Exhibitor Trick of the Trade
Your online lead capture tools have to be on point...
now more than ever!
As a podiatric vendor who has likely spent thousands of dollars on various types of marketing channels, how many times did you feel you didn't get the ROI you were hoping for? Now... be honest. How many times did you blame the channel (i.e. newsletter, website, magazine, or conference) for the lack of return?
Now... be honest again.... was it really the channel that failed, or was it the ad itself... or maybe even the landing page that you lead them to???
I'm not saying that every channel is perfect and it's "all your fault," but what I am saying is that as marketers in an overloaded media world, we have to take accountability for our advertising success.
Often, when we (and I say we, because I'm with you in this game!) send an advertisement to a certain channel/publication, we think it's the best ad and message in the world.... "there's no way hundreds of DPMs won't respond to this masterpiece!" But then, low and behold, the response just isn't there.
Something we have to remember is.... the channel that is showcasing your advertisement... it's only job is to get your advertisement in front of your audience - those DPMs! If your ad is being seen by hundreds (or maybe even thousands depending on the publication) of DPMs and you aren't getting a response - you need to evaluate two things:
- The ad and all it's parts (design, copy, offer, call to action)
- The webpage (or otherwise) that you're sending them to
Always take some time to step into the shoes (mind the industry pun) of your audience; and try to go in as blind as you can. Ask yourself these questions before you submit an ad and eliminate dollars from your marketing budget....
What is the goal of this ad?
Please don't say "more money." That's way too broad. Keep it much more simple than that... the goal of the ad may be, "The goal of this ad is to point out a common DPM problem, and generate enough interest that the DPM is included to click on it."
Remember - the first step is to get them to go further... not to close the sale!
Next, when they click on the ad where are you sending them? Ask yourself:
Does this landing page take them to where they expected?
Meaning... don't take them to your home page if they expect to find information for a SPECIFIC product or service. If you take them to your home page, you've given them a lot of opportunities to get distracted and lost.
Next, once they are where they want to be....
Does the information on my landing page provide enough information for them to know how my product/service solves their problem?
And finally...
Does my landing page provide an area of contact information capture?
Websites are not like email marketing campaigns; you don't know who is visiting and who is clicking! The most successful landing pages have an area where you can capture lead information.
You should probably also offer a "lead magnet." Which is just a fun way of saying.... "Give me your email address and I'll send you something!" Your lead magnet might be an interesting research article... or a valuable checklist... something that they find valuable enough to feel OK about giving up their email address.
So in short - before you evaluate your advertising success and are ready to point fingers at the channel getting your name in front of your target audience, be sure you do your due diligence to ensure a successful campaign!
