As a business, you have probably spent a lot of time having a website designed and created to market your product and services. You might direct people back to that website through paid advertisements or through posts made on your numerous social media accounts. Perhaps to a beautiful landing page with the perfect call-to-action.  

You feel you have done everything right, but you noticed that you don’t seem to be getting the leads you thought you would. Or perhaps you are getting an abundance of leads, but they are all poor-quality leads that are not generating new business. The issue could be with an often overlooked yet vital component to online lead generation. That is the lead generation form itself. 

Any lead generation form you use needs to be given the same care and attention to detail as any other component of your website or online marketing strategy. Conversions can vary drastically based on the length of a form, or the specific information you request from a lead. Even one simple field may be enough to turn potential leads away.  

Creating Quality Lead Capture Forms that Convert 

You have reviewed your marketing efforts and have determined you need to update your lead capture forms. Where do you start? Let’s review some of the most critical aspects of building quality lead capture forms. 

Length of Lead Capture Forms 

The length of your lead capture forms may be one of the most difficult things to dial in. Short forms are easy for people to fill out and take no time at all. However, if your form is too short, your inbox may be flooded with leads, but they may all be poor-quality leads that do not convert. Forms that are too long can have the opposite result. The willingness to complete a form drops quickly as forms get longer and longer. They can be intimidating, or people might not have the time or patience to complete them. If this is the case, you may not be getting any leads at all even though you are getting the traffic you want. 

Form length is all about finding the right balance, which may be easier said than done. If you are getting many leads but most tend to be a waste of time, consider adding a question or two that will better help you qualify those leads. This may cut down on the number of leads you receive, but you may find you are wasting less time on dead-end leads and are getting more quality leads that result in conversions. You can repeat this process until you find you are happy with the quality vs quantity balance of your leads. 

The opposite can be done if you realize your form is too long. Perhaps you designed it this way so that you could fully qualify a lead before contacting them. Consider cutting down to fewer questions that will allow you to make a general evaluation to determine if it is worth your time to contact them. This will result in more leads and you will still have enough information to make an educated evaluation of those leads. Once you contact those leads, you can gather the remaining information you need. 

The Form Fields You Choose 

This leads us directly into our next important factor. You have decided you need to add or subtract fields from your form, but which do you keep, and which do you remove? Of course you are going to need basic contact information such as a name, phone number, and email address. From there, look at each question and determine if that field is essential. Meaning, is the field mandatory for you to be able to qualify and contact your lead.  

As an example, if you are offering mortgages, there are likely a few important questions you want to know up front. Perhaps it is vital to know if a person is looking to purchase a home or refinance an existing loan. You may also need to know their estimated credit score to determine if they will be able to qualify for the loans you offer. However, your form may also include questions that are not necessarily needed to qualify the lead. Maybe you ask questions about a lead’s employer and employment history. If those fields are not mandatory for you to make an assessment on the quality of a lead, consider removing them. Remember, you are only trying to determine if a lead will be a right fit for you. 

Ease of Use 

Another way to improve your lead capture is to simply make it easier to use. Older forms may have required you to manually type the answer to each question asked. This is both time consuming and can occasionally lead to typos or incorrect information. The ability to answer questions quickly, accurately, and with minimal effort can improve your lead generation. Forms that can be completed easily may also allow you to add a couple of extra questions to better qualify a lead, without turning them away. It only takes but a second to click the answer to a question. 

It is also incredibly important to consider mobile users in today’s world. Many people are visiting your site on mobile devices and answering lengthy text fields can instantly turn potential leads away. Simplifying your form so that questions can be answered with the click of a mouse or the touch of a finger on a mobile device can increase the number of leads you generate. 

If you are getting too many low-quality leads or very few leads in general, take a close look at your lead capture forms. You may need to update them to find the balance that gives you the results you are looking for. A few simple changes here and there can make all the difference. 

The post A Look at the Importance of Quality Lead Capture Forms appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

Whenever you do a search for local businesses, Google returns a group of three results known as the local pack or local 3 pack. These results appear at the top of the page above organic results and either above or below paid results depending on the specific search terms. The goal of improving your local SEO is to make sure your business appears in the local pack. 

The local pack includes some important at-a-glance information about your business. This includes your most basic contact information including your business name, address, and phone number (NAP). Additional information such as your business hours and star rating based on Google reviews can also be displayed. You may find other information is displayed for different industries. For example, restaurants may give information on whether they offer dine-in or carry-out options. Below you will see a typical local 3 pack for the search term “pizza.” 

Why is visibility in the local pack so important? According to a study by SEOClarity, the local pack is displayed in the top position in 93% of Google search results. By landing in the local pack, this makes your business the first thing a potential customer sees in 9 out of 10 search results. Equally as important, Google shows that 76% of people who do a local search on their mobile device will contact a business within 24 hours. 28% of those searches result in a consumer making a purchase. 

How Does Google Determine Local Ranking? 

There are three primary factors that Google focuses on when determining who makes it into the local 3 pack which are relevance, distance, and prominence. 

Relevance  

Relevance is how well your local business profile matches the search that a user makes. To ensure you are appearing in the local pack for searches related to your business, it is important to accurately complete your Google My Business information. This includes: 

• Phone number 
• Business name 
• Physical address 
• Business categories  
• Business hours 

It is also important to verify your location and to manage and respond to reviews left on Google. All these things give users confidence that you will be open and available when needed. 

Distance 

Distance is how far you are from a specified search location or from a searcher’s current location if one is not specified. Of course, there is not anything you can do to change your physical distance from a search location, but it is important to know how certain search terms can cause Google to place more weight on the distance factor. For example, you can see below how the results change when you add “near me” to the search conducted earlier. In the original search, Capri Pizza and Grill may have appeared due to having a higher prominence factor. However, when placing more focus on distance, Giant New York Pizza was favored. 

Prominence 

Prominence is a combination of factors that equate to how well known a business is. Google gathers information about a business from various places such as your own website, online directories, articles, and links to evaluate prominence. Additionally, prominence is affected strongly by the number of reviews you have and the positivity of those reviews. The organic placement of your website will also have an impact so be sure to keep your website updated and you adhere to SEO best practices. Maintaining accurate business information across as many online directories as possible is also important for helping Google understand your business. Inaccuracies can lead to confusion and difficulty evaluating the information that is available about your business. 

Local SEO is more important than ever and as more searches are being done on mobile devices year after year, it will only become more impactful. If you are not ending up in the local 3 pack, it is time to take action. Take a look at your Google My Business page and determine if you are providing the most accurate information about your business. If changes need to be made, do not hesitate to make them. Work on gathering as many positive reviews as you can. Be sure to monitor and respond to new reviews as they come in to inspire confidence in potential customers. Stay on top of these things to ensure you work your way into the local pack and your business is seen.

The post The Big Three of Local Ranking: Relevance, Distance, Prominence appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

What exactly is speed to lead? Speed to lead refers to the amount of time it takes from the moment a potential customer fills out a lead form until they are first contacted. In the digital era where online consumers have endless options and little patience, every second matters when it comes to how fast you respond to leads. You may have built a beautiful website with all the bells and whistles, but the speed at which you respond to the leads you generate may have the biggest impact on your success. Let’s take a deeper look into just how important speed to lead really is. 

If You’re Not First, You’re Last 

Odds are a prospect that has filled out a lead capture on your site has done the same on a few other sites as well. You are most likely offering comparable products and your potential client has similar interest in both options. This is where speed to lead becomes crucial. 

According to a study done by LeadConnect Marketing, 78% of customers will do business with the first person that responds to their inquiry. You can see just how important speed to lead is from this statistic alone. Anyone who reaches out to your business is already interested in what you have to offer. By reaching out quickly, you are building confidence with your potential client by showing them that their time and interest is of the highest importance to you. From there, if you can meet their needs, there is little reason for that person to repeat the process with another sales rep.  

If you’re not the first person to respond to a potential client, you have all but lost that client already. A competitor that places top priority on speed to lead, and who reaches out immediately, is most likely going to close that sale.  

So Just How Fast Do You Need to Be? 

Ideally, the best time to respond to a lead is the moment that lead reaches you. A potential client may submit a lead, and within 10 minutes, they may be unreachable. Perhaps they filled out your lead capture while on a break and had to return to work before you could contact them. Your window of opportunity quickly closed and within that few short minutes, you may have lost that client for good. Of course, it may not be practical to drop what you are doing and contact a lead within seconds. Let’s see what the odds of success look like the longer it takes to contact a prospect. 

LeadConnect’s study shows that there is a 391 percent increase in conversions if a lead is contacted within the first minute after their submission. However, if you wait longer than 5 minutes to respond to a lead, odds of qualifying that lead drop by 80 percent! The difference that just a few minutes makes when responding to a lead is shockingly drastic. Another study conducted by Insidesales.com shows that the odds of qualifying a lead when you call after 30 minutes is 21 times less likely than if you were to call after 5 mins. When it comes to speed to lead, it is clear that every second counts. 

Increasing Your Speed to Lead and Ultimately Your Conversions 

Now that you understand the importance of speed to lead, what can you do to improve upon yours? Here are a few simple things you can do to decrease your speed to lead and increase your conversions. 

Improve Your Lead Capture 

The most effective use of your sales rep’s time is selling. If they are spending additional time doing research and gathering more information about a lead or prospect, speed to lead will be negatively impacted. 

Designing quality lead capture forms that gather the information your sales reps need to qualify and contact leads will significantly improve your speed to lead. Consider giving leads a score so that if you get backed up, you can contact leads you believe will have the highest chance of closing. 

Automation 

Automating simple tasks like the assignment of new leads can be one of the biggest improvements you make if you don’t have these systems in place. If you do not, consider making the investment in software that will allow you to do so. 

Use automating software to assign leads to your sales reps. Ensure that they are being sent to their phone’s, email, and any chat programs your company may use. Make sure you have automated email responses when a lead is submitted. This will get the contact process started and buy you a few moments to directly reach out to your prospect. Use this opportunity to let them know what your typical response time will be so that they can be prepared and not distracted when you call.  

Organization and Preparation 

It can be easy to simply assign leads to sales reps in a particular order. However, it is not uncommon for a sales rep to become bogged down while others are searching for something to do. Have systems in place to assign leads to your reps that can reach out to them the fastest. A round-robin distribution may work for you most of the time but be prepared for when you need to reassign leads so that they are contacted in the appropriate time frame. 

Have a plan in place for when a lead can’t be reached. Even if you reach out to a lead instantly, they may not be available to speak over the phone at that moment. Set specific protocols for when follow-ups should take place and what type of secondary communication should be sent.  

Do not underestimate the importance of speed to lead. If you know your speed to lead needs improvement, start making changes today. Invest your time and resources into software upgrades, training, developing new procedures, and any other areas that can decrease your speed to lead. The results will be worth the effort. 

The post Just How Important Is Speed to Lead? appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

Email marketing is one of the most valuable marketing tools that a business can have. There are a few factors that separate good email campaigns from great email campaigns. Here are 5 email marketing tips that will help you start creating more effective and engaging email campaigns. 

1) Segmenting Your Contacts 

Before you even send your first email, you can set yourself up for success by segmenting your contacts. Each client on your list of contacts has specific interests and circumstances. When segmenting your contact list by these interests and circumstances, you can send very specific messages to different groups of contacts. The more data you have about your clients, the more specific and targeted your email campaigns can be. Generic emails often go unread because they do not stand out enough to catch a reader’s attention. Emails that appeal directly to the reader’s interests are far more likely to be opened and read. 

One way to segment your contacts is to manually add additional information about your clients. This can be a bit tedious but sometimes it may be the only option. A far more efficient way is to utilize detailed lead capture tools that ask and collect relevant information about clients and prospects. A good lead capture tool will automatically segment your client list for you, making your email marketing efforts that much easier. 

Here are some ideas for ways to segment a contact list in the mortgage industry: 

• Location 
• Prospects vs closed deals 
• Loan type – Purchase vs refinance 
• Specific loan program 
• Credit score ranges 
• Income ranges 

Even this short list will allow you to send targeted emails to very specific client groups. Every time you add a new client to your contact list, ensure you are segmenting appropriately. 

2) A/B Test 

One of the most valuable email marketing practices that you can learn is split testing or A/B testing. Split testing involves sending two different emails to similar contact groups so that you can evaluate the results and effectiveness of various components of each email.  

Some different components that you should consider split testing are: 

• Subject Line 
• Email body 
• Calls to action 
• From Line 
• Email Layout 
• Images 
• Offers 

For the most effective testing, you should send your emails to the largest contact groups possible. Small groups can skew the results. Do not hand-pick recipients either. Make sure that the lists are random.  

After sending your emails, you can evaluate metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Once you have this information, you can use these results to help build more effective email campaigns in the future. 

3) Personalization 

Always try to add a bit of personal information in each email you send. Take advantage of shortcodes to always include your client’s name in any emails you may send. Even something as simple as using a client’s name can boost your opening rates and engagement. This personalization can make client’s feel special or exclusive. Try using a client’s name in both the body of your email and in the subject line. 

Personalization goes beyond names. The reason we segment our contact lists are so that we can send personalized messages. Use the information you collected about your clients to send emails that are relevant to interests. The more relevant you can make your emails, the higher the chance of engagement. 

Don’t stop and just client information either. Add your own personal information as well. Instead of using a company name, use your name. Consider adding a picture of yourself to email headers or footers.  

4) Keep Your Emails Precise  

If you’ve done all the right things to get a client to open your emails, it is important not to lose them once they do. Most often, the goal of an email campaign is to get clients back to your website where you can provide additional information, and eventually convert and close someone who is interested in what you are offering. Emails should offer enough information to make readers aware of what you are offering, without overwhelming them. If they are interested, they will continue to your website where you can provide the added detail that they need. 

Also, in today’s world, emails are being opened from mobile devices more than ever. Even shorter emails can appear very lengthy when first opened on a mobile device. People who open emails on their mobile devices are generally on the go and may only have a few moments to review the details of an email. Keeping your message short and to the point will help convert these types of readers. 

5) Have a Dedicated Landing Page for Your Campaign 

When you’re considering an email campaign, one of the first things you should do is ensure you have a landing page setup specifically for that campaign, offer, or product. One of the quickest ways to lose the interest of a reader is to direct them to a non-specific page on your website, such as the homepage. A dedicated content page is a better solution, but this can also leave room for clients to click around your website and get distracted. 

A dedicated landing page can offer all the information a client needs without the added distractions. They are also a great tool for a capturing client information and tracking the results of your email campaign. A/B Testing can be applied to different landing pages that you can create. Over time, this will help you build better landing pages for future email campaigns as well as other projects such as paid ad campaigns. 

Next time you start an email campaign, be sure to take these 5 tips into consideration. We are certain they will help improve your results. 

The post 5 Email Marketing Tips for More Successful Campaigns appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

If your business uses a website, you have most likely done a little bit of homework on search engine optimization or have at least heard of it. Search engine optimization, or SEO, revolves around increasing the quality and quantity of traffic to your website through organic search results. Organic search results are any unpaid results that a search engine such as Google or Bing return. So how do these search engines determine what results to give and in what order to place them? Let us take a look at five major factors that search engines uses to determine your placement in organic search results.

New Content

People search for information that is current and relevant and search engines need to be able to find and produce this information. That is why search engines are constantly scanning the internet for new and interesting content. When new content is found, it is indexed and will be able to be returned in search results. If your site is rarely updated and your content is old, search engines will not have a reason to index your site very often. Even if you have quality content, old content may not be ranked as high as new content. If you have an article on FHA loans from 2015 on your site, your article may be missing crucial information from the past five years. Search engines will recognize this and return more relevant results. By updating your site with new content, search engines will index your site more frequently, which is a signal that you are providing updated and current information on your site. This in turn will improve your ranking drastically.

One common mistake that is made by many people when creating content is excluding location information. Search engines can determine where you are located, but you may want to target various surrounding areas and cities. Using location information in keyword phrases will let search engines know not only what product or service you offer, but the areas you are targeting as well. This extra bit of information will not only help your organic SEO rankings, but your local SEO rankings as well.

Traffic to Your Website

Website traffic is a straightforward ranking factor, and one of the most important. In most cases, the more visitors you have on your site, the better the ranking will be. A study by SEMrush showed that direct traffic had the most significant impact on page rank. Search engines recognize that sites with the most traffic are offering something that visitors need. This is why it is extremely important to always be updating and improving your content. Quality content increases direct traffic to your site. It is also important to keep visitors on your site. If you are receiving a lot of traffic, but those visitors are immediately leaving, you may not be providing quality content that these visitors are after. This is referred to as having a high bounce-rate which brings us to our next ranking factor.

Length of Stay

Search engines track the amount of time visitors spend on a particular page or website. If one website has an average length of stay of two minutes, and a competing website has an average length of stay of 20 seconds, there is clearly a difference in the quality of the website in the eyes of a search engine. When someone visits a website has a short average length of stay, or immediately leaves (high bounce-rate), red flags go up. The content may not be related to their search, or the website may offer a poor user experience. Whatever the reason may be, search engines view these sites as low-quality sites.

When visitors spend more time on a website, they are having a better experience and likely finding the content that they were looking for. These are the websites that search engines want to deliver to their users. If search results return a lit of websites that offer a poor user experience, people will simply switch to different search engines.

Number of Page Views

The number of page views that a website gets goes hand in hand with length of time that is spent on a website. If a person views multiple pages on a website, they are likely spending more time there than someone who visits one page and leaves the site. This is another indicator that a site visitor is having a positive user experience and they are exploring the site for more information.

An increased number of page views might mean people are landing on a page expecting to find certain information that is not there. They may end up clicking to a few different pages looking for it before eventually leaving without finding that information. This is why factors such as length of stay and traffic are also considered. If page views are up but length of stay is very low, this could be a negative sign. Higher page views coupled with a longer length of stay are positive indicators.

Social Rank

When you search for products and services, you have most likely seen results that include a star ranking. These star rankings are based on reviews of those products and services. Sites such as Google, Facebook, and Yelp allow users to leave reviews and select a star rating, normally from 1 to 5. This collection of star ratings across various sites can be compiled into a social rank. Social rank can be used by search engines to determine if you are operating a reputable business. If your business receives a lot of positive reviews across many of these sites, you will have a much better social rank than a business that does not generate reviews or has poor reviews.

Search engines want to connect people with reputable businesses that provide quality products and services. If you provide the same information and services on your website as a competitor, but they have a 2 star average across these sites, while you have a 5 star rating, search engines will want to connect visitors with you. You will likely provide a better overall experience than your competitor. Social rank is why it is vital to always be asking customers for positive reviews. Many people will only go out of their way to leave negative reviews when they have a bad experience. Those who have a good experience tend not to leave reviews but are happy to give one if asked. Stay on top of generating positive reviews and your social rank will improve.

These five factors are only a few of the hundreds of ranking factors that search engines use but are some of the most important. Focus on providing your site visitors with quality content and a positive user experience. Stay on top of creating new content as often as you can manage and remember to always be actively asking for positive reviews from customer that have had a great experience with you. If you can do this, you will be well on your way to a much higher organic SEO ranking.

The post Major Factors That Influence Organic SEO Placement appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

As a loan officer, it is important to have a sound marketing strategy in place if you want to be successful. Mortgages are a complex product with many options and consumers need guidance when shopping for one. The person they choose to work with when buying a home is often just as important as the mortgage itself. Whether you are just starting out, or are a seasoned mortgage professional, these 5 marketing ideas will help you become a more successful loan officer.

Improve your Networking

Direct networking with industry professionals is one of the easiest ways to bring in regular clients. First, take a look at who your current networking partners are. Are they sending you consistent referral business or are they sporadic and inconsistent? If it is the latter, it may be time to replace them or to look into additional professionals to work with. Maybe there is a Realtor in your local area that you know is successful and you feel there is a partnership opportunity there. Reach out! It is never too late to foster a successful relationship with a partner you have always wanted to work with.

Once you have established a reliable network of partners, be sure you are promoting them. By promoting your partners, you are not only sending business their way, you are also showing that you are committed to the partnership. One of the best ways to promote a partner is through social media posts. Social media posts are easily shareable to massive audiences. A good post can reach thousands and thousands of viewers and potential clients. Email marketing is another tool for shareable promotions. Highlight your partners in monthly newsletters, or unique email campaigns. Be sure to create a page for your partners and promote them as recommended professionals on your website. All of these options provide something tangible that you can show to your partners, helping them see the value in working with you.

Stay in Front of Your Past Clients

It is always important to keep your name in front of past clients. Even if a past client isn’t in the market for a refinance or a new home, there’s a good chance they might know someone who is and can pass your information along as a referral. Some great ways to stay in front of past clients are through social media platforms, email marketing such as monthly newsletters, and even direct mail.

Social media can be one of the best ways to stay in front of clients. With a proven social media strategy in place, you can engage with past clients through both entertaining and informational posts. Be sure to have variety in your strategy. Too many mortgage-specific posts, or too many attempts at making humorous posts could cost you followers. Balance is key!

These same principles apply to email marketing. An automated newsletter is a great way to reach your past clients 12 times per year while providing them with some industry-related information as well as share-worthy content. Content such as recipes, funny stories, or infographics can be shared with anyone which can put your name in front of an even larger group than just your past-client database.

Personalized messages can be a great touch as well. Once a year, write a hand-written note to past clients on the anniversary of their close. Be specific if you can. A personalized message will have a greater impact than one that sounds generic.

Easy Email Marketing

Every loan officer should have an email marketing system at their fingertips. Ideally, one that is simple to use, yet flexible enough to provide the customization you need for effective email marketing. Before you begin writing email campaigns, it is important to be able to automatically add website visitor information to your database. This can be easily achieved through lead capture tools.

Sort your database into various groups. This allows you to target specific message to specific types of clients. For example, you can target your past clients with messages related to refinancing options, or you can send messages to prospective clients about new loan programs that might meet their needs. The better you do at sorting and grouping clients, the more customized you can make your emails. When sending emails, but sure to include snippets in the email, with links back to the primary content on your website. This is valuable for driving traffic to the website which can improve your website ranking.

Promote Your Social Media

As we touched on earlier, social media is an outstanding way to stay in front of your clients. It is important to stay active on all your social media accounts. You should attempt to post at least once per day on these platforms. Be sure that your content is engaging and include variety within your posts. Remember, the content is for your followers, not for you. Your followers are most likely interested in mortgage related information, but social media is also a platform for entertainment. Use these social media platforms to keep in touch with current and past clients, and business professionals you are working with. Commenting on and sharing their posts is a great way to stay active.

LinkedIn is a great platform that you should be using as well. However, it should be treated a little differently than Facebook or Instagram. Use LinkedIn for staying in touch with business professionals and for networking purposes. Don’t attempt to sell your products or services here. Show your industry expertise and the business will follow.

Improve Your Online Reputation

When making a significant purchase, how often do you read reviews for products or services you are considering? If you are like most, it is quote often. Your online reputation means everything these days. If you have a poor reputation, consumers will just skip right over you when researching loan officers to work with.

Always be actively working on generating reviews. Ask both current and past clients if the had a good experience working with you and if so, ask them to leave you a quick review on Yelp, Facebook, or Google. The more quality reviews you can generate, the more success you will have.

Ensure your business information is accurate across all of these sites as well. A consistent business name, address, and telephone number will make it easy for your clients to locate you on any of these sites. Accurate information also helps search engines gather information about you as well. The more accurate your information is, the better your search placement will be. If your information is scattered and inaccurate, search engines may be able to associate a potential client’s search with your business.

Don’t wait. Start implementing some of these strategies into your marketing efforts today. The sooner you get into the habit of doing these things regularly, the sooner you will see results!

The post 5 Marketing Ideas for Loan Officers 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.

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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The post 7 [almost] Shameless Marketing Tactics appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

1. New vs Repeat Visitors

Knowing how many new visitors you got and how many repeat visitors keep coming back is a good indication of whether or not your site has something good to offer. If you notice that you are getting a lot of repeat visitors, this means you have something that keeps people coming back for more. The more people visit your site, the greater the chance they will finally take that next step and convert to a customer.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be making sure you have a high number of new visits as well. If your repeat visit number is more than 30% of your traffic, this may mean that your business is not branching out and growing to new customers. It is still very important to make sure that you are making efforts to drive new visits to the site.

2. Referring Sources

Knowing how people are getting to your site is important so you can organize your SEO priorities. Are people finding you organically through the search engines? Are they typing your web address in directly? Is there a directory or blog that is giving you a lot of traffic?

If you see that you are mostly getting traffic from the search engines only after someone types in your name, this will mean you need to work on the keyword content in your site to try and expand to those that may not know your company. If you notice you are getting a lot of traffic from a blog you are writing, this is a good indicator that you need to keep up the good work and keep posting. Knowing where your traffic is coming from will let you know what areas you need to work on improving to get traffic from additional sources.

3.  Conversion Rate

Measuring how many visitors actually fill out a lead form or purchase something from your site is important because this is the whole reason you have a website in the first place! Measuring this weekly is a good idea, so you can keep track of what traffic sources are converting for you. If you notice a spike in leads after a seminar you attended, this will be a good indication that effort was successful.

4. Page Popularity

Knowing what type of content is viewed on your site the most will help you know what to replicate and how to format pages in the future. If you notice a page has a high bounce rate (people going on and leaving instantly) it will also let you know what formatting or content to stay away from. If you notice that a lot of people are viewing information about your staff members, this is a good indicator that people want to know about your experience and the people you have working for you. Rewriting bios to include experience and specialties could help potential clients feel more at ease knowing they are in experienced hands.

5. Traffic by Keywords

When people are finding you through the search engines, what keywords are they typing in? Finding out this information will help you discover popular products and also let you know if you need to rethink the keywords you are targeting in your content. If you notice that you are being found for keywords that aren’t relevant to your business, this will help you assess how to modify this so you can gain more relevant traffic to help ensure visitors convert to customers.

There are definitely some metrics that were left out that some of you rely on, but these are the ones that are the most important to pay attention to if you are looking for the least amount of reporting as possible. If you have a website metric you can’t live without tracking, please feel free to include your tips in the comments.

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The post How to Measure Website Metrics appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

Most people have had the horror experience of filling out a form and getting calls from 20 companies that have nothing to do with the service you were looking for. Because of situations like this, we’ve all become a little weary when we see a page asking for our information. Making sure that people trust your page enough to give you their information is a great thing to focus on after you’ve gotten your page set up. We’ve listed 10 ways to earn the trust of those visiting your landing page.

1. Make Sure Your Call To Action Matches the Landing Page Content

Advertising one thing in a paid ad and something completely different in the landing page is the easiest way to get someone to leave that site! Making sure that you have different landing pages for each campaign you are running is important. Sometimes we get so caught up in the idea that our call to action has to be amazing that it has nothing to do with what the next page they see will be offering. You just wasted your time, your customer’s time, and precious marketing dollars if they clicked on a paid advertisement.

To make everyone happier, it is critical that you make sure the call to action matches what you are selling on the landing page. If you are offering a free guide on how to resolve an issue they have, don’t offer them a 20% off coupon for you to solve the problem for them.

2. Write Clear Verbiage Explaining What They Will Receive With the Offer

It is very easy for people to misread copy or construe their own meaning when they are reading. This is why it is crucial to make sure your landing page fully explains what they will get in exchange for filling out that form. If you are clear in what you are offering, you will live up to your end of the bargain and appear trustworthy.

If you are offering a free newsletter in your call to action, but the page they land on next isn’t clear in what they can expect, there is a greater chance the visitor will leave your page. When our clients offer a free e-newsletter sign up through a homepage button, we make sure it is linking to a form that lets the user know what to except in exchange for providing contact information. On the Call to Action button, a newsletter is promised, and this is reflected in the next page as well.

3. Include Contact Info for Your Company

Although they probably won’t use it, disclosing contact information for your visitors to use to find out more information about you is an easy way to make them feel at ease. Providing your contact information shows them that you are a real company and aren’t afraid to hide your true identity. It adds to your credibility as a valid business, and lets them know you are not a fly by night overnight scam.

The more information you have (links to social media accounts, Google Maps, etc) the more your visitors will fill at ease.

4. Don’t ask Questions That are too Intrusive

Even if they feel comfortable with your landing page, the potential customer might still be reluctant to pass over too much information. If you include basic questions that won’t set them on edge, it will let you collect the information you need while avoiding questions that may send them running. Trial and error is the best way to test how deep you can dig. Trying different forms running side by side is a good indicator of what questions people aren’t willing to answer before speaking with you and allow you to create a formula that works for you and the customer.

Differentiating between required and option fields will also help signify that it isn’t required for the client to give out all of the information you are asking for. Using asterisks on required fields is a great way to set those questions apart from the rest.

5. Provide a Link to Your Privacy Policy

Giving visitors a link to your privacy policy is a great way to let them see how you will use the information they provide. Reassuring them that their information will not be sold to other companies and letting them know they can request not to be contacted at any time will help set them at ease and feel comfortable with filling out your form.

6. Display Seals of Approval from Third-Party Companies

Displaying your 5 star Zillow rating logo or A+ BBB grade will help the clients know that you have been recognized by independent companies for the excellent service that you provide. Also providing security logos will help the client feel reassured that their information won’t be compromised.

7. Give Purchasers a Chance to Review a Summary of Their Purchase

If your landing page allows users to purchase a product, it is very important to disclose any extra handling or shipping fees upfront so they won’t be surprised by hidden fees. This will eliminate any chance that they will feel tricked. Allowing them to view all details of what they will receive and estimated shipping times will also help set them at ease before hitting that submit button to complete the order.

8. Include Reviews and Testimonials From Past Clients

Showing potential customers that you’ve made people happy with your services in the past is the best way to make them feel at ease. If you have feedback from several clients, this will help them see that you are offering a legitimate service that they will be happy with. If you are a current 220 Marketing customer with a landing page, ask one of our representatives about a customized Testimonial Scroll widget. This tool will allow visitors to see a list of reviews that are pulled directly from your site without taking up too much space.

9. Use Proper Spelling and Grammar

Having multiple spelling and grammatical errors on a landing page can make it look like you are lazy and don’t really care about representing your company in the best possible light. If you can’t take the time to have a professional proofread your page for errors, why would anyone want to hand over their information to you? Having another colleague read your copy and running it through a spell check machine will help save you a lot of headaches down the road, and make you appear professional and on top of your game.

10. Present an Overall Professional Appearance

If your landing page looks like a 10 year old put it together, chances are you won’t get much response from it. Besides having grammatically correct copy, it is also important to make sure that the layout and overall design of your landing page looks like it was put together by a professional, signaling that you really care about how you are perceived. Little things can provide a subconscious feeling of unease for some visitors.

Have a trusted third party take a look at your landing page and tell you their gut reaction of how the page makes them feel. If you have several designs you are trying to narrow down, show them all and get their feedback about which ones would make them feel safe enough to fill out the form. Asking them for specific details of what makes them feel the way they do will help you get a feel for things to make sure you avoid and include in each landing page.

Having too many different font sizes and types could your page look too busy. Using colors like red can have a subconscious effect in making the client want to stop what they are doing and leave the page. Including too many exclamation points can take away from the professional aspect while flashing animations can distract users from the most important aspect—the form!

Now that you have some tips to work off of, take a really good look at the landing pages you already have created. At 220 Marketing, we really work with our clients to ensure their landing pages are getting the best results, and we are willing to make adjustments until we find what will work best for your conversion rate! Our clients can always call our customer service department for some feedback if they need help with landing page design or content.

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The post 10 Ways to Make Your Landing Page Trustworthy appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.