No. 1 take-away

Marketing Experiments Journal held a free web clinic yesterday on optimizing landing pages. I couldn't attend, but I talked my college-age son into registering so he could learn how to improve his Living World Photography landing page.

His No. 1 take-away message was that the landing page should state your value proposition -- make it clear exactly what you're selling and why people should buy it from you.

He could have sat through an entire semester of Marketing 101 (which he would never do -- he's a biology systematics and math major, after all) -- and not learned as much as he did in that one-hour webinar.

Pretty cool that's it still free on-demand and available to anyone eager to learn.

Plan a 2008 strategy

Marketing Experiments Journal recaps lessons learned in 2007 with the 2008 Internet Marketing Strategy brief. This is an excellent starting point for developing a work plan based on strategies that have been tested and proven effective.

Marketing Wisdom for 2008

Download your free copy of MarketingSherpa's 2008 Wisdom Report, packed with bits of wit and wisdom from the trenches. E.g.:

"Poor communication of our goals, thoughts and ideas is one of the leading causes of any project failure. As professional communicators, you would think we'd be better at this, but sometimes we are so focused on the audience we are marketing to, that we forget to properly communicate with those working beside us."

-- Mike Santoro, Walker Sands Communications

Here here.

Lead nurturing

Following up on leads takes more than a call to ask if the prospect is ready to buy. In the WhitePaperSource Newsletter, Brian Carroll of InTouch recommends a "lead nurtuing plan" to build trusting relationships with the right people.

Carroll says the goal is to influence the buying decision by answering these questions:

• How will this product/service help my company?
• Why do we need it?
• Is there a better provider out there?
• Can they prove the solution works?
• Is the company credible?
• Can we afford it?

Through a series of letters, emails, voice mails and events, you can provide credible information that establishes your company as the preferred provider.

Sample Plan
Here is the 12-month lead nurturing plan Carroll provided in his WhitePaperSource article, "How Lead Nurturing Drives Better ROI":

i. Introductory phone call and follow-up "thank you" email
1. Third-party article on pertinent technology via email
2. Relevant case study via email with follow-up call
3. E-newsletter with voicemail alert to check
4. Third-party article on pertinent technology via email
5. Relevant white paper via email
6. Targeted campaign via direct mail
7. Relevant ebook via email with follow-up call
8. Link to relevant podcast via email with follow-up call
9. Report via direct mail with follow-up call
10. Invitation to webcast via email with follow-up call
11. Call to invite to industry event and follow-up with link
12. Prospect calls you and becomes a sales-ready lead

Carroll reports that "nurtured prospects" bring in 100% more revenue than prospects who were not nurtured.

Carroll is author of Lead Generation for the Complex Sale. Thank you, Michael Stelzner, for bringing us this great article!

Web analytics definitions

The Web Analytics Association (WWA) has just published standard definitions for 26 web analytic metrics covering the areas of site visits, content and conversion. This initiative attempts to standardize the way we measure and report Web site traffic so that we can compare our results to industry benchmarks.

Having written about this recently, I can tell you that marketers are confused about what the various traffic statistics mean and how to tell if they're achieving their goals.

Jason Burby, co-chair of the WWA Web Standards Committee, explains how the new definitions will affect marketers in his ClickZ column, "The Importance of Web Analytics Standards." He concludes:

"Web analytics has left the hands of the über-technical folks and [gone] into the hands of marketers who can act on this data. These aren't Web analytics experts, they're Web strategy experts ... who may run a specific portion of the Web site. They must understand site performance is key, but they won't spend all day using an analytics tool. ... They must understand analytics basics so they can act on data and change the site accordingly."

Download the report for these very straightforward definitions.

Webinar best practices

GoToMeeting.com's new white paper, "Top 10 Webinar Best Practices" (registration required to download) offers useful research-based tips on how to get results from web-based presentations. Here's a quick recap:

1. Use guest speakers to improve attendance.
2. Rehearse in advance for smoother presentation.
3. Ask your vendors to email invitations to customers.
4. Send invitations 1-2 weeks in advance.
5. Use registration profiles to customize content.
6. Limit webinar to 60 minutes max.
7. Allow time for Q&A (though fewer than 50% of attendees ask questions).
8. Solicit feedback by polling the audience.
9. Product demos are optional (1 in 4 sponsors rarely do it).
10. Survey attendees for post-webinar feedback.

Two out of five people surveyed for this report plan to attend more webinars in the future, making webinars an increasingly popular lead generation tool.

Mad Marketing Podcast

Check out marketing geeks Rob Schultz of Audacious Audio and Andy Wibbels, author of Blogwild, as they bounce around ideas in this videocast, produced from two locations and complete with screen captions.

What I like about this is not so much the content (it's a pilot podcast and too slow-paced), but the technology that enables marketers to produce their own shows featuring guests in distant locations.

E-Newsletter on e-newsletters

Make your e-newsletter an essential read, with tips from Michael Katz of Blue Penguin Development. The E-Newsletter on E-Newsletters coaches you through content planning, relationship building and customer service -- all in a personal, chatty way.   

Product Factory workshop

Want an incentive to finish the book that positions you as the go-to person in your industry? Take the Product Factory workshop and create your “product” in just 90 days. Peer pressure makes it happen in this dynamic group. It’s how Andy Wibbels wrote his book, BlogWild!

Vertical marketing guide

BtoB Magazine's 2007 Vertical Marketing Guide offers insights for marketing to construction, financial services, IT, pharmaceuticals, hospitality and other industries. Download the PDF to see the Vertical Vehicle Charts that list publications, trade shows and web sites to target.