Have you ever clicked on a Services page that made your head spin, because it talked about every one of the 15 services they offered?

Chances are, there was so little information about each one of them, you really didn’t know if they could help you or not.

It’s common for many to create a Services page like this, where you list everything you do on one page. But it’s certainly not effective for getting results, such as people calling you for quotes or to buy.
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Are you wasting your web visitor’s valuable time?

It’s a waste of time for the web visitor. And unfortunately for the business, they squander an excellent opportunity to convert a reader to a customer.

Here’s what I recommend for your website’s Services page(s) strategy instead…

First – make a list of every service you offer. (Depending on how many and what they are, you could even lump them into categories)

Then – instead of writing one Services page with a brief summary about every service you offer – create and write a laser-focused page for EACH service on its very own page.

See a perfect example of doing it right at www.ontophome.com.

Your Service page will be a pull-down menu that lists all your individual service pages, and may include a summary page about each service.

(If you need a copywriter to write your copy, you know who to call… my number is below)
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This strategy kills two birds with one stone

Each page can be search engine optimized for  one service, so it increases the chance they’ll find it when people search.

Plus it’s a better experience for your web visitor, because there’s no doubt each page solves one specific problem.

In the headlines and web copy, use keyword phrases that people are likely to search for, and information that’s relevant only to that specific service, and make sure you tell them “what’s in it for them” and include all the great benefits they’ll get.
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A kick-ass Services page will generate more sales

Unless you only have one or two services, don’t take the easy way out and put all of them on one page.

And don’t make the mistake of shortchanging yourself by saving a few bucks to write only one page. If you want any chance of getting found, then getting those visitors to call you, spend the money and do it right the first time by writing separate pages.
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My rule of thumb… The Power of “1”

One web page = One focused service or product. It’s as simple as that.

Does your Services page attract visitors and convert them to paying customers?

If not – give me a call so we can work on it!

Leave me a comment below…

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

If you need help with website design, writing SEO optimized web copy, email marketing, or other online marketing strategies, I can help!

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark

Website and Marketing Copywriter

Join my discussion by leaving a comment below…

Yep… I know… I’m always harping on you to add powerful and meaningful guarantees to your sales copy, or to improve the one you already have.

But I’m doing it for your own good – so you’ll get better results.

So… down to business, and it will be quick.

The guarantee I mentioned in the subject line doesn’t actually have anything to do with this. It’s something different…

But it’s no less important!

It’s something that I was reminded of while talking with a client recently who was just going to sit back and wait for the economy to change, hoping customers flock to his business, all without investing any time or money to promote his business.

Of course… that’s a fantasy. But why?

Because of the fail-proof marketing guarantee:

If you don’t do or try anything to market your business…
you won’t get positive results – guaranteed!

To bust out of a slump, don’t be afraid to try different things to get ahead.

I’m not saying to spend a ton of money on unproven techniques, but think outside the box a little. You may be surprised of the results you get.

And if it doesn’t work, don’t consider it a failure. It’s just one thing that didn’t work. Figure out why, make a change, and try something else.

I’d love to hear what techniques you’ve used successfully in your business, so leave me a comment below…

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

If you need help with website design, writing SEO optimized web copy, email marketing, or other online marketing strategies, I can help!

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark

Website and Marketing Copywriter

Join my discussion by leaving a comment below…

Should I use printed sales materials to market my business?

It’s a great question, and clients ask me this all the time…

It seems like everyone is jumping on the “online” marketing bandwagon these days.

Marketing your business online with compelling e-mails and your website is not only smart… but necessary for your success.

But Houston – we have a problem:

Online marketing isn’t the only game in town. However, don’t make the common (and maybe costly) mistake of underestimating the effectiveness and convenience of printed marketing materials.

So I’m gonna toss out a few basic pointers regarding print materials that can still be used effectively for most small businesses like yours.

Business cards

If you personally meet new prospects at networking events or meetings, you’ll want to pass out business cards. The keys to a great business card are no different than any other marketing materials.

Get their attention, and make sure your prospect knows exactly what you do and how you can help them – not your title.  “Helping businesses increase profits” is much better than “Consultant” or “President”.

Tri-fold brochures

Many businesses (even some marketing gurus) think brochures are dead. I think they’re a great medium, with enough space to tell your unique story and sales message to your prospects… only IF it’s written in a way that speaks directly to your reader’s needs.

If your reader is interested in your product or service, especially if it’s a high-cost one, and your headlines get their attention, you bet they’ll read it. If they’re not interested, they won’t read it no matter what.

Postcards

Postcards are great because they can be used for many things. There are several common sizes and delivery methods available. Typically I recommend them as an inexpensive way to get new leads, or a way to introduce a new product or service to existing customers.

Their biggest advantage is your message and offer is immediately front and center – no envelope to open. You can also use them as handouts. The downside is limited space, so your copy, message, and design must be powerful, laser-focused, short and to the point.

Rack cards

Approximately 3.5″w x 8.5″h, these work well to hand out to prospects, put in brochure holders on a store counter, put on a table at a tradeshow booth, or as a “leave behind” when you can’t speak directly to your prospect.  Advantages are similar to postcards – get attention quickly and convey a short, focused sales message without having to open an envelope.

Door hangers

Very similar in size and usage to rack cards, except they have a cutout at the top so you can hang them on doors or on mailboxes. (You can’t legally open mailboxes unless you actually mail something). Great for door-to-door or neighborhood promotions. The downside – someone has to do the footwork…

There are obviously many other shapes and sizes, ways to use them, and specific situations. So if you have a specific marketing problem to solve and you’re not sure which one to use, or what it should say, contact me.

And to be most effective, all the direct response marketing principles apply. They must:

• Get attention
• Have a powerful headline
• Have compelling copy
• Include an irresistible offer
• And include a clear and simple call to action

I’d love to hear how you successfully used any of these, so leave me a comment below…

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

If you need help with website design, writing SEO optimized web copy, email marketing, or other online marketing strategies, I can help!

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark

Website and Marketing Copywriter

Join my discussion by leaving a comment below…

 

 

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Crush your competition with
Google online reviews

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Here’s one simple and low-cost secret that will make your business stand head and shoulders above your competition, even if you don’t have a website! (okay… it’s not really a secret… but it’s certainly underestimated and underused)

First – let’s set the stage.

So your spouse drives your car into the garage… only problem… the door was closed…

Oops… now you need to find a good local body shop.

What do you do? If you’re like most, you’ll simply go to Google, and search on say… “auto body shops greenland nh”

A list of several local body repair shops magically appears in the search results, coming from the Google Places listings. (you have claimed and optimized your Google Places listing, haven’t you?)

As you look through the list, one of the listings jumps out at you. You’ll see that Mirror Image Automotive has eight 5-star reviews, while the others don’t have any, or maybe 1 or 2.

These online 5-star reviews are basically testimonials from happy customers. Many will read these reviews, and many of them will base their decision to call a certain business based on them, too.

Think about it, if one listing stands out above the others because they have many more Google reviews than the others, which business are you more likely to call?

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So why are Google reviews important?

A recent study by Nielson Company shows that more than 70% of people trust these online reviews, and value them almost as much as a referral from family or friends.

This tells me that people really are reading these, and they can be paramount to your success at getting new customers. But you gotta get your happy customers to create one. (And NO – don’t do a bunch of fake ones – Google will spot that a mile away and you could lose your listing completely.
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How to get Google reviews from your customer

But before you do anything… Go to your Google Places listing and make sure it is complete.  To find it, just Google your phone number, and click the name of your business in the list, or click “Place Page”.

Create a postcard that you’ll hand out to customers immediately following your transaction, while they’re most likely to be happy with you.
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What to include on your postcard
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1. A short link to your Google Places listing
2. Your free QR code
3. A short customized message asking them if they’re happy, and if they’d leave a good review
4. Instructions on “how to write a Google review”
5. And your company’s contact info

That’s it!

If you’d like me to create a postcard for your business, give me a yell, and we’ll get your business on the road to 5-star reviews!

I’d love to hear your comments below…

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

If you need help with website design, writing SEO optimized web copy, email marketing, or other online marketing strategies, I can help!

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark

Website and Marketing Copywriter

Join my discussion by leaving a comment below…

 

 

New Postal Service program lets you promote your business using direct mail to target any neighborhood you want… no mailing list or bulk permit needed

Did you ever wonder how you could cost-effectively target every household within a specific neighborhood, a zip code, within a certain radius, or even certain USPS mail carrier routes?

Now you can!

The USPS Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM for short) program lets you do just that.

And it’s easy, with low postage costs as little as 14.5 cents per piece.

Now… for most businesses, I usually don’t recommend sending non-targeted direct mail, which is what this program is – except for the geographic targeting part, BUT… there are exceptions.

For example, your business may depend on attracting customers who are literally in your backyard, or within a mile or two from your business, and you don’t want to blanket a larger area with thousands of postcards.

Well then… this program may be perfect for you.

Note*** If you want to mail bulk postcards to a much larger local area, Peter Gorman at www.emsdirectmail.com in Dover NH can help you with that. (Sorry Peter… the EDDM program may be a good option for smaller mailers -:) )
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Can you take advantage of the EDDM program?

I see it working well for restaurants, auto repair, salons, stores, pizza and sub shops, shoe stores… any other business that are looking for customers in close proximity.
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Here’s how one client currently uses EDDM…

As we speak… one of my home improvement company clients wants me to create over-sized postcard for this program.

You see it all the time… when a company does painting or windows, they’ll often put up a small sign in front of the house, right on the street, so the neighbors can all see it when they drive by.

In this case, they’re also going to mail out a lead generation postcard to all the homes on that street, and the intersecting streets within a quarter mile… in their case, around 500 households.

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Summary of the benefits of EDDM

(at least how I interpret them from their not-so-clear marketing materials)

• As low as 15 cents per piece postage
• Easy to use – just sign up, create and print your postcard, take ‘em to the Post Office
• Several sizes of over-sized postcards are accepted – 6.5×9, 8.5×11, and others
• No bulk permit needed (and the associated requirement)
• Mail as few as 200 per day, or up to 5000 per day
• Online software lets you choose zip, city, street address, radius, or even specific carrier routes
• You don’t need to buy a mailing list

For more information about the EDDM program:

Click https://www.usps.com/business/every-door-direct-mail.htm

As always, make sure your postcard includes a great headline to get your reader’s attention, an offer they can’t refuse, and a clear call to action so they know what to do.

If you want my help with that part of it, get in touch with me to discuss your project in more detail.

Use them, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the increased response you’ll get.

I’d love to hear your comments below…

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

If you need help with website design, writing SEO optimized web copy, email marketing, or other online marketing strategies, I can help!

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark

Website and Marketing Copywriter

Join my discussion by leaving a comment below…

 

 

Time flies by so fast… and of course, your time is valuable…

Oh… if there were only more hours in a day…

Anyway – here’s a super-duper quick article about getting better results from your marketing.

I’ve broken down most marketing tasks into 5 basic steps.

5 steps to better marketing:

1. Know exactly who your target market is – define your ideal customer. The more you can define them, the easier it is to figure out the best way to connect with them
2. Write a sales message that gets their attention and shows them why they should use your product or service. You gotta get down to their level and use persuasive arguments.
3. Include proof using testimonials and/or studies. People like to buy from companies that have great track records.
4. Make them an irresistible offer, one they just can’t refuse. Add so much value, it would be virtually impossible to pass up.
5. Include an obvious call to action that tells them what to do next. Keep it simple and clear.

Use them, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the increased response you’ll get.

I’d love to hear your comments below…

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

If you need help with website design, writing SEO optimized web copy, email marketing, or other online marketing strategies, I can help!

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark

Website and Marketing Copywriter

Join my discussion by leaving a comment below…

 

 

5 ways to get more clients from your home page