Is your web site easy to navigate? If visitors can’t navigate your site quickly and easily, they’ll flee. When we build sites, we ask our clients to imagine their clients’ agendas. What are visitors expecting to do when on your site? The answers will vary for different audiences.

For example, some visitors may be clients seeking to track an order. Others may be prospects looking for products and pricing information. Imagine all the audiences that might visit your site and create menu links that act as signposts for their journeys.

Make your links unambiguous. Ask yourself, “If I see this link, what content should I expect to find?” If the answer is hazy, you should probably rename the link or change the content and structure.

Prior to writing this column, I searched for some examples of poor navigation. I didn’t have to look very hard. On one site, we found main navigation links for “About Us” and “Our Approach.” The “About Us” page had a hodge-podge of information — company history, some clients, and a lengthy paragraph describing the company’s philosophy. The “Our Approach” page described the company’s methodology and philosophy. Redundant content. Ambiguous links.

Finally, test your navigation with informal focus groups — before you build the site. Show people the navigation scheme. Ask them what they would expect to find if they clicked the links you’ve outlined. If their expectations don’t jibe with yours, go back to the drawing board.

Want more tips for building an effective web site? Go to www.marketvolt.com/web-checklist for a free, report: 15 Essential Elements to Maximize the Impact of your Website.

Tom Ruwitch writes a monthly marketing column for St. Louis Small Business Monthly. This post first appeared as one of those columns.

I just plowed through my inbox after an afternoon of meetings and came across the monthly email newsletter from Habitat for Humanity St. Louis, one of our long-time clients. I had to put aside what I was doing to write this shout-out for Habitat. Aside from the fact that it’s a great cause, Habitat produces some great emails.

Here’s a link to an online version of the newsletter (MarketVolt automatically generates a version of every mailing you create with the system).

Here are five of the things I like about it:

• Great subject line. “Open Plea for Construction Volunteers! Rain barrel workshop in the ReStore next week!” It’s a bit long. But it includes two topics from the newsletter. Too many organizations use subject lines like “August Newsletter” or “Email Update.” This subject line piques your interest. And it remains readers that the email is full of good content — some not even mentioned in the subject line. So readers wonder, “What else will I find?” as they click to open.
• Attractive, clean design. Habitat has done a great job customizing one of MarketVolt’s built-in, do-it-yourself templates with an outstanding banner image and eye-catching colors. The email is neither too long, nor too busy. Short paragraphs with links to read more.
• Great use of immediacy. Email is great for delivering the last-minute message. And Habitat is a master at doing this. I’ve seen an email from Habitat that says we need volunteers on a building site now. Today’s mailing has several items about events just a few days away. This helps bump up attendance at those events. It also gives the emails a fresh, up-to-the-minute quality. Recipients will open and read these emails because they announce what’s happening now.
• Excellent use of calls-to-action. Every item in this newsletter has a link with an explicit or implicit call-to-action. The “Open Plea for Construction Volunteers” includes a link to “visit our blog for more information.” Habitat can track who clicks that link and identify them as “prospective volunteers.” A follow-up email a day or two before the event may follow. Even if Habitat doesn’t follow-up this way, the organization has some idea of the people who have interest in volunteering. Link-tracking reveals a lot about your recipients — information that you can use to land the prospect. This applies whether you’re a non-profit like Habitat or a for-profit. You can’t track clicks if you don’t include links.
• Prominent Social Media Links. Readers can’t miss the links to Habitat’s pages on Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites. If you have them on your email list, get them to follow your social media efforts — and vice-versa. Habitat does that well!

Way to go Habitat for Humanity.

The following is a special invitation from my friend Skip Bryan. Skip and his partner Bill Hebert are two of the best marketers I know. They run St. Louis Marketing Experts (GKIC – St. Louis). They’ve invited me to speak at the “Results Based Marketing Seminar” — a great event on Tuesday, August 10, 2-4 p.m. It’s FREE, and you’re invited to attend. Again, it’s free, but you have to register in advance at http://www.StLMarketingSeminar.com..

All of the details are in Skip’s letter below. I hope to see you there!

- Tom Ruwitch

FREE Seminar Reveals Secrets to Increased Profits,
Cash Flow and Return On Investment…

 Get More Bang From Your Marketing Dollars!!

Greetings.

Quick question: Would you like to spend the same amount of money, energy and time you’re spending today on your marketing and get increased response, sales and repeat business?

Would you invest just two hours to discover tried and true direct marketing strategies used by successful companies, around the world and right here in St. Louis, right now, today, in the midst of the Great Recession?

All for FREE?

Market Volt and Glazer – Kennedy Insider’s Circle of St. Louis, in association with the Northwest Chamber of Commerce, invite you to join us for just such an afternoon on Tuesday, August 10th, from 2 – 4 at the Maryland Heights Community Centre.

 FREE, huh? What’s the catch?

 NO CATCH! You see, when speaking at last week’s Northwest Chamber of Commerce Lunch ‘n Learn, Tom Ruwitch (President of Market Volt) and Bill Hebert and Skip Bryan (GKIC – St. Louis Chapter Directors) realized there just wasn’t enough time to really get into the strategies that are most effective, why they’re effective and to interact with the audience and show them how simple it is for them to adapt the strategies for their own businesses.

We needed a little more time to get beyond the broad strokes of what differentiates marketing that gets results (quality leads, sales, $$$) and marketing that sucks up money and time and leaves you frustrated and contemplating a career change!

Strategies You’ll Discover:

 From Market Volt President Tom Ruwitch, You’ll discover how to put more leads into the sales funnel and convert more to customers by “marketing to the maybes.” He’ll reveal proven strategies and tactics to connect with those who are not ready buyers but who are willing to raise their hand and ask for more information. And Tom will show you how to turn those maybes into customers — with maximum efficiency and minimum hassle.

• Acquire more leads than you ever imagined.
• Convert more leads to warm prospects and then to clients.
• Maximize the lifetime value of clients.
• Maximize the efficiency and minimize the hassle in your marketing and sales efforts.

 Make YOUR Marketing “Magnetic”

Just imagine…your phone rings and your “ideal” prospect is on the line. They saw your ad, read your free report, and are dying to purchase your product or service (think Wal Mart the day after Thanksgiving). Believe it or not, this happens every day in real life, all over the world…to a very small number of businesses. Businesses that understand their customers wants and needs and develops products specifically for them.

 On August 10th, you’ll discover:

• The 11 elements of effective marketing pieces
• Practical solutions of attracting new customers/clients/patients in both B2B & B2C
• How to replace cold calls and prospecting
• How to cut through marketing clutter
• Proven techniques to level the playing field against bigger competitors
• Strategies for attracting only your ideal customer/client/patient
• How to develop an effective marketing system
• How to turn your customer list/mailing list into more money
• The dozen top promotions to use in your industry whether it’s B2B & B2C
• And much, much more…

 Space Is Limited…Register Today!

 Due to the play Seussical performing at the Maryland Heights Community Centre, the room we were able to secure is not very big. Soooo, if you want to be one of the few people in St. Louis that actually markets effectively, giving you an advantage over your competitors, you need to go to www.StLMarketingSeminar.com

NOW and register for this 100 % FREE event!

Plus, a smaller group allows for more interaction with attendee’s and allows you to get your questions answered and share with others what is working in your business.

Results-Based Marketing Seminar
Tuesday, August 10th
2:00 – 4:00 PM (Sign-in starts at 1:30)
Maryland Heights Community Centre
www.StLMarketingSeminar.com

Bonus Hour!

Would you like some FREE, expert advice on your current marketing piece? From 1 – 2, bring your flyer, brochure, sales letter, etc. and we’ll critique them for you at no charge! That’s right! On a first come, first serve basis, Tom, Bill and Skip will provide you the kind of critique they normally charge hundreds of dollars for. Yours free when you register at www.StLMarketingSeminar.com.

Marketing Material Review BONUS HOUR
1 – 2 PM (Sign-in starts at 12:45 PM)

Don’t miss this opportunity to become a better, more profitable marketer!

Register NOW at www.StLMarketingSeminar.com

To your improved success,

Skip Bryan
GKIC – St. Louis Chapter Director
Skip@GKICStLouis.com
636-373-4566

Have you asked happy clients for testimonials in the past three months? Do you publish testimonials in all of your marketing material? If you answered no to either of these questions, you have some work to do.
Testimonials sell. Every time you make a claim about your products and services, skeptical prospects are thinking, “Prove it!” Testimonials offer such proof. Here are a few tips to collect and use testimonials most effectively.

Don’t be shy. If you have happy clients, you have people who will give you testimonials. Just ask – when you’re on the phone with them, in client feedback surveys, when you see them at a networking event. Make it a regular part of your client communications.

Include testimonials in all of your marketing content – your web site, email newsletters, print brochures and anything else your prospects will see. Update testimonials frequently.

Be careful what you claim in testimonials. Responding to outrageous advertising claims (“I lost 150 pounds without exercising”), the federal government has established new rules that govern testimonials. Don’t let the rules frighten you away from using testimonials, but make sure you follow them.

For more details about these rules and more detailed tips about how to use testimonials to grow your business, go to www.marketvolt.com/testimonial-tips

Remember the Jackson 5 hit “I Want You Back?” Michael and his brothers sing, “Oh baby give me one more chance (show you that I love you). Won’t you please let me (back in your heart)?” You should add this song to your marketing playlist.

Reach out to your former customers and tell them you want them back. It can be one of the most cost-efficient ways to increase sales – especially in a down economy.

Here’s how:

1)      Search your database for lapsed customers. For example, you might find those who made purchase in the past three years but not in the past six months.

2)      Send an email that says, “We want you back.” I received such an email this week from a video editing and hosting service called Animoto. The subject line: “We miss you – free Animoto.” The email offered me 18 months of service for the price of 12 if I renewed within one week. It also described great new features (with links for more information).

3)      Use an email marketing system that tracks who opens the email and clicks links and then follow-up. For example, you can call or send another email to those who click a link but don’t renew by the deadline.

4)      Include a survey that asks lapsed customers where they’ve been, why they left, and what you can do to win them back.

Take these steps at least once a year, and you’ll win back customers who would otherwise be lost forever.

This article by MarketVolt’s Tom Ruwitch originally appeared in St. Louis Small Business Monthly

John Reese, one of the world’s top internet marketers, quit twitter yesterday.  He left behind 25,000 followers! In a note to his email list, Reese said, “About a year ago, I really loved Twitter.  It was a lot of fun and it was great for communicating with people and for getting into all sorts of discussions. But as Twitter has grown, it’s become full of NOISE. Even, though, my follower count has risen, the response to my tweets has been on a steady decline.”

In his final Twitter posts on March 1, Reese said the response rate to his tweets has declined 75% from its peak. He checked with other marketers who reported similar declines. He said he will focus his social media efforts on Facebook (I happen to agree that you should focus most of your social media energy on Facebook).

So…should we all quit Twitter? Reese is a master of traffic generation. He knows how to drive traffic to his site and convert that traffic to sales. I trust his judgment…

But I don’t think “quit Twitter now” is the lesson to be learned from Reese’s actions. The key takeaway for me: Measure your results! Reese walks away with confidence because he knows his conversion rate has declined by 75%. When he posts a link to Twitter, he measures the number of clicks. He measures the number of people who click then register for his email list. He measures the number of people who click and then purchase his products. He measures the time he spends on Twitter (and thus the cost). So he can calculate his investment against the return. The numbers simply don’t work for him.

Does Twitter work for you? How do you know? What are you trying to accomplish with your tweets?

Reese is right about the noise on Twitter. Many tweeters spend countless hours posting trivial stuff…for what? What are your business goals? How do your tweets serve those goals? How do you measure your success?

At the very least, you should use a URL shortening program such as bit.ly that lets you measure click-throughs. Better yet, include tracking software on your site (such as Google analytics) that tracks where your Twitter traffic goes once it reaches your site. Don’t guess. Measure.

In a previous post, I said businesses ignore social media at their own peril. I still believe that. But then and now, I cautioned that you should engage in social media only if you have a purpose.

My goal is to strengthen my company’s reputation as a leading resource for interactive marketing solutions and tools. Occasionally, I’ll link to pages on my web site, where visitors download tips. This serves the same goal, plus people who visit that page can sign up for my email list. That helps me achieve my goal to identify, acquire and convert new leads. The bottom line: Begin by familiarizing yourself with Twitter and having some fun. As you continue with Twitter, ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” If your answer is not in line with specific business goals, you probably can find better ways to kill time.

Do I plan to quit Twitter? Not yet. But I know that if I stick with Twitter, I’ll be able to justify the decision, and if I eventually quit, I’ll know exactly why.

While Snickers, Doritos, Go Daddy, Budweiser and the other usual suspects get props for their entertaining Super Bowl ads, I award my top prize to an ad that few are discussing: Honda’s “Everybody Knows Somebody…”

In case you missed it:  The spot opened with a still shot of a couple leaning against a Honda vehicle, parked beside a lake. A women’s voice says, “My boyfriend has one.” As the image slides to the left, a man’s voice (presumably the “boyfriend”) says, “My older sister has one.” A new image slides into the screen with a young woman (the “older sister” and two young children). A child’s voice says, “She has two kids.” A woman’s voice (the older sister with the two children) says, “My college roommate…” as a new photo of a different woman with kids slides into view. Then a photo of an older couple appears as another woman (the college roommate) says, “Our neighbors…”

And on it goes…A scrolling film strip of different people — different ages, various races, appearing in front of different size homes, standing next to their Hondas — naming people they know who “have one.”

“Our neighbors…My daughter…My husband has one…The fella I work with…on so on…”

As the filmstrip ends, the spokesperson declares: “Everybody knows somebody who loves a Honda. Who do you know?”

Then the address for Honda’s Facebook page appears on the screen: facebook.com/honda

Go there and you’ll see a page with more than 300,000 fans (as of Feb. 10)!

I love this ad for several reasons. First, in a simple but brilliant way, it uses social proof to persuade people to choose Honda. “Social proof” is the persuasion principle that says people tend to follow the crowd — even those who like to think of themselves as rebels.

Everybody knows somebody who loves a Honda. And the ad represents the enormous range of Honda-lovers — young, old, rich, poor, black, white. Marketing that effectively employs social proof  dares the target to make a choice: Are you with us or are you going to stand outside the social norm? The tug is strong, and Honda applies it subtly but forcefully in this ad.

Secondly, the ad has a great call to action: Go to our facebook page and share your story with us. I didn’t check Honda’s fan page after the game, but I’m sure there were far fewer than the 300,000+ fans Honda has today.

Honda practiced what we so often preach: Your marketing should not be solely about extending your brand or enhancing your image. With interactive technology, you can make targets act immediately with simple, low-risk calls to action.

People aren’t running from their houses after the Super Bowl to buy a Honda, and the company knows that. But Honda also knows that people who might eventually buy — the people we call the “maybes” — will be warmer prospects if the company can interact with them. So Honda asked them to do a simple thing that didn’t require people to sit with a car salesman or take much risk — visit our facebook page.

Now Honda can communicate with those 300,000+ fans. Without that call to action, Honda would have had no connection with these people until and unless they chose to act.

That’s a great example of using social proof to persuade people to act, and using a simple call-to-action to connect with and market to the maybes

Want to know more about social proof and other persuasion principles? Check out 7 Proven Ways to Make Your Marketing Messages More Persuasive, available for download at www.marketvolt.com/persuasion.

The following is an excerpt from 7 Proven Ways to Make Your Marketing Messages More Persuasive, available for download at www.marketvolt.com/persuasion…

We’ve all heard the phrase, “You owe me one.” That’s a powerful concept that you can use to your benefit when marketing. If you offer something to prospects, they will be more inclined to say “yes” when you ultimately make your sales pitch. They wish to reciprocate. When they used to solicit in airports, Hare Krishnas would hand small flowers to people before asking for a donation. The Krishnas noticed that many people would refuse the request and toss the flowers in the trash. The Krishnas then switched from flowers to small American flags – a token that people were reluctant to toss in the trash. Saddled with a “gift” they could not refuse, people felt more obligated to return the favor. Donations rose dramatically, according to persuasion expert and author Robert Cialdini.

You can apply this principle in countless ways in your marketing efforts. If you give, you will get.

Want more persuasion tips. Get “7 Proven Ways to Make Your Marketing Messages More Persuasive”, available for download at www.marketvolt.com/persuasion…

Clients ask me all the time how they can improve the performance of their email marketing campaigns. Nine times out of 10, their writing needs to improve. If you fill your emails with boring, unpersuasive copy, you will have bored, un-persuaded readers.  It doesn’t matter what you offer or how good the deal. If your copy suffers, your sales will lag. So here are a three tips to strengthen your copy and improve your sales.

No. 1: Use the “Why Should I Care? Filter to Distill Core Benefits from Your Copy. I met last month with a client who wanted help promoting his company’s new online order-tracking system. His draft email described the system under the headline “Introducing Our New Online Order-Tracking System.” Customers can log in, enter the order number and see the status of the order. The copy described the system features in great detail. After reading the draft, I understood what the new system could do.

I then asked, “Why should I care?”

At first he was taken aback, but then he played along and answered, “Because now you can get the information online.”

“Great,” I said, “Why should I care?”

“You can log in 24-7 to track your order,” he said. This was a detail not mentioned in the draft copy. Now we were getting somewhere.

“That’s great for people who want to check their inventory after business hours. But I work 9-5 when you’re open. Why should I care?” I asked.

“Because even if you call during business hours, it can be a pain,” he said. “You don’t always get to the person who has your information. You get put on hold. It’s frustrating. The new system makes it easy.”

Bingo! Get the information whenever you want. Never wait on hold. Avoid the frustration. Make it easy to track your order.

By asking “why should I care?” in response to each claim in your copy (and repeating that question several times over), you will distill your message to its core benefits.

My client isn’t selling system features (log on, enter order number, see status). He’s selling benefits. Never wait on hold. Avoid the frustration. Make it easy to track your order.

Force yourself to ask, “Why should I care?” as you review your copy. Answer and then repeat the question. Keep going. The more you ask and answer, the better your copy will become.

No. 2: Be a storyteller. The day before I met with that client, I called the telephone company to correct a billing issue. I got one of those automated attendants who sent me through the maze of confusing options. Occasionally, I had to say something (and hope the automated attendant could translate my words); once in a while, I had to enter a number on the telephone keypad. After nearly five minutes of this, I was able to “press zero to speak to a representative about your bill.”

“Finally!” I thought as I pressed “zero”. Then: “Ringggg… Ringgg… Ringgg…We’re sorry. Our billing department is currently closed. Please call back during regular business hours.”

I nearly threw the phone out my window! “Has something like this ever happened to you?” I asked.

Of course, it had. “Has it happened to your customers.” I asked. Sure, he said. Everyone has had a similar experience.

If I was promoting an order-tracking system, I would tell my story about the phone company and then say something like this: “If you’re anything like me, you hate being on hold, flailing around the automated attendant maze, only to reach dead-ends. You want to get the information you need easily, when you want it, on your terms — not the automated attendant’s terms. I certainly don’t want to put you or my other clients through what I went through with the telephone company. That’s why we’ve introduced a new order tracking system that…”

By starting with a story, I connect with the readers. They can relate to me, and they can connect their own experiences with the problem I’m trying to solve. It gives me — the salesman — greater credibility and authority. And it gives the prospect greater comfort and confidence in the solution being offered.

Stories move readers forward. Stories keep readers’ interested. Stories make your copy more interesting and persuasive.

No. 3: Understand the Psychology of Persuasion. In the introduction to their outstanding book, “Yes!” authors Noah Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert Cialdini write, “…Small, easy changes to our messages and to our requests can make them vastly more persuasive…Everyone’s ability to persuade others can be improved by learning persuasion strategies that have been scientifically proven to be successful.”

If you want your prospects and customers to say, “Yes” more often, you must buy this book. You also should consider Cialdini’s earlier work, “Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion.”

When promoting my new order-tracking system, I would also include a sentence like this (after outlining the benefits for the customer): “We’re also adding this system because it helps us reduce our customer support costs while actually improving the service we provide.”

Why would I include this copy? Because! That word — because — is very powerful. When added to your copy, it can dramatically improve the persuasiveness of your pitch. Cialdini and his colleagues have proven it, and they explain it in both books I recommend.

I explain the power of “because” in an expanded edition of this article: 7 Proven Ways to Make Your Marketing Messages More Persuasive, available for download at www.marketvolt.com/persuasion.

Three Tips to Make Your Copy Less Boring and More Persuasive

by Tom Ruwitch

Clients ask me all the time how they can improve the performance of their email marketing campaigns. Nine times out of 10, their writing needs to improve. If you fill your emails with boring, unpersuasive copy, you will have bored, un-persuaded readers.  It doesn’t matter what you offer or how good the deal. If your copy suffers, your sales will lag. So here are a three tips to strengthen your copy and improve your sales.

No. 1: Use the “Why Should I Care? Filter to Distill Core Benefits from Your Copy. I met last month with a client who wanted help promoting his company’s new online order-tracking system. His draft email described the system under the headline “Introducing Our New Online Order-Tracking System.” Customers can log in, enter the order number and see the status of the order. The copy described the system features in great detail. After reading the draft, I understood what the new system could do.

I then asked, “Why should I care?”

At first he was taken aback, but then he played along and answered, “Because now you can get the information online.”

“Great,” I said, “Why should I care?”

“You can log in 24-7 to track your order,” he said. This was a detail not mentioned in the draft copy. Now we were getting somewhere.

“That’s great for people who want to check their inventory after business hours. But I work 9-5 when you’re open. Why should I care?” I asked.

“Because even if you call during business hours, it can be a pain,” he said. “You don’t always get to the person who has your information. You get put on hold. It’s frustrating. The new system makes it easy.”

Bingo! Get the information whenever you want. Never wait on hold. Avoid the frustration. Make it easy to track your order.

By asking “why should I care?” in response to each claim in your copy (and repeating that question several times over), you will distill your message to its core benefits.

My client isn’t selling system features (log on, enter order number, see status). He’s selling benefits. Never wait on hold. Avoid the frustration. Make it easy to track your order.

Force yourself to ask, “Why should I care?” as you review your copy. Answer and then repeat the question. Keep going. The more you ask and answer, the better your copy will become.

No. 2: Be a storyteller. The day before I met with that client, I called the telephone company to correct a billing issue. I got one of those automated attendants who sent me through the maze of confusing options. Occasionally, I had to say something (and hope the automated attendant could translate my words); once in a while, I had to enter a number on the telephone keypad. After nearly five minutes of this, I was able to “press zero to speak to a representative about your bill.”

“Finally!” I thought as I pressed “zero”. Then: “Ringggg… Ringgg… Ringgg…We’re sorry. Our billing department is currently closed. Please call back during regular business hours.”

I nearly threw the phone out my window! “Has something like this ever happened to you?” I asked.

Of course, it had. “Has it happened to your customers.” I asked. Sure, he said. Everyone has had a similar experience.

If I was promoting an order-tracking system, I would tell my story about the phone company and then say something like this: “If you’re anything like me, you hate being on hold, flailing around the automated attendant maze, only to reach dead-ends. You want to get the information you need easily, when you want it, on your terms — not the automated attendant’s terms. I certainly don’t want to put you or my other clients through what I went through with the telephone company. That’s why we’ve introduced a new order tracking system that…”

By starting with a story, I connect with the readers. They can relate to me, and they can connect their own experiences with the problem I’m trying to solve. It gives me — the salesman — greater credibility and authority. And it gives the prospect greater comfort and confidence in the solution being offered.

Stories move readers forward. Stories keep readers’ interested. Stories make your copy more interesting and persuasive.

No. 3: Understand the Psychology of Persuasion. In the introduction to their outstanding book, “Yes!” authors Noah Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert Cialdini write, “…Small, easy changes to our messages and to our requests can make them vastly more persuasive…Everyone’s ability to persuade others can be improved by learning persuasion strategies that have been scientifically proven to be successful.”

If you want your prospects and customers to say, “Yes” more often, you must buy this book. You also should consider Cialdini’s earlier work, “Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion.”

When promoting my new order-tracking system, I would also include a sentence like this (after outlining the benefits for the customer): “We’re also adding this system because it helps us reduce our customer support costs while actually improving the service we provide.”

Why would I include this copy? Because! That word — because — is very powerful. When added to your copy, it can dramatically improve the persuasiveness of your pitch. Cialdini and his colleagues have proven it, and they explain it in both books I recommend.

I explain the power of “because” in an expanded edition of this article: 7 Proven Ways to Make Your Marketing Messages More Persuasive, available for download at www.marketvolt.com/persuasion.