Sep 28, 2009
Increase Landing Page Conversions with These Subtle Tricks
Most landing pages are often way too cluttered for their own good - hence the low conversions and high bounce rates. Consumers have shortened attention spans online so overly complicated landing pages with pop-ups, animations, and too much to focus on will only lead them to click away. The following subtle tricks should help you create a more effective landing page that boosts conversions and sales.
Don’t Forget to Provide a Clear Call to Action
Too many people dismiss the importance of a clear call to action. After reading your landing page, users should know exactly what they are supposed to do, whether it is to fill out the form or click “Buy Now.” Adding a call to action to a landing page where one is lacking or making your current call to action much clearer and more prominent can have a dramatic impact on conversions.
Make sure that you only provide one call to action on your landing page. If you provide several different conversion options, people will get confused and your sales message will get diluted. Your prospects just want to sign on the dotted line so make it easy for them to do so.
Keep it Simple
The majority of landing pages are cluttered and overwhelming. Make sure the design of your landing pages is as simple as possible. Get rid of the distracting audio, animation, and bright colors. Make the visuals of your landing page so simple that visitors are guided to the call of action without interruptions.
Text should also be minimized when you are simplifying the design and look of your site. Make the content on your site easy to read and digest by dividing it into sections, using bullet points, and keeping things concise.
If you’re using a form to capture leads on your landing page, try to keep it as short as possible. If your form has too many fields, you will end up losing sales because your prospects won’t want to spend time filling it out. Getting your prospect’s name and email is usually enough in most cases.
The use of simple language is also important. If a sixth grader wouldn’t be able to understand it, don’t use it. Jargon and marketing speak don’t increase sales. If your landing page is too complicated or wordy, your visitors will lose interest quickly.
Convey Your Credibility
Not only should your website be simple, organized, and professional looking, it should also convey your credibility. People have to trust you first in order to purchase something from you. In order to earn that trust, you can list the names of reputable companies you have worked with, provide testimonials, refer to awards you have won, list memberships you have to relevant professional associations, etc.
Take a look at your current landing pages. Are they simple, professional, easy to follow, and organized? If not, make some changes while keeping these tricks in mind. A landing page with a clear call to action and credibility will help you boost conversions dramatically.
Don’t Forget to Provide a Clear Call to Action
Too many people dismiss the importance of a clear call to action. After reading your landing page, users should know exactly what they are supposed to do, whether it is to fill out the form or click “Buy Now.” Adding a call to action to a landing page where one is lacking or making your current call to action much clearer and more prominent can have a dramatic impact on conversions.
Make sure that you only provide one call to action on your landing page. If you provide several different conversion options, people will get confused and your sales message will get diluted. Your prospects just want to sign on the dotted line so make it easy for them to do so.
Keep it Simple
The majority of landing pages are cluttered and overwhelming. Make sure the design of your landing pages is as simple as possible. Get rid of the distracting audio, animation, and bright colors. Make the visuals of your landing page so simple that visitors are guided to the call of action without interruptions.
Text should also be minimized when you are simplifying the design and look of your site. Make the content on your site easy to read and digest by dividing it into sections, using bullet points, and keeping things concise.
If you’re using a form to capture leads on your landing page, try to keep it as short as possible. If your form has too many fields, you will end up losing sales because your prospects won’t want to spend time filling it out. Getting your prospect’s name and email is usually enough in most cases.
The use of simple language is also important. If a sixth grader wouldn’t be able to understand it, don’t use it. Jargon and marketing speak don’t increase sales. If your landing page is too complicated or wordy, your visitors will lose interest quickly.
Convey Your Credibility
Not only should your website be simple, organized, and professional looking, it should also convey your credibility. People have to trust you first in order to purchase something from you. In order to earn that trust, you can list the names of reputable companies you have worked with, provide testimonials, refer to awards you have won, list memberships you have to relevant professional associations, etc.
Take a look at your current landing pages. Are they simple, professional, easy to follow, and organized? If not, make some changes while keeping these tricks in mind. A landing page with a clear call to action and credibility will help you boost conversions dramatically.
Sep 22, 2009
How to Provide Customer Service on Twitter
When most people think of customer service, long wait times on the phone, rude phone operators, and impersonal emails come to mind. Thanks to Twitter, however, customer service no longer has to have such negative connotations.
Twitter has redefined customer relations. Not only does Twitter enable companies to resolve customer problems very quickly, it also contributes to brand building efforts while reducing costs.
Why is Twitter an Ideal Platform for Providing Customer Service?
Twitter is lightning fast. Typically, calling customer service representatives involves frustrating wait times. On the other hand, Twitter allows staff to monitor issues and respond to them very quickly.
Twitter is very viral in nature. If other users notice that you are providing great customer service, they will take notice and share their experience, which will in turn bring you more attention and sales.
Providing customer service via Twitter is a lot less expensive than running a call center. And since you’re communications are limited to 140 characters, you are forced to keep it short, which usually means that it takes less time to solve problems.
Using Twitter to provide customer service is far more interesting for staff and customers than using telephone or email. Customer service reps will also feel more rewarded for their efforts because the immediate impact of their interventions will be visible on Twitter.
Monitor Your Reputation
In order to effectively provide customer service via Twitter, you must track all conversations that are going on about your brand. Find out what people are saying about you by tracking all relevant keywords, such as your company name, flagship product, nick name, etc. There are several tools out there you can use to track multiple keywords on one page such as Monitter. Tweetbeep sends you emails containing all mentions of your brand and links to each tweet.
Make Sure Your Customers Know Where to Find You
Your ability to provide great customer service on Twitter will be limited if your customers don’t even know you’re there. Make sure they know how to find you and follow you by advertising your Twitter presence on your company website, following others, and asking them to follow you back.
Respond Quickly to Customer Concerns and Complaints
When you’re monitoring your brand and find a customer complaint, respond as quickly as possible. Use @replies to ask the disgruntled customer how you can be of help. If it’s a complex issue, you can DM the customer and provide him with your phone number or email.
@replies are typically the best way to deal with customer complaints because they are public. Other customers dealing with similar issues can see your tweets and thus resolve their problems following the same advice, saving you time.
Connect with Followers on a Personal Level
Don’t just use Twitter to handle customer complaints. One of the major benefits of building a Twitter presence is the opportunity it gives you to improve your brand image and reputation. Give people a reason to follow what you have to say by retweeting successful resolutions to customer issues, giving updates about the company, and building a rapport with your followers.
Several companies out there, including Comcast, Southwest Airlines, and Ford, have successfully used Twitter to resolve customer service issues and build a stronger brand. Using Twitter to provide customer service is also far more cost-effective than telephone or email.
So there you have it. Twitter has transformed customer relations. Is your business ready to take the plunge?
Twitter has redefined customer relations. Not only does Twitter enable companies to resolve customer problems very quickly, it also contributes to brand building efforts while reducing costs.
Why is Twitter an Ideal Platform for Providing Customer Service?
Twitter is lightning fast. Typically, calling customer service representatives involves frustrating wait times. On the other hand, Twitter allows staff to monitor issues and respond to them very quickly.
Twitter is very viral in nature. If other users notice that you are providing great customer service, they will take notice and share their experience, which will in turn bring you more attention and sales.
Providing customer service via Twitter is a lot less expensive than running a call center. And since you’re communications are limited to 140 characters, you are forced to keep it short, which usually means that it takes less time to solve problems.
Using Twitter to provide customer service is far more interesting for staff and customers than using telephone or email. Customer service reps will also feel more rewarded for their efforts because the immediate impact of their interventions will be visible on Twitter.
Monitor Your Reputation
In order to effectively provide customer service via Twitter, you must track all conversations that are going on about your brand. Find out what people are saying about you by tracking all relevant keywords, such as your company name, flagship product, nick name, etc. There are several tools out there you can use to track multiple keywords on one page such as Monitter. Tweetbeep sends you emails containing all mentions of your brand and links to each tweet.
Make Sure Your Customers Know Where to Find You
Your ability to provide great customer service on Twitter will be limited if your customers don’t even know you’re there. Make sure they know how to find you and follow you by advertising your Twitter presence on your company website, following others, and asking them to follow you back.
Respond Quickly to Customer Concerns and Complaints
When you’re monitoring your brand and find a customer complaint, respond as quickly as possible. Use @replies to ask the disgruntled customer how you can be of help. If it’s a complex issue, you can DM the customer and provide him with your phone number or email.
@replies are typically the best way to deal with customer complaints because they are public. Other customers dealing with similar issues can see your tweets and thus resolve their problems following the same advice, saving you time.
Connect with Followers on a Personal Level
Don’t just use Twitter to handle customer complaints. One of the major benefits of building a Twitter presence is the opportunity it gives you to improve your brand image and reputation. Give people a reason to follow what you have to say by retweeting successful resolutions to customer issues, giving updates about the company, and building a rapport with your followers.
Several companies out there, including Comcast, Southwest Airlines, and Ford, have successfully used Twitter to resolve customer service issues and build a stronger brand. Using Twitter to provide customer service is also far more cost-effective than telephone or email.
So there you have it. Twitter has transformed customer relations. Is your business ready to take the plunge?
Sep 17, 2009
5 Tips for Building a Unique Brand for Your Blog
Nearly 1 million posts per 24 hours are being published in the blogosphere. Overwhelming? Perhaps… but just because you’re new to blogging doesn’t mean there is no chance for you to succeed as a blogger.
The key to success as a blogger is developing a relationship with your audience, which has to be willing to comment on your content as well as share it and link to it. You can also give your blog an extra advantage by building a unique brand for it. Whether you want to revamp your current blog or you are planning to build a brand new one, follow these 5 simple tips to build a unique blogging brand.
1. Create a blog design that’s minimalist and unique
Break the expectations of your audience by creating a unique, highly simplified blog design. Blog designs that are complex and cluttered are the norm whereas blogs that are simple yet sophisticated tend to stand out. Some attribute Google’s online success to the highly minimalistic design of their site.
2. Refine your writing style
The single most powerful way to build a successful, unique blog is to write in a distinctive, compelling way. Writing is at the heart of your blog. Great writing could even transcend a horrible blog design. As you continue to blog and delve deeply into a variety of topics, concepts, and viewpoints, your style will become more pronounced. Your writing style should be so unique that your readers could pick it out of a lineup.
3. Write about your topic from a different angle
No matter how crowded or competitive a niche may be, there is always room for new insights and perspectives. Even if you cover the same topics as a popular blog in your niche, you can make your blog stand out by adding your unique touch to them. Established sites in any given niche tend to have a predictable way of presenting topics. Provide a fresh angle or unique viewpoint on an established topic to garner some attention.
4. Find a unique topic or intersection of topics
In general, the more offbeat the topic is the better. If you can’t find a topic that’s totally unique, don’t fret. Consider writing about an intersection of topics, such as SEO and social media, online entrepreneurship and personal development, etc. Intersecting topics will help you build a unique community and mix of audiences.
5. Be consistent
One of the most difficult aspects of building and maintaining a successful blog is providing unique, informative content on a consistent basis. Although consistency is a basic blog quality, it could also be considered a unique element since less than 1% of all 133 million blogs created since 2002 are one of the top 50 blogs on Technorati. What can you count on the top 50 blogs having in common? Consistency, that’s for sure.
As the popularity of blogging continues to increase, the battle to build audiences and get reader attention will only become more challenging. Finding and building a unique brand for your blog will help you stand out and give you a far better shot at achieving blogging success.
The key to success as a blogger is developing a relationship with your audience, which has to be willing to comment on your content as well as share it and link to it. You can also give your blog an extra advantage by building a unique brand for it. Whether you want to revamp your current blog or you are planning to build a brand new one, follow these 5 simple tips to build a unique blogging brand.
1. Create a blog design that’s minimalist and unique
Break the expectations of your audience by creating a unique, highly simplified blog design. Blog designs that are complex and cluttered are the norm whereas blogs that are simple yet sophisticated tend to stand out. Some attribute Google’s online success to the highly minimalistic design of their site.
2. Refine your writing style
The single most powerful way to build a successful, unique blog is to write in a distinctive, compelling way. Writing is at the heart of your blog. Great writing could even transcend a horrible blog design. As you continue to blog and delve deeply into a variety of topics, concepts, and viewpoints, your style will become more pronounced. Your writing style should be so unique that your readers could pick it out of a lineup.
3. Write about your topic from a different angle
No matter how crowded or competitive a niche may be, there is always room for new insights and perspectives. Even if you cover the same topics as a popular blog in your niche, you can make your blog stand out by adding your unique touch to them. Established sites in any given niche tend to have a predictable way of presenting topics. Provide a fresh angle or unique viewpoint on an established topic to garner some attention.
4. Find a unique topic or intersection of topics
In general, the more offbeat the topic is the better. If you can’t find a topic that’s totally unique, don’t fret. Consider writing about an intersection of topics, such as SEO and social media, online entrepreneurship and personal development, etc. Intersecting topics will help you build a unique community and mix of audiences.
5. Be consistent
One of the most difficult aspects of building and maintaining a successful blog is providing unique, informative content on a consistent basis. Although consistency is a basic blog quality, it could also be considered a unique element since less than 1% of all 133 million blogs created since 2002 are one of the top 50 blogs on Technorati. What can you count on the top 50 blogs having in common? Consistency, that’s for sure.
As the popularity of blogging continues to increase, the battle to build audiences and get reader attention will only become more challenging. Finding and building a unique brand for your blog will help you stand out and give you a far better shot at achieving blogging success.
