Posted by: Kayla Wagner, Account Manager

A recent JupiterResearch/ClickZ survey of email marketers showed that 81% believed that their most effective tool for acquiring emails, both in quantity and quality, was their own website. Given this statistic, looking at how you drive people to your website in order to build those lists is pretty important. Whatever the channel, a prospect that sees your ad should have a clear call to action to receive more communications from you.

Further, be sure that once a prospect clicks from your ad, that there is an easy and clear path to sign up for your brand’s communications that is simple enough to make them want to fill out a basic form and submit their email.  Then, once you have that information, be sure to speak to your audience differently based on who they are. You can send a welcome email as soon as a person opts-in to start the conversation, and follow that with triggered messaging based on a prospect’s actions on your website.

Alternatively, if the user is a customer or client, you would want to send them a different message than that of your new prospect. The use of automated marketing tools can help you make this an easy process overtime.

If you spend the upfront time and strategic thought aligning your advertising – be it search, social, media or offline – with your approach to building your prospect list versus that of your current customer relationship program, you’re sure to see positive results. This isn’t an overnight trick, it will take time and investment, but it will certainly pay-off in the end.

Posted by: Chelsea Maxwell, Marketing Coordinator

Testing and optimizing your landing page is a critical part of creating a successful online marketing presence.  However, even when you do not have time to test your landing pages you can still easily eliminate common mistakes and increase your conversion rates. The following approaches to raise conversions will work across a variety of industries:

1. Keep it Simple. Your landing page should be focused on the desired conversion.  Make the action you want the consumer to take clear. Let them know you are looking to generate a sale, download or email sign-up.  Remove additional clutter on the page by limiting other clickable links and choices.
2. Trim the Fat. Studies have shown that less text on a webpage leads to higher conversion rates. Consider reducing your content down to simple headlines, bulleted lists and prominent buttons.
3. Deliver Value. Visitors come to your site with an expectation before they ever landed on your page. Ensure that the message delivering traffic to your site matches the content of your landing page.

Posted by: Rosemary Riley, Storyteller/Senior Copywriter

Inc. magazine today ranked conversion-driven marketing agency 90octane no. 1,682 on its third annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies reporting at least $2 million in 2008 revenue. The agency also ranked 43rd for the Denver-Aurora, CO metro region. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy – America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs.

The Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2005 through 2008. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of 2005. Additionally, they have to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent – not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies – as of December 31, 2008. Revenue in 2005 must have been at least $200,000, and revenue in 2008 at least $2 million. 90octane achieved 190.1% revenue growth over the three-year period.

Founded in 2000, 90octane is a pioneer in response-based interactive marketing tactics. The agency creates custom lead generation, lead nurturing and search engine marketing programs for its clients in the B2B, B2C and nonprofit fields. View 90octane’s Inc. 5000 Company Profile.

Posted by: Gloria Dutton, Marketing Coordinator

It’s no secret that times are tough. But mandatory spending freezes and budget cuts are not insurmountable. Your customers’ current spending trends will eventually turn around. Now is the time to put your company in a position of strength as a thought leader and partner, so that when the good times return, your company’s products and services come to the top of your prospect’s mind.

Lead nurturing is one of the top ways to prevent an overall downturn in customer acquisition during times of recession and to ensure more business when the economy improves.  By continually keeping your prospects in touch and informed while they are unable to buy, your company is looked at as more of a long-term partner and smart long-term business choice.  It also will help customers to see that you are there in support of their interests and will most likely not end the relationship once the sale is final if you did not drop interest in them when they were not even making a purchase.

Posted by: Jenny Bachner, Media Specialist

You’ve done a lot of work to prepare for your lead generation or lead nurturing campaign. You’ve assessed the audience, strategized offers, determined the best timeline, drafted a media plan and created a landing page based on conversion marketing best practices. It’s easy to let the details of the program’s final execution slip under the radar. But how you craft your landing page’s registration form(s) is too important to pass over.

The registration form is ideally your prospect’s final destination. So take advantage of these tips for making yours as user-friendly as possible: