Why? Because it's nearly impossible to get web copy right the first time. And when your copy isn't doing its job, you're losing valuable traffic and increasing your sales costs. One of the easiest and least expensive ways to improve your top and bottom lines is by testing and improving your web copywriting. I guarantee that a few tweaks here and there will yield significant results.
Test Your Online Copywriting
Try this. Take a look at any two key pages on your website -- those web pages that are designed to evoke action, get contact info, convey key differentiators, etc. Do you know how long the average visitor stays on those pages?
Here's a quick test: go to one of those pages and time how long it takes you to read it. Now take that number and compare it to your web traffic report that shows how long visitors are staying on that page. I guarantee that you're in for a big surprise. I'd be shocked if people stay long enough to read even one-tenth of the copy. Don't worry though - you're not the only one suffering from "short visit" syndrome.
Another quick and fun test is to see what your conversion rate is on these key pages. In other words, what percentage of people that visited that page took the action or actions you hoped they would take?
The sad fact is that many B2B marketing departments are too busy to take the time to measure and gauge the effectiveness of their copy like this. All too often the answer is more advertising, more search marketing, more whitepapers, rather than more effective online copywriting. If I'm the CFO of your company, I've got to be thinking, "before I spend more on more content, first show me what our current content is doing."
B2B marketers, sales people, executives, and I urge you to go ahead and challenge your copywriters (which may mean challenging yourselves). Baseline the performance of your existing copy, then pick one or two pages, write a different headline, a different value proposition, add a testimonial... do something, do anything. It's cheap to test and adjust, and you're guaranteed a handsome return on investment.
Now if only that next print ad you're scheduled to run could promise the same thing.
Web Copywriting: Less is More
Most companies have convinced themselves that they need five to seven sections on their website, each of which invariably has three or four subsections. But ask yourself -- what's the point of having a 25-page website if 75% of the visitors are leaving within seconds?
With today's technology you can test and refine lead generation campaigns quickly and easily. Instead of driving visitors to your home page every time and getting them lost in the maze of choices and content, develop a single proposition/information page. Drive as much targeted traffic to it as you can possibly afford until you get enough data to gauge the page's effectiveness in generating inquiries. No matter what the data tells you, it's just a baseline to be improved upon. But at least you've now got a mark to hold yourself, or future copywriters, accountable against.
Imagine how much sweeter life would be if instead of telling your CFO you need more money for lead generation, you could say, "we had our key website pages rewritten, which resulted in a 30% increase in inquires, which in turn decreased our cost of sales by over 200%." I guarantee you'll have much less trouble funding marketing projects from that point on. Maybe you'll even be able to shake some funds loose for professional copywriting services.
It's not rocket science, and it's based on direct marketing principles that are hundreds of years old, but it does take a fundamental shift in the way most companies spend (or save) on B2B sales and marketing programs.
The next time you're wondering why it costs so darn much to generate a new customer, take some time to test your web copywriting. You can avoid reaching deeper into your budget and throwing more money at the same ineffective strategies. Making a few changes to your copy can spark a fire that will go a long way toward impacting sales cost.
We are big fans of "growing loyalty" among Ideal Clients over pretty much any other business building tactic—it's the lowest cost sales activity you will ever engage in, since you are already doing business with them, you already know what they want and need, and you can easily find out if they are being wooed by someone else. How easy is that?
And yet... we have hundreds of examples of business owners who not only don't take advantage of this fantastic opportunity, they positively destroy it. See if you recognize yourself in these stories: A customer who spends $100 a month in your hair salon calls to make an appointment only to find her favourite stylist has left.
Did you keep a database of all the clients who came to the salon, which allowed you to contact them, tell them the news and offer them an incentive to remain a loyal client? If not, you lose $1200 a year.
A customer who has been leasing his upscale cars from you for years needs some emergency service. Your service centre is booked up so you tell him you're just too busy. The customer not only takes the car somewhere else for service, he never comes back. Did you check to see how much that customer's business was worth and find a way to accommodate him? If not, you lose a lifetime value of $500,000.
A customer buys over a thousand dollars in clothing and accessories from you. He is particular but happy to spend to get the quality he wants. He leaves the store and never hears from you again. Did you add him to your database with a checklist of his preferences so you could contact him when specials were available? If the answer is no, you lose the $10,000 he would have spent with you over the next five years.
What would it take not only to keep those customers, but "grow" their business by 25% without spending a cent you wouldn't have spent anyway?
The first step is a database of every single customer who does business with you. If you can, link it to your point of sales system, so you know how much they spend, on what, and when. At least, set up a spreadsheet with columns as follows: first name, last name, street, town, postal code, phone, email, and a column you can put an X in for the kinds of products and services they buy. Since your computer already comes loaded with Excel, that's free.
The second step is to sign up for an automated email service such as Swiftpage, Constant Contact etc. Many levels of service are available so be sure to check them out.
Both Todd Miechiels & Liz Walker are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Todd Miechiels has sinced written about articles on various topics from Search Engine Marketing, Copywriting and Ad Tracking. Todd Miechiels is a who helps executives of mid-sized companies generate sales opportunities. Visit. Todd Miechiels's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.
Liz Walker has sinced written about articles on various topics from Copywriting, Computers and The Internet and Advertising Guide. Marketing Masters, Ken & Liz are Duct Tape Marketing Authorized Coaches and authors of , a FREE monthly ezine for small business owners who want simple, effec. Liz Walker's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.