8 Easy Ways to Double Your Opt-In Response Rate
By Robert Hutchinson | August 8, 2009
If you’re involved in writing or marketing on the Internet, then you probably already know about “squeeze” or “opt-in” pages. A squeeze page is the web page that visitors first land on after they click on a search engine keyword.
In recent months, Internet marketers have been complaining about declining opt-in rates… but the truth is that many web developers ignore proven, tested techniques when creating their squeeze pages. Fortunately, just a few simple changes can dramatically boost your results — often doubling or even tripling your opt-in rate.
Step 1: Make sure your headline matches keyword search terms exactly. Fully 50% of people who visit your site after clicking on a search engine keyword make their decision to stay or go within
the first 2 seconds. Their only question when looking at your web page is: Is this the right place? If they think it might be, they’ll linger for a few more seconds. Your first and most important job is to help them realize that, indeed, your site is the right place. If the dominant keyword for your product is “seaweed shampoo,” then the words “seaweed shampoo” better be in the headline of your squeeze page and found throughout the body copy.
Step 2: Tell your visitors EXACTLY what you want them to do and tell them immediately. If you want visitors to sign up for your free e-zine, then the sign-up box should be front and center and “above the fold.” Smart Internet marketers put links and sign-up boxes throughout the body copy of their squeeze pages. You want people to always know what you want them to do.
Step 3: Show your product immediately. We call this the “hero shot” because your product or service is the “hero.” Again, this should be done above the fold. If you’re selling a service, then you must graphically represent the service with photos. The purpose of the hero shot is to convince visitors that they’ve found the right spot.
Step 4: Make sure you have a privacy statement right next to your sign-in or purchase box. The world loathes spam. If you don’t convince your visitors that you respect their privacy, right from the get-go, they’ll be gone Johnson.
Step 5: Use tables or bullets instead of text to describe the benefits of your product or service. As a copywriter, I never thought I’d say this… but on squeeze pages shorter copy is better
than longer copy. You still can have body copy and sales copy, but 50% of people who opt in probably won’t read it. They’ll be convinced solely by your headline, hero shot, bullets and privacy policy. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Financial Copywriting, Opt-In Strategies | 2 Comments »
Financial Marketing Online SOARING in Volatile Stock Market
By Robert Hutchinson | September 19, 2008
It always amazes me: the worse the market gets, the busier I become!
I suppose when the stock market is soaring, people figure they don’t need any help. It’s only when disaster strikes that they seek out expert advice. In any event, newsletter publishers always seem to need LOTS more copy and promotions when the market is tanking than they do when it’s doing well.
My bullish clients, of course, are in hog heaven right now: All their dire warnings are coming true and people are signing up in droves. Even the high-priced fax services are going gangbusters. My gold clients are ecstatic because gold is going berserk right now (after falling in recent months). Commodities people and commodities-oriented ETFs are also going strong.
It’s a little tricker for traditional buy-and-hold newsletter and advisors… because right now many of their customers are losing their shirts. (My “globally balanced” index funds in one of my retirement accounts are now down 17% YTD! Ouch!) One of my clients recently moved his people to a 100% cash position and I haven’t figured out yet how I’m going to position that in next week’s email blast. (Probably: We called this week’s market wipeout to the minute!)
One approach that I’ve used lately that is working very well is to highlight the “bargain basement,” fire sale prices for many high-yield equities right now. For one dividend newsletter for which I write weekly promos, I’m able to make the argument that this recent wipeout is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lock in double-digit income stocks for 50% less than you’d pay normally. If you have the nerves for it, you could conceivably double your income during retirement by loading up on these high-yield income investments now.
Anyway, it’s a great time to be a financial copywriter right now.
Greed and fear are the two engines that drive financial marketing promotions, and right now there is a lot of fear. People want and need reassurance and help… and clients who can give them both are getting all the business they could want.
Topics: Financial Copywriting, Marketing, Online Marketing | 4 Comments »
Financial Companies Marketing Online Not Addressing Investors’ Concerns Enough
By News Reports | September 18, 2008
Despite months of bad news from the banks and brokerage houses, financial-services companies are only now just starting to roll out ads that reflect the market turmoil and consumers’ jitters.
After years of splashy, feel-good ads, many financial firms have been at a loss when it comes to crafting campaigns that address the growing crisis on Wall Street, marketing experts said.
Instead, banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies and mutual funds have stuck with the same old messages that focused on savings, retirement and performance rather than reassuring fretting investors.
“The silence is strange,” said Steve Cone, chief marketing officer for Epsilon, a marketing services firm, and the former head of advertising and brand management at Citigroup Private Banking. “Some firm that considers itself a market leader should be sending out a very clear-cut message: markets rise, markets fall and this is not a time to do anything too rash.”
But after this week’s shocking chain of events - including Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy, Merrill Lynch’s sale to Bank of America and the $85 billion government bailout of insurer American International Group - advertisers have introduced spots that more directly address market volatility and widespread fears.
A new spot for Charles Schwab, called “Corkscrew,” depicts a man uncorking a bottle of wine and talking about stock ups and downs. The tagline reads: “Market conditions vary. Good advice doesn’t.”
“A lot of the messages we have in the market are about making sure investors have the right portfolio,” said Ben Stuart, senior vice president in charge of branding, advertising and media for Schwab. “We’re definitely augmenting that with messages around safety and security.”
Companies that are better positioned than some of their peers are also getting into the game.
For instance, a new ad for insurance giant ACE Group that appeared yesterday took a thinly veiled swipe at troubled competitor AIG.
“In a risky world, choosing the right insurance company is more important than ever,” the ad read.
In general, however, financial firms and banks are sidestepping the Wall Street meltdown in their ads. While Citibank, Bank of America and other big banks are playing up rates and savings options, they stop short of answering consumers’ questions about the safety of their money. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Financial Copywriting, Marketing, Online Marketing | 2 Comments »
Opt-In Email Marketing for Financial Services Companies
By Robert Hutchinson | September 1, 2008
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 authorizes a US$11,000 penalty per violation for spamming each individual recipient. Therefore, many commercial e-mail marketers within the United States utilize a service or special software to ensure compliance with the Act.
A variety of older systems exist that do not ensure compliance with the Act. To comply with the Act’s regulation of commercial e-mail, services typically require users to authenticate their return address and include a valid physical address, provide a one-click unsubscribe feature, and prohibit importing lists of purchased addresses that may not have given valid permission.
In addition to satisfying legal requirements, e-mail service providers began to help customers establish and manage their own e-mail marketing campaigns. The service providers supply e-mail templates, as well as methods for handling subscriptions and cancellations automatically. They also provide statistics pertaining to the number of messages received and opened, and whether the recipients clicked on any links within the messages.
The CAN-SPAM Act was recently updated with some new regulations that went into effect on July 7, 2008.
Opt-in e-mail advertising, or permission marketing, is a method of advertising via e-mail whereby the recipient of the advertisement has consented to receive it. This method is one of several developed by marketers to eliminate the disadvantages of e-mail marketing.
Opt-in e-mail marketing may evolve into a technology that uses a handshake protocol between the sender and receiver. This system is intended to eventually result in a high degree of satisfaction between consumers and marketers. If opt-in e-mail advertising is used, the material that is e-mailed to consumers will be “anticipated”. It is assumed that the consumer wants to receive it, which makes it unlike unsolicited advertisements sent to the consumer. Ideally, opt-in e-mail advertisements will be more personal and relevant to the consumer than untargeted advertisements.
A common example of permission marketing is a newsletter sent to an advertising firm’s customers. Such newsletters inform customers of upcoming events or promotions, or new products. In this type of advertising, a company that wants to send a newsletter to their customers may ask them at the point of purchase if they would like to receive the newsletter.
With a foundation of opted-in contact information stored in their database, marketers can send out promotional materials automatically. They can also segment their promotions to specific market segments.
Topics: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
