Clicks are often considered as measurements of B2B marketing success. But have you ever stopped to think about the meaning of a click? How do you know what that click means to the clicker (clickee?). After all, the meaning is attributed by the person who clicks, not the marketer who tallies them up to prove their campaign was successful. The number of clicks doesn’t have as much to do with success as the response generated.
A click can result in a variety of responses, for example:
- I’m curious…oops, not what I thought it would be. Pardon the back button.
- Wow – just what I was looking for, thanks!
- I thought this white paper would be great, but 2009? Are you kidding?
- Really good points. My boss should see this. Thanks for including a share feature.
- These guys are full of themselves. Talk about me, me, me! Sheesh.
- I got new ideas! Best 5 minutes I’ve spent in a while. I better sign up for their RSS feed, follow them on Twitter…Finally, someone who doesn’t waste my time.
- Oh my gosh – another bait and switch. Send these guys to the junk folder.
- I’m going to bookmark this article for later. I think the next budget might have room for us to consider doing this. Wish it wasn’t a year from now…
- Yet another webinar on X. When will someone come up with something new?
Which of these responses do you think your “clickees” are thinking after they click on the link in your latest marketing campaign – social or otherwise?
The marketers who generate great responses to their clicks have likely:
- Segmented their lists to provide the most valuable information to the people who need it.
- Developed personas to get to know just what information their prospects consider valuable.
- Eliminated any form of sales pitch.
- Mapped their content to buying stages.
- Presented consistent content their prospects have determined is worthwhile as payment for their attention.
- Used words and phrasing that engages their prospects.
- And so much more.
The marketers who create less than good responses have likely:
- Assumed they know what prospects want.
- Taken the easy way out trying to reuse old content by making the call to action sound new.
- Paid more attention to the message and click than the content at the other end.
- Sent the same thing to everyone – ala batch and blast.
- Tried to push the sale.
- And so much less…
The truth of generating great responses is that it takes time and effort and consistency to do the work that produces valuable interactions. In a world where your prospects have access to so much information, you can’t fool them anymore – and shame on you for trying.
Then again, the proof will be in the conversions, pipeline momentum and downstream revenues.
How can you tell if you’re creating great responses to the clicks you generate?
- What’s the follow-on activity? Do they follow you, subscribe to your RSS feed, register for an upcoming webinar, etc.?
- Do they thank you for sharing that great content?
- Do they consistently respond when you share another link?
- Are you winning an increasing share of their attention?
- Are they telling others about your content?
And finally, are they becoming customers? That’s, of course, the true test. But, in the meantime, you’ve got to consider what kind of responses your clicks are generating and what meaning your prospects are taking away from the interactions they have with your marketing content. Not just the articles, white papers and blog posts, but the whole process that entices them to click and how that transition from click to content forms an impression that’s leading toward a relationship or, well, not.
