Excess Voice Newsletter
Aug 2006, Issue # 113

 

In this issue:

 

>> Intro: Doing the same in 5 years...
>> Review: The InfoGuru Marketing Manual
>> Article: Get that “One Thing” into your web page headline
>> Experiments: Optimizing Free Trial Offer Pages
>> Survey: How Old are You?

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Greetings,

 

In the last issue I asked what everyone anticipated they would be doing in five years time. The response rate was pretty low, but from the replies I did receive, it seems most of us anticipate we’ll be doing much the same as we are today.

 

In this issue we have a review on the topic of successfully marketing one’s services, and an article on the power of getting that “one thing” into the headline on your web pages.

 

It’s an article with one of those “obvious” messages. The trouble is, many of us fail to do what is obviously the right thing when designing and writing web pages. Let me know what you think.

 

And, as always, please take a moment to complete and return this issue’s survey.

 

Until next time,

 

Nick

 

Nick Usborne

 

>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com

 

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REVIEW: The InfoGuru Marketing Manual

 

Being a good copywriter, designer or consultant is just part of the equation if you want to succeed when working for yourself.

 

The other half of what it takes to succeed is to know how to market and sell your services.

 

This is a weak area for most solopreneurs. It’s ironic really. We know how to market and sell for our clients...but we don’t do the same job very well for ourselves.

 

This is why I recommend that every freelancer gets a copy of Robert Middleton’s InfoGuru Marketing Manual.

 

With his manual in hand you will have a structure and plan to work with. He tells you what to do, and helps you along the way. He gives you the tools to set goals, and shows you how to take the steps necessary to achieve them.

He’s someone I respect a lot, and I am happy to recommend him to you.

 

Read my review:
http://www.excessvoice.com/middleton.htm

 

>> Previous Reviews

 

::: At ExcessVoice.com :::

 

#1. Landing Page Handbook - How to Raise Conversions

 

This report from MarketingSherpa is the first I have seen that provides solid data on what does and doesn't make a difference to landing page conversion rates. Tons of data on copy and design strategies. Dozens of before and after examples and the improvements achieved.

 

Read my review:
http://www.excessvoice.com/landing-page.htm

 

::: At Freelance Writing Success :::

#1. Secrets of Writing for the Business to Business Market

 

There are 8 million business-to-business companies out there. And they all need good sales copy. The opportunity in B2B copywriting is huge, and this 350+ page course tells you everything you need to know about getting your own slice of the market.

 

Read my review:
http://www.freelancewritingsuccess.com/B2B-copywriting.php

 

#2. Start your own Resume Writing Business

 

This is the perfect money-maker for any writer who can put aside a little time occasionally. There is a huge demand for quality resumes. This course gives you the tools (including software) to start and build a real business writing resumes.

 

Read my review:
http://www.freelancewritingsuccess.com/resume.php

 

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ARTICLE: Get that “One Thing” into your web page headline.

 

At work we’re always testing, testing, testing.

 

Recently we ran a series of test which revealed some interesting results.

 

For instance, if you are pitching a free download from a particular web page, make sure the words “free download” appear in the headline.

 

If you are presenting a risk-free trial of something...get that message into your headline.

 

If your product is 20% cheaper than last week, get that 20% or dollar savings figure into the headline.

 

This may sound obvious, but while we were testing various offer pages, it became clear that the winning pages all had headlines which were focused on the offer, and were very much reader and benefit centered.

 

>> And it doesn’t stop with the headline...

 

When you have that “one thing”...that free offer, 20% discount or whatever...repeat it a number of times through the text. In subheads, body text - and a little formatting helps too – like the use of bold, color and indents.

 

And when it comes to making your final call to action...repeat that one message there too.

 

I have waded through the data with my colleagues and found this simple approach to have a very significant impact on conversion rates.

 

>> A few thoughts about the “one thing”.

 

When your page has a very simple focus, and the only intent of the page is, for example, to get people to download a document or program, it’s fairly simple to design and write a page that takes the approach I described above.

 

But, of course, we often work with managers and bosses who are anxious to add five other sub-purposes to the page.

 

(BTW – Unhelpful interference from on high is not just a myth. It happens a lot and happens for a reason. In a nutshell, and argue with me if you must, the further up the corporate ladder people climb, the further their feet are separated from the ground. Or, to put in another way, they often lose touch with the reality of what regular people actually do when they read through a web page.)

 

So what can you do if your “one thing” has become four things?

 

The best approach you can attempt is to have your page created as a separate landing page.

 

And if you meet resistance over that idea, bring up the idea of writing the “four things” page and testing it against a “one thing” page.

 

When everyone sees the difference in conversions and revenues, their attitudes may change.

 

>> Concluding thoughts...

 

There is nothing radical about keeping a web page focused on just one thing.

 

Nor is it surprising to hear that pages perform better when the offer is highlighted in the headline, and repeated several times elsewhere on the page.

 

What is surprising is how many pages, even landing pages, fail to come even close to this approach.

 

As I said earlier, we have tested this a great deal, and the “one thing” approach significantly outperforms pages which either try to tackle more than one topic, or fail to give the offer sufficient exposure on the page.

 

** If you found value in the article, please forward this newsletter to colleagues and friends who might be interested.

 

>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com

 

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MARKETING EXPERIMENTS: Optimizing Free Trial Offer Pages

 

Teleconference call, no charge:
Wednesday, August 23rd, 4:00PM EDT

 

Can you significantly improve the performance of your free trial offer pages without changing the offer? In a word, yes. Find out how during our no-fee webinar.

 

Sign up here:
https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/883161440

 

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SURVEY: How old are you?

 

Not a terribly important question, on the surface. But as I write this newsletter I always try to paint a picture of an imaginary subscriber. I imagine we have some readers who are under 20, and other who are over 60. But it might be interesting to get an idea of our average age. I'm 49.

 

[ ] 18 - 25
[ ] 26 - 35
[ ] 36 - 45
[ ] 46 - 55
[ ] 56 - 65
[ ] 65+

 

 

 

 

 

 

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