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Lead generation isn't just about getting as many leads as possible, it's about making sure that your leads are coming to you for the right reasons. The best leads know, like, and trust you BEFORE they need your thing. They come to you because they believe you deliver competent convenience at a reasonable premium. These are often busy families who don’t have the time to fuss over multiple bids and second-rate service. They believe if a deal seems too good to be true, it usually is. They shy away from the suspiciously cheap and are drawn to the reassuringly expensive. They buy the $50+ bottles of wine and always look to make the right selection, not the cheap selection. These are Relational Buyers. Low quality leads come for the cheap prices. They also go for the cheap prices. They do not have a preferred service provider and they do not value the service you provide in general. They are unlikely to become a loyal, long-term client, and would sell their mother for a wooden nickel. These are Transactional Shoppers. Today’s close rate determines tomorrow’s sales leads. The relationship you have with your customers is so integral to exponential lead generation. A high-quality lead is a High CAP customer. These are the customers who close on the first sit, at a higher average sale and profit (High CAP). You have to nurture your lead before you can even think about closing the sale, and good advertising is the introduction to your brand integrity. Your CSRs, Techs, and Salespeople continue the conversation. If you hope to keep up the relationship, you have to deliver on the promises you make in your advertising. So, what are the best lead generation strategies that you can implement right now to start seeing more of those High CAP customers come your way?In this article, we'll go over the whos, whats, whys, and hows of lead acquisition so you attract better leads using the best lead generation techniques to start propelling your business forward.

The What

So, what is lead generation, and what types of lead generation processes are there?

Lead Generation

If you look up "lead generation" online, you'll probably get a definition that says it's "the process of identifying potential customers and convincing them to become your prospects through digital channels."Quite frankly, this isn't true. Most of us can agree that the buyer's journey starts when we grab their Attention. This will then lead to Interest, which ultimately leads to a Decision (sometimes incorrectly known as desire). So, if this is the case, lead generation really can be defined as a process that employs tactics that motivate Action. The action to click to your company's website over any of your competitors, and pick up the phone or fill out the online scheduler (A. I. D. A.).The ultimate goal of lead generation is to convert leads into prospects. These are the people who need what you're offering but have yet to make a purchase. And if you rely exclusively on lead gen for A. I. D. A., you're running a fool's errand. Why? Because you'll end up being a slave to the neither consistent, reliable, nor affordable natural demand cycles and Google Ad auction prices. A. I. D. A. is a team sport, and your branding efforts are the real ringer. Of course, there are several ways to approach generating leads, and your approach all depends on your competition, market demand, visibility, and digital presence.

Inbound Lead Generation

Inbound lead generation is a process where businesses can attract prospects through various means, such as PPC, SEO content, lead magnets, tripwires, funnels, phone numbers, and online schedulers. The aim is to then convert these leads into appointments. To be effective, inbound lead generation must be part of a broader inbound marketing strategy. This strategy should focus on creating valuable content that can be consumed by your target audience. The goal is to build trust and credibility with potential customers so that they are more likely to do business with you BEFORE they need to do business with you. This is where a solid brand strategy comes in. Think about it like a black hole. Your lead gen devices, like PPC ads, online schedulers, and trackable phone numbers are the event horizon. The gravitational pull of the black hole starts well before you hit the event horizon though. The better your branded ads, relational-friendly calls to action, and google reviews collectively, the stronger the gravitational pull to your business.

Outbound Lead Generation

Outbound lead generation are advertising tactics that focus on generating new leads through methods such as cold calling, door knocking, or email blasting. This approach differs from inbound lead generation, which involves attracting potential customers to your business through content marketing, social media engagement, and other online activities. Ever play Hungry Hungry Hippos? Outbound marketing is a mad clamor to reach out and scoop up as many marbles as you can before they’re all gone from the other hippos pounding the same playing board. This is outbound marketing. While there are pros and cons to both outbound and inbound lead generation strategies, many businesses find that outbound lead generation can be more effective at driving sales and increasing revenue in the short term. This is because outbound lead generation allows you to proactively reach out to potential customers, rather than waiting for them to come to you. This means that you can target your marketing efforts more specifically and generate leads that are more likely to convert into customers. Done too often to your existing clientele, and you’ll lose the opportunity all together. Be a farmer, not a miner. Are you seeking new ways to get more leads for your business? At Wizard of Ads®, we specialize in helping residential home service businesses build brilliant, disruptive brands with a story that has your target audience willingly step into your gravity well. If you want to learn more about how we help you generate High CAP leads and grow your business, book a call with us today!

The Who

Who out there needs lead generation? Everyone. Everyone needs lead generation. This isn’t the Field of Dreams. If you build it, they will NOT come. You need to go get them.

At any given time, 7% of your trade area is in need of your products and services. That doesn’t suggest you have access to all 7% of these prospects, however. Some of the 7% are already spoken for with a preferred provider, and some won’t be interested in your premium price model, no matter how good a sales team. And some will not be able to afford your solutions. Whatever leads are left over are, “The Undecided”. Not a name that generally evokes confidence, the undecided are willing to give you a try, but don’t think you’re friends. Now if leads come to you through a visceral response to your well-crafted branded advertising, you are no longer talking to the available, undecided leads. You are actually talking to all 68% of potential buyers that are able and willing to buy. Congratulations! You have won the game of lead gen before the game has even begun.

The Why

We have a lot of clients that do not need us to generate them more leads. They are booked out 2 to 4 weeks. They are inundated with business, but they are hungry for quality over quantity. They are hungry for higher-intent leads. They want more of the High CAP leads. And they even crave the high quality candidates needed to deliver an a world-class buying experience.

Improves Lead Quality

Lead quality is an important factor for businesses looking to succeed in today's marketplace. When you only have so many skilled Techs, it is more important than ever to send them to as many high-intent opportunities that you can. By focusing on lead generation strategies that attract High CAP prospects, businesses increase their one sit conversions at a higher average sale and profit. Whether you are just starting out or looking to level up your business, lead generation is an essential activity for growing your revenue.

Attracts Top Candidates

The number one greatest challenge for any growing residential home service business is that of capacity. When the volume of leads exceeds the number of hours you have to run the calls, you end up wasting lead generation dollars on lost opportunities. This is a tough pill for all ambitious leaders. When you attract top quality leads, you can attract top quality candidates who are looking to maximize their results too. Top candidates expect top shelf leads. The GlenGarry leads, if you know what I’m saying.

Ability to Target The Right Customers

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make with lead generation is chasing quantity over quality. Anyone can generate loads of leads for you, but what good is a lead that only costs you money? If the epic failure, Groupon, taught us anything, it was that there is no value in attracting a bunch of ungrateful, disloyal, and cheap customers to your business only to bleed you dry. Your lead gen strategy should be designed and catered to the types of people who are most likely to buy from you, stay with you, and recommend you. Look, any idiot can get you a lead by lowering your price. Literally, you can do that yourself. You don’t need to pay a digital marketer to lose you money on overpriced PPC campaigns that are designed for you to spend more, therefore, paying your digital marketer more.

Helping People Win

You cannot help people win, yourself, your employees, and your prospects, until you convert a lead into an appointment that can be run. Lead generation is a critical process for both buyers and sellers, as it allows you to close a deal or deliver a world-class buying experience to nurture future opportunity. Today’s closing rate produces tomorrow’s sales opportunities. It is your duty to not only get more people to experience your service, it’s your duty to close the deal.

Big Data - A Valuable Asset

Big data tells a story that steers marketing decisions. Knowing who is converting into a prospect based on what you put into the universe will allow you to modify your strategy to maximize results. I’m not talking about the deeply flawed ROI by lead source information. I’m talking about geographic, demographic, and psychographic information at the lead generation level, and more specific data for those that finance with you, including birthdays, personal information, and job data. Remember, big data is called big data for a reason. When you try to extrapolate a conclusion from too small a sample size, you make bad decisions. Assuming causation without appropriate correlation is a crime.

The How

How does a residential home service company generate more of the good leads? The first thing to do is abandon the tactics that attract low quality leads. Discounts, coupons, sales, and promotions are a red herring that are not helping you grow or profit. The next thing is to do more in your marketing than just lead generation. If nobody knows who you are or worse yet, they know your name and don’t have a trigger to pick you from a list of usual suspects, you will lose.

Companies That Reap the Benefits of Lead Generation…

• Generate high-quality traffic

Going after high-quality over quantity means attracting a few less (approximately 16% less) leads by saying the right things before the zero-moment of truth. When undecided, they will be more likely to pick you out from the crowd as a best case scenario.

• Generate more high-quality traffic

As you continue brand advertising and align it with your PPC and website copy, you will start to see a rise in higher quality leads. More people will connect with your brand, not just recognize it. The more you reach the mass market with the right message at the right frequency, the more direct and organic search is going to increase.

Bypassing PPC costs altogether is arguably the best valued lead generation, so make sure your website is optimized for conversions.

• Boost lead conversion

Once you have an effective lead capture system in place, you can use conversion optimization tactics to boost the number of leads that actually convert into paying customers.

This might also involve optimizing your website for higher conversion rates, developing targeted email marketing campaigns, or using retargeting ads to bring visitors back to your site who didn’t convert the first time. Paired with an effective ongoing brand campaign, and you can nurture the relationship with your most loyal customers.

• Increase ROI

High quality leads that are captured and converted through any of these methods will be great sales opportunities. Be sure that your techs and salespeople understand they are talking to relational buyers, not transactional shoppers. Have them assume the sale on every sales call, and be sure they have persistence through resistance to close those deals today.

Running a High CAP Lead Generation Campaign

Running lead generation is essential in every marketing strategy. Who you chose to attract and who you choose to lose matters. A lot. When you try speaking to everyone, you end up speaking to no one. Before beginning your next campaign, put some key pieces of information in place — specifically what you want to say, but more importantly, how you want to say it. Understanding your ideal customer’s felt needs, the gaps in your competitive landscape, and what you’re team is really great al delivering consistently, make you an anomaly. And that’s worth paying attention to. The biggest question you’ve got to ask yourself is why? Why do I demand more leads over less, high quality leads that my team can spend more time with and close at a higher average sale and profit on day one? Why do I allow digital marketers to charge me a percentage of my spend? Why do I want any lead over high intent leads? Why don’t I tell a better brand story and work hard at delivering a better buying experience? Here are some tips for elevating on your next campaign:

• Determine your goals: What are you hoping to achieve with your lead generation campaign? Do you want to focus on increasing traffic, boosting conversions, sustaining customer retention, or appealing to High CAP customers? With a well-executed lead generation campaign, you can achieve all your goals.
• Understand your target audience: Who are you trying to reach with your campaign? What are their felt needs and pain points, and how can you offer a solution? Researching this information will help you create more effective messaging for your campaign and pull at the heartstrings of your prospects.
• Create content: Whether it’s an email or landing page, you want to ensure that your content is compelling and quickly communicates the benefits of your product. Appeal to your audience’s values by creating compelling copy that speaks to their inner truths. Craft a meaningful headline, and include visuals that align with your brand identity.
• Make an offer that includes a call to action (CTA): Your offer should be something that doesn’t break the integrity of your brand identity. We call these Relational-Friendly Transactional Offers (RFTOs). It should act as a filter to appeal to your ideal client, and repel the cheapy cheapy customers.
• Promote content: The more salient your content, the more your target audience will connect with you. Once you have a message that connects, share it everywhere you can. There are several tactics that you can use, including paid advertising, social media marketing, and email campaigns.
• Create and optimize a funnel: Successful lead generation campaigns may require a well-crafted funnel that starts with attracting prospects and ends with converting them into customers. You’ll need to measure your results at each stage so you can optimize your campaigns along the way.
• Test lead gen campaigns (A/B test): Measuring your campaign results will allow you to determine which campaigns are performing well and which can be improved. A/B testing is used to maximize the efficacy of campaigns, and should be part of every strategy.
• Lead scoring: Once you’ve attracted a sizeable pool of prospects, it’s time to prioritize them by assigning lead scores. Lead scoring bases the value of a prospect on their likelihood to convert into paying customers and provides you with insights into which campaigns are performing the best. This is how you will know what leads are Low CAP and which leads are High CAP. Trace them back to your original ad set and you will know what works best to attract the High CAP customers.
• Lead nurturing: After dialing in your High CAP prospects it’s time to nurture your relationship with them. Lead nurturing is the process of working at the relationship with something other than salesy stuff. It can take many forms, but some common tactics include email marketing drip campaigns, gifts, and thank you cards.

From start to finish, you can monitor and optimize your campaigns to ensure they’re as effective as possible. Knowing how to get High CAP leads is ideal for every business, but it can be tough to know where to go next sometimes. At Wizard of Ads®, we help residential home service companies generate leads that become loyal customers. With 35 years of experience, and a disproportionately high success rate, we can help you create and implement a marketing strategy that targets the right people. Book a call with us today to learn more about our lead generation services and how we can help you grow your business.

If you've done any SEO (search engine optimization) or PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns for your company, you know how tricky it can be to select the right keywords. As a business owner of a home service company, you may find yourself in a game of cat and mouse, trying to figure out how to use keywords that represent your brand without getting penalized by Google or getting buried under the competition. To maximize your clicks, leads, and conversions, you need to choose a mix of unbranded and branded keywords. But how do you know which ones will work best for your business? Well, we've got the answers for you here. We decided to take a closer look at the branded vs. unbranded keyword debate by analyzing the performance of a real company's SEO and PPC campaign. This data will help you understand just what needs to be done to get the best results for your business. Let's take a look!

What are Branded and Unbranded Keywords?

When it comes to keywords, there are two main types: branded and unbranded. Branded keywords are those that include the name of your company or product, misspellings, taglines, visual representations, and brandable chunks. Non-branded keywords are more generic keyword terms that don't include any specific brand references, rather speak to your category, customer pain points, and most likey search terms or your products and services. For example, if you are an HVAC company named "Acme Heating and Cooling", some of your branded keywords might be "Acme Air Conditioning", "Acme Heating", or "Amce Heating and Cooling". On the other hand, some unbranded keywords related to your business might be "air conditioning repair near me", "air conditioner installation", or “furnace no heat”. There are benefits and drawbacks to using both types of keywords. Branded keywords are essential in 2022 to get your website to rank above the fold for your company name, which help increase brand awareness. However, you need to have a brand in demand before a branded keyword campaign will be an effective strategy. Unbranded keywords, on the other hand, tend to be hyper competitive and are necessary when getting started in a new business. Be warned, it is scientifically impossible to leverage unbranded keywords to drive brand awareness and become a household name. Ultimately, the best approach is to use a mix of both branded and unbranded keywords to give your website the best chance of ranking high in search results. If you're in need of exceptional branding experts to help you with your Branded Advertising, book a call with our team at Wizard of Ads®. We specialize in helping businesses of all sizes increase their visibility and reach, online and offline.

A Case Study of a Real Company

To see how an unbranded and branded keyword strategy works in detail, check out this case study pulled from a real-life company so graciously provided by our Wizard of Ads Partners:

Although we took out the company name, the category, and the cities, the data is 100 percent real and accurate.

• As you can see, this company spent $37,398 on unbranded keywords in City 1 so they could have the privilege of losing $8,299.
• Then, they spent $30,008 on unbranded keywords in City 2 so that they could have the privilege of losing $17,238.
• Lastly, they spend $6,273 on unbranded search in City 3 so that they could have the privilege of losing $6,409.

It's safe to say that after losing $31,946, they probably grew tired of feeling privileged. Wouldn't you?Now when we look at the branded keywords, it tells us a different story.

• In City 1, this company's investment of only $7,452 in branded keywords made them a gross profit of $49,480. This is after deducting the costs of their branded keywords.
• In City 2, their investment of only $14,648 in branded search made them a gross profit of $62,976.
• And finally, in City 3 their investment of only $2,998 in branded keywords made them a gross profit of $9,042.

Digital weasels look at this and wonder why the heck would we track this company's unbranded and branded keywords separately. They cheerfully point out that combining them into one big package will result in a perfectly acceptable return on investment. That’s what grifters, cons, and shim-sham artists all think.

It’s Important to Track Branded and Unbranded Keywords Separately

It's important — especially in the digital world we rely on today — to create campaigns that not only monetize all the customer enthusiasm from digital platforms, but offline ones as well. When I say offline, I'm talking about the big 3 mass media — TV, radio, and outdoor advertising. There's a tactic in the industry called "cross-channel marketing," and it doesn't just mean being present on multiple platforms. It means tracking each one of your channels — whether it's online or offline — separately so you can see which ones are working and which ones aren't. In this case, branded keywords are what’s driving in revenue. And if we didn’t track branded and unbranded keyword ranking reports separately, we wouldn’t even be aware of how much money the unbranded keywords were losing for this particular company. To truly optimize your keywords and maximize your revenue, you need to do the same. So what kinds of tracking can be done? Here are some examples:

• Separating branded ad campaigns from unbranded campaigns to measure volume and costs.
• Tracking organic searches for your website.
• Tracking direct traffic to your website.

By tracking each channel separately, you'll have a clearer picture of which ones are performing well and which ones could use some improvement. And from there, you can make changes to improve your overall marketing strategy.

Don’t Hire Digital Weasels

So what do we mean when we say Digital Weasel? These are marketers that fail to deliver on what they proudly promised their customers. They make all sorts of grandiose claims, but in the end, they don't come through. They are the type you'd wanna pull aside, put your arm around their shoulders, and whisper in their ears "Be careful not to let your alligator mouth overload your mockingbird butt. "But if you're a bit more mellow and mature than we are, you may instead want to listen to the words of Les Binet — a data scientist (and non-digital weasel) who monitored the advertising of more than 1,000 businesses for over 15 years. “If you build your business, or try to build your business, using short-term efficiency measures – cost per response, click-through rates, that kind of thing – you’re _[on a hiding to nothing](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on a hiding to nothing Definition of on a hiding, to failure %3A certain to fail). You’re going to run your business into the ground, we believe, because those are not the things that grow the business, long-term.” Les Binet goes on to say, “You need to talk to people, not just who are in the market right now, but people who might come to market over the next two to three years. You need to engage them with things that are more humanly relevant, more general, more universal, and crucially, you need to engage them at the emotional level… So if you want really disproportionately large marketing effects, if you want big sales and big profits, aim for fame.”

Aim for Fame

Are you a fame seeker? Do you want your SEO and PPC keywords — branded and unbranded — to make you a household brand name? Well tough, because that’s not how fame works. It is scientifically impossible to become a household name with SEO and PPC as your primary marketing mechanisms. If you’re not speaking to your marketplace through an intrusive mass media channel, you don’t stand a chance. Period. We'll close this article with three key pieces of advice: Make your ads, whether digital or traditional, entertaining, persuasive, and unpredictable. Your target audience will only pay attention when they have a reason to. Don't play it safe, be unexpected. If your ads are the talk of the water cooler, you're doing something right. Don’t worry about the complaints. You will never make everyone happy, and if that’s your goal, you’re doing it wrong. Be strategic about the information you put in your ads. Don't put so much information that your ads feel like ads - make them feel like entertainment. The more new, interesting, and different the information in your ad, the more people will be willing to change their behavior. And you can’t change someone’s behavior (to buy from you) until you first change their beliefs. And finally, don’t mistake name recognition with becoming a household name. You can have a large majority of people know your name. Ultimately, name recognition is 100% irrelevant if your aren’t the brand in demand. Becoming a household name means they are only calling you, and the “oh sh*t” moments trigger your brand over your competitors in the residential home service market. This, combined with unbranded and branded keywords that are tracked separately to better understand your cost of acquisition and brand efforts provide better data from your advertising campaigns. Need some guidance? Wizard of Ads® is here to help. Our services are specialized for you — CEOs of Residential Home Service Companies. We'll not only help turn your marketing and advertising campaigns into a well-oiled machine, but also help you build a tribe of loyal customers who want to smoke what your rolling, and pass your name along to others to as well. Book a call with Ryan Chute, Wizard of Sales® today!

Is your residential home service company getting a good amount of website traffic but the phone isn't ringing? You see the growth potential but you can't seem to get conversion rates up. Sure, getting traffic is great, but if those visitors aren't becoming customers, then what's the point? Whether you're an HVAC, plumbing, or closet door company trying to get people to book an appointment, conversion rate optimization (CRO) should be THE key focus for your website. The thing is, many businesses don't hold the right CRO marketing mindset to get the results they're looking for. They see conversion rate optimization as a one-time event rather than an ongoing process. Conversion rate optimization isn't about doing a major overhaul to your entire website that sacrifices time and money, it's about making small tweaks to your website design, copy, and user experience to get more people to take the desired action. So, ready to get into the mindset of a conversion rate optimization champion? This article has got all the precious little details you need to get your conversion rate up in no time!

What is CRO?

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the process of optimizing a website to increase the percentage of visitors who take a desired action. This can be anything from making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or filling out a contact form. Conversion rate optimization usually involves A/B testing, which is where two versions of a page are shown to users at random and the version that performs better is used as the new standard. Other forms of CRO include:

• User experience (UX) optimization: This involves making changes to the design and layout of a page to make it more user-friendly and improve the overall experience for visitors.
• Landing page optimization: This is the process of optimizing a landing page to increase its conversion rate.
• SEO: Search engine optimization can be used as a form of CRO to improve the ranking of a page in search engine results pages (SERPs), which can in turn increase traffic and conversions.
• PPC: Pay-per-click advertising can be used to drive traffic to a page with the goal of increasing conversions. Better copy, hooks, and relational-friendly transactional offers drive more people to your page to convert as long as the experience stays consistent.
• Social media: Promoting a landing page or website on social media can also be a form of CRO, as it can drive traffic to a CRO page. In some cases, you can skip the off-platform linking and get the conversion right on the website they are on.

It is important to note that conversion rate optimization is an ongoing process, not a one-time task. To keep conversion rates high, continual testing and tweaking of website elements are necessary.

The History

Surprisingly enough, conversion rate optimization isn't a new concept. In fact, the history of conversion rate optimization dates back to Leonardo Da Vinci. In 1430, Da Vinci was employed to create an automated kitchen feast. He did this by designing conveyor belts to transport food to the preparers and a sprinkler system for safety measures. Even though considered by many as the first use of technology before the Industrial Revolution, both contraptions failed — the conveyor belt operated too erratically, and to make matters worse, the sprinkler system went off and ruined all the food. In hindsight this experiment was a comedy of errors, it is an early exapmle of conversion rate optimization. In the case of Da Vinci's automated kitchen, there were two conversion opportunities - getting the food to the preparers and then getting the customers to eat it. The first opportunity was lost because the conveyor belt was unreliable, and conversion stopped entirely because the sprinkler system went off. In modern conversion rate optimization, we often talk about conversion "funnels." Just as there was a process in place for food to get from the kitchen to the customer's table, there are steps that need to be taken for a website visitor to become a customer. Make sure your process is reliable and seamless, otherwise you risk losing conversion opportunities. Need help with your website conversion rate? At Wizard of Ads®, we take pride in helping businesses build brilliant brands that turn shoppers into buyers. Book a call with us today to learn more about our conversion rate optimization services!

The Right Mindset

As business owners, when we aren't getting the number of conversions we want, our minds tend to immediately jump back to our acquisition efforts. We think that we need more ads, more SEO, more content, or something else entirely. While this can sometimes be the case, almost every time what you really need is get out more of what you already have. This is the CRO mindset that you want to nurture. While everyone else is breaking their backs for more traffic and spending an imperial buttload on garbage leads, you can work the much more effective angle of conversion. To get into the right mindset, here are some quick tips:

• Embrace failure. Failure is inevitable. If you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough. The best way to learn and grow with CRO is by making mistakes and learning from them.
• Experiment. No risk, no reward. With CRO analytics, you need to be able to put your opinions aside and simply follow the data. Be prepared to take risks - you never know what might work until you try it.
• Avoid tunnel-vision. You don’t want ALL the leads. You only want the good leads. It's easy to get hyper-focused on one specific conversion metric and lose sight of the bigger picture. Remember that conversion rate is just one part of the puzzle, and optimize accordingly.

Follow these tips, and you'll have the mindset of a conversion rate optimization all-star in no time.

First Example of Conversion Optimization

We've talked about Da Vinci and how his conveyor belt disaster was suggested to be the very first occurrence of CRO in action, but is there another example that has can be considered the first conversion rate optimization case study? Subject to debate, of course, some people believe that the first CRO case study came instead from a statistician named R. A. Fisher in the early 20th century. Fisher was hired by an agricultural research center with the duty of determining what external factors were affecting the growth of various plants and crops. He did this by designing experiments on soil type, sun exposure, precipitation, and so on. His experiments were both controlled and randomized, which helped him analyze and evaluate results for optimizing plant growth — what the preferred conditions were and what factors modified growth the most. When we looked at this example closely, we found Fisher actually did A/B testing — he was constantly comparing two different versions (controlled and randomized) to see which one had better conversion rates (in this case, growth). Compare this to the digital world today, and you'll see how conversion rate optimization has taken the same basic idea and applied it to web design, user experience, and the buying journey. At its heart, conversion rate optimization is all about testing different versions of your website or touchpoints (variables) to see which one performs better in terms of conversion rate (the goal). It's all very scientific and data-driven, which is why CRO has become such a popular and effective method for understanding how to optimize for growth.

A/B Tests and Google

Speaking of A/B tests, ever wonder what the first running CRO internet A/B test was? It was actually created by Google back at the turn of the millennium. The test was simple: to determine the optimum number of results to display on the SERP (search engine results page). The first test was unsuccessful due to slow loading times from glitches with the Google code, but later on, A/B testing became more advanced. Though the principles and foundation are generally the same, in 2011 Google ran over 7,000 different A/B tests - 11 years after Google's first test. So what does all this tell us? In general, A/B tests are used to improve conversion rates - whether that's on your website, or in this case, on a SERP. By constantly testing and tweaking different elements, Google has been able to increase its conversion rate and keep people using its search engine. If even the king of search engines has failed with its CRO testing in the past, that should give you some comfort that it's okay to make mistakes when you're testing. The key is to learn from those mistakes and keep moving forward.

CRO in the Residential Home Service Industry

We've gone over a lot of old examples of conversion rate optimization, so now let's go full circle and apply what we've learned to the scenario given in this article's introduction: You own a residential HVAC company, and you're getting a healthy amount of traffic on your website, but the phone isn't ringing... You decide to get into your CRO mindset. You stop yourself from cranking out more website content like SEO articles, Facebook ads, etc. because you know that will only lead to burn-out and an emptier wallet. Instead, you take a step back to reevaluate your website and marketing content with a conversion-centric perspective. From there, you decide to recycle your older content and focus on optimizing it to increase conversion rates. You first set up an A/B test to see which version of your website copy converts better. You find that the slogan "We're the best HVAC Service in Town!" actually decreases conversion rates, your images are outdated, and your CTA buttons are difficult to find. So, you experiment with different slogans, images, and CTA buttons on your website. After a few weeks of testing, you find that a picture of a smiling HVAC contractor along with the text "Helping Your Home Stay Comfy Cozy All Year Round" generates more conversion than any other combination that you've tested. Over time, you finally see an uptick in phone calls, and Google Analytics tells you that conversion rates for your key pages have increased by 15%. Not too shabby!That's how conversion rate optimization works: by taking a close look at your website's conversion funnel and making improvements where necessary. CRO elements can be used to improve anything from website copy to call-to-action buttons to overall design. It's just a matter of figuring out what's not working and then making changes to see if conversion rates improve.

Conclusion

Conversion rate optimization doesn't have to be a complete makeover of your website, and it doesn't mean you have to pump out more content in the hopes it'll convert customers. Sometimes, less is more. Believe in the power of quality over quantity. Embrace failure and be open to taking risks. Trust the data and remember the big picture. When you embrace these concepts, your conversion rate optimization will be flawless in no time. However, not every company can do it all on their own. At Wizard of Ads®, we help residential home service companies create and implement a marketing strategy that tells your authentic brand story. We show you what it takes to have an eye-catching brand image that not only gets heard and found… but converts like crazy. We'd be happy to help get you started with an impactful plan that considers all of these factors and more. Book a call with us today so we can get started!

Business owners are up to their ears in marketing techniques. Not only that, they are constantly changing, and all come with various advice and warnings that contradict each other. This opens up a breeding ground for marketing mistakes. For example, one of the most common pieces of advice is that business owners should be on as many social media platforms as possible to reach the widest audience. However, another popular opinion is that business owners should focus on one or two social media platforms so they can create a strong presence and avoid spreading themselves too thin. As a home service business owner, this drives you pretty nuts. You want to do what’s best for your business, but with so much conflicting information, how can you decide what exactly that is? And how can you avoid royally screwing up your business? Here's what we're gonna do. Instead of telling you what to do, we'll make it easier for you and tell you what not to do. Interested? Read on to save yourself from the clutches of a failed marketing campaign so your home service business can thrive.

Most Common Mistakes in Marketing

Marketing failures are a given, but some are more common than others. Here's a look at some of the most frequent marketing mistakes to avoid in your business.

Inappropriate Use of Social Media

Sure, the whole world is on Facebook, but that doesn't mean it's the right place to advertise your products or services. Go to the Success Stories page on Facebook to take a look at the types of ads that are working well. Does your product or service fit into any of those categories? If not, you're likely wasting your time (and money) trying to market on Facebook. This goes for all social media channels. Choose them wisely and don't try to be everywhere at once. You can waste a lot of time, money, and resources if you're not strategic about it. Another common mistake is using social media as a one-way megaphone to talk about your company, rather than engaging in a two-way conversation. This will come off as salesy and turn people off. If you want to use social media successfully, you need to be relatable and thoughtful about the content you're sharing. At Wizard of Ads®, we can help you showcase your brand in a way that captures the hearts and minds of your target audience. Book a call with us today to get started!

Overconfidence in the Value of Targeting

As the wise Jeffrey Eisenberg once said, “online customers are exactly the same people as offline customers, yet advertisers tend to think of them as an entirely different species.” This is never more true than when it comes to the notion of targeting. Many business owners believe that they need to target their audience as narrowly as possible to be successful. However, this is often a marketing mistake that leads to wasted resources and missed opportunities. You can spend the same amount of money to reach five tightly targeted customers online as you would to reach five customers who have that same profile, PLUS 500 of their friends by utilizing broadcast TV or radio. In doing this with the right message, you become the brand that people think about first and like the most — at a fraction of the cost. Broadcasting your message to a wider audience may seem counterintuitive, but with the right message and frequency, it is a far more effective way to connect with potential customers.

The Assumption that Every Message is Relevant

Bad marketing campaigns create ads with the belief that their product or service category is intrinsically interesting. Guess what? For customers, information about what your offering isn't the currency that will buy their attention — entertainment is. Most ads lack entertainment value, and as a result, they go unnoticed. Not every one of your ads has to be a laugh-out-loud, share-with-your-friends viral video. But it does have to be interesting enough that people will want to watch it or read it. Some of the most successful ads weren't considered relevant to the product as they could have been, but they were entertaining. And that's what people pay attention to. This is the difference between perfectly truthful, and honestly persuasive.

Fear of Criticism

Most brands these days aren't writing ads to persuade, they are writing them to not offend their audience. The issue when you do this is that you are missing out on the power to move people to play it safe. Great advertising pushes the envelope. It captivates the brand's target audience, while repelling those outside of it. And that's okay. When you're creating advertising, the goal should be to provoke an emotional reaction in your target audience. The best way to do this is by taking a stand on something – even if it means alienating some people. Of course, you don't want to take a stand on something that will turn off the majority of your potential customers. But if you're too afraid to rock the boat, you'll never create truly great advertising. Instead, you'll remain invisible to everyone with your mediocrity.

Measuring Ad Effectiveness Too Quickly

A common mistake digital marketers fall into is immediately measuring their ads' effectiveness and then make changes based on those findings. This is a rookie mistake for a few reasons. For one, having measurement cycles that are too short will give you false readings. You need to give your ads time to gather data and show results. If you're constantly changing your ad strategy, you'll never be able to tell what's working and what isn't. Second, ongoing branded advertising is essential if you want to be the brand that pops up in your audience's minds. If you're spending too much time holding each individual ad accountable, you're not getting the brand awareness that you need. You want your prospective customers to feel the best about your brand when they eventually need what you're offering. If they see and resonate with your ads consistently over time, they're more likely to remember you and trust you before the PPC game of ‘ouuu, pick me’ has even started.

Unsubstantiated Claims

Marketing fails when its ads and content are filled with empty rhetoric that is used to fill the space without any real consideration for what actually matters. Wizard of Ads™ Partner, Chris Maddock once said, "Show, don't tell." This couldn't be more true when applied to content marketing. Adjectives get frequently overused, which makes the language in these ads and pieces sound like white noise. Verbs, on the other hand, show your customers what your product or service can actually do. Fluffy adjectives only tell them. When you focus on showing what your product or service can do, rather than just telling people how great it is, you are more likely to have an impact. Do you want to shout into an auditorium or whisper into a pillow? This is why it's important to focus on creating content that is neq, interesting, and different, rather than just trying to be cute and clever. It's a marketing mistake that will make your brand seem inauthentic and incongruent, which ultimately turns people away.

Believing that “Old” Media No Longer Works

It is true that digital marketing has become mainstream n recent years. Consumers are more likely to visit your website and read reviews before making contact with you, which means your website must always be top-shelf in the conversion department. However, that doesn’t mean that traditional marketing techniques are a thing of the past. The proper mix of the two is the most effective way to market your business. The combination of your digital presence and the mass media allows you to reach an exponentially wider market and show up where your high intent buyers are looking online. The best news is, virtually all of your competitors make this marketing mistake leaving you to dominate the airwaves with a far better message. Radio and television still deliver massive market reach in America. Therefore, using these channels to market your business will create a massive jump in sales and customers. Just understand that your elevated offline presence will make it appear as though your online efforts are what's generating the ROI, when in reality it's the mass media marketing campaign that deserves the credit. This error is known as last touch attribution.

Assuming “The Decision Maker” Is The Only Person You Need to Reach

Sure, the decision maker is the one who authorizes the purchase, but what about decision influencers? The ones who provide positive and negative input and feedback? You're missing out if you're not trying to bond with them, too. Decisions aren't made in a vacuum. There are always other people involved, even if they're not signing the check. And those people can have a big influence on the decision making process. The kid in the backseat of his mom's car that sees the McDonald's sign isn't the decision maker, but he's going to have a say in what they eat for lunch. And the friend that you ask for advice on what HVAC system to buy for your new home isn't the one who's going to install it, but she's going to have an impact on which one you ultimately choose.

Believing that “Gen-Z” Isn’t Like the Rest of Us

Gen-Z isn't one tribe, they are a collection of tribes. They don't act like one single cohesive birth cohort because they aren't. And this is one of the worst content marketing mistakes you can make. When you try to market to Gen-Z as one group, you are really just marketing to the lowest common denominator. You are assuming that all members of Gen-Z think, act, and behave alike, which couldn't be further from the truth. Each subgroup within Gen-Z has their own unique set of values, beliefs, and behaviors that are similar, if not the same as ours. And while there are some commonalities between them, trying to lump them all together is a recipe for disaster. When you make marketing mistakes that view Gen-Z as one group, you end up creating content that is bland, uninspiring, and ultimately forgettable. So don't treat them like a monolith, and don't make the mistake of thinking that they are all the same. Your customers will thank you with their business.

AdSpeak

When it comes down to it, people don't hate advertising; they hate boring and predictable advertising. They loathe the time-wasting ads that come up on their screen during commercial breaks while trying to watch their favorite show, live sports, or local news. They despise AdSpeak, but they absolutely love entertainment. When it comes to writing AdSpeak, none is always more. Don't try to cram too much information into your ad copy; keep it short, sweet, to the point, and most of all — pleasurable to read, watch, or listen to. Do this well, and your audience will appreciate your concise message, and you'll be more likely to capture their attention and interest as well as be remembered for future business.

Conclusion

As you can see, making continuous marketing mistakes is like having a leaky faucet, but instead of losing water, you're losing money. The good news is that we know how to fix it quickly and permanently. If you want to avoid the time-consuming, and money-sucking trial and error, we're here to help. At Wizard of Ads® for Residential Home Services, we specialize in making you a household name. Book a call with us today to discover our brand of crazy.

If the past few years have taught us anything, it's that predicting the future is a fool's errand. But despite the inherent risk, the siren song of tomorrow is too strong to resist. So we researched what some of the sharpest minds in the advertising landscape think the next year has in store for us. The big theme that emerged is that the advertising industry is on the cusp of radical change. It will be driven by the continued atomization of media and the ongoing development of new technologies. It will run on the ever-changing relationships between brands, consumers, and platforms.2022 will be a year of reckoning for many in the industry. The changes that have been brewing for years will finally come to a head, and those who haven't adapted will find themselves struggling to keep up.

Post-Covid Scenario

When we talk about an advertising landscape, we mean the current state of the industry. We also mean where marketers allocated their budgets and what they spend that money on. That can be measured by analyzing marketing spend or the total amount of money spent on advertising by all marketers in a given period. It's no secret that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on just about every aspect of our lives. How we work, play, and even shop has changed dramatically in recent months. And as we begin to emerge from this global crisis, many of these changes will likely become permanent. This new normal will significantly impact the advertising landscape, too. In fact, the advertising landscape is set to drastically change in a post-Covid world. With people spending more time than ever online, and with smarter budgets, many brands are turning away from digital advertising as the sole means to get their message across. The traditional marketing landscape offers many advantages over digital advertising techniques. That includes a business's ability to talk to much larger audiences at the right frequency for effective retention and recall, with the right message, not just track disappointing results of an overtargeted audience. Since more and more companies move into the digital space, the competition for attention will only increase, and therefore the costs per click. That means advertisers need to be smart about how they allocate their budget, online, and offline, to drive meaningful results. Therefore, as an advertiser, you need to know what matters most to your most desirable prospects. Specifically, understanding what your target audience cares about most in life regarding comfort, safely, and savings. The EY Future Consumer Index conducted five waves of research with 14,500 individuals in 20 countries since the pandemic began. They identified five different cohorts of consumers. They include those who care first and foremost about:

• Affordability: About one-third (or 32 percent) of consumers care first and foremost about affordability. When you have a brand that nobody has heard of, the only comparison is price. If you have no mass media advertising or an advertising plan that lacks in frequency, reach, or a meaningful message, you are competing on PPC with no differentiation aside from your Google Reviews, just like everyone else.
• Health: A quarter of consumers (or 25 percent) care about their health first. They protect their and their family’s health by choosing products and services they trust to be safe. That means improving the air they breath and the water they consume actually matters. This is a huge case for duct cleaning, air scrubbers, and water treatment solutions.
• Planet: About 16 percent of consumers care about the planet first. These consumers do this by trying to minimize their impact on the environment. They are also prone to buy from brands that reflect their beliefs. This means that those variable speed motors and high efficiency blowers are a reasonable option for many people.
• Society: About 15 percent of consumers care about society first. They work together for the greater good and only buy from organizations they find to be honest and transparent. What you do in and for your community matters. Being a good corporate citizen, respecting seniors and soldiers, and taking an active role in a cause help align you with these like-minded individuals.
• Experience: About 12 percent of consumers care about their experiences first. These consumers believe in living in the moment to make the most of life. That makes them more open to new products, brands, and experiences. Delivering a world-class buying experience costs money. When you do a great job for your customers, especially on the small stuff, you earn their loyalty, trust, and word of mouth advertising.

Now knowing this data, imagine an advertising landscape post-covid scenario. Which of the above groups do you think will be most heavily marketed to?All things being equal, it will always come down to price. The real question is, what are you going to do to not make things equal?For example, let's say you're an Plumber. If you only advertise online, you don’t have the ability to be any different than any of the other Plumbers in your town. You have to put more emphasis on those who prioritize affordability to get the biggest share of market, right? On the other hand, if you had a successful mass media campaign that had you winning the heart of your prospects before they even need your services, not only are you now talking to the entire marketplace, but you also stand out online where they go to find your phone number or online scheduler. No price sensitivity. No unrealistic expectations. Just good customers looking for the things you promise in your ads. Covid-19 has expedited the way we consume information. Advertisers will need to consider these changes when planning their post-covid marketing strategies. No matter what you're selling, it's vital to have an offline presence that drives your tribe to your online presence. The ones who are doing the best job are the ones with the best message with the greatest reach, at the right frequency. When those interested parties go looking for their services online, they stand 600 feet above the competition and win the clicks with ease. As time goes on and brands better endear themselves to their marketplace, the paid clicks get replaced with direct searches. Feeling overwhelmed on how to get started? Wizard of Ads® will help. We know how to disrupt a marketplace with a message that matters, turning you into a household name. Sit back while we strategize for you. Book a call.

Trends Shaping the Advertising Landscape in 2022 and Beyond

Advertising technology trends that will shape the advertising landscape in 2022 and beyond include the following:

Video Content

Video content will make its way to the forefront of the content queue. Our insider at Instagram told us in a recent Partner Meeting that Instagram Reels now is given preferential treatment over static images being posted on the website to combat the explosive growth of TikTok. YouTube has followed up with a somewhat lame attempt called YouTube Shorts, while Facebook is grasping at straws to incorporate Reels into their news feeds. Highly engaging and memorable ad formats will be the star of the 2022 show. Video will continue to increase in popularity as a content format, with short-form video ads becoming more prevalent. As digital platforms become more sophisticated, we will see a shift towards interactive and personalized advertising experiences. That could include 360-degree videos, choose your own adventure interaction, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR).

Rekindled Interest in Audio Content

There's also been a rekindled interest in audio content. Podcast ads, in particular, are on the rise as more people listen to them on their commute or while doing chores. What most business owners lose sight of is the monstrous volume of listeners still tuning into local radio stations and the nightly local news and live sports on television. To stay ahead of the curve, brands need to be prepared to experiment with new formats and technologies, in addition to, but not in lieu of proven mainstream mass medias that still hold the lion’s share of listeners. Keep an eye on emerging platforms and trends so you can adapt your strategies when the time, and data, are right. It's also important to remember that, no matter what changes we see in the landscape, the principles of good advertising will remain the same. That means creating entertaining content that resonates with your target audience. “Entertainment is the currency of a too busy public.” -Roy H. Williams

On-Brand eCommerce

What else is on the horizon of the advertising landscape in 2022? The answer may be more on-brand eCommerce. We've already seen a shift towards this with the rise of platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest. Both platforms are visually-based and highly effective for promoting products and services. This trend is only going to continue in the coming years as people consume more content through social media channels. As a result, brands need to focus on creating strong visual stories that stand out on a crowded feed. They should also make sure their website and product pages are optimized for mobile so that potential customers can easily purchase items they see advertised. Have you ever read a J. Peterman product description?

Connected TV (CTV)

Connected TV (CTV) will become increasingly important and the future of television advertisement. This includes cable television set-top boxes (STB), Over-the-top (OTT) and streaming services like Prime and Hulu. This channel allows brands to target specific audiences with targeted ads. The key is to make sure that the ads are creative and interesting enough to capture attention in the first 2-3 seconds. While very challenging to spark an impulse purchase for externally-triggered, grudge purchases like plumbing repairs, there is a case to be had for leveraging the emotional response from an internally-triggered identity, purpose, or adventure action, like getting a better job at your fine establishment.

Multimedia Campaigns-Media Mix

As consumers' media consumption habits change, so does how they interact with advertising and the digital media landscape. To reach consumers where they are, brands often feel the need to create multimedia campaigns that combine various types of media. This is the number one mistake we correct at Wizard of Ads™ when developing the media buy and overarching marketing strategy. While omni-channel dominance is practical for multinational brands with limitless budgets, a small residential home service company is committing a costly mistake by trying to spread their advertising dollars around too much. Would you rather convince 10% of your market 100% of the way of 80% of your market 10% of the way? With over 35 years of proven results, we can tell you with confidence that if your frequency is wrong, you are wasting your money. Message first. Frequency second. As much reach as you can afford upto a specific threshold depending on the channel.

Mobile Device and Mobile App

As more and more people use mobile devices and apps, mobile device compatibility and advertisements on these platforms will become increasingly important. The mobile advertising landscape allows businesses to target consumers based on their location and interests. Expect a further and further departure from demographic targeting, cookie tracking, and retargeting as a result. Privacy and anonymity online are continuing to trend upward so be prepared to tell a better story to win those clicks.

Virtual Meetings/Events

With more people working remotely, there has been an increase in using virtual meetings and events. These provide brands with opportunities to connect with their target audiences without needing physical travel. Additionally, webinars can be cost-effective in generating leads and building brand awareness. Saying something that people care about and sponsoring events that resonate with your target audience will become more and more important win the hearts and minds of your potential clientele.

Rise of the Machine and AI Learning

Artificial intelligence (AI) will increasingly be used to create targeted and personalized advertising experiences. AI can be used to gather data about consumers’ preferences and behavior in lieu of cookies and other implied tracking methods. It can then be used to create targeted ad campaigns that are more likely to result in conversions. Consider captions, image alt tags and descriptions, and meta data when producing content. All of these will have a greater impact for searchability as AI and machine learning continues to evolve. Looking beyond 2022, it's clear that the advertising landscape will continue to evolve. Brands need to pay attention to the curve by investing in strong visuals, mobile optimization, and persuasive storytelling to remain successful. The devil truly is in the details when it comes to search, so be thorough and consistent in your presence and your processes. When it comes to telling powerful stories about your brand and getting you deep into the memory banks of your prospects Wizard of Ads® has award-winning talent to make your brand a household name. Book a call.

To be successful in business, you need a strong customer base. Having a reliable and satisfied customer base is key to any company's success. To get more customers, you need the right tools. Here are some tools you can use to acquire new customers for your residential home service company. Acquiring new customers is vital for businesses for several reasons. First, it helps to increase revenue. Acquiring new customers will also help to increase brand awareness and brand loyalty as long as you treat ‘em right. Businesses should keep a few things in mind when acquiring new customers. They need to identify their target market, segment their audience, and create a compelling offer to attract their target market. They also need to have a solid plan for how they will reach their target market and generate interest. Customer acquisition is a crucial part of any business seeking to grow and be successful. A business without customers is a hobby. By mixing in different methods, companies will sell their target market.

A Business Without Customers?

All businesses need customers. Every business owner must come to terms with this inescapable fact. No customers mean no one with whom to sell your product or service. And no business can survive without revenue. Therefore, acquiring new customers should be a top priority for any business owner. Acquiring new customers is a process known as customer acquisition. There are several different methods to acquire new customers, but the most common and effective is the customer acquisition funnel. The customer acquisition funnel is a process that businesses use to identify potential customers, convert them into prospects, and then close the sale. The funnel begins with awareness, in which potential customers become aware of your product or service. Next comes interest, in which they develop an interest in what you have to offer. Next is a decision, in which they compare your offering to others on the market and decide on your company over others. Finally, there is action, in which they pick up the phone or fill out a form to book an appointment. A customer acquisition funnel is an essential tool for any business owner looking to grow their business. By understanding the client acquisition process, you can ensure that your business always acquires new customers and generates revenue. The customer acquisition process is essential for any company seeking to grow and be successful. It can be defined as the process of bringing new customers or clients into your business. There are many different ways to acquire customers, but most companies will use a mix of methods depending on their products or services, target market, and budget. The most common client acquisition methods include advertising, referrals, lead generation, and public relations. If you’d like some help with acquiring customers that will make your business successful, book a call with Wizards of Ads® today!

Top 5 Customer Acquisition Tools Available in the Market Today

As a business, your primary goal is to acquire customers and grow your revenue. To do so, you need the right tools in place in reaching your target audience and converting them into paying customers. Several customer acquisition tools are available today, ranging from simple online ads to more complex marketing automation platforms. The right tool for your business depends on your specific needs and goals. Here are 5 of the most popular customer acquisition tools available today:

Unbounce

Unbounce Conversion Intelligence™ is one of the leading platforms and tools for landing pages and other conversion assets for your business. Landing pages are quintessential for lead generation and customer acquisition. Unbounce makes it so you don’t have to have skills in digital development, it does it for you. Using their highly-recommended drag and drop builder for doing this. Split testing, SEO, form creation, metrics and analytics, and more.

Hotjar

Certain tactics and strategies used in your digital marketing and business campaigns are all fine and dandy when generating leads and a customer base for your business. But how do we know what tactics are working? Or how do we know how well they're working? We want the success to keep on keepin’ on, don’t we? It’s vital to know what works and what doesn’t. This is where Hotjar comes in. Their words nail it best when they say “ what’s best for your users and customers is best for your business.” Hotjar’s interactive heatmaps track clicks and sessions and show you what your customers are feeling and why they are behaving in specific ways. How are these leads converting? Is there a problem in your customer acquisition funnel? Are there issues with your product or solution? Hotjar will tell you and allow forms analysis, surveys, conversion funnels, data analysis, and so much more.

Mailchimp

Another vital part of your digital marketing and business campaigns will be email marketing and nurture emails. But for many businesses, success in email marketing can be elusive. That’s where Mailchimp comes in. Mailchimp allows you to automate all of your email sequences, from the first touchpoint to post-purchase follow-up and everything in between. You can segment your lists based on certain criteria, meaning that each person on your list is getting the most relevant emails possible. And because it integrates with so many other software platforms, you can use data from those platforms to improve your email campaigns. If you’re not using Mailchimp or some other email direct marketing tool for your business, you should be.

Outgrow

Interactive content is the new black in marketing. If you’re not using it, you’re missing out on engagement, leads, and conversions. Outgrow allows you to easily create interactive quizzes, calculators, polls, and more to get people engaged with your brand. Not only that, but Outgrow also integrates with Mailchimp, so you can automatically add leads to your email lists. If you want to take your content marketing to the next level, start using Outgrow. You won’t regret it.

Drift

If you’re not using Drift, you’re missing out on one of the most powerful tools for generating leads and closing deals. Drift is a live conversational marketing platform that allows you to talk to prospects and customers in real-time. It’s an incredibly powerful way to build relationships, close deals, qualify leads, and book appointments. There’s no reason not to give Drift a try. It’s the best way to increase conversions and close more deals.

Steps in Creating a Customer Acquisition Strategy

Creating a customer acquisition strategy takes steps. Think of it this way: Imagine you're following a trail through a forest and come upon a cottage. You want to get to the cottage, so you walk along the path. But then you see a fork in the trail. One path goes off to the left, and the other goes off to the right. What do you do? You could take either path, but, chances are, you'll want to pick the one that will get you to your destination more quickly. The same is true when creating a customer acquisition strategy. You need to take steps that lead you to your goal: acquiring new customers. Thankfully, you can do a few kinds of calculations to determine which path is more likely to succeed.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Calculation

The customer acquisition cost (CAC) calculation is the most important for your business. This number tells you how much is the cost per acquisition of a new customer. And it's essential to understand whether or not your acquisition strategy is working.

• CAC = Customer Acquisition Cost: In calculating CAC cost, take your total marketing expenses for a specified period of time, or we'll call that Marketing Costs (MC for short). Then divide that by the number of new customers acquired (or CA for short) during that same period.

The formula looks like this: CAC = MC / CA For example, let's say you spend $100,000 on your marketing in a month and acquire 100 new customers. Your customer acquisition cost would be $1,000. This metric is important because it will give you an idea of how much money you're spending to acquire each new customer. If your acquisition rate is too high, it will be difficult to scale your business and be profitable.MC = Marketing Costs: Your MC can include online and offline marketing expenses. That can include:

• Paid ads
• SEO
• Content marketing
• Email campaigns
• Trade shows

CA = Customers Acquired: As mentioned earlier, CA is the number of customers you acquire in a given period. This metric is important because it will help you track what is acquired and your progress and growth.

Create Buyer Persona

You'll also want to create a buyer persona for your customer acquisition strategy. A buyer persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer. It takes into account demographics, behavior patterns, motivations, and interests. Creating a buyer persona will help you better understand your target market and how to reach them. By understanding your buyer, you'll be able to create marketing campaigns that appeal to them.

Create Acquisition Strategy

After you understand who your target market is and what they desire, it's time to create an acquisition strategy. Using multi-channel marketing makes the most sense, allowing you to reach your target market through several acquisition channels. Just be careful to not bite off more than you can chew. Unattended channels will cause more harm than good. Some of the most popular acquisition channels include:

• Content Marketing: Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content. The purpose is to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
• Live Chat: Talking to your customers live is a great way to get feedback and answer any questions they may have about your product. It also allows you to build a relationship with them and create a rapport.
• Email Marketing: Sending emails to your target market is another wonderful way to keep them updated on your product or service. Use email marketing to build loyalty, cultivate relationships with customers and prospects, and drive the easy conversions.
• Referral Programs: Referral marketing is a type of word-of-mouth marketing that encourages customers to refer your product or service to their friends and family. You can produce referral marketing through referral programs, links, or influencer referrals.

Test Results and Analysis

After you've created a customer acquisition strategy, it's time to test it. Test results will give you insights into whether or not your plan is working. Analysis of the results will help you understand what's working and not, so you can make adjustments accordingly. Adjustments might look like changing the offer, altering the copy or creative, or adjusting the targeting. Keep in mind, it takes time to see results from a customer acquisition plan, so don't give up too soon. When you're happy with your customer acquisition strategy results, it's time to scale. Scaling means growing your customer base by increasing your marketing budget or expanding your reach. Customer acquisition is a crucial part of any business' growth strategy. By using the right mix of marketing channels and tactics, you can find and attract new customers who will stick around for the long haul. Acquiring new customers can be tough. First, you have the task of finding them, then you have to figure out how to keep them happy and engaged. But fear not! With a proven methodology and a powerfully creative message, you will find the right mix of strategy and creative copy to help you acquire new customers and grow your business fast. Thankfully, we Wizards of Ads® have the know-how to do just that. Book a call with Wizards of Ads™ today.