It would see the shape of the letter F quite accurately describes how visitors see your web page content.
Check out this link to learn how heat maps can reveal the pattern of how your visitor’s eyes quickly scan what you present.
Last week the latest our latest Telecom Yellow Pages Directory was dropped off. We received a dozen copies all nicely wrapped in cellophane ready for passing around the office.
Seven days on and they are still sitting there – waiting to be released.
My bet is that they will remain in their place for a month, if not longer.
Have we stopped shopping for new stuff while they are there?
Doubt it.
Our fingers are still doing their walking – they have just moved from fanning through 2000 pages of yellow print to searching 8 billion web pages of Google searched content looking for that next new purchase.
My pick is that we are not alone and that there will be a few copies of the Yellow book still in cellophane by year end.
(Few weeks on since this post and the plastic is still doing its job)
The Feb 06 edition of my own email newsletter was sent out yesterday to my list - here’s a link to the web version.
MarketingSherpa are out looking for quotes to fill their book of learnings for 2005 - here’s my stab at one that has helped me this year.
“Just by adding one more piece of the online marketing puzzle allows you see a completely different picture of whats happening.
It could be one more Adwords ad to rotate against the one you initially start or perhaps one more landing page to challenge the “sure winner” you kick off with or even another subject line to use in that email campaign.
You choose the extra piece you apply – but make the effort and you’ll reap the learning rewards that would have been otherwise lost .”
Online marketing can be as simple or as complex as you or your suppliers want it to be.
I think this funnel of a four short stages reflects some key tasks to work towards achieving online. (The percentages in the second stages are just some raw stats you can use to work on what amount of action you should expect from the traffic that arrives.)
Yes it could have been a matrix, and yes still it could have had 600 words wrapped around it to make it sound more complicated but in this case I think a few simple steps well done are the best way to go.
SPAM legislation in NZ is gradually inching its way forward – my pick being that by mid next year we will be underway. I’m not sure if its inclusion will herald the end of the trash that enters my inbox but something is better than nothing.
Here’s the main link from the Ministry of Economic Development
We started tracking them last Wednesday when their excessive clicks triggered our fraud protection engine and by Sunday they had amassed 72 clicks on the one Google pay per click ad for the same keyword.
Yes click fraud is out there and I advise anyone contemplating investing some of their ad spend to Google to wrap some fraud protection tools around what they do.
There are lots out there – Permission has its own that is based on one of the leading contendors and comes as part of our PPC services package (auto bid management is in there too).
Seventy two is a low amount compared to what could he happening out there. Make sure your protected from today onwards.
Happy tracking.
Rather than download and run the MP3 files locally you can now click and listen in on the latest on offer from the NZSO. Listen to the music.
Interested in online audio? Why not try ChatterBox today.
Need a new mortgage?
Not too many years ago you used to ask for an appointment to see the bank manager just to “ pitch” why they should choose to lend you some money for your next home.
Now the “ pitching” is on the other side of the desk and there are more alternatives than you can shake a merchant banker’s stick at.
One of my clients is Adam Parore Mortgages - they help you pull in the best deal and have a nifty online mortgage calculator that is worth a peek. (The home page isn’t too bad either nor is their special guarantee.)
I must be a better blogger
I must be a better blogger
I must be a better blogger
Sorry about the huge chasm of gaps between the last post and this – it has been a busy time. I will try to keep the posting frequency better than every once a month.
Here’s some links to things that make my day easier – they could yours too.
Text emails need to be neat, trim and ideally 60 characters wide to avoid being wrapped in the wrong places. I visit this page most times around a campaign to do my trimming for me.
I run Google adwords campaigns for customers. I purchased this great report last month that makes you think you are looking over the shoulders of those searching away. The heatmaps are addictive and well worth the expense.
Posting short for strangers.
A recent Seth Godin post on different kinds of writing rings true. Email messages that waffle on miss the point and what’s more fail my Mississippi (text – video) test.
Last week I called in the Permission guarantee of only delivering effective work.
Since I began Permission a few years back I have offered customers, both new and old, the capability to at any time to yell out and take up my 100% satisfaction guarantee.
That is if they are not totally happy with the work I provide then they simply they don’t pay.
When I have told others in similar industries about my offer I am usually challenged on the likelihood of it being abused, but in just a short 2.5 years of trading this has yet to occur.
Anyway a situation occurred last week where I called in the guarantee.
I had been asked by a client to do some copy writing for a print campaign. The brief was a tad vague (you can see where this is going) but there was some pressure to get things done quickly.
I took on the job and put some time into getting a draft worked through. Unfortunately the draft missed the base, as did subsequent revisions and in the end we decided that the work done was not worth using.
In hindsight more readiness to define the brief rather than hit the keys would have helped us both out. There were some learnings in there for both of us.
I put the guarantee in place as a way of sharing the risk with those wanting to engage an Internet Marketing advisor for the first time. I believe the saying is right “talk is cheap”, especially when it comes to online marketing.
In fact meaningless talk that doesn’t help your business should be FREE.
Hence the guarantee.
Have fun.
I’m in the market for a new car.
That in itself is not enough to warrant a post to this blog but the way I am going about choosing what will replace my old but trusty Ford Falcon is.
You see I’m deep in the research stage.
In fact I’ve been here for about a year.
It’s quite a decision and I’m taking my time as I way up all the choices and decide which one best suits my budget.
Google has taken a hammering as I look around at what is on offer. But time and time again I leave Google and go to car web sites and see content just isn’t suited to this stage of the buying process.
There’s stacks of content on how to find the closest dealer - what specs each model is and how much I will need to part with BUT next to nothing to help me research my purchase.
I would love to find a “ Idiots guide to deciding which car best suits you” or an online calculator where I can see how much the repayments will be for the amount I need to borrow.
I would easily trade my email address for content like this. So might your own prospects as they research buying what you offer.
I bet there are more people out there using the web for researching than actually buying. As a tool its hard to fault.
How does your web site appeal to this group?
P.S. Permission offers lessons in online marketing (both email and lead generation) for those researching the purchase of advice in this area. You can find them here.
Last week I finished the latest work of MarketingSherpa on ” How to Copywrite and Position Your Google Ads.”
I just love those heat maps.
They make me feel like I’m looking over the shoulder of clickers as they go about their task.
There is a lot of good stuff in here and the investment is well worthwhile for those wanting to part with some cash.
One of the takeaways was the time or lack of that people put into using search engines. In mere seconds it seems people have typed - clicked and gone on their way.
From experience email marketing is no different in the amount of attention it receives. Messages are scanned, read and then either dumped or actioned in a similar amount of time. The 15 seconds a TV ad has to impart its message is a lifetime in comparison.
It’s marketing in micro moments.
Just an update on last month’s day for the North Shore Hospice.
With all the donations now accounted for I can now confirm that $540 is now in their safe hands to help them do more good work.
Thanks for everyone that helped out.
Sounds like the ideal plan for anyone wanting to get more from their business.
The guru’s on this subject are Brian R Richards.
Yesterday they published a newsletter on the subject and asked me to pen some words on how online marketing can help this goal. Here’s a link to what I had to say.
I picked this up from Seth Godin’s blog today.
It’s for all those that strive to achieve the next best Powerpoint presentation.
Have fun.
I have read before that landing pages have mere seconds to do their work.
(I can’t remember the exact count of how many they have but it was below 10.)
I picked this up from MarketingSherpa today that tells the tale of how a business made some small tweaks (that is usually what it takes) to improve the success of their own page.
Click here and see what these small changes were and see if you can make the same on your site today.
It’s open access until July 24, so if you are keen on sucking more leads off your web site then get in quick.
One of the first interviews I did last year covered online lead generation for technology markets.
I called Mark Littrell (formerly from IMR) and quized him on how he managed his own lead generation. Mark caught my eye when he was profiled by MarketingSherpa as someone who was getting some good response from newsletter sponsorship.
Earlier on this month I went over the audio file again and liked it so much decided to make the effort to have it transcribed.
If youre keen you can register to receive it here.
July 19 is your chance to get access to my expertise for a donation to a charity I’m supporting.
First in first served. Either grab an hour or the morning or afternoon.
Whether you are local or overseas it will work out through the wonders of paypal.
I will publish the amount raised.
Options on offer could be: -
A review of your email marketing efforts
Some solid ideas to improve your lead generation capability
Maybe a new landing page??
Or perhaps a fast track audit of your email stats
The monies will be going to the North Shore Hospice
Book in the time by contacting me on chris@permission.co.nz