2. Don’t use more than 3 different fonts or font sizes: People don’t want to see a whole bunch of clutter when they open your email, so keep it simple! The less complex the email, the more conversions you will see.

3. Make sure the main message that you’re trying to get across is above the fold (the part that appears to viewers first without having to scroll): If the main message is below the fold, than almost 70% will not even see it. With that in mind, make sure you repeat that same message or call-to-action at least 2 times from beginning to end.

4. Don’t format your email any larger than 500-650 pixels wide: If you make it any bigger than 650 pixels, then the recipient will have to scroll the screen sideways just to read the full message. No one wants to do that.

5. Keep your logo in the top left corner of the email: Studies have proven that recipients automatically look for the logo on the top left. If you want your logo to be seen then you better make sure it is in the upper left-hand side of your email. Don’t make the mistake of putting it elsewhere.

6. Make sure that your subject line is very powerful: No one is going to read your message unless it is something that appeals to them. Give them an idea of what they are about to read when they open the email. Also, don’t bore them. Keep it less than 50 characters.

7. Set up an auto-response for when people opt-in: Odds are, some people will not even remember that they opted in to your emails. Make sure you set up an auto-responder for them so they are aware they have opted in. Include information or material that will benefit them from opting in.

8. Landing pages and emails should be very similar: The content, typefaces, and headline on your landing pages should resemble the same appearance and function as your email. Use tracking tools to monitor which emails were most effective.

9. Do a test run of the email before you send it out: Send the final draft of the email out to a friend or coworker first to make sure they know what message you are trying to get across to your consumers. If it is not clear to them, you may want to put a little more effort into it and change it up a bit.
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220 Marketing gives their clients the tools and knowledge needed to become top notch marketers through simple techniques such as different ways to email market.  Please contact 220 Marketing at 877-220-6584 for more information.

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The post 9 Email marketing Habits you Must Know for Lead Generation appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

Good marketers know that numbers are everything.  Like any scientist, a marketer must test what works and what doesn’t.  Experimenting is a characteristic that separates the good marketers from the bad ones.  However this doesn’t mean that you need a PHD in chemistry to be a successful marketer.  There are several small tests that when done properly, can have a huge impact upon a business’s bottom line.

Small tests such as changing a color on a landing page can have a major impact upon a business’s ability to convert traffic into leads.  When it comes to optimizing a website’s performance, the lead conversion percentage is king.  The 220 Marketing System turns clients into great marketers by giving them access to test the following small changes on landing pages quickly and easily:

When it comes to landing pages, lead conversion is simple.  A person fills out a form, receives a thank you email, and instantly becomes a new lead.  However, what if this person has previously filled out a lead form?  You wouldn’t want them to receive the same canned email that no longer seems personal.  Instead you can add a button that allows existing leads to “Pay with a Facebook Post.”  This means that they have to post a link to the landing page on Facebook in order to receive the offer.  This increases exposure and gives existing leads a new look at an old form.

Another test that can have a big impact upon lead conversion is how new leads are contacted after they fill out a form.  Are they sent an email? Do they get directed to a thank you page?  220 Marketing Clients have the ability to set up automatic email responders, links to a thank you page, or both.  Testing how clients prefer to get contacted will allow businesses to optimize their lead conversion.

Think about the last time you filled out a lead capture form.  Was the form long or short?  The length of a lead capture form can have a huge impact upon lead conversion.  People are more likely to complete shorter forms however these shorter forms produce lower quality follow up calls.  Finding the appropriate length of a lead capture form can make all the difference when improving lead conversion.

Look at your landing page.  What color is the submit button?  The color of your submit button can increase the likelihood that people know what you are trying to get them to do.  It can also set up proper expectations for those filling out lead capture.  Testing the color of the submit button is a simple test that can improve business volume.

Another way to improve the lading page is changing the copy of the submit button.  There are many different ways to explain what will happen when a potential lead fills out a lead capture form.  Changing “submit” to something such as “download your e-book” can set up proper expectations for what happens when the form is filled out.

An additional test that is very simple is changing the headline.  Is your title compelling? Does it explain what the landing page is about?  Making sure that your title explains exactly what you want the potential lead to do will have a huge impact on lead conversion.

Some other changes that can have a large impact upon lead conversion are the way the landing pages is laid out.  Modifying the layout can seem like a big change however simple changes such as moving the quote form or reformatting the content can make a world of difference.

With the explosion of social media, marketers now have to take into account what people are saying about your company.  Consumers are much more likely to work with a company that their friends have recommended than a company they randomly stumbled across on the internet.  Adding social media links on your landing page can improve trust and connect with potential leads on a more personal level.

The last test that can make a large impact is adding trust seals.  People like to work with businesses that are certified and trusted by organizations such as the Better Business Bureau.  Having these types of logos can increase credibility in the eyes of potential leads and could have a positive impact upon your conversion rate.

220 Marketing gives their clients the tools and knowledge needed to become top notch marketers through simple techniques such as experimenting with small changes on landing pages.  Please contact 220 Marketing at 877-220-6584 for more information about optimizing lead conversion!

The post The Science of Lead Conversion appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

Do you remember the days when Pepsi was trying to take Coke head on to prove their cola tasted better? It was hard to miss the flood of commercials showing blind taste tests where Pepsi magically seemed to come out on top ever time. Taking a page from Pepsi’s book, Bing is ready to take on Google in the same way using modern technology.

A new marketing campaign has been launched introducing BingItOn.com, a website that blindly compares Bing and Google search results to see which group gives you what you are looking for. After comparing the list, you will be able to click on the column you prefer. This is repeated 5 times, giving ample opportunities for you to see results of different search types.

According to Bing, searchers prefer their results 2 to 1 over Google. This may be a little misleading, however, because these stats are based on another study Microsoft did and does not provide examples of what was searched or reasons why the users preferred the Bing results.

During our own independent test, Google was the victor for the queries we ran (mortgage, insurance and real estate searches), showing that Bing may not provide the great results they are claiming every time.

There have been some hiccups along the way that may make people question whether Bing really is better than Google. Some people searching Bing and Google for the term “bingiton” in the Bing search engine were given a top result of Bring It On the movie instead of the challenge website, while the correct destination was number one on Google. Microsoft has responded saying that the results may have been based off of personal recommendations from other queries performed, though this seems very unlikely since the movie is over a decade old and not necessarily a popular classic.

It is yet to be seen how Bing will use this information, but it would be very interesting if they gather the results of Bing It On and reveal the over all winner as part two of their marketing campaign. If you want to take the challenge on your own, you can visit www.bingiton.com and start your search. We’d love to hear your results in the comments and whether or not this will affect which search engine you use.

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If you aren’t purposefully misleading people or outright lying, there is no harm done; marketers do it all the time! Here are some things you may try incorporating into your marketing to get people to respond to your work and keep reading what you send to them.

1. Animals

Geico is best known for its talking Gecko and little piggy that went “wee” all the way home. The commercials Geico produced have been viewed over 26 million times and quickly went viral.

What do these two things have to do with insurance? Absolutely nothing, but they sure are cute! Including pictures of animals in your marketing content is a great way to get people to take a second look and see what that image has to do with what you are offering.

Even if it is unrelated to your business, pictures of animals (funny, cute, adventurous) can help break the monotony of your blog posts, emails, or website content and promote more interaction from your readers.

2. Using Numbers to Surprise People

Anyone can write a blog about 5 ways to grow your Facebook followers, but when was the last time you heard about 50 ways to grow your account? Going that extra mile and including the increased number in the lead in will get people to click on that link to see what you have to offer that was missing from the 10 other articles they read on the same topic.

It’s also helpful to use statistics in the titles: Why Linkedin is 277% More Effective for Lead Generation Than Facebook. Wouldn’t this number shock you into reading just to see what you are doing wrong if you aren’t one of those being successful on Linkedin? Scaring or motivating your readers into find out how they can benefit from reading your content is a great way to provide accurate information to promote a reaction.

3. Babies!

Who doesn’t smile when they see a cute laughing baby in their inbox? Using babies is going along the same lines as using animals; they will incite emotion and positive feelings in those that view what you are putting out there. Remember how popular the Etrade commercials where when they first introduced the talking baby? They have found a niche that works for them, and somehow managed to make people think of their stock trading company when seeing a baby.

If you are a service offering products for babies, use them in your marketing pieces! If you want to provide a little break from the usual images you use in marketing, try using a baby to get people to look at your content a little longer. According to a study done by Marketing Bulletin, content that had a picture of a cute baby received 88% more response and content with a cute animal increased response by 42%. If you provide cute videos or images in emails, it will also help that content go viral as people share the cuteness with their friends and colleagues.

4. Berating Your Audience

Sometimes the people who read our content need a little kick in the pants to get their act together. Telling them why their landing page isn’t getting them leads or why they aren’t getting new business is a necessary evil to incite action. While they may not take it to mean you are personally attacking them, they will want to read on to see if they are an offender of any of the things you are telling them not to do.

Adding in ways to fix the problems is very important as it is necessary to offer ways for them to fix what is broken or needs tweaking.

5. Exaggerated Headlines

We all know that sensationalized headlines sell. Blowing a headline out of proportion is sure to get attention and clicks. Letting people know that the laptop you are reviewing has the worst screen resolution ever is probably exaggerating a little, but people will want to read on to see what the product is lacking.

6. Sex Appeal

Now it’s time to get to the oldest trick in the book; sex really does sell. While it might not be appropriate for all marketing strategies, it is something that is good to fall back on if you are having trouble thinking of a new ad campaign.

Victoria’s Secret is a prime example of using sex to sell their product. Yes, they sell lingerie and other undergarments, but the trick is the models they put inside those items. They have made household names out of their models (ever heard of Gisele or Adriana Lima?) and prompted guys all over the world to buy Victoria’s Secret for the ladies in their life so they can emulate the super models.

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Here are five easy ways to start using the power of Facebook to drive traffic to your website, blog, or lead generation landing pages.

1. Focus on Visual Content

At the risk of sounding like a broken record because we’ve gone through this so many times, status updates with videos or images generate much more interest and interaction than posts with just text.

Instead of putting a long post that people have to click “read more” to see the entire post, put the most important stats or key points from the story in an info graphic.  Putting a picture in each blog post you are linking to in your updates is also important, as the images will automatically be posted with your link without any extra work on your part.

2. Stay Natural to Facebook

Though you may be in charge of updating all of the social media pages for your company, it’s important to remember that each site has its’ own culture and language.

While short updates without images may be what people on Twitter are looking for, Facebook requires a little more care and attention. Take advantage of the tools you have on Facebook that aren’t available on Twitter by posting pictures of your staff or funny videos to get people talking about your page.

3. Include Links to Your Website in All Posts

This may seem like a no brainer of generating traffic is your goal, but so many people forget this important step. Just posted a great update about the new real estate listing you just snagged? Put a link to the listing page that is on your website!

If you have a great webinar or seminar for your clients to get more information on your services, provide a link to a form where they can sign up for that upcoming event!

4. Use the Views and Apps Features

For those who aren’t up to speed, apps are the little pictures that show up under your cover photo on the new timeline business page. These apps allow you to create innovative cover photos for each link that will grab the attention of visitors and prompt them to click on the button to find out more. You can use these apps to provide lead capture forms or provide a link to a special offer on your website.  If you want to get creative, you can include calls to action in the cover photo to prompt people to click on that link like we did for our company page.

5. Conversion is Important

It’s extremely important to measure the reaction certain posts get so you can replicate the ones that generate the most buzz. It’s also a good idea to measure the amount of referral traffic Facebook is providing to your website as well as the amount of leads that come as a result of your efforts. If you noticed that referral traffic isn’t getting the most bang for your buck, it may be a good idea to shift the posts to appeal to your super fans and super customers that will be more likely to convert.

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The post Boost Traffic to Your Site Via Facebook in 5 Easy Steps appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

When posting an update, you will now see a little clock in the bottom left of the box. When clicked on, it will give you the option to choose where you want that update in your timeline, whether it is a past or future time. If you choose a date in the future, it will automatically post for you at that time. You can schedule posts up to six months in advance and in 10 minute intervals. If you post a past date, it will appear in the correct spot in your timeline.

Another update that was launched is the ability to create different access levels for the admins on the page. This will allow you to set what level of access you want to give ranging from just being able to view stats, to the ability to make all changes on the page.

Companies will now have the ability to assign different aspects of maintaining Facebook pages throughout the office, and even give restricted access to marketing companies that are monitoring interaction with the page. This will make it easier for everyone to keep track of what is happening and ensure that the page is being taken care of without overwhelming one or two people with all of the work.

Have you used any of the new tools yet? If you have any feedback on your experience (good or bad) please let us know in the comments!

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LinkedIn has also become the most used social network for job recruitment. Integrating the LinkedIn plug ins to your website will help maximize your efforts and really take advantage of the power of LinkedIn to help find new employees and new customers.

Here are 9 tools that can help you out and how to use them.

1. Share Button

Just like the Facebook share button, this allows people to share your website with other people in their network if they find it informational. It is best to use this button sparingly and place it on informational pages that will make sense to your audience.

If you have any how to guides or ebooks on your site, this is a must have on each of those pages to help spread your information.

2. Recommend Button

This button will help people visiting your site recommend your products or services to their network on LinkedIn. The recommend button can also let you feature products in your LinkedIn company page.

Intel had a great idea by featuring a product that already had a lot of recommendations to get more customers to use that product, and also encourage even more people to recommend that product if they hadn’t done so.

3. Follow Company Button

Follow Company allows you to grow the amount of people following you on LinkedIn directly from your website. Once the user follows you, they will automatically get your LinkedIn updates in their feed which will help keep them engaged with your brand.

The follow button should be put on your homepage, about us, and blog section of the website. You can also place the button in the header or footer to draw even more attention to this tool.

4. Company Profile

The company profile plug in will help you showcase a virtual business card for your company. As seen in the example from LinkedIn, it will have your company logo, description, number of employees, and even a follow button if you are logged in to your LinkedIn account.

You can choose to display a simpler version of this plug in if you just want to display your company information and logo. It’s best to add this to your homepage with your other Social Media logos/information.

5. Company Insider

The company insider tool allows you to showcase your employees on your site. It adds a little more of a personal feel, and also gives your customers access to check out the experience that your employees have. This is best set up in a “meet our team” or careers section on your website. This tool also gives potential employees a chance to see who they might be working with. It will help showcase the size of your company and the growth you’ve had.

6. Member Profile

Are you the only employee at your company? Do you belong to part of a bigger company but have your own website to generate your own business? If the answer is yes, the Member Profile tool was made for you! This is for people who only have one or two employees, or if you have a blog that only you contribute to. It has your job title and a link to your profile, as well as a way for people to see connections you have in common (if you are logged in to LinkedIn) or people who have viewed your profile.

7. Apply Button

The Apply button gives you a great resource for people to apply directly from their LinkedIn account. This will let you see their experience on their profile, as well as provide a more streamlined process for them to get their resume over to you.

The apply plug in gives you a simple button that will fit on any page in your website, and open up a place for the applicant to sign in to their LinkedIn account after clicking on it. This feature also allows you to personalize the form with your company logo and location.

8. Sign In With LinkedIn

Any website that requires their users to log in to their site can benefit from this tool. This essentially lets a visitor on your site log in with their LinkedIn account so that they can post information to your website with their LinkedIn profile information. This will allow them to feel more comfortable contributing to their site because they will not have to fill out a new registration form.

This form is also a benefit for your company, because it will help you gather information on your users without necessarily having to do a case study or send out a survey.

9. Jobs You May Be Interested In

While this tool will only work for those who have paid to list jobs on LinkedIn, it can be very useful to include in your careers page if you’ve paid for those listings.  If a user is viewing your plug in while logged into LinkedIn, it will give them a list of the jobs you have open that are most relevant to their experience.

This plug in also gives you the option to link to jobs from other companies that the person might be qualified for, but this is only useful for job listing sites, not necessarily your site.

Integrating these tools into your site is as easy as visiting LinkedIn and generating the code. If you are a current 220 customer, you can place this code into any advanced editor, or send it in to our service department to have it added. Take a few moments to add these to your site can help make your website more interactive and help get you some return back from the time you’ve spent creating your account on LinkedIn.

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The post 9 Ways to add LinkedIn to Your Company Website appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

The features are currently only available to a few select groups like Samsung Mobile and Dell, but there have been screen shots and product features released to give each of us a taste of what we have to look forward to.

Targeted Updates

Targeted Updates allow admins to send their company updates to targeted users, making sure that only relevant information is being sent to each audience. Companies will be able to narrow their filters by these choices:

• Company size
• Industry
• Job function
• Seniority
• Geography
• Including/excluding company employees

This feature will allow you to control what shows up on a user’s LinkedIn homepage when they log in to make sure they see the most relevant posts while still making all of your content available to them when they visit your company page, even if they weren’t included in the original target group.

After 24 hours, admins will be able to view statistics to let them know how many people were targeted, the impressions that post received, clicks, likes, and the number of times that post was shared. It will also allow you to see the interaction it’s received and the original targeting criteria. The post-metrics will look like this:

Follower Statistics

In addition to being able to target your audience, there will be a new feature released called Follower Statistics that will allow you to see more than just the statistics of your pages.

Follower Statistics will provide information about your follower demographics, engagement levels, recent followers, number of new followers from month to month, total following, and update impressions.

*This image is not an actual page sample, it is sample data released by LinkedIn

What Does This Mean for Me?

Targeting your content to a more specific audience can be used to increase your results, no matter what marketing tactic you are using or what site you are on. These new updates provide you not only a better way to direct your LinkedIn strategy, but also a way to analyze your consumers and make the most of your other marketing campaigns.

If this isn’t enough to get you excited about the new changes that are coming, an internal LinkedIn study found the targeted updates help increase audience engagement by about 66%–do we finally have your attention?

LinkedIn marketers should use these new features to make sure that their content is relevant to the people they are feeding it out to. This will also help you in content creation because it allows you get a better feel of who your main demographic is so you can create content directly targeted at them. Additionally, you will be able to track the success of your posts and tweak everything until you have a seamless formula that allows you to get the most out of the content you are posting and help you get better results!

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The post New Tools to Help you be More Successful on LinkedIn appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

If you haven’t had a chance to add a cover photo or just put a place holder in for now so your page wouldn’t look bare, we’ve come up with some examples for you to follow that can really help you make an impression on your fans. Whether it is a graphic that is completely unrelated to your brand that is just to get peoples attention, or one that lists the products offered by your company, having a personalized cover photo will really help your page look more professional.

1. Keller Williams

Keller Williams had really focused on what their company really stands for. They are a company that lets their employees feel like they are a partner in their business, not just another number. They have several tools available to help their agents be successful, but also give them the freedom to use those tools in the way that best suits them. The motto in this cover photo along with the photos of the agents really helps to push this motto.

2. Trusted Choice

Trusted choice is another company that lets it’s agents operate on a more independent basis. They provide access to a network of insurance agents who are expected to uphold to the highest level of customer service. The company decided to brand more for their customers in their cover photo by showcasing their services offered. There are images that hint towards the types of insurance available, as well as photos of women and children. This helps people see that they can trust their families to be protected and provide a feeling of comfort to consumers.

3. McDonald’s

McDonald’s chose to bring up a feeling of nostalgia for their cover photo, taking their fans back to a simpler time. The older cars showcases just how long the company has been providing excellent service to customers and let’s us travel back to our first experiences with the brand.

4. Go Daddy

Go Daddy didn’t go out of its way to put in any fancy graphics to impress consumers; they went will the tried and true approach of keeping it simple. They selected a bright color that matches their website as well as calls attention to the photo. They opted to have a simple list of what they have to offer and what makes them the best instead of using gimmicky images.

5. Chase Freedom

Chase decided to lay their services out in plain sight and let consumers know what they will get in exchange for using their Chase Freedom credit card—cash back! Showing viewers what’s in it for them if they use your product is a great way to promote your brand and get them to sign up for your services.

6. Geico

Geico used their most recognized branding image in their cover photo, the Gecko that is used in their commercials. If you already have a recognized branding signal established, tying it into your cover photo is an excellent way to tie in all of the marketing efforts you have in place without having to rack your brain for new ideas.

7. Old Spice

What do a tiger and volcano have to do with body spray? Absolutely nothing! This didn’t stop Old Spice from putting both in their cover photo. Using an image that really stands out and makes you think “what in the world?” will really help your page to catch on. I’m sure there are several Facebook users who have shared this page with their friends or told them to check it out.

8. Remax

Remax chose to use their slogan to really push what their company stands for. They also used pictures that helped back up this attitude. From newlywed couples to couples that are pregnant and need of a bigger house, Remax really reached out to these demographics in their cover photo. They also took advantage of their profile photo to let people know that they are rated #1 among real estate companies with a simple image.

9. Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut used the power of their product in their cover photo. A huge picture of a peperoni pizza lets consumers know what they offer at their stores, as well as make them crave the pizza. They also remind you that they provide excellent customer service by featuring one of their happy employees.

10. iStockphoto

If you provide stock photos for your clients, your Facebook cover photo better be up to par with the quality of the photos you offer on your website, and iStockphoto’s cover definitely is. They chose to feature one of their own photos that are available to their clients for purchase. To get around the not being able to put in a call to action, they included a link to purchase the photo in the caption section of the cover photo so visitors can access the site after clicking on the cover photo. Pure genius!

11. Mountain Dew

Mountain Dew did a great job in showcasing the type of person who uses their product. They are active, they are daring, and they have fun. Using this type of branding really helps push others to want to be a part of this lifestyle, and makes people want to make sure they are associated with it.

12. 220 Marketing

Of course we had to showcase the hard work that we have put into our cover photo; it would be shameful if we are not practicing what we preach. Our cover photo showcases all of the services we offer for our clients and shows that we do more than provide people with websites, we help them build their business.

Still stumped on how to incorporate your brand or mission statement into your cover photo? We have designers and marketers on hand to take your ideas and make them into a professional design. Ask us how we can help you take your Facebook Fanpage to the next level!

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Recognizing that static banner ads are bringing fewer results as they used to, many marketers have moved towards putting videos or other rich media that has animation as this provides a bigger incentive for someone to click on it. Providing this content also creates more of a lasting brand impression, as the consumer will most likely remember a jingle or any funny line that was in that video when hearing it rather than reading it.

Ad solution provider MediaMind recently completed a study that tracked the responses ads with rich media or video got over standard banner ads. They found that web users in North America were almost three times more likely to end up at a marketer’s website after viewing an ad with rich media than if the company just placed a standard banner ad. In this study, the visit didn’t have to occur immediately; it also increased the likelihood of people visiting at a later date after seeing the ad. While that may seem very impressive, the likelihood of a consumer visiting the site was 5.6 times more likely if the ad included a video compared to consumers exposed to standard banner ads.

The study hints that adding rich media and videos works for both an immediate response and a more lasting branding affect. When measuring immediate results, a consumer was nine times more likely to click on an ad with a video the first time they see it.

When analyzing the branding results, they numbers aren’t as spectacular, but still impressive. A user who didn’t visit the site immediately after seeing the ad were twice as likely to visit the site at a later time when seeing rich media or video content rather than a standard banner ad.

What does this mean for the future of marketing? Because the results of the study were so positive, we can expect that the amount of money being spent to provide media rich or video ads will increase by about 54.7% according to eMarketers. They also expect an increase of about 20% in standard banner ads despite these findings, while rich media ad generation will most likely increase by about 4% as people opt to create video ads instead.

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