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| September, 2005 -- Issue 58 Valeriu S. Popescu, Editor and Publisher The Internet Marketing Profits Center, Inc. Past issues available on newsletter archive ISSN: 1583-4180 phone: +40-232-477900 fax: 1-925-666-2853 email to the editor anytime at:  Marketing Online Since 2000 |
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This issue includes: 1) "A New Image Boosts Profits by 60 Percent!"2) "Hate Sites Using Search Engine Optimization -- Part 2."3) "Classified Ads."4) "Tell Us What You Think!"
What does your e-mail creative most resemble?
None of the above! Conventional wisdom, as well as testing I've conducted, supports answer A, matching e-mail creative to your landing page or web site. It's logical. By making the transition between e-mail and landing page seamless, you smooth the reader's path and avoid any bumps in the road on the way to the desired action. Last month, I tested answer B for a client. I developed an e-mail resembling one of its banner ads and tested it against the control e-mail. The only difference between the two was the image (control image vs. test banner image) at the top. In all the metrics that matter, the test e-mail showed a lift:
A Very Clean Test Copy, layout, subject line, landing page, order process, and everything else were exactly the same in the test and control e-mail messages. The only difference was the image at the top. In neither case did we use a literal image of the product offering. In both messages, the images were tied to emotions and benefits. The "learn more" links in the e-mail messages directed readers to the client's general landing page; the images used there were completely different from those used in either e-mail. Note: We did include another test panel. It used the e-mail with the test image and sent readers to a landing page that used a similar image (rather than the general landing page). There was a problem with the tracking on this version, so our results are flawed. We'll be testing this again to see if we can get an even bigger lift by incorporating the banner image into the landing page as well as the e-mail. We randomly split one segment of the client's house list. Any difference in results was directly linked to the one unique factor in each message: the image at the top. No Vast CTR Improvement Surprisingly, there wasn't a huge difference between the test and control in CTR (define). The test showed only an 0.8 percent lift, or just about nothing. But the large lift in orders and the order-related metrics suggest that though we didn't get more people to click on the test e-mail, those who did were more qualified, more engaged, and more likely to buy. Keys to Success I wouldn't have tried this test with just any banner. The banner the image is from is very, very successful for my client. The copy and story are very similar to other banners we've used in the past, but this one is much more successful. The differentiator is clearly the image, which is what we incorporated into the e-mail. Another bonus: the banner has been in rotation for a while now. It's got a very high number of impressions over a wide variety of online ad networks, spanning a few months. There's a good chance the people who received the e-mail had seen the banner, increasing their level of engagement. This Energizer Bunny of a banner just keeps going. We've been working on a replacement banner to use when response dips below an acceptable level, but that hasn't happened yet. Unlike other banners, which wear out, this one just hangs in there. Its longevity suggested it might have a parallel or secondary life in e-mail. Caveats Animated banners are very different from e-mail. They let you tell a story in visuals. Although small, they can be very powerful. E-mail is more static. You have more space, but you also tend to have more copy and less imagery. The banner we used to build the e-mail told a story. When we shifted the creative to e-mail, outside the context of the story, we were afraid we'd lose the meaning and relevance. If you evaluated the e-mail without having seen the banner campaign, you might wonder what the image was doing there. We made a conscious decision to stick with the control e-mail's copy, which didn't include the banner story, so we'd have a pure test on the image. It was risk. Though the copy didn't conflict with the image, it also didn't explain it. The risk paid off. With a less successful and less familiar banner image, it may not have. Will This Work for You? I don't know. As with all marketing, you must test, test, test, and see what works for your audience. The more successful the banner, the more likely it will work for e-mail. You won't know until you try. Let me know how it turns out.
Note: part 1 is available into the previous issue of The Internet Marketing Profits Newsletter. Just the Beginning One doesn't have to search far to find more hate sites using these type of SEO tactics. The same group appears to own martinlutherking.org, which is not by any means a complimentary site for Dr. King. This site currently ranks number 4 for the term Martin Luther King in Google. Google's response to the 'jew' results:
This would not really suffice for the �Martin Luther King' results. The fact is, this is going to continue to increase because no other sites are financially motivated to get in the path of these search visitors. There are no search engine optimization firms working to topple these results�until now. What Can We Do? The fact is that we can't blame Google for these results. Google is an amazing feat in technology. Google's algorithm is not just about looking at the code on a page and trying to figure out which site best represents the topic. Google adds a sense of democracy to their results. Google, in a very real sense, let's you vote. Right now, Jewwatch is stuffing the ballot box with their own links. If you want to see those results off the page, cast your vote by linking to another site on the Google page. Simply add a link to your site with the anchor text being 'jew' and point that to:
USWeb has added links from within this article to the appropriate pages for these terms. We urge you to do the same. Don't use unethical tactics like white on white text, or linking from every page of your site. The best way to link is to share your opinion. Write something regarding 'Martin Luther King' or the term 'jew'. Place the term in the title and H1 tag of your page, and link to the proper site with the term in the anchor text. If you have a blog use it. If you know someone with a blog, ask him or her to use it. If you need help, email me directly and I will provide you with the proper linking method. Or, if you find other sites spreading misinformation and using SEO to gain visibility, let us know so we can cast our vote.
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Dear friend, I would love to hear what you think of this issue of The Internet Marketing Profits™ newsletter. And of course, if you have any suggestions for upcoming issues that you'd like to share with me, please send those, too -- just email me right away! And don't forget to check out the previous issues at the Internet Marketing Profits Newsletter Archive. "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." Valeriu S. Popescu, Editor and Publisher ^ back to the top of the Internet Marketing Profits Newsletter, issue 58 DID YOU LIKE THIS ISSUE? Please forward it to your friends, co-workers, colleagues and anyone else that you think would like it. Thank you for your continued support! DISCLAIMER: I urge you to exercise due diligence in responding to any advertisement or article posted here or in any other future issue. I do not give business or professional advice in this newsletter and therefore cannot be held responsible for results you get from responding to ads or articles in this newsletter. I urge you to exercise due diligence in all of your online dealings.
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A simple banner image increase the profits by 60%. Will this work for you? I don't know. As with all marketing, you must test, test, test, and see what works for your audience. The more successful the banner, the more likely it will work for e-mail. You won't know until you try. Lastly, here's Google team response to the hate sites which using search engine optimization. Google cannot be influenced by different petitions... the only sites they omit are those with maliciously attempting to manipulate results!
Jeanne Jennings is an independent consultant with over 12 years of experience in the online, Internet and e-mail realm; she specializes in helping businesses develop an effective and profitable online presence. Areas of expertise include strategy, product development, information/Web site architecture, marketing and e-mail newsletters. Jeanne also publishes The Jennings Report an e-mail newsletter with market research, articles and other resources for e-mail marketing professionals. Visit her site at 
