There are several ways to add more value to your Internet marketing ROI. You can create demand through services such as search engine marketing and social media marketing. You can also create more value from your existing traffic through services such as conversion rate optimization. And all of these services leave a data trail of gold—if you make the effort to mine it and if you nurture it properly. By mining your marketing database you can get even MORE value out of your current marketing through Lead Nurturing.

Lead Nurturing, defined by MarketingProfs.com as “a relationship-building approach utilizing multiple media to provide relevant information tailored to prospects while engaging in an ongoing dialog until qualified prospects are ’sales ready,’” is based on a simple principle: people who learn about your brand may not yet be ready to buy. Lead Nurturing is the process that keeps your value proposition readily accessible in the minds of your prospective customers. So, when they are ready to finally buy, you are still part of their decision, even if they first found you years ago.

Opportunities to perform Lead Nurturing are abundant, ranging from email marketing to direct mail to simply picking up the phone. Tracking Lead Nurturing activities is essential; and the tools to do so are just as abundant (HubSpot and Salesforce, to name two).

Moving forward, we will cover all this and more on an ongoing basis through this blog as part of a series. In the meantime, challenge us. Ask us questions. MicroArts offers a Facebook Application for Internet Marketing Q&A; where you can send in your question to our practice directors for further discussion. We’d love to hear from you!

If your job involves Internet Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) will soon become part of your everyday vernacular. SEOmoz predicts that 2010 is the Year of Conversion Rate Optimization, calling it one of the “most under-utilized and highest ROI activities in the marketing department.” MicroArts agrees. Performing CRO benefits all our clients. Not sure how CRO can benefit your website? Let’s start with the basics …

What is conversion rate?
Conversion rate is the percentage of your visitors that reach a pre-determined goal. Typical goals include:

• making a purchase
• submitting a form
• requesting more information
• joining a mailing list

Why should you care about conversion rates?
Pay-per-click rates will continue to rise. The competition for keywords is driving up pricing. If you can’t guarantee a better ROI, you are throwing money away. By increasing your conversion rate, you can afford to pay more for your visitors … while still providing a great ROI.

What tools can you use to optimize your conversion rate?

• A/B Testing
  A/B Testing is a method of comparing two versions of a web page by altering various page elements and randomly and simultaneously presenting them to visitors. Google Website Optimizer can work directly with your AdWords campaign to provide A/B Testing.
• Live Chat
  Find out what makes “non-customers” become “customers”. Users who aren’t likely to call you to learn more may be more likely to use an online “live chat” tool. LivePerson is one of the most popular online chat services. Pricing is competitively based on your business needs.
• Web Analytics
  Learn where your users are coming from. Find out what are your most popular pages. Conversely, find out what are your least popular pages. Finally, find out what is the most popular “exit point” on your site. Google Analytics is hands-down the best free analytical tool on the web.
• Customer Surveys
  Find out why your customers ordered. Use that data to better understand their needs and how to improve your site to better service your audience. Survey Monkey is a popular (and free) online service offering custom surveys.

If you are interested in learning more about our CRO practices, contact us today to schedule a presentation.

Search Advertising is one of the most efficient and surefire ways to get your brand appearing favorably within major search engines. Using search advertising, advertisers, marketers and organizations can target the key search terms and phrases their most-valued prospects, customers and stakeholders look for every day.

Sounds pretty simple, right? The basic principle of search advertising or Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is a simple one—drive brand awareness and traffic to your site and ultimately improve your marketing ROI through new business. Sometimes, however, the process seems so simple, many of the most important things that impact overall performance and ROI are overlooked. Those who use search advertising must remember that effective search advertising involves two primary focuses:

2. Getting your ad to appear, be noticed and get clicked for the keywords you desire. With a website set as the default location, you should be able to direct visitors to your homepage or subpage. But DON’T STOP THERE.
3. Once searchers click your ad, they need to enter an engaging, relevant and actionable environment that directly pays off what the keyword or concept they searched. Getting the visitor to take the desired next step/action or “conversion” doesn’t happen automatically. You need to build optimized and targeted landing pages for each ad and each unique set of keywords. This is critical to ensure a positive return for every dollar you invest in search advertising.

So, with that in mind, here are five simple rules for building effective landing pages.

1. Create the ultimate call to action (CTA). On your page(s), clearly provide one simple way visitor can take a next step. This is different for every company and every brand; it may be a free download or something more complicated, such as sharing demographic information in exchange for a coupon. By having one call to action, you won’t overwhelm every visitor with additional ways for them to interact with you. Also, make sure you amplify the button for your CTA and make the signup process as simple as possible with as little fields as possible.
2. Write an integrated, compelling and relevant page headline. To make your headline integrated, simply include a keyword (or two) directly from the ad headline appearing in your ad. To make you add compelling, make sure to include an actionable benefit or reward, such as “learn,” “save” or “download.” To make your headline relevant, keep in mind who your audience is and speak directly to them.
3. Visually engage the user. Tell a story with the ad copy, page headline and the supporting visual.
4. Convey reputation, trust and security. Back up your work with examples where possible. Make your landing page look professional and secure. Remember that people need to trust you before clicking an advertisement.
5. Less is more. The least amount of information, design and development it takes you to produce a compelling and trusted environment the better. Try not to overwhelm visitors with any over-the-top Flash displays or fancy navigation formats. Keep it simple.

With properly crafted landing pages, you will increase the potential value of every new visitor who was intrigued by your search advertising efforts. It’s a big opportunity so take the time to create the appropriate environment for each ad group.

MicroArts specializes in landing page design and the implementation and management of search advertising campaigns. Need help? Give us a call!

Inbound Marketing is the new buzz word. What does it mean? I work for a creative agency and even I had to stop to think about this new shift in marketing.

First, let’s consider Outbound Marketing. How do brands find you via Outbound Marketing?

TV
Commercials, product placement and the like; if video killed the radio star, then TIVO, YouTube and Hulu have killed TV.

Newspapers
Nothing new here, we all know that the newspaper industry is in a world of hurt. People get tomorrow’s news tonight on sites like Boston.com, CNN & Google News. Still want to make sure you aren’t missing anything? Sign up for an RSS. Think about it, pick up a newspaper and show me one thing that happened today.

Phone
Caller ID now shows up on your television. How cool is that? You don’t even have to get up to look at the phone to know you don’t want to answer it. Cold calling is dead. It’s been dead for a long time. Around here we call it “interruption” marketing.

Now the question is:
How do you find brands via Inbound Marketing

Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) allows brands to find their way to page one of Google. Ensure that your brand is showing up on the right pages for the right terms.

Blogging
A recent study by HubSpot shows that small businesses who blog get 55% more website traffic. Furthermore, Universal McCann reports that 77% of active Internet users read blogs.

All of this is great news for brand marketers … but knowing how to reach bloggers and monitor chatter is key to delivering your brand’s message.

Social Media
Social networks, content-based communities, wikis and social bookmarking all make up the world of social media. Brand marketers need to know how to monitor their brand influence in social media—identify, map, and analyze all online activities relative to their brand.

The game has changed. Brand marketers are no long packaging their brand and releasing it via Outbound Marketing. Now brand marketers need to engage in Inbound Marketing, all while maintaining brand standards.

Game on.

Does your brand need help in monitoring, engaging and measuring your inbound marketing? Contact MicroArts today.