Building Effective Web Landing Pages

"So many companies invest a lot of money into digital marketing mediums, only to realize that the massive amount of traffic they have generated is doing very little in terms of conversions... it turns out that customers are being driven to ‘broad’ places such as the company website instead of more specialized locations" (adimpact.com, 2016). As we learned in this weeks lesson, marketing with web landing pages is one of the most cost effective ways to get a message read by a target market and to move prospects through the sales cycle (Scott, 2015).

Let's start with a quick hypothetical scenario to explain landing pages:

Let's say you are a professional builder who owns a small business where your services include a number of services like tiny houses and fixer uppers. Since you have read David Meerman Scott's book, The New Rules of Marketing & PR, you are an incredibly savy marketer that runs your own business' blog. On this blog, you include a few quotes from previous happy customers, a look book of previous jobs, and an option for free consultations.

Now, lets say there is a woman who is looking to buy a new house but was first doing some research online. She stumbles upon your blog, thanks to search engine marketing, and lands on your blog post titled "Top 10 Reasons to Buy a Tiny House in 2016." When she reaches the bottom of the blog post, there is a call-to-action for a free consultation! Once she clicks on the call-to-action she gets directed to your landing page where she can then sign up for her free consultation. The landing page, in this case, would provide some additional information on what the consultation would entail, convincing her to provide contact information on the conversion form to take advantage of your offer. A form is the best way to go here, but don’t ask for too much information. Collect as little as you need at this stage of your marketing funnel. You can always collect more information during your follow up process. Once her information is submitted, she's now a viable lead for your business with whom you can easily follow up!

This scenario I described isn't the only pathway through which a visitor can travel to convert into a lead. Visitors can find your site and its landing pages through a number of marketing channels including email, social media, search engines and ad networks.

So! Just to recap, here are Scott's (2015) 10 tips to consider when building a landing page:

• Make the landing page content short and the graphics simple
• Create the page with your company's look, feel and tone
• Write from the buyers point of view
• A landing page is communications, not advertising
• Provide a quote from a happy customer
• Make the landing page a self-contained unit
• Make the call to action clear and easy to respond to
• Use multiple calls to action
• Ask for necessary information
• Don't forget to follow up!

It is so important to create landing pages that relate to the ad. You have to keep the prospect interested through the conversion. Google provides an extremely useful handbook with best practices to improve your website's SEO.

Discussion questions to consider when writing your post:

• Scott points out that "the best search engine marketing comes from paying attention to and understanding your buyers, not manipulating or tricking them" (2015, p. 406). Is there a time where you were tricked by a landing page or search engine results?
• What advice would you give for a new company that is just starting out in the digital market?
• Is there any advice you can give to a current company to improve their SEO and landing pages?
• What are some ways to measure success of your landing pages and campaigns?

Sources:

n.a. 2016, March 19. The Importance Of Landing Pages. AdImpact.com. Retrieved from http://www.adimpact.com.au/blog/the-importance-of-landing-pages

n.a. 2017. Building Effective Landing Pages. Marketo.com. Retrieved from https://www.marketo.com/ebooks/building-effective-landing-pages/

Scott, D. M. (2015). The New Rules of Marketing and PR (5th ed.). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

Job Hunting with a Digital Foot-print

     Melissa Carter wrote a great blog titled "Social Media and your Future" which gave insight into how employers are using social media platforms to search out employees to ensure successful hiring practices.“Social media is a primary vehicle of communication today, and because much of that communication is public, it’s no surprise some recruiters and hiring managers are tuning in" (Smith, 2013). 

     It is estimated that "93% of hiring managers will review a candidate's social profile before making a hiring decision" (Davidson, 2014). However, Jacquelyn Smith points out, "The good news is that hiring managers aren’t just screening your social media profiles to dig up dirt; they’re also looking for information that could possibly give you an advantage (2013). The Wall Street Journal found that only "19% [of employers] said they found information that sold them on a candidate, such as communication skills or a professional image" (Flynn, 2014). There has been a long standing debate around the ethics of this. Some people say that looking at a prospective hire's social media accounts can lead to discrimination and it may screen out otherwise strong candidates who have done some things the company doesn't like but aren't related to work (Flynn, 2014). However, Nancy Flynn, thinks that, "Keeping an eye on employees helps companies protect themselves (2014). 

     As a job applicant, it is recommended to have Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ to allow employers to get a glimpse of who you are outside the confines of a résumé, cover letter, or interview (Smith, 2013). The best part about your social media platforms is that all these pages describe you in your own words - because you wrote them!! "As you consider a strategy to get yourself out there and onto a social networking site... just remember that authenticity and transparency are critical" (Scott, 2015 p.270). If you are applying for a position in communications, it is imperative to show that you understand how the digital world works. If a company views your social media accounts and does not like how you present yourself, it can be assumed that they will not trust you with their social media presence.

     A good rule of thumb for when it comes to privacy settings on your profiles is: "If you choose to share content publicly on social media, make sure it’s working to your advantage... Take down or secure anything that could potentially be viewed by an employer as unprofessional and share content that highlights your accomplishments and qualifications in a positive way” (Smith, 2013).

     Most of our digital foot-prints are massive, so you may not be able to remove all of the reputation damaging material you find about yourself online. However, there are ways to make things better. Minda Zetlin suggests, "By raising your online profile in a positive way so that anything bad is pushed further and further down in search results" (2015). She also recommends to "Contribute content to industry publications or websites, or local publications. Post regularly to social media in a way that reflects well on you, such as to note your own accomplishments, congratulate your friends and colleagues on their successes, or share valuable content" (Zetlin, 2015).

Sources:

Davidson, J. 2014. The 7 Social Media Mistakes Most Likely to Cost You a Job. Time. Retrieved from http://time.com/money/3510967/jobvite-social-media-profiles-job-applicants/

Flynn, N. 2014. Should Companies Monitor Their Employees' Social Media? Wall Street Journal.  https://www.wsj.com/articles/should-companies-monitor-their-employees-social-media-1399648685 

Scott, D. M. (2015). The New Rules of Marketing and PR (5th ed.). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

Smith, J. 2013. How Social Media Can Help (Or Hurt) You In Your Job Search. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/04/16/how-social-media-can-help-or-hurt-your-job-search/#18c515717ae2

Zetlin, M. 2015. Why You Should Google Yourself Regularly (and What to Do About What You Find). Inc.com. http://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/why-you-should-google-yourself-regularly-and-what-to-do-about-what-you-find-inf.html

Nike and American Express Need a Lesson in Customer Loyalty and Engagement

After reading Ste-Aira Hatchett's blog post titled "Thinking Like the Consumer," one lesson that really stood out to me was don’t confuse content marketing with advertising. This stood out to me because after scrolling through my Twitter feed, I was surprised to see successful brands such as Nike and American Express have a very weak presence on social media. Both of these brands are practicing self-promotion - something that Aimee Couture brought up in her blog post this week. According to an article in Harvard Business Review, "...for a new generation of consumers who get their news and form their views about the world primarily on social media, it is an essential proving ground" (Parmar, 2015).

Since November 2, 2016, Nike has only tweeted twelve times. Nike has also replied to a handful of people, but unless you follow the person they replied to, the tweet is not on your main news feed. The replies are short, only about five words. This makes Nike appear to be not very active on social media and it shows a lack of empathy. "...Empathy consists of three components: reassurance, authenticity, and emotional connection. Empathy goes beyond simply solving a problem. It involves making a customer feel valued" (Parmar, 2015).

Here is a view of Nike's twitter feed:

American Express's message is only towards current customers, not potential customers, making potential customers feel excluded. The twitter account feels almost like a robot is running it, because tweets are supposed to be short, sweet and to the point and American Express posts things like this:

This tweet is very hard to read, has very litter engagement and is taking over my news feed with things that I do not want to buy.  I found a great Forbes article that sums up this week's lesson pretty nicely- Daniel Newman, CEO of Broadsuite Media Group, principal analyst at Futurum and author of Building Dragons gives great advice:

Are you bombarding your audience with advertisements and products or services you are hoping to sell? Instead, focus on engaging your audience; asking them for their opinions, comments, and ideas on how you could make things better for them. Although pertinent data can be gathered from social media platforms, the main focus should be on listening to the customer (2016).

American Express, when answering concerned customers tweets a variation of the same message: "Connecting you with @AskAmex to see if they can help you" instead of just jumping in and solving the problem. It makes the customer feel as if they are on hold, and that they need to wait by their phone for a response. Daniel Newman makes a great point in saying "If your employees cannot provide that answer, have them ensure the customer that they are working on it and have them follow-up with the customer via a phone call or email as soon as they have an answer" (2016).


Newman, D. 2016. Social Media Is No Longer A Marketing Channel, It's A Customer Experience. Forbes. Channelhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2016/01/12/social-media-is-no-longer-a-marketing-channel-its-a-customer-experience-channel/#20e5c1d44967

Parmar, B. 2015. 50 Companies That Get Twitter – and 50 That Don’t. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from ://hbr.org/2015/04/the-best-and-worst-corporate-tweeters

Taco Bell: Social Media Genius and Taco Extraordinaire

Aimee's blog post titled Are you listening?  discussed the importance of companies listening, understanding, and respond appropriately to public customer issues (Kerpen, p. 14). Teens today expect brands to engage with them online 24/7 (Cruz, 2016). A strong example of a company effectively using listening as a tool for its marketing strategy is is the fast food chain, Taco Bell.

Lauren Johnson, a digital marketing reporter at Adweek said,"Social media and millennial marketing is an extremely tough area for brands right now," she says. "The agencies tend to be a bit older, so they're trying to understand what millennials talk about with their friends, and how that can be translated into marketing that feels that same way" (Cruz, 2016). One of the main lessons that we learned this week was: Understand what is important to your target audience.  By using social listening tools you can see what your customers are talking about and use that information to build your online presence; Taco Bell has built a social media empire, with close to 11 million Facebook followers and over 1.8 million Twitter followers. Taco Bell used to be known for the slogan “Think outside the bun.” Within the last few years there has been a shift to more than just food; younger consumers in addition to a meal, demand the overall brand experience and, ultimately, a cool lifestyle. Taco Bell has social media channels that respond instantaneously with posts that "keep it real" creating the feeling that the brand is a friend.

Billy Cruz at NPR points out that Taco Bell prides itself on being a pioneer in engaging with consumers on social media platforms like Snapchat and Twitter (2016). This past November, taking advantage of the newly created taco emoji, the company launched a social campaign called #TacoEmojiEngine, consisting of 600 gifs and photos.
     A blog written by Sherilyn titled "Behind Taco Bell’s Social Media Strategy", points out that Taco Bell's social media channels are so successful because, "People use social media to connect and have fun, not to drown in posts that are selling products or services. Rather than accepting their position as the passive consumer, now, customers want businesses to feel like a friend; they want authenticity to shine through" (2016). This is why Taco Bell posts tweets like the one on the right - it sounds like a teen talking to a teen, which is exactly the audience that Taco Bell is after. Taco Bell blurs the traditional line between producer and consumer by encouraging social media accounts filled with content that is user-generated, which makes consumers feel appreciated and heard. In fact, there are multiple posts on Taco Bells social media accounts with teens eating Taco Bell on the way to Prom, or just hanging out on the couch. Taco Bell just started a mini series on YouTube titled The #TacoBellClipShow where Taco Bell brand ambassadors post things like Burrito beauty hacks, dancing tacos, and puppets in the drive thru. Taco Bell often posts GIFs (like the one below) to wish people happy birthdays.

If you are interested in seeing Taco Bells online presence for yourself, check them out!
Like: Facebook.com/tacobell
Follow: @TacoBell (Twitter) and Tacobell (Instagram)
Subscribe: YouTube.com/tacobell

Sources:

Cruz, Billy. (2016) Taco Bell's Snapchat Game Is Strong Among Teens, But Does It Sell Tacos? All Things Considered. NPR.http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/10/477336641/taco-bell-s-snapchat-game-is-strong-among-teens-but-does-it-sell-tacos

Karpen, Dave. (2015). Likeable Social Media, 2nd Edition. McGraw-Hill.

Sherilyn. (2016). Behind Taco Bell’s Social Media Strategy.meetsoci.com. //www.meetsoci.com/blog/behind-taco-bells-social-media-strategy/