SeminarSavvy.com

I was talking to a client of mine this morning about ways she could promote her new service. The conversation turned to Google AdWords, and she shared the results of her first month’s adventure in the pay-per-click world: 800+ new subscribers and 1 sale.

Now 800 new subscribers may be paltry results for you. In her industry, it’s pretty doggone good.

But she wasn’t overly thrilled about her results because the bottom line results were poor. One sale wasn’t even coming close to covering her PPC charges, never mind her other marketing expenses.

She felt better after I pointed out how well she was doing. Getting 800+ subscribers meant that she had generated at least that many clicks … and probably many more because not every person who clicks on your ad will opt-in to your list (in fact, most won’t).

The problem isn’t that Google AdWords isn’t working. It IS generating clicks and opt-ins.

The problem is that the process she’s using to market to her new subscribers isn’t converting them into paying customers. Although it’s technically possible that the subscribers coming from Google AdWords campaigns are I-won’t-ever-buy-from-you-no-matter-what-you-say tire kickers, it’s much more likely that the follow-up marketing is weak.

My client is far from alone in doubting her selection of marketing tools. It’s very easy to say “that doesn’t work for me” when a marketing campaign fails. (And it seems that the more money you sink into your failed venture, the faster you jump to this conclusion.)

Before you write off entire marketing channels, stop to track and analyze your results at every step in the process. For example, my client can test and track:

• How each campaign, ad group and keyword within AdWords performs (the click-thru rate). Within AdWords, she can experiment with keyword selection, ad group organization, bid prices, and ad copy to boost results.
• How many visitors to her landing page opt-in to her mailing list. She can change her offer, information requested for the opt-in, headline and body copy, and even button copy.
• How many subscribers convert to customers with each follow-up message. Here, she can experiment with the message copy, the way she contacts subscribers (e.g., via email vs. direct mail), the offers she makes in the follow-up messages, the number of follow-ups, and the timing of her follow-ups, just to name a few elements.

Analyzing results at each step of the process can provide valuable clues about where your marketing breakdowns are. And that can help you avoid making the deadly mistake of prematurely abandoning a marketing channel that can be transformed into a blockbuster with a few strategic changes.

Last week, I received three emails in one day from a subscriber of mine. It seems that because he had subscribed to my email list, he thought it was fair to add my email address to his distribution list, as well.

If you’re using this type of list building — opting the people you meet into your list as a “courtesy,” without their consent or knowledge – beware. You are running afoul of anti-spam laws, not to mention being rude, from an Internet etiquette point of view. (An even bigger faux pas? Making the email addresses of your “subscribers” visible to everyone on the distribution list.)

The smarter and more courteous approach: Send an email introducing yourself and your business to the people you meet and include a link back to your opt-in page. That way, they can decide whether they want to opt-in to your list … and you can build your list ethically and legally.

Want to learn more about the rules and regulations governing email marketing? Visit the FTC’s CAN-SPAM website.

Recommended Resource: The Internet Law Compliance System