10 Commandments of Email Copywriting

October 12, 2011 – 6:54 am

1. Thou shalt not direct people to “Learn More.”

“Learn more” is the worst possible call to action. It means absolutely nothing. Be specific, be tangible. What is it that you’re offering exactly?

2. Thou shalt tell people What, Why, and How.

Within the first few sentences of the email (headline and sub-head included), the reader should understand: What the offer is, Why he/she wants it, and How to get it.

3. Thou shalt not require scrolling.

Keep the call to action “above the fold,” preferably within the amount of copy that shows up in the recipient’s preview pane. Don’t make people scroll in order to learn exactly what it is you want them to do. Read More »

By Howard Sewell | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Forget About Hot Leads. It’s Cold Leads that Make the Difference.

September 29, 2011 – 9:17 am

When sales teams need marketing to help them make their numbers, the natural response is to go fishing for hot leads. However, as I wrote previously in a white paper on “Lead Recycling,” focusing demand generation activity exclusively on acquiring net new, qualified leads is an expensive proposition for a number of reasons:

• many products, particularly in the tech category, are first of breed solutions and/or of a complexity that demands a more long term, consultative selling process. Prospects may simply not be ready to buy a solution because either 1) they don’t know such a solution exists, or 2) they may not even be aware they have the relevant problem in the first place;

• focusing on only the most qualified prospects leaves many potential (albeit, more long term) deals on the table. A potential customer might have precisely the problem that a particular product or service solves and are anxious to solve that problem, yet may not feel as though they’re ready to buy and so fail to respond to the campaign;

• response rates from tactical campaigns designed to uncover hot leads are likely to be much lower (since active buyers only represent a subset of potential customers), so companies need to spend more money to generate relatively few opportunities;

• lastly, because the campaigns weed out all but those prospects in active purchase mode, they leave the sales pipeline empty once those deals have been either closed or disqualfied. This requires a constant re-loading of the sales funnel with new, expensive leads. Read More »

By Howard Sewell | Posted in B2B Marketing, Demand Generation, Lead Management, Lead Nurturing, Marketing Automation | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (3)

Why Salespeople Hate Most White Paper Leads

September 16, 2011 – 7:08 am

How is it that a quality white paper on a hot topic can still generate bad leads? It’s got to be the media, right? Wrong.

It’s the offer.

Even a well-written white paper, by a respected author, on a hot topic of vital interest to your target audience, can still generate leads your salespeople will consider “junk.” In my experience, the problem in these situations is invariably that the content on offer did not align with the types of leads the company was trying to generate. For example:

An educational white paper by an industry analyst on a hot industry trend will tend to generate a broad spectrum of prospects, including a large subset who have no interest whatsoever in your solution but want to stay abreast on what’s new in your space.

In contrast, a “buyer’s guide” by a leading analyst on the 10 key criteria to employ when choosing a solution (of the type you sell), along with side-by-side comparisons of the leading vendors (your company included) will tend to generate more qualified leads, albeit fewer in number, namely people who are actively researching or evaluating solutions. Read More »

By Howard Sewell | Posted in B2B Marketing, Content marketing, Content Syndication, Demand Generation, lead generation, White Paper Syndication, White Papers | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)

Segmentation, Social Media Drive Lead Nurturing Success for iDirect

September 6, 2011 – 8:55 am

When marketers embark on a formal lead nurturing strategy, opportunities for process improvement can arise in unexpected ways. That was the experience for iDirect, a leading provider of satellite IP communications based in Herndon, Virginia.

Using satellite technology for internet connectivity has particular appeal for companies with operations in remote, hard-to-reach locations, so it’s no surprise that iDirect’s market is heavily segmented, focused on key sectors such as oil & gas, maritime, and federal/military. To reach end users, the company relies primarily on a network of channel partners, including satellite operators, telecom companies, and internet service providers.

All this presents real challenges for both demand generation and lead management. The company must direct end user inquiries promptly and efficiently to the sales channel, while responding to prospective partners and end users with a message tailored to iDirect’s specific experience in that company’s market. Read More »

By Howard Sewell | Posted in B2B Marketing, Campaign Measurement, CRM, Database Marketing, Installed Base Marketing, Lead Management, Lead Nurturing, Marketing Automation | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Help Our Client Choose a Home Page (Poll)

August 24, 2011 – 11:37 am

Your opinion is needed! One of our B2C clients, Elegant Clutter, is a boutique furniture and home accessories store in Danville, California. Spear is designing a new Website for the company and the client is having a hard time choosing between two home page designs.

Just click on the thumbnails below to view the two designs and then vote for your favorite using our instant poll. Any and all comments are welcome (include your age and city, if you feel comfortable doing so.) Invite your friends, colleagues or followers to add their opinion using the SHARE button.

 

By Howard Sewell | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (5)