The Placebo Effect of Graphs & Charts

Let me clearly state that I prefer placebo's over prescription drugs. The side effects do not last as long. Maybe it is just me, but it seems like some people prefer a colorful graph over answering a bunch of questions. Please don't misunderstand. I am not suggesting that everyone needs to look at raw data. I get it. Data visualization is an excellent method of presentation.

Here is a good example:

You can't help but get excited over the the tremendous increase starting on the 21st. It's dramatic. You must be doing something right! This is the placebo effect of graphs & charts.

Now let's look at the same data over a longer time frame.

Not as exciting, is it? Looking at the same data over a longer time frame shows "spikes" on a regular basis. Buzz Kill.

This is a common problem that many business owners face when presented with marketing data. It just does not have context. We did X and we got Y: Therefore our marketing worked!

There is a really useful feature in Google Analytics that is often overlooked by business owners. It is called annotation.

You really have to look for it.

In Google Analytics click AUDIENCE then directly underneath it click Overview. Now look at the chart to the right in Google Analytics.

Do you see it? Look directly underneath Jul 22 ⬇️.

 When you click the arrow you can create a new annotation.

Annotations are a great way to record what changes you have made to your marketing to get a handle on cause and effect.

Annotations get you past the placebo effect of graphs & charts and help you make connections to real activities/actions. You can use annotations for non web based marketing events to determine if they had an effect on driving traffic to your website.

Once you have implemented annotations, look for patterns over time. If every time you send a particular email campaign your traffic spikes, then you may be on to something. You may want to read Does Increasing Website Traffic Increase Sales? to put this context.

Totally nerd blog I know. Don't be a hater because I got certified in Google Analytics before I became a marketer.

Have Questions? Schedule A Time To Talk.

How To Use A Form For Lead Generation

Lead Generation:

That is what your website is supposed to do!

Every landing page on your website is an opportunity to capture a new lead.

The use of forms to capture leads is extremely effective.

In order to have forms that capture leads you need to understand:

• Placement
• Positioning
• Length
• Fields-What to ask
• Submit Button

   

   

   

  Lead Generation:

  Starts with a great content offer!

   Emerson's Law of Compensation says if you want more, give more.
  Content offers are the foundation of a Give/Get strategy.
  If you want visitors to your website to give you information, you need to provide a content offer that allows them to get something in return.

   

  Placement/Positioning

  Make it easy to find. 90% of visitors do not scroll past the fold! As seen above, make the form easy to see above the fold.  While your content may be great, don't bet against the data by placing your form at the bottom of the content.
  Download Our Free Checklist
  How To Run 
  A
  Lead Generation Campaign Using Inbound Marketing
  

   

  Length

  Research has shown that shorter forms get more conversions. This requires you to really think about what information you really need to determine if the lead is a high quality lead. Quality over quantity is best for lead generation. Also, consider using smart forms. Smart forms allow you to to build a lead profile without having to have them fill out the entire form again.  Once the initial information is gathered, a new piece is information is gathered without filling out the entire form the next time.  The use of smart forms allows you to build a lead profile and can provide meaningful business intelligence in determining lead qualification.
  The data below is from a actual client that shortened their form and dramatically improved their conversion rate.

  

   

   

  Fields- What to Ask

  The graphic above shows the dramatic impact of shortening a form and only asking for information that is relevant. If you are using a form for RFQ's then you may need very specific information. Allowing an attachment to the form can provide you with the relevant information to have an informed discussion with your prospect. Only ask for what you really need.
  
  

  Submit Button

  
  Nobody wants to submit! Use any word other than submit. Keep the copy short. Click Here. Download Now. Go. I'm Ready.  You get the idea.

Topics: Lead Generation

How To Set Up Messaging On Your Google My Business Page

How To Set Up Messaging On Google My Business

Here are the Step By Step instructions

to

set up messaging on your

Google My Business Page.

Login to your Google My Business page.

Once you have logged in Click the Blue Business icon next to the three dots on the far right.

After you click the blue icon you will see a menu like the one below.

Click Messaging.

Then enter the number you want to use and click next.

 Next enter your confirmation code.

 Google My Business will now let you know if you were successful.

You can now set up a personalized greeting for those that want to chat with you via your Google My Business page.

If you click you should see  the main page again.

If you want to change the number to use for messaging on your Google My Business account, you click edit number.

Worried about receiving messages 24 hours a day? Click Messaging in the main menu and you should see this:

You can turn Chat off.

To turn Chat back on your Google My Business Page just click the toggle( Don't forget to click save).

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How To Create A Post On Google My Business

Here are the Step By Step instructions to create a post on your

Google My Business Page.

Login to your Google My Business page.

Once you have logged in Click the Blue Business icon next to the three dots on the far right.

After you click the blue icon you will see a menu like the one below.

Click Posts.

Then click the little camera to start your post.

  

Depending on the size of your image you may see a box covering part of your image. You can slide the box to position your image.

 If you are not happy with the appearance of your image after sliding the box around then we recommend you upload a 400 x 300 image. This size will fit completely in the box.

Once you are satisfied with your image then click - Write your post.

Now tell the world all the great things you want them to know about your business. You can use between 100-300 words.

Remember your audience.

← You can make this an event.

← You can create a button as your Call To Action.

Be conscious of mobile users. 

 You probably don't need 300 words to get your message across effectively.

Your post should look like this.

When you click the Add a Button you will have several Call To Action choices.

Simply insert your specific webpage in place of "example.com" and you are almost done.

Now click the preview button to see how your post will appear to the world.

Now simply hit Publish and the world will see your post!

Don't worry if you find a mistake.

You can delete or edit the post on your Google My Business page after it is published.

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3 Things Business Owners Need to Know About Click Bait

We have all done it. You see a catchy graphic and click it. Then you land on a website that has absolutely nothing to do with what you clicked. This is click bait.

What is the difference between Click Bait and catchy marketing?

Click Bait is designed to get you to click on the hopes that once you arrive on the website the "serious" content will make you stay. Catchy Marketing has compelling copy and/or graphics that grab your attention and create interest in a particular product or service.

You would only click the image below if you were interested in the download(Sorry no kittens on this one).

Does it really matter as long as you get more website traffic?

We were working with a home improvement contractor and this very discussion came up. They had been approached by a company that had a "new" way to build his audience.  As I listened to the business owner explain the process as described to him, it was click bait. Despite our best efforts the owner wanted to proceed in that direction. No problem. We had Google Analytics implemented to measure conversions. Specifically, how many people started on a form and how many completed the form to request a quote. He ran the click bait program for 2 months. Website traffic to their site increased 1000%. Fantastic! This had to mean more sales. NO.

Looking at Source/Medium in Google Analytics:

All completed forms came from Organic-we had compelling Copy on every page, Direct-most likely people that had bookmarked the website, Google Adwords-CPC-we had created compelling copy based on the benefits of their product/service. Not a single completed form came from the Click Bait.

Click Bait will increase website traffic, but does it increase sales?

The Click Bait program had dramatically increased traffic to the website, but it was the WRONG traffic. Their particular  service had a very specific market niche and the click bait did not attract that niche. If you want to see some shaming and naming check out this article from Hootsuite. You may want to read Does Increasing Website  Traffic Increase sales ? for a detailed discussion on measuring conversion rate.

The 3 Basic Rules of Marketing:

Right Message

Right Audience

Right Time

Never go for quantity over quality.

Find Out How We Can Help

3 Overlooked Techniques For Small Business

OK. I will be honest. This article is written out of frustration and anger about SEO for small business. A friend recently got a new job as marketing manager for a small business. They were paying a substantial monthly fee for "SEO" and website hosting. They just were not sure what they were getting for their money and asked if we would take a look.

As we analyzed their website it was clear that the "SEO" company had taken great effort to place as many keywords as possible on every page. This is a really bad idea! Why?

 Search Engines like Google and Yahoo work in a very simple manner.

What do you say the page is about (meta description) and what is the page about (keywords on page). When you try to shove as many keywords on a page as possible this creates a real disconnect when you try to write a compelling meta description that will attract searchers to click your page. In WordPress the meta description is called the snippet. Here is an example of a typical meta description:

 Your space is limited in a meta description. Use it wisely. A best practice is to focus on 1 or 2 keywords per page. This allows you to write a concise and compelling meta description/snippet. Click here for some tips from Google on how to write good snippets for search results. A highly focused website page with  1 or 2 keywords per page is step 1 to laying the foundation for SEO for small business. The company they were using did not understand SEO 101. I was confident they had not used the 3 overlooked SEO techniques for small business.

What are the 3 overlooked SEO techniques for small business?

• H1 tag- Think of this as chapter titles in a book. A properly structured H1 tag with the page keyword makes itsimple for search engines to figure out what your page is about. In WordPress you simply click the drop down and select Heading 1.                                                     In HubSpot you click Style⇒Formats⇒Headings⇒Heading 1.

• Image Alt text- You have seen it. You hover over a picture and a bunch of numbers and gibberish shows up. Image Alt text was not used. Whenever appropriate you should use the keyword in the image alt text. A quick test is to enter your topic/brand in a search engine and click images. Do you show up?
• Sitemap- The easiest way for people to find you is to give them a map. A search engine is no different. Upload your sitemap to every major search engine. For a more detailed discussion you might want to read Why is nobody visiting my website?

Not sure if your website has these 3 overlooked SEO techniques for small business?

P.S.- they were not using these 3 overlooked SEO techniques. 

The Home Run In Small Business Marketing

I am very fortunate to attend many gatherings with small business owners and when it comes to internet marketing it seems many are looking for the home run.

If you have ever been to a baseball game, you know how exciting it is to see a home run. The anticipation as it reaches the fence. I have actually yelled at a baseball to go over the fence. It is exhilarating. Marketing can be the same way. You want your investment in marketing to knock it out of the park. You want a home run.

Baseball is overflowing with data and statistical analysis.

Home runs are not a clear indicator of winning percentage in baseball.

Source: https://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2016/9/9/12842846/home-runs-wins-correlation-2016

Baseball games are won with singles, not home runs.

The same is true with small business marketing. Seeing a huge increase in website visitors, email subscriptions, form submissions is exciting. Then you analyze the data.

• How many became customers?
• What is their Life Time Value?
• What is the ROI on marketing spend?

A huge leap in one metric causes momentary exhilaration. Don't misunderstand me. If you see a micro success, analyze it and find out why and duplicate it. You may want to read Are You Using Data To make Marketing Decisions? for a more detailed discussion.

While it is more exciting to get a home run, the reality is incremental success-singles-are a much better indicator of the effectiveness of your marketing.

We say it on almost all of our web pages:

We don't play the feel good game and tell you about Impressions, Likes and Clicks.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR MORE THAN A ONE TIME FIX, THEN WE'RE A GOOD FIT. www.analyticsthatprofit.com