Check out the this viral marketing campaign for the upcoming summer “Dark Knight” movie.

I believe in Harvey Dent

I worked with a sales rep who told prospects if they would take the time to listen to his presentation and were not interested in what his company was offering, he would give them $20.00 for their time and never bother them again. A high commission from every sale and a solid four out of ten closing rate made it profitable for him to spend the $120.00 out of pocket expense for the seven people that didn’t buy. Since the biggest barrier to a sale was largely in the ability to get uninterrupted time in front of a prospect, it’s safe to say his $20.00 marketing ploy was a good investment.

Before you spend a penny exposing people to your website, make sure it’s a good investment.

Think of your web site as a sales presentation and Google’s AdWords (or any other paide SEM or SEO tactic) as the vehicle that drives qualified prospects to that presentation. If your AdWords campaign is effective, it will work like the $20.00 offered by my coworker. The success of that monthly investment hinges on the effectiveness of your web site. If your web site does the job of closing the sale, capturing the lead or whatever it is that’s worth paying for traffic, you can expect a profitable return. If not, the money you spent out will be gone forever.

The cost of even a modest AdWords camapaign can add up over time. And chances are those visitors won’t take the time to come back a second time. Why not invest your search engine marketing budget into developing a site that aids in the conversion of prospects into customers? Once the site is optimized around your goals the money you spend to dive qualified traffic to your site will generate a profitable return.

One of the biggest benefits of online marketing is that it allows for far greater accountability. Unlike other forms of marketing, the internet provides easy ways to instantly measure how much value your marketing activities create. The answers to the true value of your web site in it’s current form can be a bitter pill to swallow. Which is why most companies -after spending so much time and energy developing their web sites- don’t want to know.

Any advertiser worth a dime will tell you: the more you advertise a bad product, the less it sells. The same is true when it comes to marketing your web site. The more people who visit a bad web site, the more likely they are to click the back seconds after they hit the landing page. Major search egines like Google actually tracks how long a visitor stays on a site before the back button is clicked. The more “click backs” your site has, the lower the site will place in Google’s search rankings.

Here are some things to keep in mind to develop an effective site:

• Make sure your web site has measurable conversion goals. With all the amazing (and often free) analytics tools available to monitor people who visit your site, there is no excuse not to.

• Put the needs of your users first. Too many websites read like an “About Us” page. Most people don’t care how long you’ve been in business, how much experience your staff has between them or how much you love your products or industry. The only thing visitors to your site care about is what’s in it for them. Your site should focus on the value of your offering. Such as: convenience, security, status, etc. In other words your site should clearly state the direct benefits of doing business with you.

• Know your audience. Good web sites put the needs of their market first. You can’t put your prospects first if you don’t know who your prospect is. Your markets age, gender, economic status, occupation, etc. are important things to consider when communicating with them on and off line. These demographics will do more than just help you to write effective copy, they will tell you how to construct your site so this group of people can easily and effectively navigate it.

• Your site must have clear navigation, consistent branding and a strong call to action. If visitors to your site have to think about where they are, what to do next or simply cannot find the information they expected to find, your site will fail to convert. Make sure you have a clear hierarchy of information and easy navigation. If your site’s conversion goal is for visitors to contact you, sign up for something or buy a product or service, make sure it’s obvious how to do so and consider prominently placing that information on every page of your site.

I don’t know how many presentations my coworker in sales had to give or how much training it took before he was able to close a solid four out of every ten people. Fortunately, the internet provides ways to test and refine your web site so that it converts visitors without spending a dime. Plus the web is offers near instant results and can be far less nerve racking than attempting to the same thing in person.When you combine the right tools and techniques with a little knowledge about your market, the long term profitability of your web site can be astronomical.

My friend certainly would not have given out a penny if he did’t know exactly how much he would get back in advance.

Your brand is what separates you from your competition. By making sure your brand is distinct from your competition, you are protecting your company from businesses eager to reach your customers. Without proper branding, potential customers will view your company as just another supplier of products and services that are readily available from other companies. Once your company is lumped in with all the others, all that’s left for customers to decide on is price. If that happens you better hope your prices are the lowest.

Too many companies are “me too” marketers trying to be like the market leaders. To stay competitive put distance between you and your competition and develop your brand in a way that distinguishes you from the pack. Use your brand to adding to add value and appeal to your customers in a way that no one else is positioned to do.

I read recently that in print advertising, 75% of decisions to buy are made from the headline alone. Now, I don’t believe everything I read and depending on the source, I tend to believe even less of what I read online. However, I do believe the headline is the most important factor when determining the effectiveness of an advertisement.

Your headline conveys to readers whether the information being presented is important and worthy of their attention. A compelling headline will entice your audience to continue reading the body copy of your ad, a major feat in itself. Clyde Bedell (one of the first advertising copywriters to translate product features into clear benefits for the consumer) says your headline needs to have at least one of these five proven headline ingredients:

1. Mention your prospect and/or their interests. (Are You Balding?)

2. Use a benefit of what you’re selling in your headline. (Feel more confident and attractive.)

3. Make your headline newsworthy. People usually read the paper/magazine to get the news. (Use words like: New, At Last, Just Arrived.) Better yet, tie your headline into actual current events.

4. Use curiosity in a pertinent way. (Are you tired of.., or Five quick steps to…)

5. Mention the copy favorably. (Instead of, “We love trucks” try, “You’ll find the truck you love”)

The reasoning is simple. If your headline is of no interest to the reader, why would they keep reading? The best headlines don’t always appeal to the masses. They appeal to the specific market for which that product or service is intended.

The body copy is where the actual selling is done. The body copy needs to support the customer’s emotional decision to buy. It should contain rational information that supports the emotional decision. Furthermore, people are most likely to buy if you translate each of your product or service features into clear and persuasive benefits.

Use your body copy to tell interested customers the next steps to take. Literally spell it out for them. Not giving our readers a call to action is like running a department store with no one at the point of sale.

Since your product or service is not in the physical presence of your prospects, your copy needs to do the selling for you. The better your advertising copy, the better it will sell for you.

Your logo is the main distinguishing mark used to identify your business.  It is the heart of your brand’s identity. The strongest brands in the market today have logo’s that are simple, relevant and memorable. Creating a strong visual identity that appeals to your market is the best way to begin building a lasting brand.

Along with your marketing and advertising materials, your logo needs to reflect the values and philosophy of your company. Is your company traditional? Laid back? Young? Innovative? Taking these things into consideration when creating your logo will increase it’s effectiveness. (If you are re-designing your identity, you’ll want to ensure it retains at least some of the key aspects of the identity you’ve already established. This way, you will lose the least amount of brand equity you may have built over the life of your business.)

Symbolic logos work well for some companies and more abstract logos work better for others. You may even decide your logo is stronger as just type, set in a relevant, distinct font. However, I recommend your logo be as iconic as possible.

A Symbolic logo is a logo that can describe your business without the use of type. A builder for example may use the icon of a house. A brand that deals with intangibles could consider an abstract symbol as their logo. Finding out what your customers value about your business can be extremely beneficial when deciding between a literal or abstract approach.

You may discover that what customers value most in your company is it’s long history in the market. In this case, an object from history or even just an old building might work to create a sense of time through dated architecture. If you are an investor, a tree could be used to portray growth and abundance.

In conclusion, before you begin the design of your logo, first, analyze what you want it to convey about your business. Your logo’s design and message is a fundamental building block to a powerful brand identity that sells.

Your prospects ability to recall your brand can be greatly enhanced by how consistently your identity is used. In regards to your logo, it’s a good idea to pre-determine guidelines for how it can be used. Doing this will help preserve the primary thread between the marketing and advertising of your brand.

If you are a small business, likely, you do not have a ton of money to throw at brand recognition. Brands like Coke can buy more billboards, purchase bigger ads, etc. As a small business, you must optimize the effectiveness of the resources you have. When you get in front of a potential customer you, have to make the most of it. Don’t water down your identity with different logos, colors, fonts. Without a consistent level of design, the desired effect will not be as memorable. Consistent design standards will help you make the most of every opportunity.

Consistent usage of your logo will elevate the impact of your brand, but only when used correctly. You can ensure proper usage by including a set of clearly defined guidelines for your logo. Those guidelines might include:

• The amount of negative (or white) space around your logo.

• Specific CMYK breakdown of acceptable background colors.

• If your logo can be used inside a shape, like a box or circle.

• What fonts and/or font sizes are appropriate if any information is to be added to your logo, such as an address or phone number.

These are just a few things to think about anytime your logo is used. (It’s always a good idea to consult with the designer or agency that developed your identity when determining such guidelines.)

Once you have determined your guidelines, make sure they are clearly written and attached as a separate file, along with your marketing materials. This way, it is always available when your logo is requested.

Inconsistent use of your logo will only confuse your audience and dilute it’s impact. How your identity is used can have a positive or negative effect on your brand. It’s up to you to see that your brand is communicated correctly. Make sure anyone working with your logo is familiar with it’s guidelines for use. Good luck!

For better or for worse: looks matter. And when it comes to design, logos make a first and lasting impression. What does your logo say about your company? Believe it or not, how you choose to identify your business can have an adverse effect on how your employees feel about themselves and their jobs. Truly. When I was in college, the hot topic among my fellow design students was our social responsibility and the impact icons/logos can have on the groups they represent. Design, as you know, is not merely about good aesthetics.

Take the handicapped parking symbol, for example: not all handicapped people are in wheelchairs. Yet, the symbol used to represent this broad group is a person in a wheel chair. In fact, not all the disabilities the handicapped symbol has come to represent are even physical. Not only do the icons we use have a profound effect on they way many see themselves, I would even go as far to say that society’s constant exposure to this symbol has had an effect on the way we see the disabled.

On a more positive note, there are employees who love the brands they work for so much, they proudly wear and seek out ways to proclaim their affinity for these companies. Sound crazy? Certain Nike employees have gone so far as to have the swoosh logo tattooed on their ankles. I seriously doubt even the most devoted employees of companies with complicated, confusing and/or unattractive logos will be doing the same anytime soon. No matter how much they love the companies they work for.

Okay, so maybe I’m being a little too politically correct with all this logo stuff, but ultimately we’re talking about your brand’s visual appeal. Just look at the cover of almost any magazine on the rack, not to mention the overstuffed shelves at your local grocery store. You can see visual appeal is a hot commodity. With so much competition and indiscernible differences between brands, visual appeal may be the last great form of product differentiation.

As I’m sure you know, the appeal of your brand is what makes the cash register ring. As the top decision maker in your company, if you don’t take the time to consider how your logo makes you look, or worse, how it make those it represents feel, your bottom line could be impacted.

Some things to consider before deciding on a logo…

The best logos work like a road sign or a warning label. If you are about to open a box from China with contents that are fragile or toxic, you are going to need an easily understood symbol to identify these hazards before you handle the package. If you are driving at night and you come across a sign to warn drivers of curves ahead, chances are you’re not going to have much time to ponder it’s meaning. Icons that caution you are simple because they need to communicate a clear and important message. The same is true for the images that represent your business.

For those of you who may be thinking: “It’s just a logo, it’s not a life or death decision”. I beg to differ. Your corporate identity plays a bigger part in the success of your brand than ever before. Chances are your brand’s identity will only be in front of your prospects for a few seconds. The look of your brand when compared side-by-side with your competition is often the only thing consumers have to go on. Your logo’s ability to be identifiable and to communicate your brand is paramount.

Without a diverse marketing plan, your vast flow of new customers can quickly become a slow drip. If you rely heavily on any one marketing tactic, when it slows or stops, your entire business will slow or stop.

While the crux of your marketing message should almost always be the same, using different vehicles to deliver that message is a must. With so many different ways to deliver your marketing message, taking the time to research and develop a multi-pronged approach can pay huge dividends.

Google rankings for example, (organic or paid) are often the main and in some cases, the only way many of the businesses we talk to find new customers. Kinder Start, a parenting resources company I read about recently is no exception. They relied on Google as one of it’s only marketing funnels for new customers. And I might add it worked great. That is until Google dropped KinderStart.coms page ranking to zero. This lead to a 70% drop in traffic to their site, which now gets only .01% of it’s referrals from Google.

Because Kinder Start had no other marketing irons in the fire, they decided to sue Google (an 80 billion dollar company) in an attempt to regain their former positioning. Needless to say, this case was promptly thrown out of court and, in my opinion, for good reason: Any company that relies so heavily on one channel to attract clients is placing it’s livelihood in the hands of that lone channel.

I fully understand that for most businesses, it can be difficult to stick with a well-rounded marketing plan when they often get faster, more impressive results just focusing on only one or two marketing tactics (like Googles Adwords). However, in the long run, ongoing, conventional marketing tactics (like direct mail) can have an even bigger pay-off in addition to helping you reach new audiences.

The key is to look at everything in your marketing plan over a given period of time. Since some tactics (like direct mail) often require more time than others, measure everything for about a year before completely cutting one marketing channel in favor of another. Too often companies will write off a marketing tactic too soon because of no or poor results.

This is a huge mistake. Your marketing investment may require time and patience before they yield a profitable return. Pull out too soon and you risk losing everything you have invested in that channel so far.

This is not to say that if you’ve tried a variety of marketing tactics and received little or no return in the investment over a given period of time that you should keep funding those channels. Sticking with what works is the obvious thing to do. That said, successful marketing campaigns are often successful as a result of the message being sent, and not the vehicle that delivers it. The more vehicles delivering that message, the less likely you are to get stuck on the side of the road.

If the marketing you are engaged in now is working, your competition will eventually catch on and it’s effectiveness may begin to thin. If market conditions change, (like they did on 9/11) then you may need to find alternative ways to reach new customers. The companies that already have multiple ongoing marketing strategies will be in the best position to deal with any sudden changes in their market.

(The following are partial notes from my presentation to the Portland Tribune and Community Newspapers sales staff on 8/6/07.)

The sole purpose of a web ad is to drive traffic to the advertiser’s web site.

This is not a print ad’s purpose.
Traditional print ads consist of:

A headline that appeals to the target market that is meant to compel them to read the body copy.

The body copy does the selling.

The body copy must contain a clear call-to-action: come in, call, visit our website, clip this coupon, etc.

Web ads

A headline or special offer that compels viewers to click on the ad.

It is that simple.

Headlines or offers need to be strong enough to appeal to it’s intended market.

Web ads do not need to give:
• the information
• the full offer.

Less is more.

Web sites are essentially:
• interactive brochures
• personal sales presentations.

All they need is qualified traffic.
(Qualified = local traffic)

A good example of qualified traffic:

Crest whitening strips

• Static ad
• picture of a man and woman smiling

“Want whiter teeth in just three days?”

Saying too much takes away from the desire to click.

Once they click, the advertiser has the prospect all to themselves. No competing ads, articles or other distractions.

Animated web ads that play like a movie:
• Slow to load.
• Too much information. Why Click?

Clients will continue to buy advertising if they get more traffic to their site.

Building ads correctly will send qualified traffic to the advertisers site.

Our sites can drive traffic:
• High # of page views
• Loads of local traffic
• Tons of fresh content
• SEO = Growing readership
Increased traffic does not mean increased sales.

Unlike print advertising:
Converting traffic into paying customers is the job of the website.

With that in mind:

Don’t always link to home page.

If the goal is to:

Contact them.
Link to contact information.

Advertising a specific car.
link to the page on that specific car.

To get restaurant reservations.
link to the reservations page.

Never link to the “about us page” of any website.

No one cares about stuff like:
• How long it took to produce the the product
• How long they’ve been in business
• How many years you spent learning their craft.

People only care about how they will benefit from clicking.

Generally, people will click on ads with one sentence about how they can get:
• Better health
• More comfort
• More money
• More leisure time
• More popularity
• Greater beauty
• Success or security

For example:

A faster washing machine targeted at mothers, might read:

“Spend more time with your kids and less time in the laundry room”
Picture of the washer with Mom playing w/ kids in background.

Mothers will be compelled to click on the ad.

It is not about features. It is about the benefits.

i-Pod web banner ads:
“10,000 songs in your pocket”

(Basically, Static or Animated ads work the same way.)

Design tips:

Less is more. A short question or partial offer works best.

Flashy ads get more eyeballs,but often get fewer clicks.

Ad design should be compatible with the site they link to.
They should seem like a part of the web page.

No Website?

Link to:
• Map Quest
• Portland City Search.

• Positive P.R. (articles on our webstes)

There are tons of free web pages with almost no learning curve.
WebSpawner.com, Geocities.com, FreeWebPages.org

Link to social networking sites:
My Space, Facebook, etc.

Free blogs:
WordPress.com, TypePad.com, Blogger.com.

Blogs are:
• Easy to learn. Easy to change.
• Search Engine Optimized.
• Post copy, pictures in seconds.

Benefits of advertising on the web:

Old saying:
“I know half my advertising dollars are wasted - I just don’t know which half!”

On the Web, you know instantly how effective your advertising is.

Nearly all websites track visitors:
• How many
• From which sites
• Zip codes of visitors
• How long they stayed
• What page visitors left on
• Conversion rates

These Analytics or “measurement tools” are free with nearly every web hosting company.

Google offers Analytics for anyone with a web site FREE!
(I use it and love it!)

Additional benefits:

• Immediate results.
Advertisers will know if their advertising is effective
or, if they need to make changes.

• Split testing.
For no additional cost - alternate ads.
Show the ads the same number of times.
Use different addresses that go to the same place. (for tracking).

The ad that performs best is the obvious choice.

Benefits of advertising on our web sites:

• Local focus = Local consumers.
• Better educated with a higher disposable income.
• Far more page views than the WW and Mercury combined.
• Currently - A fraction of the cost of our competitors.
• Credibility. Trust.

Good questions to ask advertisers:

“What are you doing online to market your web site? “

“How is your website currently getting traffic? Is it getting traffic?”

“Do you think more local visitors to your website would increase sales?”

If they have an e-commerce site:
“Are their specific items you would like to sell more of?”

Start by asking:
“Would you be interested in instant access to our over 40,000+ daily online readers?”

After the sale:
Find out what are they are trying to accomplish with the ad!