Search Marketing . Web Site Usability . Tips fyi.
When times are tough, it’s important to maximize the return on your on line advertising. Whether you are using Google AdWords, banners, email campaigns, a dedicated landing page is the single most effective way to turn a click into a prospect.
When buying slows down, you need to focus more than ever on making sure that you are finding the prospects who are actually ready to buy and make sure that they are finding you on the search engines consistently .
optimize landing pages
A relevant landing page can easily double conversions versus sending clicks to the homepage, and testing your pages can increase conversions by 2 X more leads for every dollar you spend, something that’s sure to look good in tough times.
44% of clicks for B2B companies are directed to the homepage, not a special landing page..
Content will help in the buying cycle
One great way to do this is to focus your offers on content that will appeal to someone who’s actually looking for a solution (versus thought-leadership and best-practices content, which can appeal to prospects who may one day have a need but are not currently looking to purchase your solutions ). Examples of this kind of content can include “Top 10 Questions to Ask a Potential Vendor” , How To’s , white papers, buyers guides and so on.
Appeal to the nervous buyer
A slow growth economy can mean more risk-averse buyers, which may lead to a tendency to go with “safe” solutions. This is fine for large established companies, but it means that newer companies need to do more than ever to reassure buyers and build trust.
Tactically, this means including in your web site case studies ,customer references, user reviews, expert opinions, awards, vertical customer references, relevant partnerships and other validation as part of your on line marketing.
