No B.S. Guide to Direct Response Social Media Marketing

by Kim Walsh-Phillips

I love data. Diving into a pile of numbers and discovering hiding treasure makes me (almost) as giddy as finding a good pair of Gucci shoes on clearance. My firm is responsible for millions of dollars in ad budgets for our clients, and it is our responsibility to manage those dollars wisely. For every dollar given to us, our goal is to give more than a dollar back in return.

The core of Facebook’s effectiveness is its advertising platform. It is a very crowded advertising marketplace. Facebook boasts more than 2 million active advertisers (meaning they have used the platform in the last 28 days).

This is where direct response marketing can provide a strong competitive advantage. Most marketers (including those on Facebook) haven’t the faintest clue how to write a direct response marketing ad.

Simply put, you need to make the message about them, not you. Tell them why they should care and why they should respond right now.

Here’s how to take DR strategies to the Facebook platform (see Figure 7.1):

FIGURE 7.1: Breakdown of an Effective Facebook Ad

1. Write a headline that addresses the “you.” You want the person looking at the ad to feel like you are speaking directly to them.

2. Be willing to be controversial. You want to tell the person seeing your ad why they should pay attention.

3. Speak to your perfect prospect. Don’t try to be everything to everybody. Tell them what makes you different than anybody else and worth their time.

4. Use Open Loop and Ad Congruency strategies. The copy below your ad image should have two different strategies involved. First, it should be an open loop so that the text runs off the pages, enticing the readers to click to read the rest of the content. Second, it should have precisely the exact copy you would see on the landing page when people click on the ad. This is called ad congruency and it gives you a higher likelihood of opt-ins and sales conversions.

5. Look at the camera and smile pretty. If you are featuring a person in your ad image, the ad image that tests best for us is one that the person is looking straight at the camera with a smile.

6. Try a red shirt. We have tested different clothing colors and have found our red shirt strategy to work 75% of the time. Red shirts seem to test better than any other color of clothing.

7. Be clear and concise. Use your text to tell your target prospect what the outcome will be if they click your ad while making sure to fall into Facebook’s guideline of no more than 20% text in your ad image.

8. Show the reward. Include a photo of the free report, coupon, video, or whatever they will get when they click through to the next page. They should also see this image when they arrive at the landing page. This will dramatically decrease your landing page bounces.

9. Build proof with your link. Facebook allows you to change the URL display that is shown in your ads. Make sure it matches your brand and your website to give confidence to the viewer.

10. Tell them exactly what you want them to do. Use your link to give a clear call to action. Tell your viewer exactly what you want them to do with your ad.

Testing is really the key to ad optimization, starting from the best foundations. See more on testing in Chapter 14.

The more ads you run, the more data you will have to sift through to discover hidden treasures of qualified prospects. Once you discover the perfect message and marketing and media match, your job is clear—scaling up.

Going After Local SearchGoing After Local Search

by Graig Presti

Side note from Kim: As Dan Kennedy has said, “One is the most dangerous number.” When you depend on only one source of traffic for your lead generation and sales, you are risking your company’s future. Most of our clients having success with social media have expanded into these online search and reviews, with success. Graig Presti of www.CustomerAttractionSecrets.com or www.PatientAttractionSecrets.com for medical businesses was the obvious choice for this chapter. He has worked with many of Dan and my private clients to secure a position of strength online. He gets direct response, online search and how it ties into social media to produce a high ROI. In this section Graig shares why online search matters and should be incorporated into your overall marketing plan.

You should rely on FACTS, not theory.

FACT: Google has overtaken Traditional Media to become the most trusted news source on the planet (2015 Edelman Trust Barometer).

For these few pages, forget about your website. It is no longer about a fancy webpage you paid thousands of dollars for. It’s about using online tools outside of your website to increase phone calls and traffic, and produce more revenue for your business.

A lot of clients ask me how they can get greater response from their current direct mail, print ads, lead generation (offline and online), and increased internal referrals. My answer is always the same: Get your “Google house” in order!

Regardless of your offer, copy, or the media source, every single prospect is going to dig you up on the internet before they take action, make a phone call, or opt-in to a web form.

They’re going to read your reviews, watch your videos, read your press releases, and pay attention to your online branding (or lack thereof). They need to trust you and believe you are the only choice in town or the best in your industry. Leave no stone unturned. It’s no longer just about ranking on Page 1 of Google, it’s about establishing credibility and relevance. You need to give the prospect undeniable proof to trust that yours is the go-to company.

Why Google Reviews Matter

One of my clients, Robert from Chattanooga, Tennessee, leveraged 125 Google reviews. His closest competitor had only 22. Robert’s company looked like the expert ‘go-to’ business in his city. The result: He had to blow out the back of his building and add more space—and staff—just to accommodate phone calls and traffic from local search marketing alone. In just a year, Robert doubled his business.

No matter what industry you are in, you can use quality reviews to leverage trust and credibility from new prospects.

Google reviews and local internet have an impact on every form of new customer attraction.

• Reactivation campaigns

• Direct mail

• TV

• Radio

• Newspaper

• Public relations

• Billboards

• Internal referrals

In this day and age, every new customer will look you up on the internet. Like it or not, when people want to know if YOU are reputable, Google has become the most trusted resource.

Google reviews holds the key to your company’s future success and possibly even survival.

Businesses with the most five-star Google reviews tend to get all the new customers.

Other third-party review sites like Demandforce and Yelp do not count! Since Google controls search results, Google pushes these third-party review sites to the bottom.

But it’s not just because Google wants Google to be on top. It’s because those third-party review sites just don’t look credible. In a recent focus group of 25,000 random customers of random businesses throughout the country, one result dominated: Customers do not click on third-party review sites because they look spammy.

Folks don’t trust random links on the internet anymore.

But they do trust (and read) Google reviews.

Here’s the Problem

If you have only a few Google reviews (or they’re not current), customers are going to skip ahead to another business with more five-star Google reviews. Those same people will call your competition. That’s why a Google review system is vitally important to your company’s future success.

Perception is reality, especially when friends or colleagues have been taken advantage of by shady marketers. It’s no longer an option to sit on the sidelines and NOT have a consistent and quality online review presence.

According to IA/Kelsey and ConStat, 97% of consumers now use online media to shop locally.

Do you understand that number—97%? This means only 3% of people are not using the web to look you up. If you’re not doing the right things online, you’re not being found.

A further 85% of local internet searchers follow up with a phone call or visit to the listing that stands out best (ComScore), and 90% of searchers won’t look past Page 1 of the Google search results. If you ignore the ramifications of these statistics, you will miss out not only on quality search-driven internet leads, but also on warm prospects who would directly reach out to your company.

If you’re not on Page 1, you’re not even being seen.

You’re Actually Invisible

In local business right now, you are either doing it right or doing it wrong. There is no middle ground. Competition is stiff, and those who track data and follow up win.

Do you currently know how many customers you’re getting from the internet? The average New Customer Value of people coming from the internet is twice what you normally see through other media. If your average new customer value is $1,500 offline, then a customer from the internet is worth $3,000—double! The reason is because new online customers are ready to move forward with your product or service immediately. Because you’re attracting someone who is pre-interested and pre-educated in your services, they are ready to spend money.

• If your roof is leaking, you need a roofer.

• If your tooth hurts, you need a dentist.

• If you need tax help, you are going to look for an accountant.

The reality is that your customers are going to a computer, typing in something about their problem or treatment need, and picking someone from the search results.

Some 85% are picking the companies that stand out the most.

Because you cannot be sitting in front of the computer 24 hours a day—nor can your staff—managing your Google presence needs to run on a zero-time model. Here is a checklist to help you get started:

• Do you have a Google customer review attraction system that gets you ten or more five-star reviews each month?

• Do you have a Google Business page that “wows” your prospective customers?

• Do you have a video testimonial system that gets your best customers “bragging” about you online, and talking about how awesome your business is?

• Do you have a “branded” business YouTube video channel with keywords specific to your services and geographic location?

• Do you have a Google mobile site featuring converting offers to call your business and take action?

• Do you have professionally written press releases on “third party” media sites online—like CNN and local news media—bragging about your company?

The one thing the top 1% of businesses know that the other 99% don’t is the fact that TRUST beats everything else.

When it comes to attracting new customers and getting them to stay, pay, and refer, it doesn’t matter how hard you work or what school you attended or what certifications you have. If your customer doesn’t trust and respect you, you’ve got serious problems.

But if your clients trust you, they’ll do whatever you want them to.

The fastest, easiest, and cheapest way to gain trust is to garner rave reviews from other people who already trust and respect you—because while prospects might not trust you, they do trust what other people say about you.

The best part is Google is willing to do this for you, for FREE!

Google AdWords

Would you like to cut your marketing costs, while finally beating that competitor who can consistently outspend you? You know the person I’m talking about. There’s one in every city and he’s all over Google.

You are now going to pay 45% less than your competition.

You want to generate online conversions, phone calls, and ultimately sales. To double your new customer flow from online search, you need to know the exact words your customers are searching.

However, even if you already have some Google reviews and you’re ranked on Page 1 for some keywords, you need to beware of the impact of negative term search. Every day I see businesses rank for negative terms like “WORST DENTIST IN [City]” because of an online paid ad!

This is a “negative keyword,” and it happens when words like “worst,” “unbearable,” “painful,” and “rip-off” are used in your advertising. Regardless of the reality, Google ranking and placement from negative keywords can destroy your credibility with potential customers.

THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS TO GOOGLE IS RELEVANCE

When you achieve message-to-market match, not only will more potential customers reward you by picking up the phone or placing an order, but Google will also reward you (literally) by giving you lower ad prices.

For example, when someone searches for cosmetic dentists, they don’t want to find orthodontists. You want to make sure you have a proper message-to-market match. Most businesses and media companies have no clue how to insert offers and online ads that are 100% Google-compliant and actually convert ideal prospects to paying customers.

THE TOP 1%

Most people aren’t aware 98.6% of businesses’ Google ads get banned in under 48 hours. Even the people who place those ads aren’t aware of it.

In the city of San Francisco, one of the highest keyword searches is for “bridges San Francisco.”

What people are actually looking for is the Golden Gate Bridge, but a very large ad agency once actually paid to put a dentist in an ad for “bridges San Francisco.”

While dentists use the term “crown and bridge” it’s not relevant for people searching information about the Golden Gate Bridge, or the Bay Bridge, or even the San Mateo Bridge.

When Google sees your ad as irrelevant, it gets devalued. You burn money on ads which may get you a bunch of impressions, but will never convert to useful traffic, new clients, or sales.

Worst of all, Google will punish you for such ad tactics. Your ads will cost more. Your account could even be shut down.

IF YOUR AD GETS CLICKED ON, IT’S RELEVANT

The higher your click-through rate (CTR), that is, the more folks who see your ad click on it, the less you will have to pay to be in the position you want. The lower your CTR, the more your ads will cost while your position of relevance plummets.

It’s Darwin at work, a deliberate natural selection that weeds out bad advertisers and rewards good ones.

Remember: What’s good for Google’s customers is good for your business. When all the dust settles, what really matters is that your ads and your content are relevant to the keywords on which you bid.

THE KEY TO LOWER PRICES

There is an even more important secret to getting lower and lower prices, even while other businesses keep jumping into the game. Your click-through rate is more important than how much you bid on the positioning.

The click-through rate is the percentage of people searching who actually click on an ad. For example, if 100 people search, my ad shows up 100 times. If one person clicks through, I will have a 1% click-through rate.

If I’m paying $1 for Google position #2, the rest is just basic math. If your ad has a 2% click-through rate and good relevance, you may only have to pay $0.51 to jockey into position #2 and knock me down the list.

The moral of this story: If your ad is twice as relevant, you will pay 50% less.

The rules can be very simple, but the implications are huge. When you achieve high click-through rates, your new prospect contacts and sales go up, while ad prices go way, way down.

ONE WORD CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

You can often change the CTR of your ads by 50% when you change just one word. This is not unusual; it’s not a fluke. ONE WORD can make the difference between being relevant on Google and being banned.

It’s not about your main keyword searches anymore. It’s about the niche-heavy work in your business. You don’t realize it, but your competitors are getting 50% more phone calls because they are doing the right things, niching into their business and going after relevant ideal new customers.

THREE KEYS TO THE GOOGLE KINGDOM

The key elements in your campaign’s success are budget, keywords, and copy. How much can you pay overall and for each click? Which specific keywords do you want to target? And what should be included in the text of your ad?

You’ve got to get all these elements right to achieve the best results. Here are the ten steps for success:

1. Set your budget

2. Identify your keywords

3. Refine your keywords

4. Define your geography

5. Create effective ads

6. Place powerful headlines

7. Write persuasive text

8. Provide a call to action

9. Set up your account for best results

10. Track and monitor effectively

FOLLOW THE RULES

While you might think Google should be happy to take your money and not be bothered by the content of your ad, Google wants to make sure its customers are happy—because that’s the difference between Google making money and Google making LOTS of money.

Your Google ads will be rated based on three things:

1. Click-through rate

2. Relevance of your keywords

3. Your ad copy and the content of your landing page

If your ad does not attract enough clicks, Google will assign you a low Quality Score. If your ad is not relevant to your chosen keywords, Google will assign you a low Quality Score. If your ad copy doesn’t match the page you are directing people to, Google will assign you a low Quality Score.

The better your ad’s Quality Score, the more likely you will pay less for your ads.

Need more help? Access free downloads (normally valued at $593) at www.CustomerAttractionSecrets.com or www.PatientAttractionSecrets.com for medical businesses.

How Paying for Likes Can Actually Help Your Business (and Other Shocking Insights)How Paying for Likes Can Actually Help Your Business (and Other Shocking Insights)

by Kim Walsh-Phillips

I am very annoying to watch football with on TV.

Why?

I don’t talk through the game, so that’s not it. I don’t ask what just happened in the last play, so that’s not it either. And I do bring snacks to the party. In fact, I am a snack-toting champion.

The problem is that I can’t stop myself from yelling at the TV during commercial breaks about the ridiculous amount of money wasted on branded campaigns with no calls to action or any level of measurement.

It was a few years into my marriage before my husband shared his concern for the level of anger I exude at the TV. (But seriously, did ANYONE test if Muppets driving around in your car would help sell one new vehicle? I wouldn’t be surprised if the only one making money off that commercial was the ad agency that put it together.)

The same can be said of social media marketing. The fluff passed around is enough to spread on peanut butter sandwiches all across kindergartens from East to West Coast. Got a knife?

I don’t care if you have one million fans. Did you get any sales from it?

What to Do Instead

We generally have one or more of the following four campaigns running for our clients. They are effective, ROI-focused, and produce more money than is being paid into them. Leverage these for your business to drive a high ROI.

Why Run a Likes Campaign

So first I say social media is all fluff and now I tell you to run a Likes Campaign?

I know. I know.

But here’s the thing, Likes Campaigns can be very worthwhile if used correctly to attract qualified leads and grow your business.

Why run one?

Create social proof that others believe in your product or service. When restaurants start seating guests for the night, they seat them at tables in front of the window first because customers always help to attract new customers. The same is true of building social proof for your business. If you have 24 fans on your page and you profess to be popular and in demand, these messages are not congruent.

I am not an advocate for spending thousands of dollars on building ads, but I am a proponent for buying fans until you reach the 500 to 1,000 mark for a sense of legitimacy. In addition, if you use look-alike audiences, your ROI goes up with fans who are matched well to your perfect prospects.

This allows you to develop an inexpensive list of leads you can target on your next campaign. In all our Facebook Ads results, we see a trend that Facebook fans convert at a higher rate and lower cost-per-lead than other marketing channels. If you invest wisely in your Likes campaigns, you can develop an inexpensive lead funnel, especially if you also collect email addresses.

As you grow your fans, continue to target them in your opt-in and ad offers and track your cost-per-lead and cost-per-sale. The results will clearly show if this method is truly “like-able” because it’s based on revenue, not fluff.

#NoBSsm Tweetable Takeaways#NoBSsm Tweetable Takeaways

Make the message about them, not you. Tell them why they should care and why they should respond right now. #NoBSsm

Use direct response marketing principles to create a competitive advantage in your social media advertising. #NoBSsm

Once you discover the perfect message, marketing, and media match, your job is clear—scaling up. #NoBSsm

It doesn’t matter if you have 1 million Facebook fans. Did you get any sales from it? #NoBSsm

Facebook Likes Campaigns can be very worthwhile if used correctly to attract qualified leads and grow your business. #NoBSsm