Posted by:
Julie McManus
May 23, 2008
Issue #424
Dear Business Builder,
Happy Friday and good to see you back!
Bigger isn’t necessarily always better … so there I’ve said it! Yet, there’s a drive in the direct response web marketing community to generate massive opt-in lists with very little pre-qualification. No matter the market, there seems to be a push to capture every Tom, Dick and Harry that’s willing to give you an e-mail address … so long as you can count them in your list total.
Perhaps it’s the age old story of the man with the biggest list … picks up all the babes at the bar. Isn’t that how it goes?
I’m not suggesting that everyone give up their list building efforts, and pack it in. But I am suggesting you take a closer look at your list building strategies to determine how to capture the most qualified leads that will convert quickly and ultimately give you a healthy and ongoing return on your investment.
Generating leads like a game of hide and seek!
First let’s classify our leads into 3 different (and brilliant) categories … there’s no sense making this harder than it seems …
Cold – You can generate cold leads in many different ways. Cold leads come on file knowing absolutely nothing about you, your company or your offers. Typically they’ve come on file because they wanted to give their opinion, entered a sweepstakes or generally been enticed by some carrot that is loosely (or not at all) related to your company’s offers. It stands to reason that prospects that come on file with little or no interest in what your company has to offer will potentially do two things … convert poorly and eventually report you as spam.
Warm – Warm leads are typically generated by offering something of interest to the prospect that is in direct correlation to a search they’ve done or the topic of a site they’ve visited. Warm leads may not be familiar with your company as the provider of what they’re looking for, but they’ve demonstrated a specific interest. Warm leads often come on file by responding to free offers for reports, white papers, newsletters or to receive access to specialized information your company can provide. Warm leads can convert really well when there is a strong conversion marketing series in place that is closely related to the original lead gen. offer.
Hot – In the lead generation arena everyone wants leads that will ultimately convert to a sale. No sense spending lots of money and time promoting to people that don’t open your e-mails and could absolutely care less about your offers. And of all the categories, hot leads are the most likely to succeed. Hot leads have put their money were their mouth is. They’ve responded to low price, shipping and handling or trial offers in which the actual product is shipped. Oftentimes, all it takes for a hot lead to convert to a full paying customer is one or two strong conversion promotions and a sweet upsell offer. I’ve seen hot leads convert from a low price trial offer to a full paying offer to the tune of a 70% conversion rate. And then a good percentage of those customers go on to become lifetime customers.
So now that we’ve classified our leads, let’s take a look at …
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Posted by:
Wendy Makepeace
May 22, 2008
Issue #423
It was November, 1980.
We Americans had just suffered through four long years of Jimmy Carter’s “diminished expectations” … the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran … and double-digit inflation and interest rates.
We were fed up — and we were ready for a change.
So when Ronald Reagan — the first real conservative presidential candidate in decades — won the White House that November and the nation breathed a long-deserved sigh of relief, Clayton quickly became a growling grizzly to live with.
Why?
Because suddenly, promotions that had been mailing like gangbusters – pulling huge response rates – inexplicably TANKED.
Not only did his clients lose big bucks, Clayton feared he’d lost out on what would have been some healthy royalty checks in the months that followed.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only time response rates on proven winners suddenly cratered.
Years later, response plunged as much as 60% to 80% in the buildup to both Gulf wars and the invasion of Afghanistan … during the O.J. trial, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the anthrax scare … and in the aftermath of the Princess Diana tragedy and 9/11.
And through it all, we’ve discovered something that has made us a bundle ever since …
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Posted by:
Daniel Levis
May 21, 2008
Issue #422
Dear Web Business Builder,
People like to buy from people they know, like, and trust … not from faceless, formless entities. It’s the human connection that greases the wheels to enhanced sales.
That’s why one of your most important tasks as a copywriter is to establish and enhance that bond between buyer and seller.
In today’s issue of Web Marketing Advisor, I’m going to give you some advanced techniques for doing just that.
Job #1 As A Hired Gun …
When someone hires me to write copy, one of my first tasks is to draw out my client’s story. Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth.
For some reason, many sellers find it extremely difficult to step out from behind the shadows and reveal themselves to their prospects. Failure to do so is a huge mistake …
To feel we know someone is to know his or her story, particularly as it relates to how they solved a problem we’re desperate to solve. Therefore, selling is storytelling. Think about it. Somebody wants something and is having trouble getting it. That’s the essence of a dramatic story.
Granted there are many types of sales stories, but one of the most powerful ways to bond buyer to seller is through the hero’s journey.
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Posted by:
Troy White
May 20, 2008
Issue #421
Fellow Business Builder,
After being on some R&R with my family, I have come to the conclusion that service SUCKS!
Nothing revolutionary …
… I was just surprised on how BAD this is getting.
Honestly, how often do you get "wowed" by customer service?
Never?
It is amazing to me how poorly customer service people treat their customers.
They could care less that YOU are the one paying their wages.
They could care less if you have a pleasant experience.
They could care less what you think of them.
They feel you owe them a tip – for nothing in return.
They feel you owe them pleasant treatment, while delivering the opposite back.
They feel they are entitled to a successful, happy life and not having to put anything into it in return.
Why?
I have a number of theories, some of which won’t be popular.
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
May 19, 2008
Issue #420
Dear Business-Builder,
They say that the most powerful human desire is NOT for wealth or health or food or even sex. It’s the insatiable desire to change another person’s copy.
“They” may have something there. I don’t know about you; but for me, tearing the living you-know-what out of another writer’s work is just about the most fun I can have with my clothes on.
On the other hand, feeling naked and alone while a hungry pack of copywriters eviscerates your beloved prose may well be the closest thing to hell this side of New Jersey. Or even tax court.
So, last Friday, a client sent three of his in-house copywriters up here to spend a day with my four scribes and yours truly.
Eight copywriters; one room. We had big fun.
Not only that, we learned a lot, too.
It wasn’t like it was a big surprise. I knew they were coming and had asked each of them to write an eight-page sales letter promoting a financial newsletter offered by my client and their boss. And I asked my writers to do the same.
I should also mention that I gave each writer the theme for the headline and opening copy; but the rest was up to them. Oh — and I only gave them one week to do the work … not nearly enough, considering each of them has a full schedule with their regular assignments.
And one more thing: Each writer is at a very different stage of development — from raw noob to seasoned pro.
And lucky for me, each has an open mind and is eager to improve. That’s crucial because for a copywriter, arrogance — the vainglorious assumption that you know all there is about creating winning promotions — is the kiss of death.
Wait — that reminds me of an old joke. Actually, it’s supposed to be a true story of a radio exchange that took place in October 1995 off the coast of Newfoundland between the American aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and Canadian authorities:
Americans: “Please divert your course 15 degrees to the north to avoid a collision.”
Canadians: “Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the south to avoid collision.”
Americans: “This is the captain of a U.S. Navy ship. I say again, divert your course!”
Canadians: “No, I say again, you divert YOUR course.”
Americans: “This is the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln, the second-largest aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Fleet. We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers and numerous support vessels.
“I DEMAND that you change your course 15 degrees north, or countermeasures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship.”
Canadians: “This is a lighthouse. Your call."
See what arrogance gets you? You wind up on the rocks; that’s where scotch belongs. For a copywriter, not so much.
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