1. What is Social Media good for?

Awareness and what I will call “soft call-to-actions”.

49% say it is “very effective” in increasing brand or product awareness according to MarketingSherpa.

Soft call-to-actions are the steps potential customers take to buying. These soft call-to-actions could be giving feedback, registering for a webinar, voting, downloading something, etc. It’s not usually buying or submitting a lead.

1. Who are your audiences?

You may have one or multiple. An effective plan caters to the specific target audience.

2. Are they being social online? Where?

Ask this question for each audience. One may be on Linked In, while another audience doesn’t use social media websites. Sometimes, you must create a place for them to be social.

3. What content would they value?

If you’re not sure, listen to them by monitoring what they talk about. There are tools for this. If you know what would be really helpful for them – create it.

4. Then, deliver the valued content…

Send it through the right online social channels with an appropriate soft call-to-action with a mechanism to measure and respond. Measure so you know how much this effort is worth. Respond with the next step in cultivating that lead.

Who has done this?

• Neenah Paper discovered that using Twitter is a more effective way of nurturing leads and now has 10 sales people working it.
• Northwest Analytics generates one-third of webinar registrations through social media. (From AberdeenGroup’s report titled “B2B Social Media Marketing: Are We There Yet?)
• Kinaxis had a 2.7X increase in Web traffic and 3.2X increase in leads.

How can I know if it’s right for my company before spending a bunch of time?

We suggest identifying and quantifying social media opportunities before making a decision to invest time and resources. Our Social Media Director can help you find out through our unique process called Insight Lab. This process identifies viable options, quantifies in terms of ROI, and plans out what to do.  Ask us if we can help you size up your social media opportunities.

Does Effect also execute the social media plan?

Yes. We can help you execute your social media plan or do it all for you.

The reason we chose Effect, over a dozen other designers, was because they did so much more than just web design. Through the Insight lab, we were able to create a comprehensive plan for the firm that fit our ideals and objectives. - Mario Massillamany, Attorney, Starr Austen & Miller, LLP

Challenge

The partners at Starr Austen & Miller are highly respected trial lawyers. In their own words: “Being great lawyers is not enough anymore in order to grow your firm. You need to be great marketers too.”

Strategy Mix

• Insight Lab
  • Website planning
  • Search Engine Optimization research & strategy planning
  • Identify Social Media opportunities and phase one planning
  • Design the look of the new presentation
• Construction
  • Full web-publishing website
  • Mobile site
  • Photography
  • Copy writing
  • Kicked-off search engine optimization campaign execution.
  • Continual site updates
• Radar
  • Web Results Dashboard
  • Class Action Idea Alerting tool
  • Regular reporting/consulting meetings
  • Web analytics

Solution

The Right Look

Effect’s new website for Starr Austen & Miller has drastically improved our overall messaging, image, and vision. - Mario Massillamany, Attorney, Starr Austen & Miller, LLP

There are basically two types of “competing” law firm websites out there: A) Lofty, no-personality firms and B) Ambulance-chasers. Starr Austen & Miller, LLP is neither. The Starr Austen & Miller law firm are well-respected trial lawyers that “give it to you straight”. The contemporary black and white design with professional photography, the right wording and the “Straight-Talk” blog communicate competence, commitment to clients and no-nonsense.

Getting the Right Traffic

First, we sized-up the opportunities in attracting potential clients from Google for specific goals. Then, seeing that the opportunity made sense to invest into, we laid out the specific strategy to get to the top based upon the right keywords, pace of competitors and the current status of StarrAusten.com. We began executing our SEO campaign in October 2011. Stay tuned for results.

For another audience type, it’s more advantageous to implement quickly-activated and short-lived Pay-Per-Click campaigns. We developed the template for the landing pages, ads and the process for activating a fully-functional Pay-Per-Click campaign within 24 hours of being notified.

Converting Traffic

Appropriate pages guide the visitor to contact the practice area Team Leader through a very simple contact form. Those that want more information before contacting are directed to the Q&A section. Others are invited to participate in the “Understand your rights” Live Chat every Wednesday afternoon to chat directly with one of the attorneys.

We have tailored landing pages to convert the traffic from very specific Pay-Per-Click ads.

Monitoring the Relevant Web

Effect understands that the future is now and the present is ever-changing. With that understanding, Effect has helped Starr Austen & Miller LLP, a 36-year-old law firm, stay competitive in the legal marketplace as technology continues to evolve. - Mario Massillamany, Attorney, Starr Austen & Miller, LLP

Starr Austen & Miller now reviews filtered intelligence on competition gathered by Effect. For instance, we know competitors’ pace of search engine marketing so we can compete with confidence.

Class Action Litigation starts very quickly. Once an opportunity arises, there’s a race among law firms to get first dibs of the case. Initially, we discussed a plan to push class action ideas to Starr Austen & Miller. This would have been very costly and taken many man hours and a couple years to gauge effectiveness. We instead suggested a plan to pull class action ideas to us that is very inexpensive, automated and we’d be able to judge the effectiveness within a few months.

Before Starr Austen & Miller engages in meaningful social media interactions, they must listen to relevant online conversations. We’ve implemented an initial, simple strategy to start. The findings of this listening period will determine if and how we proceed further in the Social Media realm.

Effect Web Agency reviews and meets with Starr Austen & Miller every month. We’re like their own internal web team of experts keeping them on the right track to reach specific, attainable goals.

We think of this strategic alliance as creating a ‘village’ of companies – each delivering its own unique brand of expertise in sales, marketing, and Web technology to the customer. Spearhead pulls it all together synergistically to deliver the tools, systems, and creativity to grow your business – Chad Root, President of Spearhead

Spearhead is a consulting firm that works with marketing departments and sales personnel to effectively leverage their marketing resources. It specializes in sales management systems including lead generation, sales and marketing workshops, and strategies that increase sales growth.

Steve Schmidt, President, and Web strategist for Effect Web Agency cites additional advantages for businesses. “Companies are seeking more cost-effective solutions to business challenges. What’s also great is that each of us will now be able to offer clients an all-star lineup of sales and marketing expertise – all through one point of contact.”

Headquartered in Elkhart Indiana, Effect Web Agency develops Web marketing strategies for businesses that produce effective measurable results. Whether the goal is increased sales, lead generation, or more Web traffic, EWA enables its clients to make informed decisions. Website optimization (custom web design), natural search engine optimization (SEO), social media, Pay-Per-Click advertising, web video, micro sites, digital brochures, web analytics, motion graphics and dynamic presentations are all areas of Effect Web Agency’s expertise. EWA also has an office in Warsaw.

TaigMarks and Effect Web Agency will continue to serve existing clients independent of this marketing alliance. “Nothing will change in regard to our present client relationships. We’ll just be able to offer clients a wider platform of services,” said Steve Taig, President of TaigMarks.

TaigMarks of Elkhart is a full service marketing and public relations agency that specializes in creating or rejuvenating a company’s brand identity through core message development and visual identity. It also assists with strategic planning and execution using design, copywriting, print production, advertising, public relations, event and product launches, and trade show exhibit design.

All three firms serve an exceptional range of clients including those in plastics manufacturing, RV and truck production, the medical and orthopedic industry, financial services, educational institutions, retail furniture manufacturers, HVAC suppliers, and the agricultural industry.

To learn more, please visit:

www.effectwebagency.com
574.533.3800

www.spearheadsalesmarketing.com
574.294.6900

www.taigmarks.com
574.294.8844

Chad Root, President of Spearhead Sales & Marketing, a collaborating company with Effect Web Agency, has designed this paper to provide fresh vision, know-how and resources to help sales hungry companies efficiently leverage both sales and marketing investments together as a unified force.

Download “#1 Biggest Mistake in B2B Sales”

Wondering how you should approach Social Media effectively? Setup a meeting with Alzay Calhoun, Effect’s Social Media Director, to size it up.

Back in 2007, Google first introduced what is now generally termed their “Universal Search” results.  This meant that, instead of including only organic and Adwords listings, the search results pages format changed to include options for Images, Videos, News, Shopping, Books, Places, Blogs, and more.  However, in the past, if you wanted to see Videos and Shopping results, you had to click on those links in the navigation bar on the left side of results pages.

In 2010, Google began including blended results, meaning that Video and Shopping links are included in the default organic listings.

Why is this so important?

Let’s say that, prior to 2010, your website was ranking #3 for one of your target keyword phrases, and your listing was clearly visible approximately ½ way down (without scrolling) the search engine results pages (SERPS).  Studies from 2007 showed that the #3 listing received approximately 8-10% of the click-through traffic.  Now, with blended results, YouTube Videos and Shopping results are usually listed somewhere within the first 3 or 4 organic results.  Even though your business has that #3 organic ranking, it may now be “below the fold”, meaning users have to scroll down to find it, depending on their browser and screen size.  This has huge implications for click-through rates and traffic, making the investment in organic SEO campaigns and Video optimization even more important.

Local results for everyone

A related change in search results over the past year is the integration of localized content into the main organic results for ALL users, including those not signed into a Google account.  This is extremely significant, especially for businesses with a small local target market. Prior to 2010, if you had a Google account and were signed in, you may have received personalized results based on your location.  For example, if you were in Chicago and searched for “Italian restaurant”, Google would produce listings for Italian restaurants in Chicago.  Now, Google will produce local results for just about any keyword search that it deems appropriate.  Based on the IP address of your internet connection, the number of local results varies, but in some cases, the entire page of results could be filled with local listings.  Again, this pushes regular organic listings further down the page, lowering their click-through rates and traffic.

• “What good is Social Media for me?”
• “How should I leverage it?
  

Like anything else “new”, many people are doing it just because others are. Some don’t yet have goals.  But you’re different. You want to size up social media before you invest money and your valuable time. To help put social media into perspective today, we’ve boiled down Social Media into 3 scenarios. Which scenario fits you?

Scenario A: No-Brainer

If you’re selling a product or providing a service that’s pleasure-centric or inspires passion and it changes over time, you’re probably in the “No-Brainer” scenario. Business that easily fit into this scenario include restaurants, theme parks, women’s boutique clothing stores, museums, theaters, etc. The amount of “work” you will need to do to stoke things up depends on the loyalty of your audience. Providing the venue (like Facebook), updating news, and telling your audience about it regularly typically brings good results such as increased visits, increased sales, increased loyalty, and more referrals. My recommendation is to research, plan your strategy, and implement soon.

Scenario B: Experimental

Are you a B2B company? Or selling a utility product or providing a service that gets something done and isn’t really something people generally find exciting by itself? You’re probably in the Experimental scenario. Many companies are testing and measuring their investment into social media and getting mixed results. Generally, having a strategy and goals brings better results, but sometimes people just aren’t interested enough to participate in being social with an accountant, or a manufacturer of windows. However, the same was probably assumed about supply chain solution providers. Then Kinaxis found a way to make a connection with their audiences with the use of humor and gained incredible results. (Read  “The Definitive Case for B2B Social Media Marketing“).

The lesson here is: There are many industries with the assumption that it’s not relevant. First, understand what you want out of a social media investment. Learn from Kinaxis and others while being creative in how you plan on reaching your audience through social media over the long-term. Count the cost of money, time, payroll, and etc over a few years to determine when is a good time to start. Test and measure. You will most likely evolve your strategy over time. Some will win, some won’t. Are you an innovator or late-adopter?

Scenario C: Unjustified

Just like busywork, there’s always something you can be doing, but that doesn’t mean you should be doing it. Don’t worry about social media right now if your organization:

• Doesn’t have goals that social media can help meet now or the near future
• Doesn’t have time or resources to do a whole-hearted social media effort
• The cost outweighs the expected benefits

If you believe that this is your scenario, I encourage you to revisit whether social media is relevant again next year.

In the long run

In 10 to 15 years, a company who does not having an active social channel with customers may be like a company who doesn’t have a website today.  It makes good sense for companies to be socially available and engaged with customers. The questions to be answered are:

• What will our company gain, by being social this year, 5 years, and 10 years down the road?
• When does it make sense for our company to become social and with which audiences?
• How can we make it enjoyable for our audiences and us?

Social Media is much more than Facebook and Twitter. There are many industry-centric venues and new innovative channels created each month. Companies are also creating their own venues. As always, keep yourself updated and know what’s going on:

“Any enterprise built by wise planning becomes strong through common sense and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts.” -Proverbs 24: 3&4

• How much it costs to get a lead or close a sale?
• How the investments and results of tradeshows compare to direct mail to search engine marketing?
• If Search Engine Optimization is really worth it?

How do you track the investments (money, time, efforts, resources) and results across your various marketing channels?

Step into the New Year by conquering one this major marketing challenge. Download this free “Web + Marketing Results Dashboard” Excel file and start tracking your results better.

Effect Web Agency has been using our “Web + Marketing Results Dashboards” for our own clients since 2007. The dashboard brings together the most important information across all marketing channels in one place. By using this simple dashboard, you’ll be able to easily track, report, and improve your online & offline marketing strategies based on real numbers that are really easy to understand.

This Dashboard helps you track results for:

• Search Engine Optimization
• Adwords
• Social Media
• Email Marketing
• Direct Mail
• Tradeshows
• and it’s simple enough to customize and add more.

It also calculates insightful metrics for you such as:

• Cost per Lead / Sale for each marketing channel
• Total cost of doing each type of marketing channel
• Percentage of Leads that results in a closed sale
• Average cost per closed sale

Download the Excel file of “Web + Marketing Results Dashboard” now.
You’ll lead your company to being more focused on what matters, being in-the-know, and making your job easier.

More Leads

First, let’s compare the steps for a user to take action on a traditional Pay-Per-Click ad. When a customer sees your ad: they click it to load the webpage, probably load a couple more pages and then contact you. Even with a great ad message that sends people to an well-written and optimized landing page, the customer must take at least two steps.

If it makes sense for your customers to call you, put a phone number on your Adwords ads using Google’s new “Call Metrics” service. This phone number will show in search results for those using mobile devices. Instead of clicking through to your landing page, they can simply call you. Don’t worry, it doesn’t count against your ad’s character count. Google will generate a phone number for you and it will show below your ad. Some people would just rather call in. They will see the number on the ad and call.  Customers that would have clicked if you didn’t have a phone number, now don’t click and just call.  Calls are cheaper than clicks.

According to Effect Web Agency’s Pay-Per-Click Director, :

“Overall, the cost is much less… With mobile search increasing you want to have phone calls rather than clicks. We are seeing a higher percentage of calls than clicks. It’s a no-brainer to at least have a number added to your ad. You want to have the most visibility and ways for your potential customers to interact with you.”

Is putting phone numbers in Adwords Ads new?

Putting a phone number in the ad is not new. However, what is new is attaching a phone number to your ad which does not use up your ad message length and integrates tracking right into Adwords Call Metrics.

So how do you track calls?

Google’s “Adwords Call Metrics” tracks how many calls you receive and other information about each call such as who called and the length of the call.

Is Adwords Call Metrics avilable yet?

It’s available to a limited number of advertisers currently. Effect Web Agency is one of them. Effect’s Pay-Per-Click Director manages over $14 million in online marketing budgets continually. If you’d like to talk to us about reviewing and/or managing your Adwords campaigns, please contact us.

Free Leads

Many advertisers have not yet taken advantage of Adwords “Location” and phone extensions. By filling in these extensions, your location and phone number will show on your listing. Those who call this phone number will not generate a cost for you. Overall, this will lower your spending per lead.

Can I just put a phone number in my ad?

Yes, but our Pay-Per-Click Director does not recommend this. Putting a phone number in your ad uses up your valuable ad text space. This text should be reserved for positioning your offering and attracting best-fit customers.

Effect Web Agency has published the “SEO Success Checklist” in PDF format. This checklist outlines the critical components for the long-term and lasting success of your natural search engine optimization efforts. See SEO from the eyes of the SEO Consultant. The list was created by Effect’s Web Strategist, Steve Schmidt and natural SEO Director with 11 years of SEO experience – Shawn Nafziger.

Download “SEO Success Checklist”