Mapping the Complete Path to Success
The funny thing is when our firm just does the media buy for our clients, and doesn't do the creative (banners and landing pages), we can usually tell whether something is going to work before the first impression has even been served. We can always tell when creative was done without the final metric for success in mind and wasn't mapped all the way though to the desired action or behavior.
You cannot measure a campaign's success on clicks and actions if the creative doesn't give people a reason to click or convert. What you need to do is plan, design, and model the whole transaction associated with the initial conversion event and also plan immediate automatic lead escalation triggers.
Let's say you are a high-tech company or online service trying to generate leads by getting people to sign up for a free trial or download a white paper. You must have a series of components that funnel prospects towards your marketing objectives. The components that must be modeled to complete an online conversion for a free trial or white paper should include the following:
- An arsenal of benefit and offer statements.
- According to Millward Brown and Google, benefit statements and immediate offers are what most influences clicks.
- Have a few ready to test against each other.
- Ads (banners, search listings, etc.) with those benefit and offer statements.
- People want to know how you are going to help them and what you have for them "right now."
- A simple concise landing page that fulfills the offer by presenting a form and communicating the benefits of immediately taking advantage of the offer.
- Keep in mind the landing page's job is selling the desired action we want the user to take at that very moment -- essentially to complete the form and become a lead.
- Of course, the page can list product features and benefits but the page's main objective is selling the action so you can capture the visitor's data.
- Tell the visitor just enough about the product to make her want to try it for free or download the white paper -- then let subsequent lead nurturing and sales people sell the actual subscription.
- Thank you page / confirmation page that can do any of the following actions:
- Simply delivers on the offer (white paper, etc.) or tells the user about next steps to activate trial or contact sales (e.g, "you are about to get an e-mail with your password").
- Continues the engagement and asks the lead if she's interested in getting more information about other products.
- Gives her links and more information about the product she registered for to get her enthused about activating the trial.
- Confirmation / auto reply e-mail with:
- Offer fulfillment including a white paper or free trial password.
- More product info that gets her enthused about reading the white paper or activating a free trial (such as "Activate it now and start growing your business!").
- Contact info for sales rep or team so it is easy for her to talk to someone when she wants to make a purchase.
Remember, online you have only seconds to communicate your offer. Make sure you don't have banners that take 20 seconds to get to the offer. By then most people will have scrolled or moved on, so make your offer and give it a permanent place on your banner. If it is a skyscraper put it at the top. Don't make people wait to see your offer!
A thought out conversion path will not only get you a cheaper action or lead -- it widens your universe of performing opportunities because buys that would have been labeled "non-performing" will work!
BiographyHarry GoldAs founder and CEO of Overdrive, Harry Gold is the architect and conductor behind the company's ROI-driven programs. His primary mission is to create innovative marketing programs based on real-world success and to ensure the marketing and technology practices that drive those successes are continually institutionalized into the culture and methods of the agency. What excites him is the knowledge that Overdrive's collaborative environment has created a company of online media, SEM, and online behavioral experts who drive success for the clients and companies they serve. Overdrive serves a diverse base of B2B and B2C clients that demand a high level of accountability and ROI from their online programs and campaigns.
Harry started his career in 1995 when he founded online marketing firm Interactive Promotions, serving such clients as Microsoft, "The Financial Times," the Hard Rock Cafe, and the City of Boston. Since then, he has been at the forefront of online branding and channel creation, developing successful Web and search engine-based marketing programs for various agencies and Fortune 500 companies.
Harry is a frequent lecturer on SEM and online media for The New England Direct Marketing Association; Ad Club; the University of Massachusetts, Boston; Harvard University; and Boston University.
Article Archives by Harry Gold
Predictive Modeling and Display Ads - Nov 10, 2009
Turning One Ad Impression Into Ten - Oct 27, 2009
Clients: Tell Us What Your Budget Is! - Oct 13, 2009
Eight Ways Twitter Could Make Big Money - Sep 29, 2009
More article archives
Archive
ClickZ Yesterday
Planning a Link Bait Strategy - Nov 20, 2009
The Google Wave (of Ad Releases) - Nov 20, 2009
Business Blogging FAQs, Continued - Nov 20, 2009
ClickZ News Headlines
At 15, Salon.com Tries Once Again to Reinvent Itself - Nov 20, 2009
HP Builds Digital Replica of a Real Mountain Climb - Nov 20, 2009
Dynamic Logic Offers Optimization Tool for Brand Metrics - Nov 20, 2009
Twitter Plans Premium Accounts By End of Year - Nov 19, 2009
ClickZ Stats Headlines
Top U.S. Parent Companies and Stickiest Brands, October 2009 - Nov 20, 2009
Microsoft Gains as Time on MySpace Plummets in September - Nov 17, 2009
Top 10 U.K. Search Terms by Category, October 2009 - Nov 13, 2009
Top 10 Search Terms by Category, October 2009 - Nov 10, 2009
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