)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Ecommerce Email Marketing Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Robert ClarkeI’ve always believed that marketing is aboutmessaging. Op Ed is a newspaper term,and we play up the theme because we liketo think of a newspaper as the ultimatemetaphor for messaging. With the steadyflow of new marketing tools and tactics, it’sstill important to ensure that effectivecommunication underlies everything you do.

My areas of focus are…

Copywriting and Content Marketing Email Marketing Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Ecommerce Online Referral Marketing

Table of ContentsWho is this eBook for?Introduction“Those Three Words”Pay Per Click (PPC)Search Engine Optimization (SEO)Email MarketingWeb DesignContent MarketingSocial MediaConversion Rate Optimization (CRO)Online Referral MarketingRemember Those Three WordsHow We Can HelpHow You Can Help

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Who is this eBook for?Business OwnersWho are looking for a starting point for online marketing (or just need help makingsense of it).

MarketersWho want to learn ways to align online marketing tactics with a strategy that canlead to more success for their clients and businesses.

SalespeopleWho want to know more about ways to generate leads and convert them intocustomers using online marketing.

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IntroductionThere’s a whole lot going on.

Pay Per Click (PPC), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Email, Social Media, ContentMarketing, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Ecommerce, Responsive Web, Phones,Tablets, Phablets, and an endless stream of new tools and technologies.

It can be challenging. It can be confusing. It can be downright overwhelming!

But take a deep breath. Things are about to get a lot simpler.

That’s because when it comes to marketing your business online, you need only focus on threewords: ATTRACT, CONVERT, and KEEP.

Yup. That’s it. Three words.

When you’re finished reading this eBook you’ll be able to better understand all the main tacticsof online marketing.

But more importantly, you’ll know how each tactic aligns to the strategy of ATTRACTING,CONVERTING, and KEEPING customers.

Ready? Let’s get started.

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Those Three WordsWe’ve spent a lot of time practicing online marketing.

We’ve written hundreds of blogs and articles, built dozens of websites, did the social mediathing, managed millions of dollars in Pay Per Click (PPC) budgets, improved rankings on searchengines, managed Ecommerce sites, and sent out thousands of emails as Email Marketers.

What did we learn doing all these things?

That no matter what type of online marketing we did, the goal was always to: ATTRACT traffic toa website, CONVERT visitors into leads or customers, or to KEEP customers engaged with thebrand.

Some examples:

Type of Marketing Tactical Goal Strategic Goal

Search Engine Optimization Increase Search Engine Rankings Attract More Visitors

Website Optimization Optimize Website through A/B and Multivariate Testing

Convert More Visitors into Customers

Email Marketing Keep existing customers engaged through email communications

Keep More Customers

You name it – PPC, SEO, Email, Web Optimization, Social Media – every type of onlinemarketing aligns with one, two, or all three of these things.

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Attract, Convert, Keep ModelStrategy: Get More People to Your Website

Tactics: PPC SEO Email Marketing Content Marketing Social Media

Strategy: Convert People that Visit Your Site into Followers, Prospects, Leads, or Customers

Tactics: Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Content Creation PPC Email Marketing

Strategy: Keep existing customers happy, engaged, and enable them to help build your fans, and customer base.

Tactics: Referral Marketing Content Marketing Email Marketing Social Media

Online marketing isan integrationbetween attracting,converting, andkeeping customers.Each part affectsanother. It’s kind oflike a Rubik’s Cube:each move you maketo align colours onone side will affectthe colours on theother sides. And totruly be successful ata Rubiks’ Cube, youcan’t just focus on asingle side, you haveto get all the sidesright.

- Robert

Op Ed Piece

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PPC is simply the quickest way to gettraffic to your website and generateleads and new business. You can trackevery click, every customer, and everypenny to calculate your ROI.

When you’re paying people to visityour site, converting them intoprospects is paramount. At the veryleast you need to capture theirinformation so you can start marketingto them.

PPC primarily focuses on attractingvisitors and converting them intoleads and prospects.

Pay Per Click (PPC)

Did You Know?

Businesses make an average of $2 in revenue for every $1 they spend on AdWords(Source: Google Economic Report)

For high commercial intent search queries, the top three ad spots take about 40% of the clicks on the page (Source: The War on Free Clicks)

Even with a #1 organic ranking, PPC Ads provide 50% incremental clicks (Source: Google Research)

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Pay Per Click (PPC)What is it?Pay Per Click (PPC), Paid Search, or Search Engine Marketing (SEM) allmean the same thing: making sure people looking for your product orservice find you.

That’s worth repeating.

Pay Per Click is about connecting you to people who are actively seekingyour product or service and ensuring they find your business (and not yourcompetitor’s).

It’s like the Yellow Pages for the internet.

PPC has two main components:1. An ad2. A landing page

PPC involves keyword research to help discover the best way (andcheapest) for prospects to find your business.

And after they click your ad and land on your website, they need to bepresented with the right information to drive them to contact your businessor make a purchase.

PPC will tell you: howmuch you’ve spent,how many leadsyou’ve accumulated,the cost per lead,how much revenueyou’ve earned, howmuch profit you’veearned, and howmuch your ROI is. Isthere any type ofmarketing that cangive you that kind ofdata, and on a dailybasis?

- Chris

Op Ed Piece

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PPC Example

PPC is simply the quickest way to gettraffic to your website and generate leadsand new business.

When you’re paying people to visit your site,converting them into prospects isparamount. At the very least you need tocapture their information so you can startmarketing to them.

PPC primarily focuses onattracting visitors andconverting them into leadsand prospects.

The Good… A nice, simple design void of clutter and

distractions. This allows me to focus on thetask at hand (searching for a hotel inOakville).

I like how it lets you compare Kayak.com withits competitors, this helps reduce myperceived risk of using a lesser-knownsearch tool.

Love how my location is already pre-populated, and without even having to searchthere’s some hotels for me to browse in theright hand column.

The Not so Good… There’s really not a whole lot to critique about

this landing page. The only thing I wouldsuggest is that the “save 25% or more”needs to be much more prominent (that’swhy I’m here, to save!).

1. The Search2. The Ad

3. The Landing Page

The Good… I’m looking for an affordable hotel, so

“cheap” is good too! 473,349 people follow or have

Google+ Kayak.com, that’s showingme that it’s a popular site, increasingmy likelihood of using it too.

The Not So Good… The ad makes no mention of where I’m

looking (Oakville) “Great Rates” and “Top Deals” aren’t a

great hook, make me an irresistible offer! “Find Top Deals From 100s Of Sites”.

Hmm. Does that mean Kayak.com onlyhas a few hundred hotels to choose fromacross the country, the continent, theplanet?

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10 Tips to PPC Success1. Be Web Ready

Ensure your website is set-up for a PPC campaign, complete with an incentive or promo, a crystal clear call to action, and an easy form to complete (or number to call). You’ll want to measure every click, lead, and customer to calculate your ROI

2. Set Your Budget, SmartlyAt first, bid higher than Google’s recommended bid amount to ensure your ad appears on Google search results and so you can start gathering data. As your Click Through Rate (CTR) increases (as well as your Quality Score), you can lower your bids.

3. Target the Right Keywords Just because you’re a company that does “executive coaching” doesn’t mean that’s how people will search for you. Use Google’s Keyword Tool and look at your Google Analytics keyword traffic sources to learn more about what keywords people use to find your type of business.

4. Use Keywords in Ads This will not only make the ad more relevant to the user (and increase the likelihood of someone clicking on it), but Google will also bold the keywords in the ad to make it stand out amongst your competition.

5. Don’t Send People to Your Homepage Instead, send them to the relevant product or service page on your site based on the ad they clicked on. Don’t forget to use a clear call-to-action.

6. Be Careful with Google Display Network The GDP has lower Click Through Rates (CTR), but higher traffic volume compared to AdWords. But iit can be effective at creating awareness around a problem that your business has the solution to (e.g. “Did You Know Sidewalk Salt is Unsafe for Pets? Get Pet-Friendly Salt Here”).

7. Be Mobile ReadyDon’t run ads on devices such as mobile phones unless your website is mobile-friendly. And if you do, remember that the needs of a mobile user can be much different than a desktop user, so customize your ads accordingly.

8. Target the Right Locations Google lets you select zip/postal codes, states/provinces, counties, cities, and specific geographic areas. Don’t waste money on ads that serve people outside your intended audience.

9. Optimize Your Ads, AlwaysIf you put your ads on autopilot, you’re wasting money. As you get more data from your ads, shift budgets to higher converting ad groups, test different offers, and split test landing pages to see which ones get more conversions.

10. Consider Outsourcing A PPC vendor can provide the “3 E’s”: Experience managing a variety of campaigns; Expertise in terms of the tricks of the trade; and Effort as far as the amount of time it takes to optimize campaigns on a monthly basis. Ensure they have their Google or Bing Certifications.

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PPC Resources

Tools Wordstream Acquisio Google Keyword Tool

Tips 3 Reasons to Use a Google Certified Partner for Your PPC Campaigns Critiquing Your Google AdWords Campaigns What’s Paramount in Paid Search? Relevancy

Resources Google AdWords Certified Knowledge

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Search Engine Optimization(SEO)

SEO is simply the best way to attractfree, organic traffic. It’s an investmentthat is less a sprint, and more of amarathon, but when done right willdeliver high-volume, high-quality visits atno cost.

SEO is an indirect conversion strategy, asit means people are finding you aftersearching for a keyword related to yourbusiness. It’s important to structure yourwebsite in such a way that every page ispart of a larger conversion funnelstrategy.

SEO is primarily an ATTRACT andCONVERT strategy.

Did You Know?

Leads from SEO have a 14.6% close rate, whereas outbound such as direct mail has a 1.7% close rate(Source: Rainbowseo)

60% of all organic clicks go to the top three organic search results (Source: Optify)

75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results (Source: SearchEngineFacts)

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO)What is it?Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving andpromoting your website to attract more visitors from search engines.

Much like that of PPC, the goal of SEO is to ensure when people search forkeywords related to your business they find you (and not your competitor).

There’s many moving parts to SEO, including: On-Page Optimization (the words on your page) Off-Page Optimization (the links to your site from other sites) Website Architecture (making sure your site is structured in a way

search engines understand) Website Usability (ensuring your site is optimized for the people who

use it) Marketing and promoting your site and its contents

What’s important to understand is that search engines like Google use analgorithm to determine search rankings. And these algorithms are alwayschanging, and so is the practice of SEO.

SEO is NOT a sprint,it’s a marathon. Ittakes expertise,creativity, and a dailycommitment. Anddespite what manyexperts would haveyou believe, there’sno secret sauce toSEO.

- Chris

Op Ed Piece

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How Google Sees Your SiteHow a website looks to you How it looks

to Google

A Search Engine like Google sees your website as an amalgamation of text, links, titles, and tags.

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10 Tips for SEO Success1. Don't use Flash or Silverlight

Search engines have a difficult time reading these technologies, and thus any valuable content included in them will likely remain invisible.

2. Write for People, not Search Engines Focus on creating valuable, useful content that your readers will love and share. Don’t “cloak” content that’s hidden to people but readable by search engines (Google will penalize you). Make sure that your <title> elements and ALT attributes are descriptive and accurate.

3. ‘No Brainer’ Navigation Simplify your site with a clear hierarchy and text links. Every page should be reachable from at least one static text link. Ensure this is the case by creating a sitemap that links to all pages on your site with text link.

4. Keyword Placement is Key Use keywords to create descriptive, human friendly URLs. Fit keywords in title tags of pages at least once (preferably near the beginning), and at least 2-3 times, including variations, in the body copy on the page. Don’t forget to use keywords in image tags for when people search the web for images.

5. It’s Nice to Entice! Use descriptive titles that people will want to share. When a user sees your title they should be excited and want to click on it because it sounds interesting, not because they notice it has the same keyword that they typed in Google. Promote sharing with social sharing widgets and icons – and by asking!

6. CTA! CTA! Use a call-to-action in your meta description with close to no focus on keywords. Just as with the title, the meta description should be exciting and compel the reader to click through and find out more.

7. Faster is Better Lower you’re website’s page loading time, as search engines will penalize slow sites. Choose a web host with a professional configuration, use clean html and css code, and leverage browser caching for faster load times for returning visitors.

8. Fresh Content is FruitfulUpdate your website with content that is fresh, useful, and unique. Visitors should love to share with others. You should focus on producing content that is naturally shared and linked to. In other words, link earning in addition to link building.

9. Show Symbols of TrustSearch engines love signs of engagement with websites such as low bounce rates, high pageviews, and longer time on site. Keep visitors on your site with trust symbols such as industry accreditations, awards, customer logos and testimonials. Even a valid phone number and address will help.

10. Don’t “Get” Links, Earn Links Get links from sites that are relevant to your own. When building links, vary keywords as anchor text – lots of links with the exact same text is simply unnatural, even in your own marketing efforts. Focus on text that gets a click-through, not that uses a particular keyword.

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SEO Resources

Tools SEOMoz SEOBook FollowerWonk

Tips 5 SEO FAQs Answered What’s in a Keyword? Tips for Building Your Local Search Presence

Resources Google’s SEO Starter Guide Search Engine Land Google SEO Guidelines

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Email Marketing

Email is a quick, cost-effective way toget traffic to your website. Focus onincreasing opt-ins and sign-ups andgrowing your list which will result inmore opens, clicks, and visits.

Every email sent is a “conversion”opportunity. You need an irresistiblesubject line, clickable content, and alanding page designed to convert.

Email is an effective way to keep yourcustomers and prospects engaged.Keep your business top of mind bysending valuable content including, thelatest blog, eBook, webinar, contest,promo or industry news.

Did You Know?

59% of B2B marketers say email is the most effective channel in generating revenue (Source: Hubspot)

64% of people say they open an email because of the subject line (Source: Chadwick Martin Bailey)

29% of the email that reaches a user’s inbox is newsletters – nearly the same amount as “conversational” email (Source: Return Path)

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Email MarketingWhat is it?Email is all about timely, relevant communication with prospects andcustomers.

Email is a very dynamic and flexible channel – not to mention one of the mostcost-effective. In fact, it’s one of the only types of online marketing that is usedto ATTRACT, CONVERT, and KEEP customers.

Some examples: Distribute a promotion or eflyer to drive sales on your website (ATTRACT) Announce a new product, service, seminar, promo or contest (ATTRACT) Trigger automated emails after an abandoned shopping cart to incent

customer to return to cart and complete purchase (CONVERT) Keep your customers informed with the latest news or blogs from your

company (KEEP) Distribute customer surveys for feedback (KEEP)

Email Marketing has five main components: Integration (database); GraphicDesign (html), Content (info or offer), Segmentation (subscriber lists), andAnalytics (measurement).

Email lets youcommunicate to acustomer for afraction of a penny.When optimized,Email Marketing canbe a powerful tool forengagement, creatingleads, and increasingrevenues.

- Robert

Op Ed Piece

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Email ExamplesTOMS

Toms is an online shoe store that gives a pair of shoes to a child inneed with every purchase. After signing up to their newsletter, youget a very welcoming email asking you to set your emailpreferences while getting the opportunity to learn more about theircause. A much better idea than the typical “thank you forsubscribing to our email, please click here to confirm yoursubscription” email.

REIREI does a really good job with this email: a clean, uncluttereddesign with big images and clear call to actions. The oneelement I would have changed was the colour of the buttons:they need to stand out from the pink/purple colour of the topnavigation and font, so I would have recommended a brightblue or green colour. But the email is a nice responsivedesign, and renders beautifully on a mobile phone (image onright).

Source: Lyris.com

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10 Tips for Email Success1. Make Your Opt-in Obvious

Have your email opt-in above the fold, and include on every single page of your site if possible. Not everyone arrives on your site’s homepage, so this way every visitor has an opportunity to sign-up.

2. Make Your Opt-in Easy The more information you ask of your customers, the less likely they will be to opt-in. As a rule of thumb, unless you’re going to use the information – phone number, company size, or annual revenues - don’t ask for it.

3. Tell Them What’s In It For ThemWhy should people give you access to their inbox? Let your customers know what they’re signing up for, and how often they’ll receive communication from your company, and above all the value they’ll be getting. Include an example of an eflyer or newsletter so they can see what they’re signing up for.

4. Get SocialHave Facebook fans? Create an opt-in on your Facebook page or run a contest that includes collecting email addresses – same goes for Twitter. Have a brick and mortar store? Acquire email addresses with in-store raffles or giveaways.

5. Ensure DeliverabilityAvoid language that will get caught by SPAM filters by mentioning topics like medication, mortgages, or making money. Don’t create emails that are too image-heavy, as not all email clients will automatically render images. Don’t get blacklisted by ISPs by ignoring CAN-SPAM (US) or CASL (CAN) rules.

6. Integrate with CRMEmail is most effective when it is personalized. For this you’ll need to integrate your email marketing program with a central database, or CRM platform such as Salesforce or Netsuite.

7. Be Concise, Be MobileYour emails should be a “window” to additional offers or content that users have to click-through to get the full-view. Keep content short and focused on a single objective. Don’t forget to design emails with big, clickable (or touchable) images that render properly for those viewing on mobile devices.

8. Segment and DifferentiateDon’t send everyone the same email. Segment your subscribers by geography, business size, purchasing behaviour, or industry. The more personalized, the more relevant. The more relevant, the more likely your subscribers are to open, click, and convert.

9. Create a Lead Gen Drip CampaignAn drip campaign is a series of emails auto-triggered to go out over a set period of time. The content of the emails can include anything from offers, product info, promos, tips, news and contests all the way to whitepapers and resources. When prospects are ready to buy, your business will be top of mind.

10. Always Be TestingThink of Email Marketing as a science: you’ll only get better by experimenting. Test subject lines, headlines, images, copy, landing pages, and send times. Once you start gathering enough data, you can create benchmarks to measure the success of your campaigns.

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Email Marketing ResourcesTools Delivra Constant Contact MailChimp

Tips 10 Easy Ways to Increase Email Opt-Ins 5 Ways to Handle Leads Who Aren’t Yet Ready to Buy from You Send These Types of Emails, Receive More Revenue for Your Online

Store

Resources CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business (US) CASL (CAN)

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Web Design

A great website experience will attractnew visitors and keep current onescoming back. Remember to designpages and content for prospects in thedifferent stages of the buying cycle.

Your website should be your topsalesperson: filling the sales funnel,getting leads, and ultimately convertingvisitors into customers.

Web design is primarily a tool forATTRACTING and CONVERTINGcustomers but simple usability andvaluable content will always KEEPvisitors coming back.

Did You Know?

The average site wastes 75%+ of its traffic due to lack of persuasion and “sales-ability”(Source: Hubspot)

The average conversion rate for ecommerce sites is about 2-3% (Source: Internet Retailer)

A lot of Web Designers care more about a site looking cool than ensuring it can “convert”(Source: Op Ed Opinion)

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Web DesignWhat is it?A Website is a way of speaking with text and graphics. It’s nothing morethan a medium to communicate.

Your website is a business tool that has two main purposes:1. To ATTRACT visitors2. To CONVERT visitors into customers

Do this with: Intelligent usability Smart, simple navigation Persuasive headlines and copywriting Pages that speak to each user at different stage of buying cycle Setting up conversion points and measuring success

A site should look good, but the real measurement of success is whether itcan attract visitors and convert them into prospects and customers tohelp grow your business.

A lot of WebDesigners get itwrong. Manyoveremphasize theaesthetic appeal of asite. They want it to“look” good becausethey approach it asan artistic activity.But Web Design isnot an artistic activity,it is a businessactivity.

- Robert

Op Ed Piece

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Web Design Examples

Why it’s a Website Designed to Convert: No top navigation at all except to login or sign-

up, how is that for simplicity! You arrive on the homepage and the form field

for your name has a blinking cursor to starttyping, that’s showing the user what you wantthem to do.

I like the three form fields, they’re not askingyou for your company name, how manyemployees you have, what your revenues are– just name, email, and password. That’s howyou increase conversions on a form.

Why it’s a Website Designed to Convert: Simple, clean design that makes clear what it

does (email newsletters made easy) Big red sign-up button (good colour to draw

attention). Notice the sign-up button in theheader too, meaning that a visitor can sign-upfrom any page on the website. Remember, notall visitors to your site will visit your homepage.

“2.5 million people use MailChimp”, this is agreat way to add credibility, and reduce avisitor’s perceived risk of using your product orservice if they haven’t heard of you.

MailChimp.com

GetFlow.com

10 Tips for Web Design Success1. Answer “What is this?”

You’d be surprised how many businesses don’t make it clear, crystal clear, what exactly they do. Communicate what you do in your slogan or somewhere in your header. That way, no matter what page visitors land on when entering your site, they’ll know what your business is all about.

2. Answer “Is it for me?”Who are you targeting? Teenagers, pet owners, seniors, small businesses? Identify your audience in taglines and headlines and use images of your typical customer to signal that they’re in the right place.

3. Answer “What can I do?”Can a visitor sign-up for a newsletter, read a blog, watch a video, download an eBook, or buy something? Make it clear what the visitor’s next steps are. Aim to capture their information through an email sign-up, free-trial, or free download so you can start marketing to them.

4. Answer “How is it different?”There’s probably hundreds of other businesses online that offer the same products and services as you. So make sure to communicate how you’re different, what value you bring, and why a customer should choose you over your competitors.

5. Answer “Who else is using it?”As humans we feel more secure doing something when we know others are doing it too. Highlight well-known customers throughout your site, show-off all your social media fans and followers, and include any awards or accreditations that increase your credibility.

6. Highlight CredibilityThe best way to talk about your value is to have your customers speak for you. Scatter customer testimonials throughout your site (not just on a dedicated testimonials page) and include their pictures or videos whenever possible.

7. Simple SellsNo need to reinvent the wheel with your website. Keep navigation at the top and/or left hand side, avoid “flashy” moving graphics that can be distracting, and show images of real employees instead of stock photos.

8. Copy is KeyA website is a way to speak, don’t forget about persuasive copywriting. Personalize with words like “you” instead of “customer”, and “we” instead of your company name. Focus on the benefits of your products (not features) and make sure to have a clear call-to-action on every single page of your site.

9. Get Your Site ResponsiveResponsive web design means that a website can “respond” to different browser sizes, including those displayed on desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. There’s thousands of Wordpress templates that are both “responsive” and very affordable.

10. Make an Irresistible OfferLooking for a way to get more engagement on your site? Make your visitors an offer they can’t refuse. A free-trial, a money-back guarantee, free shipping, free download, or free eBook. The goal is the get your visitor to make an easy decision with little or no risk.

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Web Design Resources

Tools Wordpress iThemes Builder

Tips Your Website Should be Your Top Salesman, Is He Closing

Business? 5 Examples of Websites Designed to Convert! Show Me What You’ve Got in Five Seconds or Less!

Resources Ben Hunt’s Pro Web Design Course DesignModo Webdesigner Depot

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Content Marketing

Content is king. It can be reposted,retweeted, commented on, and sharedacross millions of social sites,networks, communities and forums.Content can also help improve yourrankings on search engines.

Content helps convert. A white paper,eBook, tutorial, or free webinars aregreat ways to convert visitors to yoursite into fans, prospects, leads, andcustomers.

Content is one of the best ways tokeep customers and prospectsengaged with your company:newsletters, blogs, videos, podcastswill all keep people coming back.

Did You Know? Businesses with websites of 401-1000 pages

get 6x more leads than those with 51-100 (Source: Hubspot)

Companies that blog have 97% more inbound links which can drastically improve Google rankings (Source: Hubspot)

The ROI of content marketing has risen 300% over the previous 3 years (Source: Eloqua)

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Content MarketingWhat is it?Content Marketing, or Inbound Marketing, means earning the attention ofprospects (as opposed to buying it, or begging for it).

You do this be delivering valuable content such as:

Once you have content, you still need to market it. But the marketing isn’t a“push” strategy, it’s a “pull” strategy. You’re not “disrupting” people with stuffthat you sell (push), you’re giving something of value so they will come to youfor more (pull).

If you build valuable content, people will come.

Blogs Podcasts Videos White Papers eBooks

Newsletters Articles Webinars Infographics Shareable

Presentations

Content Marketing,Inbound Marketing,call it what you want.The point is that it’sstill marketing.You’re creatingsomething of value inthe effort to capture alead, cultivate acustomer.

- Robert

Op Ed Piece

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Content Marketing ExamplesIndium: “From One Engineer to Another” Blog SeriesSixteen engineers from Indium have discovered content gold withtheir “From One Engineer to Another” blog. Through it, theyproduce valuable content, videos and answer questions about avariety of engineering topics (e.g., how to set up and operate theIndium sulfamate plating bath). Even if you don’t know what thatmeans, you can appreciate what they are striving for: to bringideas to life through interactive conversations. (Source: CMI)

Tablespoon Cooking CommunityThe Tablespoon community is an attractive, interactive site forpeople passionate about food and entertaining. The site gathersthe best of the best, and uses a clean categorization technique forits content, splitting it up by topics that matter most to its coreaudience: Quick Dishes, Taste for Adventure and Rock UR Party.

Depending on the type of cook you are or event you’re hosting,these categories help you find content easily and quickly in a moreinnovative way than traditional websites. And, with help from theirnewsletter, readers can also stay in-the-know on the latest recipesand inspirations. (Source: CMI)

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10 Tips for Content Marketing Success

1. Use Google Keyword ToolNot sure what to blog about? What to focus your next eBook on? Or what that next podcast topic should be? Use the Google Keyword Search Tool to see what people are searching for and what questions they’re asking.

2. Focus on the HeadlinesNo matter how good a piece of content is, nobody will read on if they don’t connect with the headline. Use the headline to highlight what’s in it for the reader in terms of benefit, or value. Opt for “clear” over “clever” and use numbers or info such as “Top 10 Ways to Get More Email Subscribers”.

3. Make it SEO-friendlyUse keywords to create descriptive, human friendly URLs. Use them in the title tags of the page at least once (preferably near the beginning), and at least 2-3 times, including variations, in the body copy on the page.

4. Don’t Underestimate Readability Simple sells. Use clear, readable language and ditch the industry jargon and corporate cliches like “industry leading” and “robust”. Increase font size to 14 pt, avoid big blocks of text, and use lots of sub-headings that allow people to “scan” your content.

5. Include a Call to Action (CTA) Every TimeIf you’ve delivered value, people will be more likely to return the favour. Ask people to share your content, sign-up to a mailing list, or contact your company for more valuable information.

6. RSS FeedPeople love RSS feeds because they don’t have to give-up any information, can read blogs when they want to, and don’t have to keep visiting your website to read them. Just remember to include a CTA at the end of all your posts.

7. Don’t Forget About EmailUse email like social media to share your company’s latest blog, eBook, white paper, webinar, or training video. The great thing about email is that you can measure the value of your content with open rates, click-through rates, and landing page sign-ups, downloads, and, ultimately, sales.

8. Social MediaDon’t try and get content on every social media site; that’s impossible. Focus on the social media sites your prospects use, not what you use. But don’t expect everyone to share your content right away, you need to promote others too! Share their content, comment on their blogs, and they’ll return the favour.

9. Integrate! Integrate! Integrate!Have Twitter followers, Facebook fans, email subscribers? Ask your users to opt-in to another channel, especially one like email where you can capture their contact information and start treating them like a potential prospect.

10. Build Inbound LinksUse content to create inbound links to your website. Offer to guest blog, upload presentations, reports, or white papers to sites like Slideshare or Scribd. Comment on other people’s blogs and answer questions in relevant communities and forums, pointing them to your content if appropriate.

[Creating Content] [Marketing Content]

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Content Marketing ResourcesTools Scribe Contently

Tips Inbound Marketing: The Five Pillars to More Profits Kiss Your Great Content Goodbye If You’re Not Doing This With It The Most Important, Overlooked, & Easiest Way to Get More Traffic

to Your Blog

Resources Copyblogger Copywriting Blog Content Marketing Institute

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Social Media

Social Media is a powerful method forattracting visitors to your site. Targetand engage prospects and build afollowing, invite them to your site toread blogs, sign-up for webinars, ortake advantage of a sale or contest.

Social Media is not necessarily aconversion tactic, but allowing peopleto sign-up or login with their SocialMedia profiles can help increaseconversion points.

What better way to keep your customers,fans, and followers engaged thanthrough blog posts, mutual commenting,online communities and forums? Put the“Social” in “Social Media”.

Did You Know?

62% of companies using LinkedIn have acquired a customer from the network (Source: Hubspot)

Companies with 1000+ Twitter followers get 6 times more website traffic (Source: Hubspot)

Failure to respond via social channels can lead to up to a 15% increase in churn rate for existing customers (Source: Gartner)

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Social MediaWhat is it?Social Media is nothing more than a description for online interaction.

For businesses, it usually involves listening, responding, and engaging withpeople across multiple communities and networks.

Social Media can be used for several purposes, including: Building brand awareness, credibility, and transparency Demonstrating knowledge and thought leadership Garnering feedback and developing better business ideas and practices Responding to customer needs and queries Building communities and/or networks Monitoring industry trends and/or competition Cultivating leads and customers Improving SEO and Content Marketing strategies

The most important component for any business is to have a strategy thatdrives social media.

Don’t get into SocialMedia just becauseit’s the latest industrybuzz – get into itbecause it’s a greatway to find prospects,engage them, andbuild a moreprofitable business.

- Chris

Op Ed Piece

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Social Media Examples

StarbucksCampaign Details: Starbucks offered mayorship deals onFoursquare, free goodies for Tax Day via Twitter's then-newpromoted tweets, and a free pastry day promoted throughTwitter and Facebook.

Why It Worked: It’s a great use of engaging Starbucks fanson platforms their customers use: Foursquare, Twitter, andFacebook. A Tax Day promotion boosted their PR, and freepastry day is the perfect idea for promoting a non-coffeeproduct.

BlendtecCampaign Details: “Will it Blend?” That’s all you need to knowabout this campaign. Blendtec takes everything from iPhones,Nike shoes, baseballs, to cans of pork and beans to see if theirproducts can blend them. So far their videos have been viewedover 220 million times (how’s that for brand awareness?).

Why It Worked: Besides people’s penchant for seeing thingsdestroyed, this campaign works because often it takes the latestgadget (e.g. iPad, video game) and is very topical. Viewers canalso vote on whether things will blend, and can make suggestionsfor future products to blend.

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10 Tips for Social Media Success1. Align Strategy with Business Goals

Is your Social Media strategy to increase your community, create more leads, or to aid the customer service experience? Maybe it’s all of the above. No matter what, you need to think of Social Media as a way to achieve your business goals and build a strategy complete with goals, KPIs, and benchmarks.

2. Focus on Where Your Customers AreDon’t waste time on social media sites that your customers don’t use for business purposes. As a general rule, Facebook is great for B2C, Twitter and Google+ are best fit for B2B, and LinkedIn is key for both types of marketing. But don’t forget to test out industry related forums and communities.

3. Listen and Elicit Responses Approach Social Media like a member of a jury: listen to what everyone has to say before you proceed. Poll people and find our more about the wants and needs of your customers and elicit responses. In other words, engage!

4. Curate ContentYou can’t just count on sharing your own content because: a) you’ll be looked at as too self-promotional b) no one is going to help promote you. Cut through the clutter and curate content that your followers will love, and build your brand as a valuable resource in the process.

5. It’s Not a Campaign, It’s a CommitmentThere’s lots of examples of viral videos, trending Tweets, and overnight Social Media success stories. But for the most part, Social Media is a day-in, day-out commitment to engaging people, prospects, and current customers.

6. Play the Karma GameDon’t expect everyone to share your content right away, you need to promote others too! Share their content, comment on their blogs, and they’ll return the favour. As a rule, promote others 10 times more than you promote yourself.

7. Don’t “Ask” for a Follow, Earn It!Why should people follow you? Is it exclusive access to content and contests? Special discounts and rewards? Don’t expect people to follow your brand unless you can deliver value, unless there’s something in it for them (not just you).

8. A Relationship Lasts Longer than a LeadBe more than a business: be human. Use real names, real photos, and real people instead of company logos or nondescript employees. People aren’t social with companies, people are social with people.

9. Use the Right ToolsSocial Media can eat up a lot of time and resources. Use the right tools to manage multiple accounts, monitor conversations about your brand, share content, and manage customer leads (see next page for list of tools).

10. Measure and ManageSocial Media is not easy to measure for ROI (despite what gurus might tell you). Do you know what your ROI is for your company’s coffee, mobile phones, or customer service department? Measure fans, followers, and mentions but also engagement metrics like comments, retweets, and social shares. When in doubt, review #1.

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Social Media ResourcesTools Hootsuite Buffer Radian6 Klout

Tips Getting Started With Social Media 30 Terrible Pieces of Social Media Advice You Should Ignore

Resources Social Media Examiner Mashable Business2Community

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Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

CRO is all about CONVERTINGvisitors into prospects, leads, andcustomers after you ATTRACT them toyour site.

CRO is the practice of CONVERSION.It is a systematic method for improvingthe odds of a visitor taking the actionyou want them to: signing-up,downloading, sharing, or buying.

CRO is primarily a CONVERSIONstrategy, but it also needs to focus onhow to KEEP a lead or prospectengaged after the conversion.

Did You Know?

75% of Ecommerce Shopping Carts are abandoned (Source: SeeWhy)

Online forms placed in the right side of the page have a 5% to 10% higher conversion rate than the left aligned ones (Source: Monetate)

A Captcha feature on your online forms will decrease conversion by 3.2%(Source: Monetate)

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Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)What is it?Conversion Rate Optimization, or Website Optimization, is simply a process tomeasure and improve your website’s conversion goals.

A conversion is an action you want a visitor to take when they visit yoursite:

Calling a number Completing a form Subscribing to a blog or email Downloading a whitepaper Signing up for a free trial Becoming a fan or follower of your brand Making a purchase

The typical website should have a primary conversion goal (e.g. purchase,quote form completion) and a few secondary conversion goals (subscribe toblog, sign-up to newsletter).

CRO involves testing, testing, and more testing. Split or Multivariate testingare usually the two methods used to optimize a website’s conversion points.

So manybusinesses spendmost of their onlinemarketing dollarsgetting people tovisit their site –PPC, SEO, Email,Content, SocialMedia, etc. Butthere’s no pointblowing yourbudget gettingtraffic to your site ifyou can’t “convert”.

- Chris

Op Ed Piece

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Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)Split or A/B TestingSplit testing, also known as A/B testing, means to set up twoweb pages (or ads) that are identical except for one variablethat is different, and likely to affect a user’s behaviour.

In this case, you have two web pages that are virtually thesame except version A has one image in header and versionB has five (with booking widget moved down).

Which page do you think converted better?

Multivariate TestingMultivariate testing is a little more complicated. It involveschopping an ad or webpage up into different elements, andtesting to see which combination of the different elementswork best together to produce the highest conversion.

A multivariate test would show combinations of theheadlines, images, copy, and buttons to different visitors todetermine which combination produces the best results.

Version B resulted in a 60% lift in resort bookings!

Source: Wider Funnel

Smashing Multivariate tests headlines, images, CTA, and colour to see which combination of all the elements convert the best for selling their book

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10 Tips for CRO Success1. Start from the “I Know Nothing” Principle

If you knew what the outcome of a test was, there would be no reason to test. But you’d be very, very surprised how conventional wisdom can be easily defeated by hard evidence. There’s no rhyme or reason when it comes to testing, it just is. So start from the idea that you know nothing until you test it.

2. Tailor Your Site to How People Find YouIn Google Analytics, analyze the keywords people use to find your site and be more relevant. Someone searching for “compare LCD TVs” compared to someone searching for “buy Sony LCD TV” are at very different stages of the buying cycle.

3. Extra! Extra! Headlines Help!Just like a newspaper, headlines make a world of difference! A headline is likely the first thing your visitor is going to see when they get to your landing page. Test different headlines and capture your visitor’s attention to help guide them through your conversion funnel.

4. Pinpoint Your Value PropCommunicate your value proposition, and how your business is different, early on in your landing page’s content. Your value prop really should be above the fold, and a focal point on the page.

5. Don’t Ask for Unnecessary InformationHave a sign-up form that asks your visitors for their name, email, website, industry, number of employees, company revenue, and colour of their underwear? As a general rule, the more information you ask of visitors, the less likely they are to complete your form.

6. Provide a Path ForwardGive visitors a clear-cut, above the fold, call to action that gets them moving in the direction. Show them that you have what they want, and then give them a way to get it.. This could be a “buy now” button, “get a quote” link, or newsletter subscription.

7. Benefits, NOT FeaturesA person going into a hardware store looking for a 1/4″ drill bit does not want a 1/4″ drill bit, they want a 1/4″ hole. Your landing page copy should focus on the hole (what they want) rather than the drill bit (what they need to get what they want).

8. Don’t Distract!Avoid pop-ups, advertisements for unrelated products/service, unnecessary navigation points, and multiple calls to action. These things distract users from their original goal, and in turn will also cause them to not complete the action that you consider your business goal.

9. CTA is A-Okay!Don’t overlook your Call-to-Action (CTA). Always, always make it clear what you want the visitor to do with your CTA. Test different CTAs and use action verbs like “Discover, Learn, Uncover, Explore, Download”.

10. Never Stop TestingWhile you may come up with a great combination of headline, image, value-prop, and benefits that are converting well for you, there may be a way to squeeze more out of your landing page. That’s where A/B Testing comes into play. You should always be running tests to improve your landing pages.

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CRO ResourcesTools Optimizely YouEye Unbounce

Tips What is Conversion Rate Optimization and How Can it Help My

Business? Show Me What You’ve Got in Five Seconds or Less

Resources Conversion Rate Optimization Report WiderFunnel Blog

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Online Referral Marketing

Referral Marketing is one of the bestways to create brand awareness,improve SEO, and drive quality trafficand prospects to your business.

Referral Marketing increasesconversion rates, undoubtedly, aspeople are 4 times more likely to buywhen referred to your business.

Keeping customers is much easierwhen they are referred to you. Infact, a referred customer has a 16%higher lifetime value than a non-referred customer. ReferralMarketing equips your brandambassadors with the right tools tohelp promote your business to theirfamily, friends, fans, and followers.

Did You Know?

65% of new business comes from referrals (Source: New York Times)

You are 4 times more likely to buy when referred by a friend (Source: Nielsen)

55% of consumers recommend a company based on its customer service (Source: RightNow)

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Online Referral MarketingWhat is it?Online Referral Marketing is turning your customers into a de facto sales teamfor your business.

It is one of the most effective ways to to grow your customer base, and oneof the most overlooked.

People are 4 times more likely to buy from you if they were referred to yourbusiness.

Online Referral Marketing involves techniques and tools that you canintegrate into your everyday business to generate a steady flow of leads thathave been referred by existing customers.

It may include: A Social platform that can identify customer advocates A loyalty, rewards, or gamification program that can incent referrals Measurement tools that can measure and optimize referral campaigns.

With ReferralMarketing, you’reeffectively turningyour customers intoyour company’sadvocates,promoters, leadgenerators, and

salespeople.- Robert

Op Ed Piece

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Referral ExampleFolicaFolica promotes referrals by giving customers$10 off their purchase for referring theirfriends. Their friends, in turn, receive 15% offtheir first purchase.

Folica makes it easy to refer. Customers cansend an email, share on Twitter, or post ontheir Facebook page.

Toob NetworkUsed Gamification to develop a series of queststhat encouraged users to view videos on a varietyof ToobNetwork sites and challenged users to rateand share those videos. When users finished aquest, they earned virtual coins that could be usedto buy rewards.

Gamification can be used to reward people forsharing content, and thus as a referral tool. Andwho wouldn’t want to refer a site whereengagement helps provide funding for animalwelfare?

Source: Big Door Media 53

10 Tips for Referral Marketing Success1. ABTC

Always Be Thinking of your Customers (ABTC). It’s the old 80/20 rule; 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers, so don’t take them for granted.

2. Get ScientificLike a lot of businesses, you probably track web traffic, Google rankings, Twitter followers, and maybe even email open rates. But what about referrals? You need to start by getting scientific. Create a program that tracks leads, tests offers, and ultimately measures ROI.

3. Keep Customers Engaged Communicate with emails, blogs, newsletters, whitepapers, new products, promotions and contests. Better yet, pick up the phone or pay your best customers a visit and ask them if they’re happy, and if there’s anything more you can do for them.

4. Ask at the “Wow” MomentThe best time to ask for a referral is when you’ve “wowed” your customer. Whether you’ve just given them great service, a great price, or a great product, you need to use that window as an opportunity to ask your customer for a referral.

5. Make the Referral EasyWhether it’s completing a form, sending an email, or simply sharing a Facebook post – make the referral process as simple as possible for people promoting your business.

6. Reward for ReferralsIf you threw a party for all your customers, employees, and fans and followers, how big would it be? And how much bigger would it be if you invited everyone in each of their networks? A lot! So encourage referrals with savings on future products or services or loyalty program points.

7. Connect with InfluencersWhen Universal Studios went to launch the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park, they did it by only telling 7 influential bloggers. In 24 hours, 350 million people had heard of the park. Think about influencers in your industry and how you can work with them to help promote your business.

8. Testimonials are Referrals Ask your customers for a testimonial and reward them. And instead of having a dedicated “testimonial” page on your site, scatter customer testimonials, quotes, and Facebook posts throughout your site – especially on your homepage.

9. Reviews are Referrals TooPeople trust what other customers say about your company more than what you say. Encourage people to offer reviews and incent them with points, discounts, or as part of a loyalty program. Not only will reviews help with your SEO, you’ll get great feedback on how to better your business.

10. Be a ReferrerIf you want people to refer your business, you have to refer people to other businesses. Work on the karma principle, and you’ll be surprised how people will look positively on your business and be more prone to return the favour.

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Referral Marketing ResourcesTools ShopOn.com Amplifinity Badgeville

Tips Do You Follow the Three “R’s” for Growing Your Small Business,

Faster? How To Create The Ultimate Referral Marketing System In 7 Simple

Steps

Resources Duct Tape Marketing Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA)

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Remember Three Words…

Things Will Change, Three Words Won’t

There’s a lot going on.

And it won’t be long until the next new social media platform, mobile tool, ortrendy marketing buzzword is all the rage.

Things will change. But your strategy won’t.

It’s always going to be about using online marketing tactics to ATTRACT,CONVERT, and KEEP customers.

We would go so far as to say that a typical marketing department shoulddivide their department into these three categories.

In the future maybe companies will hire “Attraction, Conversion, andKeeping” experts as opposed to Email, SEO, PPC, Web Design, and SocialMedia experts.

In the meantime, stick to your strategy: remember these three words.

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How We Can HelpWe help businesses take advantage of the ATTRACT, CONVERT, and KEEP onlinemarketing model.

We know all the tactics, tools, and technologies.

But more importantly, we know how to use them as part of a larger strategy that will lead tobetter marketing, a better competitive advantage, and at the end of the day, better profits.

Please feel free to connect with us to talk about growing your business online.

Chris Barneschris@op-ed.ca877 607 8906www.op-ed.ca

Robert Clarkerobert@op-ed.ca877 607 8906www.op-ed.ca

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