Lead Generation Marketing Campaign Tactics to Avoid in 2003
- Webinars - Not as sexy as they used to be. Instead consider doing in-person events (you can save money by holding them at partner's conference rooms in other cities) or test offering a telephone conference calls this year. Prospects are responding to the low-tech, high personal touch. After your event, send a postal-mailed printed thank-you note with a real-person's signature instead of a mass-email.
- White papers - Far too many of the so-called "white papers" tech marketers offer are just sales pitches - and prospects know it. Instead of calling your document a white paper, you might consider "Research Study", "How-To Handbook" or something else that sounds enticingly valuable.
- Online ads or email newsletter ads with nice graphics - Test after test shows the only people who like to see pretty graphics (or even any graphics) on online and email ads are the ad agency execs and marketers who made them. Prospects don't click. Text-ads, text-links, and search engine marketing links get the clicks. People's eyes shy away from colors and graphics online, text rules. (Only exception - a pic of your product if it is a manufactured widget that buyers want to see first.)
- Long registration forms - Be ruthless. Cut every single field and question that you don't absolutely need - especially stuff like street address and fax numbers. You can actually ask a few qualifying questions in their place and more useful data. Prospects would rather click than type. Also, if you have a giveaway offer, headline it on your reg form not just on the link that leads to the reg form. It will reduce your reg form abandonment rate.
- "Our Solution" copywriting - Flip your copy inside out. Instead of talking about your solution and your technology, talk about the prospect's needs/pain/desires. Use the words "You" and "Your" instead of "We" and "Our". Headlines especially must be about the prospect, not about you. This is high-impact copywriting 101, but I don't know any marketer on this planet who doesn't forget it now and then.
Anne Holland is Managing Editor of the weekly Case Study publication profiling successful business-to-business marketers, B2BMarketingBiz.
For a free sample and subscription, go to http://www.b2bmarketingbiz.com
Anne Holland
anneh@marketingsherpa.com
http://www.marketingsherpa.com
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