Author: Lisa Chapman

How to Steal your Audience’s Attention and Beat Your Competition

Continue reading “Your Newsletter Can Be Quick, Easy and POWERFUL”

Simple-to-understand URLs will attract more traffic to your site

Great SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can get your site ranked on the first page of Google’s SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). But the next step is up to you – or your webmaster – and it’s critical to getting more visitors to click through to your site. Here, Google explains how to achieve user-friendly URLs for better marketing of your site.

You must try to create simple, descriptive categories and file names for all documents on your website. That not only helps you organize your site better, but it also leads to better search engine crawling of your site’s documents. Also, it can create easier, “friendlier” URLs for those that want to link to your content. Visitors may be intimidated by extremely long and cryptic URLs that contain few recognizable words. They don’t lend themselves to effective marketing.

Unfriendly URLs – A Marketing Faux Pas

URLs like (1) can be confusing and unfriendly. Users would have a hard time reciting the URL from memory or creating a link to it. Also, users may believe that a portion of the URL is unnecessary, especially if the URL shows many unrecognizable parameters. They might leave off a part, thus breaking the link.

With effective marketing, users might link to your page using the URL of that page as the anchor text. If your URL contains relevant words, this provides users and search engines with more user-friendly information about the page than an ID or oddly named parameter would (2).

URLs returned in Google search contain good marketing keywords

Lastly, remember that the URL to a document is displayed as part of a search result in Google, below the document’s title and snippet. Like the title and snippet, words in the URL on the search result appear in bold if they appear in the user’s query (3). Example (2) shows a URL on the domain for a page containing an article about the rarest baseball cards. Keywords in the URL will appeal to a search user more than a random ID number like “www. brandonsbaseballcards.com/article/102125/”.

 

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Rewriting your URLs

Google is good at crawling all types of URL structures, even if they’re quite complex, but spending the time to make your URLs as simple as possible for both users and search engines can help.

Some webmasters try to achieve this by rewriting their dynamic URLs to static ones; while Google is fine with this, we’d like to note that this is an advanced procedure and if done incorrectly, could cause crawling issues with your site.

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.URL Structure

To learn even more about good URL structure, we recommend the Webmaster Help Center page on creating Google-friendly URLs.

Image summary:

Simple-to-understand URLs in Google SERPs will convey content information easily

(1) A URL to a page on our baseball card site that a user might have a hard time with.

(2) The highlighted words above could inform a user or search engine what the target page is about before following the link.

URLs are displayed in Google SERPs

(3) A user performs the query [baseball cards]. Our homepage appears as a result, with the URL listed under the title and snippet.

 

Have you noticed how your site’s page URLs appear in Google search results?

For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Marketing and Social Media.

Content thanks to Google for their Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide available FREE.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Lisa Chapman helps company leaders define, plan and achieve their goals – both online and offline. After 25+ years as an entrepreneur, she is now a business and marketing consultant, business planning consultant and social media consultant. Online, she works with clients to establish and enhance their brand, attract their Target Audience, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert them into Buyers. You can reach her via email: Lisa (at) LisaChapman (dot) com. Her book, The WebPowered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide is available at:

• Amazon.com: http://bit.ly/AmazonTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur
• Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/BNTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur

And Why Every Marketer Needs Compelling Infographics

You see them EVERYWHERE! Aren’t they great? I just love them, because I know that I’ll pick up key information in a memorable way – very quickly. And beyond that, there are many more reasons good marketing includes good infographics. In this post, we’ll discuss why you need them and how to make them.

Heidi Grutter+, a social media blogger at MySMN.com, calls infographics “visual fast food for the brain”. She posted this one to communicate the compelling need for them:

• We actually remember only 20% of the text we read (maybe less!)
• 90% of the info transmitted to our brains is visual
• On Facebook, 200% more ‘Likes’ are for images (vs. text)
• After publishing an infographic, traffic increases an average 12%

Heidi goes on to state, “When we look at symbols, objects and colors together (picture one of those hazard signs showing a male figure slipping- cautioning that the floor is wet) we can get the sense of a visual scene in less than 1/10 of a second (Semetko, H. & Scammell, M. (2012, The SAGE Handbook of Political Communication).”

How to Make Infographics

Heidi gives us very specific – and easy – steps for creating our own infographics to attract and please tired brains:

STEP ONE
Either one level or two levels, infographics cover the basic information:

1. One level: includes visuals and content
2. Two levels: includes visuals and content PLUS factual data and/or statistical info

STEP TWO
Brainstorm your ‘bid idea’ – your basic concept. Is it compelling enough? Brainstorm your idea, ask friends, hash out your thoughts on paper. Then move on to your ‘core.’

STEP THREE
“Lay out the core.” – Decide which information and facts you want to share. In what order will you present them? How will you conclude? Be sure that all facts and stats are thoroughly researched and supported. Then decide on the infographic’s design, including:

• Layout
• Shapes
• Icons
• Symbols
• Colors

STEP FOUR
Now put it all on paper. Are you making all the right points, from beginning to end? Does your conclusion flow logically? Is it clear and compelling? Is your design consistent with the message? For example, if you’re presenting a serious case, don’t use bright, happy colors.

Make Your Own Infographics with this Design Kit

Heidi tells us that “If you want to try and make the infographic yourself, all you need to do is Google search “free infographic templates” and you’ll find various resources like these:

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/infographic-design-kit/”

Free Download: Five Infographic Templates in PowerPoint

Hubspot offers free PowerPoint templates to make your own infographics:

http://offers.hubspot.com/how-to-easily-create-five-fabulous-infographics-in-powerpoint

Good luck. Now come back and share your creations with us!

For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Marketing and Social Media.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Lisa Chapman helps company leaders define, plan and achieve their goals – both online and offline. After 25+ years as an entrepreneur, she is now a business and marketing consultant, business planning consultant and social media consultant. Online, she works with clients to establish and enhance their brand, attract their Target Audience, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert them into Buyers. You can reach her via email: Lisa (at) LisaChapman (dot) com. Her book, The WebPowered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide is available at:

• Amazon.com: http://bit.ly/AmazonTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur
• Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/BNTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur

Key Marketing Strategy to Sell Products

In my previous post, “Sample Email Newsletter That Grabs Readers’ Attention”, we discussed an excellent example for small businesses, entrepreneurs and professionals who employ a content marketing strategy to attract website traffic. Today, we’ll look behind the curtain at a hugely successful home-based business email newsletter for independent entrepreneurs. I became aware of this particular newsletter (in the image below) because my Consultant sells beautifully branded gifts and totes for the company Thirty-One Gifts. Their primary marketing objectives?

• Branding and
• selling products!

Email newsletters clearly serve vastly different businesses and audiences. So the content must be strategically planned and executed. When in doubt, employ others’ newsletter success stories. Like the one in the image below.

Email Newsletters Automate Branding

One of the biggest challenges to all home-based businesses is branding – building awareness, recognition, credibility, and ultimately trust. For Thirty-one Gifts Consultants, this email newsletter does it all. Notice that the very first element that catches your attention is the Thirty-one scripted logo at the top. This newsletter comes out every few weeks, with new promotions and products, and every single time, that logo is right there in the same spot.

In fact, the entire newsletter is professionally designed, so that you recognize it for its layout as well as the logo. Same use of color, placement, text, and product elements. Thirty-one Gifts is known for quality products that solve disorganization problems and are stylish, practical and affordable. Bingo. Problem solved. It’s a branding dream-come-true for the entrepreneur. Instant awareness, recognition, credibility, and growing trust.

Successful Selling with Email Newsletters

The next biggest challenge for the entrepreneur is sales. The vehicle to meet this marketing challenge is, of course, the email newsletter itself. But not any old newsletter will do. In fact, for any business, it’s tough to get a newsletter right – one that gives a great User Experience (UX) and converts traffic to purchases. Thirty-one Gifts has done it again.

Notice the newsletter’s enticing colors, images and bursts of short copy. It’s easy to scan so readers tend to soak in the entire page. Although you can’t click the links in the image below, in the actual newsletter the big pink SHOP NOW button takes you on a shopping trip that’s easy to navigate and fun!

Thirty-one Gifts Consultant

Then they make it super easy to share. So not only do I want to shop and buy, but I’m also increasing the audience when I post it to my social pages. My Thirty -one Gifts Consultant now has her customers doing the selling for her. Smart marketing.

Go ahead and test the site: http://goo.gl/rAz0vA – You’ll love the UX! Then leave your feedback here.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Marketing and Social Media.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Lisa Chapman helps company leaders define, plan and achieve their goals – both online and offline. After 25+ years as an entrepreneur, she is now a business and marketing consultant, business planning consultant and social media consultant. Online, she works with clients to establish and enhance their brand, attract their Target Audience, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert them into Buyers. You can reach her via email: Lisa (at) LisaChapman (dot) com. Her book, The WebPowered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide is available at:

• Amazon.com: http://bit.ly/AmazonTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur
• Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/BNTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur

How to Increase Email Click-Through for Your Content Marketing Strategy

In order to help stay on top of marketing trends, I subscribe to a few exceptional email newsletters in the content marketing arena. I just received this excellent newsletter (see below) from Simply Measured. For small businesses, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs and professionals who employ a content marketing strategy, it may be an example you’ll want to consider emulating. Here’s why:

1. The email subject line catches readers’ attention with a problem that’s common to the target audience. Makes them want to click through.

2. The content is contained in the body of the email – no attachments. Important when executing a content marketing strategy.

3. Gray background makes the content pop. Allows for use of white space in content boxes.

4. Logo at the top left – prime position for building brand awareness & recognition. (It also contains a link to their 14-day free trial.)

5. “Social Media Newsletter” at the top right – no guessing what this is!

6. Each article is separated visually with blocks. Easy for scanners to grasp quickly.

7. Each article has an image associated with it. Use of images is becoming very important because of the staggering competition for attention.

8. Strong titles and short teaser introductions tell at-a-glance what the articles are about – with distinct “read more” calls-to-action.

9. The company’s own promotional content is at the end. Readers feel that they’ve been given a lot of value FIRST and so by the end, they don’t mind the promo.

10. FOLLOW buttons at the bottom (I’d put SHARE buttons there, too.)

11. Don’t want to receive this email newsletter anymore? Simple, easy opt-out link at the very bottom.

I suggest that for branding consistency, instead of using these colors, lean toward your own branding color scheme that you use in your website, landing pages, articles, brochures, and other marketing pieces.

Your email newsletter campaign may be an important piece of your marketing mix. By incorporating some or all of the above elements, you could significantly increase your click-through rates and readership – which leads to higher conversion rates.

Does anyone have other suggestions for improvement?

Ps – Thanks to Simply Measured for this awesome example!

Here is the body of the email – opened in a browser

(Note: posting the image to this blog required cutting it up into 3 sections, but the email itself appears continuously with no breaks.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Marketing and Social Media.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

 

Lisa Chapman helps company leaders define, plan and achieve their goals – both online and offline. After 25+ years as an entrepreneur, she is now a business and marketing consultant, business planning consultant and social media consultant. Online, she works with clients to establish and enhance their brand, attract their Target Audience, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert them into Buyers. You can reach her via email: Lisa (at) LisaChapman (dot) com.

Her book, The WebPowered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide is available at:

Amazon.com: http://bit.ly/AmazonTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/BNTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur

Do This Once and Twitter Does the Rest

Where do you decide whether or not to follow someone on Twitter? At their profile. Have you invested just a few minutes to make your profile work for you?

You have one shot at a first impression, so make it sizzle.

Create an Intriguing Twitter Profile

People are skimmers these days. The first thing we notice is an image. We notice the branding. So make your Twitter branding consistent with your offline branding, and other social media sites as well.

It’s important to create a consistent look and feel among all of your social media platforms. This can be achieved with the use of consistent images, logo design, colors and layout.

For an example of nice, clean and consistent branding, see the following screenshot comparisons from Facebook and Twitter for the app “Shopping Chaperone”:

TWITTER:

Source: https://twitter.com/ShoppingChap

FACEBOOK:

Source: https://www.facebook.com/shoppingchaperoneapp

Outsource the Design Work

You can create these branded images yourself, if you’ve got the time, tools (and talent!) But it’s easily outsourced by providing a concept, images and logo. If you haven’t developed your brand look yet, you can use outsourced labor for very little expense. Some of these creative professionals live in countries with a dramatic currency exchange rate that allows them to charge pennies on the dollar. For imagery, copyrighting, design and just about anything you can think of, try:

• www.fiverr.com – Jobs completed for as little as $5.00!
• www.odesk.com – “The world’s largest freelance marketplace”

These sites are run professionally and seem to really care about user satisfaction. If you don’t have a logo, start there. Get one created by shopping on Fiverr or Odesk – or your favorite local graphic designer.

Build your Credibility

Present yourself as a Subject Matter Expert in a focused field (or two). Don’t try to be everything. Choose specialties that you really enjoy and then provide proof that you’re the best in that field. Use quotes or recommendations from others. And let your enthusiasm shine through. Talk about recent accomplishments and specific outcomes. Use KEYWORDS!

Be Social

Finally, in the end, it’s all about relationship. Make it inviting. Take a look at Nika Stewart’s Twitter Profile (AWESOME!):

Wouldn’t you want to contact Nika for help with your social media postings?

(And many thanks to Nika for the inspiration for this post.)

For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Marketing and Social Media.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. She helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa (at) LisaChapman (dot) com.

Her book, The WebPowered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide is available at:

• Amazon.com: http://bit.ly/AmazonTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur
• Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/BNTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur

Public Domain Images for Marketing – No Strings Attached

Today I’m going to save you money – by giving you the solution to the rising cost of finding images for your content marketing. Using relevant stock images in every piece of content marketing is fast becoming the indisputable standard. On Facebook, posting without an image is like not posting at all. And Bloggers especially need images for each and every post. All these stock images can become quite expensive.

You are about to benefit from many hours of my time and tedious research. As a Blogger myself, I want to keep my costs down. Way down. I want free stock images. And I’m tired of hunting for the hidden “gotchas” such as the fine print which prohibits commercial use, or requires that I include an attribution link back to the source of the “Royalty-free” photo in the public domain. It’s not that I mind giving credit, it’s just that it takes so much more of my precious time.

List of Public Domain, Commercial Use, Quality, No Attribution, Free Stock Photo Sites

So I’ve drilled down to a list of TEN stock photo sites with images that are:

1. free,
2. public domain,
3. ok’d for commercial use,
4. high quality, and
5. don’t require attribution!

Drum roll, please!

Keep this list of links in your ‘Blog ideas’ or ‘articles to write’ file:

• http://www.morguefile.com
• http://www.freemediagoo.com
• http://www.photos-public-domain.com/
• http://www.public-domain-photos.com/
• http://www.imageafter.com/images.php
• http://www.atozstockimages.com/
• http://www.adigitaldreamer.com/gallery/index.php
• http://freerangestock.com/ (attribution requested but not required)
• http://www.pdphoto.org/ (attribution requested but not required)
• http://pixabay.com/en/photos/ (attribution requested but not required)

Bonus #1:

Attention Marketing – there’s a similar site for free stock clip art, too:

• http://www.openclipart.org

Bonus #2:

If you can’t find what you’re looking for in any of those links, try this search engine for free photos:

www.everystockphoto.com is a search engine for free photos that come from many sources and are license-specific. You can view a photo’s license by clicking on the license icon, below and left of photos. Membership is free and allows you to rate, tag, collect and comment on photos.

Bonus #3:

Not free, but in my opinion this is the most cost-effective paid stock photo site – at this time: http://www.123RF.com. When purchased in bulk, they come down to a mere $.89 per image. Can’t beat that!

PS – The image I used in this post came from openclipart.org

Do you have other sites to add to this list? Please share and help us all save more money!

For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Marketing and Social Media.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. She helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa (at) LisaChapman (dot) com.

Her book, The WebPowered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide is available at:

• Amazon.com: http://bit.ly/AmazonTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur
• Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/BNTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur

38 Exciting Examples from Bob Bly, “America’s Top Copywriter”

We recently talked about Bob Bly’s ultra successful direct marketing approach to writing headlines – they have four specific tasks. We talked about how to write your headlines to accomplish those tasks.

In this post, I simply want to give you Bob’s list of 38 powerhouse headline examples that you can adapt to grab your readers’ attention and draw them in to your copy. Here’s the amazing list:

1. Ask a question in the headline.

“What Do Japanese Managers Have That American Managers Sometimes Lack?”

2. Tie-in to current events.

“Stay One Step Ahead of the Stock Market Just Like Martha Stewart – But Without Her Legal Liability!”

3. Create a new terminology in the headline.

“New ‘Polarized Oil’ Magnetically Adheres to Wear Parts in Machine Tools, Making Them Last Up to 6 Times Longer.”

4. Give news using the words “new,” “introduction,” or “announcing.”

“Announcing a Painless Cut in Defense Spending.”

5. Give the reader a command – tell him to do something.

“Try Burning This Coupon.”

6. Use numbers and statistics in the headline.

“Who Ever Heard of 17,000 Blooms from a Single Plant?”

7. Promise the reader useful information.

“How to Avoid the Biggest Mistake You Can Make in Building or Buying a Home.”

8. Highlight your offer.

“You Can Now Subscribe to the Best New Books – Just as You Do to a Magazine.”

9. Tell a story in the headline.

“They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano … But When I Started to Play.”

10. Make a recommendation.

“The 5 Tech Stocks You Must Own NOW.”

11. State a benefit.

“Managing UNIX Data Centers – Once Difficult, Now Easy.”

12. Make a comparison.

“How to Solve Your Emissions Problems – at Half the Energy Cost of Conventional Venturi Scrubbers.”

13. Use words that help the reader visualize.

“Why Some Foods ‘Explode’ In Your Stomach.”

14. Use a testimonial in the headline.

“After Over Half a Million Miles in the Air Using AVBLEND, We’ve Had No Premature Camshaft Failures.”

15. Offer a free special report, catalog, or booklet.

“New FREE Special Report Reveals Little-Known Strategy Millionaires Use to Keep Wealth in Their Hands – and Out of Uncle Sam’s.”

16. State the selling proposition directly and plainly.

“Surgical Tables Rebuilt – Free Loaners Available.”

17. Arouse reader curiosity.

“The One Internet Stock You MUST Own Now. Hint: It’s NOT What You Think!”

18. Promise to reveal a secret.

“Unlock Wall Street’s Secret Logic.”

19. Be specific.

“At 60 Miles an Hour, the Loudest Noise in This New Rolls Royce Comes from the Electric Clock.”

20. Target a particular type of reader.

“We’re Looking for People to Write Children’s Books.”

21. Add a time element in the headline.

“Instant Incorporation While U-Wait.”

22. Stress cost savings, discounts, or value.

“Now You Can Get $2,177 Worth of Expensive Stock Market Newsletters for the Incredibly Low Price of Just $69!”

23. Give the reader good news.

“You’re Never Too Old to Hear Better.”

24. Offer an alternative to other products and services.

“No Time for Yale – Took College At Home.”

25. Issue a challenge.

“Will Your Scalp Stand the Fingernail Test?”

26. Stress your guarantee in the headline.

“Develop Software Applications Up to 6 Times Faster or Your Money Back.”

27. State the price.

“Link 8 PCs to Your Mainframe – Only $2,395.”

28. Set up a seeming contradiction.

“Profit from ‘Insider Trading’ – 100% Legal!”

29. Offer an exclusive the reader can’t get elsewhere.

“Earn 500+% Gains With Little-Known ‘Trader’s Secret Weapon.’”

30. Address the reader’s concern in the headline.

“Why Most Small Businesses Fail — and What You Can Do About It.’

31. “As Crazy as It Sounds…”

“Crazy as it Sounds, Shares of This Tiny R&D Company, Selling for $2 Today, Could be Worth as Much as $100 in the Not-Too-Distant Future.”

32. Make a big promise.

“Slice 20 Years Off Your Age!”

33. Show ROI (return on investment) for purchase of your product.

“Hiring the Wrong Person Costs You Three Times Their Annual Salary.”

34. Use a “reasons-why” headline.

“7 Reasons Why Production Houses Nationwide Prefer Unilux Strobe Lighting When Shooting Important TV Commercials.”

35. Answer important questions about your product or service.

“7 Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Collection Agency … And One Good Answer to Each.”

36. Stress the value of your premiums.

“Yours Free – Order Now and Receive $280 in Free Gifts with Your Paid Subscription.”

37. Help the reader achieve a goal.

“Now You Can Create a Breakthrough Marketing Plan Within the Next 30 Days … for FREE!”

38. Make a seemingly contradictory statement or promise in the headline.

“Cool Any Room in Your House Fast – Without Air Conditioning!”

 

Which one did I use in this post?

 

About Bob Bly: Robert W. Bly is a freelance copywriter and the author of more than 70 books including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Direct Marketing (Alpha). His Website is www.bly.com.

For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Marketing and Social Media.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. She helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa (at) LisaChapman (dot) com.

Her book, The WebPowered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide is available at:

• Amazon.com: http://bit.ly/AmazonTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur
• Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/BNTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur