Post-click copywriting tips for higher conversions

Writing ad copy is an art and a science, right? 

First you get creative and figure out how to distinguish yourself and persuade searchers to click on your ad, all in 95 characters. Then you get scientific and start testing your ad copy to see which gets you the best click-through-rate.

It’s by no means easy to fit all you want to say in a headline + two lines, which is why you just have to create the perfect teaser to get the searcher to click-thru to your landing page.

Once there, you have a lot more room to get persuasive, get creative, and get optimized for conversions. 

9 Post-click copywriting tips for higher conversions

1. Be sure your landing page headline matches the original ad:
   
   
   
2. Provide one clear call-to-action per page (“download,” “call now,” “buy,” “learn more”)
   
   
   
3. Write in second person - use “you” and “your” to keep the focus on the visitor
   
4. Write to deliver a clear and persuasive message, not show off how witty you are.
   
5. Keep your most important points at the beginning of paragraphs and bulleted lists
   
6. Keep your copy very scannable. Use short bullets and vary sentence length. Also keep paragraphs between 2-4 sentences.
   
   
   
   
7. People read beginnings and ends before the middle, so keep critical info in these sections.
   
8. Make your first paragraph short. It should be no more than 1-2 lines (not sentences).
   
   
    
9. Write to your screen environment. Keep important info (the call-to-action, the video, the image, the description) above the fold.
   
   

For even more advice on copywriting that converts, check out this webinar we co-hosted with Roberta Rosenberg, the copywriting maven!

Remember, landing page copy is part art and part science just like ad copy, so be sure to test & optimize your landing pages!

The 15 building blocks of post-click marketing

Post-click marketing is the strategy you use to meet or exceed the expectations of your best prospects as they enter your online marketing funnel.

If your job requires you to produce and optimize landing pages, manage search engine marketing initiatives, conduct online testing, generate leads or demand, or engage in content marketing, you’re already heavily involved in post-click marketing whether you know it or not.

People are clicking on your ads and you’re dropping them into a (hopefully) conversion-focused page. Whether that page is your home page, a dedicated landing page, or an online form, you’re setting up a post-click experience with the intent to turn the visitor into a lead or a sale.

However, a focus on conversion shouldn’t be the only component to your post-click strategy. 

Here are 15 building blocks for a high-ROI post-click marketing strategy:

1. User-Centered. You think about the user experience first and foremost. You think about ‘people’ not data.
2. Fluid. You have continuity and connection from click through conversion.
3. Relevant. Where people land when they click is contextually relevant.
4. Conversion focused. Your landing experiences use conversion best practices. You always consider the final, desired action.
5. Segmented. Visitors are segmented based on campaign, traffic source, role, need, motive, and more. This information is used to optimize the experience and the follow up.
6. Targeted. You take advantage of opportunities to provide a highly targeted experience.
7. Measured. You track key metrics that illuminate opportunities to improve results.
8. Tested & Optimized. You use real-time A/B or multivariate testing to determine what works and what doesn’t. You optimize campaigns based on your test outcomes.
9. Analyzed. You look at top-line metrics to scan the horizon. You dig deeper to uncover conversion influences and opportunities.
10. Transparent. Your metrics, results and data is shareable at any time. You can clearly see every point in the pre-click, post-click and post-conversion process.
11. Integrated. Your post-click flows seamlessly into your post-conversion.
12. Agile. You run your post-click program without friction and hurdles. You post-click program is responsive and marketer-managed.
13. Bold. You think big and have the confidence in your program to step outside the box.
14. Branded. You capitalize on every visitor interaction to ensure a fantastic brand experience.
15. Prioritized. You know post-click isn’t ‘set it and forget it.’ You incorporate post-click marketing into your plans and take a holistic approach to management. 

Are you consciously managing your post-click strategy? If not, are you still making sure to take these 15 items into consideration? Leave a comment below and let us know!

Powerful post-click marketing for improved online results in 2011

Webinar Wednesday is here again! On January 19th at 1pm ET join Anna Talerico, ion’s Executive Vice President, for a presentation on post-click marketing ROI. This webinar is the real deal! 

Here’s the skinny:

It’s time to amp up your online marketing results with an optimization program that is both effective and efficient. See how leading online marketers are able to improve the results of their media spend 3-10x with a proactive approach to post-click marketing. 

In this fast paced webinar, designed for online marketers, you’ll see:

• Real-world examples from marketers who deliver real value to the bottom line with post-click optimization
• How to harness strategy, resources & tactics for an effective post-click marketing program
• How transparency and specialized analytics can help optimize media spend
• Your quick-start action plan to get started 

Now’s the time to put a stop inefficient online marketing and start a powerful post-click marketing program. ion’s webinars are jam-packed with information, light on fluff and fast paced. Join us for an hour you won’t to miss. Register here.

Follow the #postclick hashtag during the webinar for live updates and quick answers to any of your questions about post-click marketing! 

Cracking the code of B2B online marketing

If you’re in B2B marketing, you owe it to yourself to check out Gord Hotchkiss’s new book, The BuyerSphere Project.

Gord is the founder and CEO of Enquiro, one of the leading search marketing firms, and is one of the pioneers of the industry. He writes for Search Engine Land and Search Insider, is on the board of SEMPO, and frequently presents and moderates at SES, SMX, and Search Insider Summit. And he’s spent most of this century leading research on search user behavior. Google actually calls him for advice on the subject.

So we’ve established the man has major street cred. He’s a search marketer’s search marketer.

(He’s also a huge proponent of post-click marketing, which is how I’ve come to know him.)

Gord has taken the past several years of ground breaking research he and his team have done on how B2B buyers interact with potential vendors through digital marketing channels, particularly search, and distilled it into the definitive book on the subject. Based on five white papers that he had developed for his clients, he covers:

• B2B buyer roles, risk control mechanisms, and relative effect of a vendor’s credibility and positioning;
• integration between online and offline marketing — through to face-to-face interactions;
• coordinating all of your “persuasion assets” across online channels — search, display, your web site;
• organizing your web site to support both “doers” and “buyers” throughout the purchase process;
• the rise of the digital native and their evolving influence on B2B buying;

In my opinion, Gord has synthesized all of the best parts of business psychology, behavioral economics, user experience design, technology management, and marketing strategy — all masterfully woven in the context of the new web-driven world of B2B.

These are the big ideas that online marketers should focus on before getting lost in the minutia of search marketing mechanics.

Pubcon = landing page llolapalooza

I’m looking forward to Pubcon 2009 next week — especially since I see there will be great landing page and post-click marketing sessions every single day of the conference! Now that’s my kind of event.

Tuesday, November 10, 4:15p
The Best Tactics in Landing Page Optimization
with Tim Ash, Brad Geddes, Kate Morris, and Joanna Lord

Wednesday, November 11, 11:30a
Increase Your Post-Click Conversion Performance
with George Aspland, Janet Driscoll Miller, Brian Massey

Thursday, November 12, 2:55p
Post-Click Marketing: Landing Page Optimization
with Taylor Pratt, Anna Talerico, Scott Brinker, Chris Goward

(They save the best for last!)

In addition, there will be related sessions on design and usability, lead generation tactics, e-commerce optimization, affiliate tactics, multivariate testing, conversion analytics, etc.

Pubcon definitely sounds like it will live up to its reputation of tackling these topics from multiple perspectives, with each presenter bringing a wealth of real-world experience and a desire to share advanced strategies and tactics.

If you’re going to be at the event, let us know — love the opportunity to meet our friends and fellow post-click enthusiasts face-to-face.