1)      Consistency with the theme is so important. Make sure that the images, offers, and text content you include on your graphic are highly visible on the destination landing page so that visitors don’t feel lost when they arrive on your site.

2)      Don’t negate the necessity for testing. Things can always improve.  Why not create future ads by learning what did and did not work for the ads in the past.  HINT: Here is where Google Website Optimizer comes in handy! Always think about your options in the following areas:

• The Call to Action:
  • wording,
  • color,
  • shape,
  • size,
  • prominence

• The Point of Action Assurances:
  • Should you include a verification logo for secured online purchases?
  • Should you include a privacy policy?

• The Font You Use:
  • Which font should I choose?
  • Can my demographic read it easily?
  • If this is a mobile site, can they read the text of the ad?
  • Should I make it bold or italic?

Remember, what looks good on paper doesn’t always look so good online.

• The Headline Message
  • Should you use punctuation?
  • Should you include an explanation of benefits/features?
  • Does it need to evoke emotion?
  • Should you ask a question?

• The Graphic
  • What size/shape should it be?
  • Would the ad be more effective if there is an image of a person present for a relatable personability factor?

Remember, if you are going to have an image of a person, make sure that their eyes are facing forward to increase the false connection.

3)      Always track your destination URL. If you are new to this, use this link to help you build it.

If done right, an image ad is a great way to target your audience.  It is more visually attractive than a text ad, and is usually larger and easier to see and gain an impression.  You can also draw a visitor in by telling a story through basic animation.

I’ve been a sports freak nearly all my life – as a player, coach and fan.  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that success is dependent on three main things:  hard work, skill level and most of all, teamwork.  We’ve all heard the sayings “There’s no ‘I’ in TEAM” and “You win as a team and you lose as a team.”  Yes, there are “stars” (highly skilled players) on every team, but all the members of the team have to contribute to be successful.  Watch a pass play unfold during a football game from above  (where you can’t see their numbers or faces) as the receivers run their routes, the linemen execute their blocks, the backfield blocks or  slips out into the flat and the quarterback reads the defense to hopefully make the best choice for his team to advance.  Or watch a baseball game from high above (again, the names and faces don’t matter) as a ball is hit to the gap and you will see EVERY player take action with players backing up each other, lining up for a relay and communicating during the play.  To me, it’s a work of art that requires commitment from every team member.

In the business world, it’s no different.  Success is dependent on the same 3 things and I was so thrilled to see it “live” during a meeting this past Friday.  I know.  I know.  “Thrilled” during a meeting?  What?  If I was Jim Gaffigan (the comedian), I would now mutter under my breath, “This guy’s sick”.  Anyway, our Web Marketing Team has grown quickly over the last few years and as a result, we’ve carefully brought in some tremendous marketing and technology talent to take great care of Beacon’s clients, many of which are extremely high profile with high expectations.  When we started the web marketing business unit here at Beacon over 10 years ago, it was primarily search engine optimization (organic) with a single specialist assigned to our clients.  Once we got to a point where we had enough SEO clients to justify adding more staff, I quickly realized that the overall knowledge base of the team grew exponentially because they could bounce ideas off each other, discuss techniques and essentially, provide significantly more value to our client base.

Like in any competitive arena, players have a choice:  They can play for themselves or they can play for the team.  But guess what, our clients’ success and Beacon’s success requires teamwork.  I’ve seen way too many “one-person shops” that just can’t compete and their clients truly have “all their eggs in one basket” (I hate clichés, but this works here!).  Can a one-man shop seriously stay current and provide expertise in all the critical areas – SEO, PPC, social media marketing (SMM), Google Analytics, eMail, Shopping Engines, Google Website Optimizer, and many other areas?  It’s essentially evolving into a model that is very similar to an IT Development Team – requiring varying areas of expertise. Beacon’s clients get a team of experts – a team that works hard and shares information to win the marketing battles that occur on the internet. 

This leads me back to this “thrilling meeting”… 

So I’m sitting at the end of our board room table and the entire web marketing team is in attendance.  Every Friday morning, we come together to discuss 2-3 of our clients in depth from a marketing, technical and business standpoint.  Collectively, we look at their website.  We look at their pay-per-click ads.  We look at their key phrases and SEO results.  We dig deep into Google Analytics and review Google Website Optimizer testing results.  We talk about what’s working and what isn’t.  We brainstorm for new ideas.  We share alternative approaches, new techniques and the latest industry information.  Well, at last Friday’s meeting it dawned on me that it’s like a surgical team (or, for the sports theme, maybe it’s more like a “chalk talk”).  This group is totally focused as a TEAM, not as individuals, for the sole purpose of providing the best results for our clients.  It was truly amazing to see this group of bona fide experts working together to make a good thing even better – much like watching that pass play or handling that ball hit to the gap.  I’m looking forward to next Friday’s meeting!

Okay,  the Amish don’t know anything about pay-per-click advertising or PPC management and they probably couldn’t tell you where these heaters are actually made either (China).  But we can pick up some tips from last winter’s Amish fireplace ad campaign.

But first off, you can read at ConsumerAffairs.com about exploiting the Amish and a $300 fireplace that you could buy with  equivalent btu’s for $19.99 at Target.

Why is this ad effective?

Some ppc landing page tips from the Amish:

Long copy

Direct marketers have known about long copy for some time now. Its not there for the sake of filling space. Its used to crowd in as many sales arguments as possible.  Not everyone is going to read it, but those that do will probably convert.

from the book Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples:

Advocates of short copy say, “I don’t think anybody will read all that small print. Let’s cut the copy down to a couple of paragraphs and set it in 18-point type.”What the advocates of short copy should say, if they want to be accurate, is this: ” I don’t think everybody will read all that small print.” This is perfectly true. Everybody will not read it. But the fact is that the very people you are most interested in will read your ad. These are prospects who will buy your product or service if you tell them sufficient reasons for doing so.

Here is the solution to the problem of long copy versus short copy that should satisfy the champions of both sides of the question.  Put a brief selling message into your headline and subheadings. Put your detailed message into small print. In this way, you accomplish two things:

(1) You get  a brief message across to glancers with your headline and subheads.

(2) You give a complete message to the person who is sufficiently interested in your product to read about it.

John Caples wrote his Tested Advertising Methods in 1932. As you can see, the same technique is still used effectively in 2009.

Use headers to qualify your audience

Immediately, the problem of high heating bills is made apparent.  Hey, I have high heating bills too! Join the club. Read on reader and your problem will be solved.

Call to action keyphrases

Save! How to! These call to actions are boldfaced in the sub headings. You can read about the best call to action keywords in my previous post. Also, notice that the word FREE is used to grab attention in the ad.

Increase conversions with badges and seals

The Good House Keeping Seal of approval and the Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) certification is featured predominently in the Amish fireplace ad.  Conversion testing has shown that using security badges and seals such as the BBB Better Business Bureau on your website are an easy way to increase conversions.

Did the methods above increase sales of Amish fireplaces?

“The demand for the product was much higher than the company anticipated. They really were not properly staffed to take all the orders,” said the BBB’s Joy Bender.

Take a few tips from the Amish and increase your conversions too.