Why Many Businesses LOSE Money with Google Ads

Google Ads search advertising can be one of the best investments for your business for 2 very good reasons:

1. Highly targeted – Your ad only appears when people are searching for your product or service in Google. So you get in front of your ideal customer at the exact time she’s looking to buy.
   
   
2. Low risk – Since you only pay per click, search advertising can be much less risky than other forms of advertising like media buying. You’re essentially paying for performance. If your ad does not resonate and no one clicks on it, then you don’t pay a penny. You only pay if your ad attracts prospects, and they click on your ads to go check out your website.

So it’s no wonder why businesses flock to Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) to see if they can make it work. But unfortunately, too many businesses end up LOSING money because they go about advertising with Google all wrong.

And part of it is Google’s fault…

Reason #1. It’s So Easy To Get Started (With The Wrong Settings)

You see, one of the best things about Google Ads is you can get started in a matter of minutes. Google has made it so brain dead simple to get started that all you need to do is click a few buttons, enter your credit card info, and voilà! Your ads will start to show to your prospects and hopefully, you’ll get qualified traffic.

So Google Ads is one of the fastest ways to start generating new customers for your business. However, that is precisely the reason why so many businesses lose money! Unfortunately, Google’s default settings almost guarantee you’ll spend MORE money than you need to because that’s what Google wants. Google is in business to make money from advertisers so of course, it’s in their best interest to encourage businesses to spend more.

So that’s the first reason. Many businesses lose money with Google Ads simply because they don’t realize some of the default settings (like advertising in both the Search and Display network in the same campaign) almost guarantee you’ll lose money.

Reason #2. Lack of Focus on Marketing Fundamentals

The second reason is that many businesses don’t fully understand how successful Google Ads campaigns really work. A lot of people think Google Ads success is all about quality scores, bidding tips and tricks, and automation tools. But success with Google Ads really comes down to advertising fundamentals and best practices.

I’ve audited countless Google Ads accounts where businesses were wasting hundreds and even thousands of dollars because they weren’t following direct response advertising best practices. And usually, it’s not specific to Google Ads… it’s much more basic than that.

By far the #1 mistake I see over and over again is when businesses send their advertising traffic to their homepage. One of the most basic principles of advertising is to precisely match your message to your market/prospect. Your homepage explains everything you do and addresses every single type of prospect that may visit your website. So by nature, your homepage will never perfectly match your prospect who just typed in a very specific question into Google.

Reason #3. Not Following a Checklist

The third reason why many businesses lose money with Google Ads is that they do not have a checklist. When I audit Google Ads campaigns, I go through a very thorough checklist and I’ve never seen an account that was not wasting money because of a very simple account setting.

Here are some basic things to check before turning on your ads:

• Are you targeting the Search and Display network in the same campaign? This is a mistake because the search network is completely different than the display network, and usually requires different ads and landing pages. So make sure you’re only targeting one network within a single campaign.

• Are you sending traffic from your ads to a laser targeted landing page or are you using your homepage? Again, per advertising best practices, you never want to use your homepage. Make sure you precisely match your message to your market.

• Do you have conversion tracking so you can calculate your return on investment for every campaign, ad group, and keyword in your account? This brings us to Reason #4…

Reason #4. Poor Tracking

And finally, the fourth reason why most businesses lose money with Google Ads is that they do not track leads and sales from their campaigns. I am always shocked when customers tell me they have no way to measure the effectiveness of their Google Ads campaigns. Or they are measuring the wrong numbers!

For example, a private consulting client I worked with a year ago was only focused on the cost of his ad campaign and he had no way to measure the revenue. Each keyword was judged solely by the cost. He would pause high-cost keywords and only focus on low-cost keywords despite the fact he had no idea which keywords were driving sales!

Think about that for a minute. Advertising is not an expense where the goal is to drive down costs. Advertising is an investment. And the only way to optimize an investment is to accurately calculate the return. Would you ever compare two investment portfolios purely on how much was invested in each of them? Obviously not… You would look at the return and compare the profits! And that’s how you must treat your Google Ads campaign if you want to be successful.

I hope by reading these 4 big Google Ads mistakes you can avoid them altogether and start reaping the benefits of Google’s very large market. When set up correctly, Google Ads can generate leads and sales consistently and predictably like a vending machine -- but you must watch out for these common mistakes in order to give your campaigns a shot at success.

The Ultimate 2018 Digital Marketing Wishlist

The computerized promoting world is completely loaded with instruments. So full, indeed, it's frequently very difficult to perceive which devices are justified regardless of your chance and which aren't.

The following is the full rundown of innovation stack, which we use for both ourselves and our customers. Each program or administration is attempted and tried. Read through to get some awesome tips on which devices to add to your list of things to get for this coming year.


Website design enhancement Tools

Moz.com: Arguably, the most imperative gathering of devices in the whole SEO universe! Moz has been around since 2004 and has taken after the whole direction of SEO from early stages to the present development. Moz's Open Site Explorer measures a site's Domain Authority, their Moz Local apparatus is key for nearby SEO adjustment, and their blog is a profound well of profitable data.

Shouting Frog: The best site creep apparatus out there. Their SEO Spider is a work area program which slithers sites' connections, pictures, CSS, content, and applications for a speedy and profoundly safe assessment of on location SEO.

SEOquake: An especially convenient SEO tool compartment as a program module. The module furnishes you with key SEO measurements for a particular page, alongside other helpful devices, for example, SEO Audit device and the sky is the limit from there.

Ahrefs: A complimentary apparatus to Moz's Open Site Explorer, Ahrefs has practical experience in running on Big Data. Their instruments cover backlink checking, contender investigation, catchphrase research and the sky is the limit from there. Note: We've discovered that Ahrefs gives the most top to bottom backlink information for contender examine (better than Moz Open Site Explorer in such manner.)

Google My Business: The sibling of Google's disastrous informal organization Google+, Google My Business goes about as a SEO complimentary gift by enabling you to pick up perceivability in Google Maps and Google Search by making a free profile.

Google Search Console: Google Search Console is a regularly neglected fundamental. Made by Google, it enables you to check ordering status and upgrade perceivability of sites.

Reference Tools

Whitespark: Another fabulous instrument for Local SEO, Whitespark encourages clients to enhance rankings, drive business, and quick track your accomplishment in nearby hunt with its toolbox and oversaw reference administrations.

Splendid Local: A key nearby SEO apparatus alongside Moz, Bright Local gives rankings, references, surveys, investigation and Google My Business information by means of a simple to-utilize information dashboard. Furthermore, as Whitespark, BrightLocal additionally gives done-to you reference building administrations.

Content Creation Tools

WritersAccess: For a few organizations, composed substance advertising is a to a great degree compelling promoting apparatus. Authors Access interfaces you with 15,000+ US-based scholars, editors, and substance strategists to convey savvy content. This an extraordinary apparatus for private companies who simply don't have room schedule-wise or know-how to make it in-house.

Canva: Let's face it, Photoshop is hard and costly. Canva is a free and simple to utilize visual depiction apparatus for Web or print. Make extraordinary blog designs, introductions, Facebook covers, flyers, publications, solicitations, and all the more rapidly and effectively.

Advanced Advertising

Google Adwords: Google's primary publicizing stage and the focal center point for all Google PPC crusades. AdWords is intentionally a thick and confounded instrument, outfitted basically towards experts and submitted novices. In case you're simply making a plunge, utilize Google's examination instruments and take some of their AdWords confirmation tests (or experience some of our preparation materials). Increasing appropriate preparing will guarantee you don't squander a lot of advertisement spend taking in your way around the complex program.

Facebook Ads Manager: Facebook's primary promoting stage and focal center for all PPC battles crosswise over both Facebook and Instagram. Similarly intense yet just somewhat less confused than AdWords, Facebook Ads Manager offers incredible research devices, exceptionally solid remarketing capacities, and the greatly helpful Audience Insight apparatus.

Optmyzr: Optmyzr was made by an ex-Googler in 2013 who made it his central goal to make PPC simpler via computerizing dreary and redundant errands. Through the energy of machine learning, Optmyzr can significantly enhance the proficiency of battles while eliminating the measure of record administration.

Aquisio: Similar to Optmyzr, Aquisio utilizes machine figuring out how to advance PPC battles on AdWords, Facebook, and Bing. Consolidating self-enhancing offer and spending innovation with computerization to truly enhance crusade execution at each financial plan.

Bing Ads: With Bing holding around 7% piece of the overall industry, Microsoft's response to Google AdWords is an underutilized apparatus!

AdWords Editor: This work area customer is a fundamental instrument for overseeing vast AdWords crusades. It's difficult to exaggerate essentially how much time and drag AdWords Editor can wipe out. Combined with some Microsoft Excel abilities, AdWords Editor is a savage instrument!

Email Marketing

Mailchimp: In the independent company email showcasing wars, MailChimp has ascended to the best. Indeed, even some vast, corporate organizations have begun to change from their inconvenient heritage frameworks over to MailChimp. Moderate, simple to utilize, extraordinary plan apparatuses, solid incorporations, and capable examination have made MailChimp the business standard.

Infusionsoft: Do you give benefits and oversee customers? Infusionsoft computerizes your independent company deals and advertising, while at the same time consolidating your CRM, email promoting, lead catch and online business in one place. An exceptionally solid stage and tremendous help. Snap here to ask for a demo.

Aweber: A simple and moderate other option to Mailchimp which incorporates solid trigger email usefulness.

Campaigner: Good for little, medium, and expansive organizations alike, this stage has a wide assortment of value extents to oblige all financial plans. With effective mechanization and sectioning instruments, this is an incredible answer for entrepreneurs and advertisers alike.

Contender Research

SpyFu: The most grounded SEO and PPC focused research device out there by miles. Scan for any area and see each place they've appeared on Google: each catchphrase they've purchased on Adwords, each natural rank, and each advertisement variety over the most recent 10+ years.

Following and Analytics

Google Analytics: once more, Google's apparatus ascends to the best. Simply the best and most normally utilized web investigation apparatus out there. Basic for following advancement in relatively every aspect of computerized promoting, acknowledge no substitute!

Google Tag Manager: Google Analytics' pretty much nothing (however developing) sibling. Google Tag Manager is a label administration framework that enables you to rapidly and effectively refresh labels and code pieces on your site or application. Track extensive and shifted accumulation of labels, for example, those proposed for activity examination and advertising enhancement.

Convirza: If your business depends on telephone calls through the business procedure, you require Convirza. Their suite of items is all that you have to upgrade call following, measurements and call investigation.

Web-based social networking Management

HootSuite: An industry standard for a long time now, HootSuite is the main web-based social networking dashboard. Deal with numerous systems and profiles to quantify your battle comes about. The dashboard is an intense instrument and enormous help because of the web-based social networking planning abilities.

Affable Local: An online networking mechanization stage planned solely for the necessities of neighborhood business. The stage makes, improve, and deal with the online networking nearness of little or neighborhood organizations. An exceptionally solid point arrangement.

Conclusion

The street to our total innovation stack has a burial ground of fizzled programming endeavors on either side of it. We've attempted and disposed of huge amounts of promoting projects and administrations over years, at last touching base at this extreme list of things to get.

The 4-Part Framework for Digital Marketing Success

Did you know there are 4 sections, or pieces, that each fruitful advanced showcasing effort must have?

In case you're lost or insufficient in any of these 4 territories, at that point your showcasing will come up short. It's truly that basic.



That leads us to the main key idea here...

Advanced Marketing Is A Lot Like Assembling A Puzzle

As a child, I cherished riddles. Actually, regardless I have a confound hanging in my loft of a Norman Rockwell painting that I finished in grade school. It's not simply astounds however.

I simply cherish the way toward finding how all the individual pieces fit together to make something. That is one reason I in the long run went ahead to think about building in school.

Presently, as a grown-up, despite everything I adore baffles, yet I haven't finished a 1,000 piece jigsaw in a while. Rather, I concentrate the vast majority of my time and vitality nowadays assembling the confuse pieces that make up advanced advertising. Believe it or not, advanced showcasing is only one major bewilder holding up to be gathered one piece at once.

Be that as it may, there's one major distinction...

With showcasing, you don't have the completed picture on the case to demonstrate to you where and how the distinctive pieces will in the long run fit together! That positively makes promoting a great deal harder, isn't that right?

That is the reason in this article will give you that completed picture. I'll stroll through the demonstrated computerized advertising system so you can perceive how the majority of the showcasing choices accessible fit together to make an effective promoting plan.

To start with, The Foundation

Before we jump into the system, I have to highlight how computerized advertising really functions. On the off chance that you separate everything to the individual pieces, at that point advanced promoting takes after an extremely essential recipe:

(Income) = (Website Traffic) x (Conversion Rate) x (Customer Value)

At the end of the day, income from computerized promoting is specifically corresponding to what number of individuals visit your site, what number of those individuals change over into clients, and how much those clients are worth to your business.

Or, on the other hand to put it another route, there are 3 approaches to build your income from advanced showcasing: increment your movement, increment your transformation rate, and additionally increment your client esteem.

Likewise, before we proceed onward it's imperative to recollect that your income will be zero if any of those 3 factors is zero. That is quite recently fundamental math. It doesn't make a difference in the event that you drive a huge number of guests to your site if your transformation rate is zero. Despite everything you'll wind up with zero income!

Since you comprehend this equation, it's a great opportunity to present the structure, which I call the 4 Pillars of Digital Marketing achievement. These are the 4 Pillars each business should persistently attempt to enhance to contend on the web.

1. Site Traffic

The primary Pillar is site activity. Clearly in the event that you don't get any activity to your site, at that point you're not going to be extremely effective with computerized showcasing. In case you're simply beginning, at that point this is the place you have to center.

Consider site activity like fuel.

You require a consistent supply of "fuel" or else you're showcasing will go to a dramatic stop.

2. Site Conversions
As I specified over, all the activity on the planet does nothing for your business unless you can really change over it into leads and deals. For built up organizations that as of now have a constant flow of guests, enhancing site change is likely the greatest use point to expand deals.

Here's a fast case to highlight this point...

Suppose your site gets around 1,000 visits for each month and of those guests around 5 change over into deals. That is a 0.5% transformation rate. What happens on the off chance that you can build your change rate to 1%?

You'll twofold your deals with a similar activity you're as of now getting to your site! That implies you would twofold your deals without any interest in movement strategies like publicizing, SEO, online networking, and so forth.

3. Client Value
Client esteem is frequently the X-calculate computerized promoting, yet numerous organizations overlook it. Once more, I'll utilize a case so you can perceive how your client esteem assumes a part in your showcasing.

Suppose your transformation rate is 0.5% and your normal client esteem is $100. That implies, by and large one guest to your site is worth $0.50.

That additionally implies you can not stand to pay more than $0.50 to drive a guest to your site. In the event that you pay more than 50 pennies, at that point you'll lose cash.

What happens in the event that one of your rivals has a similar change rate, yet a marginally higher client estimation of $150? Indeed, this contender can bear to pay $0.75 and will unavoidably have the capacity to purchase more movement than you. Despite the fact that the contender may have a similar offer, a comparative site, and a similar change rate, they'll command the market because of their higher client esteem.

4. Following

The last Pillar is following. Without appropriate following set up, at that point you'll be flying visually impaired with almost no plan to enhance the other 3 Pillars.

Consider following like the dashboard of your auto. Would you be able to envision driving in the event that you didn't have a speedometer or a fuel gage? That would be truly distressing in light of the fact that you wouldn't know whether you expected to back off or accelerate. In addition, you would likely come up short on fuel with no notice signs.

Legitimate attaching will manage your showcasing choices by letting you know precisely where you have to center.

Our Top 6 Favorite Tools from 2016

Some tools I'd used in previous years, there were also some new tools added to my list. All of them help to keep us organized, efficient, and creative at work.

Here are my 6 favorites tools for 2016...

1. Yesware

Finding this gem of a tool has been an absolute lifesaver. I have a terrible habit of sending an email that says something to the effect of "I'll follow up with you (insert time/date)" and then never remembering to actually send that follow-up email. At the beginning of 2016 I started using a spreadsheet to keep track of all of this which was extremely time consuming and inefficient. Yesware changed all of that. This tool has a ton of great features but my personal favorite is the "remind" feature. Before hitting send on a your email, you can mark "remind" and choose a date/time for a reminder email to be sent to you telling you to follow-up. There's an option to only get the reminder if someone doesn't reply to your email as well. This has removed the need for confusing spreadsheets but also ensured that I get back to colleagues and partners in a timely manner. Some other great features of Yesware include email scheduling (write the night before and send out the next morning), mail merge capabilities, email-open tracking, template creation and inputting, and reports. If you use Salesforce, Yesware also has an integration tool.

2. Asana

If you read my Thanksgiving post about why I'm grateful to work for Main Street ROI, then you know that we have the flexibility to work from home, which is amazing. One of the ways we're able to do this and still successfully work together as a team is no doubt because of Asana. This is an online collaboration tool that allows you to manage the tasks and workings of your team through a digital platform. Each member of our team is part of Asana. On this platform, we're able to create projects and tasks and assign members of our team to join the project. It allows for internal conversations, task tracking, due dates, calendars, and following of tasks. This tools has been amazing for making sure that each project within the company gets done and that we know who is responsible for each part of the project. There is also a very easy-to-use mobile app for Asana as well so you can check tasks on the go.

3. Google Drive

There's a reason Google is one of the top grossing companies in the world. Google's search engine capabilities and apps make all of our lives easier and Google Drive is by far one of my favorite tools of this year, and maybe of all time. Being able to store any file- photos, videos, designs, documents, spreadsheets- in one place and access them from anywhere, with multiple devices, is invaluable. This guarantees that you can access a file at any time, not just when you're in front of a computer at your office. From a team perspective, the real-time updates on Google docs and spreadsheets allows our team to connect from anywhere. Using Google Drive contributes to our team's success in working remotely. While on a conference call, we can all access the same document and all be editing live so we can view the same information. Drive also allows for sharing outside of your organization so that clients and partners can access files you need them to as well. Plus, there's a benefit to knowing your work is auto-saved so that even on an accidental window closure you don't risk losing all of the work you put in.

4. Canva

Canva is an amazing tool that allows you to create beautiful image designs in a few quick steps. With hundreds of pre-designed templates and beautiful stock images, Canva makes it easy for non-graphic designers to create images that are great for sharing on social media or use during presentations. While some of the images and templates require an extra $1 fee for use, there are plenty of excellent free options available as well. The program also gives you the option of uploading your own photos that can be inserted into various templates and edited directly within Canva.

5. Freedom.to

This handy tool is a way to battle the multi-tasker within all of us. Freedom blocks distracting websites and apps (including email) while working on a project in order to increase productivity and focus. It can be used on all of your devices so that you're unable to be distracted by any of them. You're also able to schedule Freedom sessions in advance or start one on-the-fly whenever you need it. Fair warning, they really fulfill their promise so if you enter "lock mode" and start a session, it's almost impossible to get back to your email and apps until your Freedom time is up.

6. Infusionsoft

This may be one of the most important tools we use at Main Street ROI. Infusionsoft was created for small businesses and facilitates email, sales and marketing solutions, CRM, e-commerce capabilities, and even referral partner tracking.

The email functionality in Infusionsoft is one of the main reasons we love it. It allows sending and scheduling of mass emails, such as weekly email newsletters. You can also use it to send and schedule autoresponders, such as a targeted sequence of follow-up emails. Plus, you can use tags to create very specific segments from your overall list. One downside to Infusionsoft is the price. Packages start at $199, which can be expensive for small businesses. However, the cost can easily be offset by the increase in sales from your email campaigns and the time saved using the automation features.

5 Digital Marketing Trends That Are Here to Stay in 2017

2016 is coming to a close and today we're looking ahead to 2017 and telling you what digital marketing trends you should lookout for throughout the year.

From all of us at Marketing Kings Blog, I want to wish you and your family a safe and happy New Year's celebration this weekend!

We're about to ring in the new year where people across the world will set their resolutions for 2017. Along with your personal resolution, why not make a resolution to guarantee that 2017 is the best year yet when it comes to your digital marketing?

In order to do that, you need to make sure you understand where digital marketing is headed throughout the year. That's why I've put together a list of the 5 biggest trends you're likely to see this coming year. 

1. Mobile search and advertising Mobile was huge in 2016, and that's not changing anytime soon. As of November 2016, Facebook reported that they have 1.055 billion users each month that only access their site on mobile. That's why 81% of Facebook's advertising revenue comes from mobile ads. And now that mobile search has officially surpassed desktop, Google's algorithm is influenced by the mobile optimization of a site. It's no longer enough to design your site for desktops, your site needs to be user friendly and functional for smartphones and tablets. So, if your site isn't optimized for mobile, it should become a top priority for 2017. 2. High Quality Content Content marketing has been called the "king" of digital marketing. And, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. When people go online either to search for something or to scroll through social media feeds they have one of two goals -- to get information or to be entertained. The only way for these goals to be accomplished is through users engaging with high quality content. This is very important when looking at your company's content marketing throughout 2017. With huge amounts of content available these days, there is no point in wasting time and energy putting out mass quantities of low quality content. People simply won't read it when they can click to the next site and find something better. That's why you should focus on putting out high quality content, even if it means that you produce less quantity than in years past. Make sure the blog articles, images, and social media posts you're publishing show that you're a thought leader in your industry. This will help to get more attention, and convert more prospects than putting out fluff. 3. Video Advertising With mobile being huge and content being key, video may be the ticket to a solid marketing strategy in 2017. 92% of mobile video users say that they share videos with others and 90% say that product videos are helpful in making the decision to purchase. Videos are popular for both information consumption and for entertainment. This creates an opportunity for marketers both for video display ads, such as those that come up on a YouTube video, and organic videos that you create to engage your audience. Facebook live stream and other live video opportunities also became more popular in 2016 and are likely to grow in popularity in 2017. Bottom line, keep video on your radar because it's likely to become not only important, but highly valuable. 4. More specific measurement I can't stress enough how important it is to track your digital marketing. I highly recommend making sure that your Google Analytics is set up properly. Doing this will help you to see where your traffic is coming from and determine what traffic is converting into sales. You'll want to make sure to focus your marketing budget on what's working. Our Ultimate Guide to Google Analytics article can help you get started. Along with Analytics, 2017 is likely to see an increase in the amount of measurement and tracking resources available. Facebook and Twitter have had built-in analytics for some time, and Instagram recently added an Insights option for business accounts. At this point, the data from these sources don't tell the whole story, but that is likely to change going forward. I predict that in 2017 an increased focus will be placed on more accurate data reporting so that businesses can set clear objectives for each of their marketing platforms. 5. Social Media Influencer Marketing Social media marketing has become a staple in digital marketing over the last five years. That will definitely continue. However, it is also likely to evolve and open up more opportunities for creative marketing outlets. As social media popularity increases, the opportunity for "influencer marketing" will grow as well. For example, if there's a person in your industry that has thousands of followers on social media, this could present an opportunity to have them endorse your business or product and help you to gain more followers and a wider reach. The popularity of influential YouTubers also create opportunities to leverage video advertising as a way to support your business in a more "organic" way. Connecting with YouTube influencers to create original content or have your business or product mentioned in their original content will offer a creative way to reach more potential customers. You can think of this like Michael Jordan endorsing Nike, but for social media marketing.

Marketing Lessons from the 2016 Presidential Election

The 2016 election has certainly been filled with controversy. But, one thing we can all agree on is that Trump’s marketing was extremely effective. That’s why in today’s article I’m going to tell you about the marketing lessons we can learn from this historic campaign.

 

And in today's Check This Out, register for next week’s LIVE training and discover How to Create an Effective Marketing Plan for 2017...

If you haven’t already, then now is the time to create your marketing plan for 2017.

 

This can be a daunting task, even for savvy marketers.  That’s why in this article I’m going to answer one of the most frequently asked questions about marketing plans, “What makes a great marketing plan?”

 

And to help answer that question, let’s take a closer look at the marketing plan behind arguably the most shocking underdog win of the year… Trump’s presidential race.  Whether you like it or not, there’s no denying the fact that Trump put together (and then implemented) a magnificent marketing plan to defeat Clinton.

 

So rather than bicker about the results, let’s learn from this historic event!

 

We’ll start with the most important step in the planning process…

 

Clearly Define Who Is & Who Is Not Your Audience

Trump did an amazing job laser-focusing his marketing on his ideal audience.  In fact, he took it a step further and was completely OK with alienating anyone that was not his ideal audience.

 

That’s a key takeaway that is worth writing down.

 

Some of the most successful companies in the world use this same strategy.  Look at Apple with its closed system that forces customers to only use other Apple products.  Or look at IKEA, which only sells furniture neatly packed in flat boxes that customers ultimately have to assemble (and if you’ve ever assembled an IKEA product you know it’s not easy or fast).

 

In all of these examples, Trump, Apple, and IKEA focus all of their marketing exclusively on their ideal audience and they ignore “the haters.”   They know what their customers want and they don’t try to cater to everyone.  As I’m sure you know, the kiss of death is trying to please everyone in your market because you’ll end up making no one happy.

 

So take the time to think through who is, and equally important, who is not your ideal customer.  Only after completing this step, can you truly create a great marketing plan because everything else depends on your target audience.

 

Next, it’s time to get inside the shoes of your audience…

 

 

Create a Great Offer That Solves Their Problem

Once you know who you’re targeting, then put yourself in their shoes.  What are the problems they are dealing with that your product or service solves?

 

For Trump, this was pretty straight forward…

 

Trump offered change.  Trump’s ideal audience was not happy with Obama’s 2 terms in office.  Therefore, their problems were tied to Obama’s policies.  Since Clinton’s policies were almost perfectly aligned with Obama’s policies, you can see how “change” was the perfect solution, or offer, in Trump’s campaign.

 

Now it’s your turn.  What are the problems that your ideal customers are dealing with?  Remember, we’re only talking about the audience you defined earlier.  Trump wasn’t worried about people who liked Obama’s policies because those were not his audience.

 

Once you know the problems, then it’s usually not too hard to come up with a great offer that positions your product or service as the best solution.

 

Ah, but how do your customers know it’s the “best” solution?  That brings us to the next step…

 

Differentiation

What other products or services could your customers use to solve their problem?

 

Don’t forget that there are many options outside of your industry, including the option of doing nothing.  In many businesses, the biggest hurdle is not a competitor; it’s procrastination.

 

For Trump, it wasn’t too hard to differentiate since he wasn’t a full-time politician.   And since he wasn’t a politician, then logically he couldn’t be a corrupt politician.  Regardless of your stance on Clinton, there have been so many political scandals since the founding of our country that we’ve come to accept that most politicians are susceptible to a little corruption.

 

In the business world, differentiation is synonymous with your unique selling proposition, or USP.  Why should your ideal customer choose your product or service over all the other options?

 

Once you’ve answered that question, then marketing and sales will be a heck of lot easier.

 

Finally, your marketing plan is not complete until you address what happens after the sale.  That’s right, marketing doesn’t stop when the sale is complete!

 

Fulfillment & Retention

Apple customers don’t love Apple because of their marketing.  They love Apple because of their products and their customer service.  In other words, if Apple didn’t deliver with easy-to-use and functional products, then customers would immediately have buyer’s remorse.   That would lead to refunds, negative reviews, and loss of market share to competitors.

 

At this point Trump’s fulfillment and retention plan is unclear.  It’ll take another year to see how things unfold, but if he doesn’t deliver on the promises made during the election, then we can be certain there will be buyer’s remorse across the country!

 

In business we call this the “customer experience.”  What happens immediately after a customer makes a purchase?  How could you improve the purchase experience?  How could you improve the product or service delivery experience?  What could you do to improve customer retention and referrals?

 

Those are just a few questions to get the ideas flowing.  But don’t just write down those ideas… Make sure you put them into action!

 

Email Marketing Lessons from Trump & Clinton

With this year’s election, there sure is a lot to talk about.  It seems like every day we have some new gossip on Trump or Clinton.

But if you sift through all the noise, there’s actually a lot you can learn from this election - specifically with email marketing.  

In this article I’m going to dissect one email from each candidate so you can see what they’re doing right and where they could improve by incorporating email marketing best practices.

Neither candidate is perfect, but one is head and shoulders above the other from an email marketing perspective.  For both candidates, we’ll review a few of the most critical elements of email marketing:

• From name
• Subject line
• Personalization
• Call to action

Let’s start by reviewing an email from Clinton…

The Clinton Email Example

The From name for the Clinton emails is “Hillary Clinton” so the emails appear to be sent from Hillary herself.  This follows email marketing best practices because the email looks personal, which helps increase the open rate (number of people that open the email versus ignore it).

The Subject line for this particular email is “Let me know when your birthday is.”  This is a missed opportunity, which likely hurt the open rate for this email campaign.  There’s no benefit in the Subject line and no compelling reason to open the email.

A much more compelling Subject would have been “I want to send you a gift” since that’s ultimately what the email was about.  Who wouldn’t open an email from Hillary Clinton that said she wants to send you a gift?  Nobody is the answer.

Now on to personalization…  This is again where Clinton’s email falls short. The email is addressed to “Friend” so right away it smells like a generic, mass email (aka “junk mail”).  

Finally, the Call to Action is a button that says “Get a note.”  Since when is a “note” exciting?  It’s not and that’s why this is a weak Call to Action that likely did not get a high click-through rate.

Now let’s review the Trump email example...

The Trump Email Example

Again, the From name is the candidate’s name, in this case Donald J. Trump so it looks like a personal email from Mr. Trump himself.  

The Subject line in this example email is “Hilllary - I’m coming for you.”  In no way is this boring like the Hillary example above.  When you read this Subject you feel like you’re in the middle of a debate fight and you almost can’t resist the urge to open the email to read more.

In other words, Trump’s email creates curiosity which is one of the best ways to get more of your emails opened.

Once you open this email you’re instantly addressed by your first name, which makes it feel like Trump is speaking directly to you.  Plus, midway in the email Trump addresses you by name a second time.  Everyone loves to hear (or read) their name and repeating it throughout an email is a proven way to increase response rates.

Finally, Trump’s Call to Action is a button that says “Contribute $$$ to win.”  It doesn’t just say “Contribute $$$” which is the most obvious Call to Action. Instead, Trump added a benefit to the Call to Action to emphasize why it’s important to take action.  It’s not about contributing, which benefits Trump; it’s about being a part of the winning team.

What Did We Learn?

By reviewing each candidate's email we learned that Trump’s marketing team has done a better job with email marketing compared to Clinton’s marketing team.  

However, with just a few tweaks Clinton’s team can dramatically improve their email performance.  They need to use compelling Subject lines that encourage more opens, include personalization throughout the emails, and highlight the benefit in the Call to Action.  

Remember these examples when you’re drafting your next email campaign. Small edits to each of the key elements highlighted above can make a huge difference in the success of your email marketing.

Marketing 101: Why Conversion is Key to Your Success

Your conversion rate is hands-down the most important metric in digital marketing.

 

Everything you do in online marketing is designed to convert visitors to your website into paying customers for your business.  And conversion rates don't just include sales -- people who make appointments, fill out contact forms, call you, and request free quotes also count as conversions. A conversion can be any desired action that brings your business closer to making a sale.

 

It's easy to get overwhelmed by metrics when getting started in digital marketing. You must watch click-through rates (CTRs) and cost-per-click (CPC) while always considering your return on investment (ROI). But the whole point of digital marketing is to maximize conversions for the cheapest-possible price.

 

In this article, we'll help you understand why conversions are crucial to your success.

 

 

Why Conversions Matter

Increasing the conversion rates of your online marketing campaigns is usually the cheapest way to boost your profits.

 

Think of it this way -- would you rather get more customers from Google AdWords by doubling your ad budget or by optimizing your advertising approach? Optimizing for a higher conversion rate means more bang for the buck. That's a big reason why conversion rates are so important.

 

That's not all - here are three other reasons why conversion rates matter:

#1: Conversion rates can predict success or failure.

Want to know whether your business is on the right track? Conversion rates give a pretty honest assessment, especially once you've optimized your campaigns.

 

With help from analytics reports, you can see which parts of your business get the strongest conversions, and you can predict which audiences are likely to become your best customers. Likewise, weaker conversion rates indicate where your business strategy needs work.

#2: Better conversion rates can save you money.

Campaigns with better conversion rates are generally more efficient than campaigns with weaker conversion rates. A higher conversion rate lets you cover more ground without increasing your ad budget, or you can reduce your ad budget and have cash leftover for testing new marketing tactics.

#3: Focusing on conversion rates will improve your website.

Creating an air-tight sales funnel is the key to boosting conversion rates. Your campaigns, your website and your sales processes need to be as in-sync as possible. As you learn which factors are most important for driving conversions on your website, you'll eventually discover how to make your site more valuable for visitors and customers -- and the benefits of this extend far beyond short-term profits.

How to Boost Conversion Rates

Now that we've reviewed the importance of conversions, the next step is taking action to boost your rates. Here are six easy tips to take your conversion rates to new heights.

 

#1: Sharpen your ads. The first step toward increasing conversions is nailing your ad copy to stand out from the competition.

 

#2: Optimize your landing pages. Deliver on promises made in your ad copy, and use concise, catchy headlines that immediately engage visitors.

 

#3: Test new ad funnels. Create new ads and variations of your landing pages. See how conversion rates change with different advertising approaches.

 

#4: Pare down your audience. Sometimes casting a wider net is better, but tightening your focus to specific consumer groups is an easy way to boost conversion rates.

 

#5: Use FOMO to your advantage. That's the fear of missing out. If you're advertising a sale, say in your ads or on your landing pages that time is running out -- and you can even use countdown clocks for added urgency.

 

#6: Grow your social media. Urge visitors to follow you on Facebook, Twitter and other accounts. Install social media login buttons on your website if it requires a member sign-in; people are much more likely to register using social logins. And if you have a strong social following, display the number of followers or shares on your pages for increased social proof.

 

Conversion Rates Aren't Always Reliable

Conversion rates may be the most universally important metrics in digital marketing. However, any data viewed out of context can be incredibly deceiving. Never be blinded by a high or low conversion rate without carefully evaluating all the data at your disposal.

 

Here are a few ways in which conversion rates can be deceiving:

#1: Higher conversion rates may hide poor performance.

Strong conversion rates are generally positive -- that's what you want. However, you might have a high conversion rate paired with a low sales volume. Or, despite your favorable conversion rate, perhaps high advertising costs are wiping out your ROI. Never assume your campaigns are profitable based on conversion rates alone.

#2: Some of your visitors aren't there to buy.

If you focus too much on conversion rates, you may overlook the multitude of other reasons why people visit your website. Some people may be researching products, and perhaps they'll eventually return to become paying customers. Some may already be customers and they're seeking support or checking on their orders. Do you maintain a blog? You may be building an audience. Don't become so fixated on conversion rates that you forget all the other ways your website is valuable.

#3: Conversion rates can fluctuate with different audiences.

Is your online marketing causing a large influx of new visits? If so, your conversion rates may seem unusually low. That's because new visitors are less likely to buy goods and services than established customers. Also, visitors from different traffic sources tend to convert at different rates. Using Google Analytics reports can help you determine your true conversion rates among different types of visitors.

Conclusion

Conversion rates are immensely important when optimizing your campaigns. Not only do they indicate whether your marketing is profitable, but they also reveal how visitors engage with your website. Conversions aren't all that matter -- you still need to watch your click-through rates, overall spend and numerous other metrics -- but driving conversion rates is generally the key for successful campaigns.