Frequently, clients come to us with mountains of text designed to showcase their skills and the unique benefits of their products. However, it’s often a waste. Research indicates that users are generally not browsing the web looking for a long, detailed read. They prefer bullet points, clearly picked out headers, and most of all, a strong call to action. Having 82 years of knowledge is one thing, 82 percent off is quite another.
But in a business where there is no clear pricing opportunity– for example, a lead-generation site where the deal is still amorphous at the time the customer contacts you, or a B2B site where the price is negotiated over several months and proposals, what can you do to add spice?
Don’t discount the customer, discount the customer who is like your customer. Show a typical offering with a reasonably competitive price, and perhaps reinforce it with a short-term ‘lock in before prices change’ offer.
Offer something else entirely. A local dentist advertises a free iPod with a brace plan. You don’t have to compete on price there, as it provides a reason to move independent of price. It can backfire if the buyers have gift-from-vendor policies, but they can be avoided by making the gift part of the package offered– free training, a more robust service contract, or peripheral products where the percieved value exceeds their cost.
Sell benefits, not costs. A phrase like ‘our services paid for themselves after week 19′ does not mention any specifics, but still reinforces the concept there’s good value there. Indeed, many times, it’s exactly the message expected for major purchases where there’s a budget case to be made.
Incentivize the lead, not the sale. A downloadable white-paper or free t-shirt might be enough to get someone’s attention enough to fall into your sales funnel. If it’s clear that it’s a limited commitment, there’s less resistance and a small reward is an acceptable choice.
While obviously, price-related calls to action are best, when you can’t do “free shipping” or “30% off”, you can still build a page with a solid call to action.
Do write copy with local language. You know the sort of things I mean- is it “pop” or “soda”? Matching their word choice ensures you match their search terms.
Don’t stuff pages with zip codes and city names. It’s spammy and frequently chasing no-volume searches. A rank for a popular -search term- in Mesa beats ten low-volume -search term- in 85215 rankings.
Do use secondary means to imply your locality. Make sure the phone number, especially a local one, appears in text. Licence numbers are a good excuse to mention local authorities. Reference local codes, or charities you support in the area. It helps with semantic analysis– these words go with your address, reinforcing your relevance for the area.
Don’t get too wrapped up in trying to handle out-of-area leads. Some firms believe they can turn into a firm that sells business to others- if they rank for every city. Good luck unless it’s a full commitment thing. Finding shops out of town can be a hassle, and you can end up spending all your time running the side business.
Do claim your business in local sites. Aside from adding link value, it ensures they’re under your control to see reviews and spam.
Don’t buy any services from local sites. Most of them are just selling Google traffic, and you can outrank ‘em and get users directly.
Do promote cross-media. Search is big, but some businesses still benefit from brick-and-mortar messages or social-network activity to put the service in front of a visitor at their need. The more emergency your service is, the less non-search brand you have to build, but there’s still merit in being the brand a visitor recalls from other media.
Don’t go for excessively labor-intensive promotions. Give the visitor a coupon; don’t expect him to Like you on Facebook before you’ll cut him a promotion. It becomes analogous to the shops which demand 20 page forms for their discount-club card.
At Web-Op, we’ve been doing sites for local real estate agents for years. In many ways, it’s still a market which is fairly weak in the SEO space. Many firms rely on cheap ‘iframe’ display of listings, so they end up with a site that Google sees as having no real content.
However, even innovations in data import technology, like TransparentRETS and dsIDXPress, allowing you to import MLS data in bulk onto a familiar, easy-to-install backend, are not a cure-all for top rankings. (more…)
Mesa, AZ (Web-Op) February 4, 2010 – Web-Optimize LLC., a leader in internet marketing and software development, announced the release of a new real-time marketing package specially tailored for Twitter and other social mediums.
New internally developed software allows Web-Op to promote site and brand recognition on Twitter and other social mediums. Fused with current online marketing strategies it provides the ultimate in online media presence. This new marketing strategy covers all online sectors including organic search, pay-per-click, social media, and bad press. Providing an optimum balance between automation and human involvement is our goal.
Social mediums such as Twitter are packed full of opportunity. The problem is it would cost far too much attention to hand manage a marketing campaign. The common solution is to say, “Follow us on Twitter!” and periodically post updates to a Twitter account. This isn’t effective. Our solution provides incentive for interested users to opt in though keyword targeting and friendly conversation. The video shows a more detailed view.
Another strategy is through improving organic search and indexing. Organic search rankings can be frustrating for all. The keys to improvement are having a steady and strategic linking campaign while carefully monitoring the changes over long and short periods. Our time proven solution for search provides sustainable long term growth. Malicious or slanderous online press can be buried with higher rankings and the promotion of positive press.
Our strategy also includes pay-per-click campaigns managed in detail with constant tracking and split testing to maximize gains and performance.
Through our re-tooled reporting system businesses can see growth as it happens in an online statistics monitor as well as detailed monthly reporting from the experts. Our engineers have worked hard on streamlining the process to allow for such transparency.
About Web-Optimize
Web-Optimize, LLC is a leader in internet marketing campaign management and software development for both new and established businesses. Our industry expertise and forward looking strategies help businesses grow and gain positive recognition. We deliver hand crafted solutions to businesses to maximise return on investment. Unlike traditional SEO’s, our services are well documented and transparent with solid results. Web-Optimize is based in Mesa, AZ. For additonal information, please visit web-optimize.com or call 1 (866) 937-7082.
I’ve become a huge fan of the AMC TV show Mad Men. The show centers around a character named Don Draper – a 40 something advertising executive working on Madison Avenue. Don’s character has a knack for simplifying a marketing message down to the essentials – identifying the underlying motives behind the decisions we make – and speaking directly to those perceived needs. I’ve always been more interested in the technical aspects of SEO instead of the nitty-gritty sloganeering involved in branding and marketing but this show has started to change my focus. I can’t help dissecting slogans, the tone of a message, and the various call to actions barraging us from all sides.
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