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Be weird: The most effective attention-getting strategy

Here’s a quick question you may not have considered:

What does a raccoon riding alligator have to do with digital marketing ? (Scroll down below the picture to reveal the answer)

Absolutely nothing.

Except for the fact that it does make a great segue into our discussion on why “weird” is a good attention-grabbing strategy in digital marketing and in content development.

It got you to read this, didn’t it?

If you want to get your people in your target market to actually stop what they are doing, and be so fascinated by what they see they can’t help but to click the link you just posted, you’ll want to try using strange, weird and wonderful headlines.

BUT – a word of caution: Read this post before you use the weird strategy to learn how to do it effectively. There are some basic but crucial rules on its execution.

The most effective attention-getting strategy: Be weird

Why Weird Works:

The weird attention-getting strategy works because it uses a human survival instinct we all have to spot things that are out of place. It is something we do because we:

a) Always want to ensure we are safe, and weird or unusual can mean danger…

b) We are curious beings by nature. Learning is how we evolve. It’s how we, as a species, get better.

If you think about it, that’s likely what had you click this article.

Humans want to understand and solve things. And, it’s easier to spot things that are out of place than things that are usual or to be expected.

This strategy is used be some of the top copywriters in the world. Like the guys who work for the National Enquirer. It is the No.5 most read publication in the world.

For those who aren’t familiar with the magazine, it’s got articles with the latest celebrity news. The stories are completely made up, but they often seem valid and real. Like this one about Oprah:

Just to be clear, I’m not going to show you how to make up stuff so you can fool people into reading your articles. Below you’ll learn how to use weird to get attention only, while remaining a credible resource with your integrity in tact.

Want more proof?

CWD recently used this tactic for a forklift dealership in and increased web traffic on the day it was posted BY MORE THAN 10X. How did we do that? On April Fools day CWD added this listing to the company web store for a hover lift truck. It was a fun joke that made warehouse manager smile and got them some major attention:

3 Rules when using the be weird attention-getting strategy:

1. Use weird in your hook or title, then follow up with facts and truths. It’s important that any content your business shares publicly provides value. When you are constantly feeding your target market information and solutions they need, you become a credible resource that your people trust.

So, if you use the be weird strategy use it only to hook your reader. It’s best used in titles and email subject lines.

Once you get their attention your job is done. Your strategy worked. Then, you have to follow up with true facts and serious information to keep your credibility in tact.

You never want your customers to feel fooled or dumb. That breaks trust and can damage your brand.

Here are some examples of how to use “weird” to hook:

North American Nutritionist’s blog: “Why eating crickets is good for your health” – Article that explains how crickets are high in protein and are eaten in many countries around the world for good health.
Tampa news blog article: “This Christmas there’s snow in Florida” – Article is about a popular new toy for kids – a mini snow cone machine – that’s selling out quickly in at local department stores for the Christmas season.
Health blog: “Why you should be happy if you’re bald” – Article reveals a research study that shows bald men live longer, also it advises people to check www.the-medical-negligence-experts.co.uk every time they face a medical negligence situation.

2. Tap into niche topics in your industry. Look at your industry and evaluate the topics that aren’t commonly discussed openly. You want them to be common enough that people deal with them, yet things that no one else is solving.

Here are some examples:

Doctor’s blog: “What your pooh says about your health”
Therapist’s blog: “Why less sex can be good for your marriage”
Online recipe: “How to make low-fat zucchini fries that taste like french fries”

3. Use odd images. Pictures that look out of place are good attention grabbers.

Jeff Johnson, an expert in lead generation suggests that people are drawn to images the suggest luxury or living a good life.

The experts at LeadPages.net have tested many landing page conversion rates using the same copy but changing out the pictures. They found that using a picture of an attractive woman smiling will increase your chances of conversion. This is true for every industry and even if your landing page content is completely unrelated to women.

See our use of the weird image tactic here:

How to design a lead capture form that converts

If people arrive at your website and you have no way to capture their information, you are doing your business a huge disservice. Site visitors are leads. They are interested in your products and/or services, which is what brought them to you in the first place.

So, take the opportunity that’s been handed to you. Capture their contact information by using a lead magnet and capture form.

What’s that? It’s a little bit of digital marketing lingo. Lets demystify it.

Have you ever been to a web site where they provide an enticing free offer (white paper, ebook, video, free course) in return for your name and email address?

That’s a lead capture form loaded with a lead magnet.

The form is where you fill out the info and is connected to a mailing list registration process.

The lead magnet is the giveaway. This gets delivered to the person after they sign up.

Typically this marketing mechanism signs the visitor up for an email list. This gives you the opportunity to communicate with the visitor on an ongoing basis. You feed them with valuable information by email that they need or find interesting and develop a relationship with them. This trust gets built over time and you become an expert. When your message lands in their inbox they are motivated to open it and as you develop this process you can expose them to products and services that match their needs.

However this all starts with the lead capture form and lead magnet, like this one (click to see what happens):

(and by the way, a “contact us” or “inquiry” form is NOT enough. You need to provide site visitors with value. If you do that, your conversion rates will be much higher.)

How to design a capture form that converts

Our most effective lead capture strategy yet:

At Cyberwalker Digital, we track and evaluate how effective our strategies are for all our clients. We look at open rates for emails, at conversion rates for online forms, at “likes” for Facebook posts and at clicked links for articles we send out. You see, marketing these days is less of a guessing game then it used to be. Using digital tools we can track almost anything.

So, when we weren’t satisfied with the conversion rate on an initial capture strategy we had put in place for one of our clients, a major forklift dealer in California, we started to think outside the box. Here’s what we came up with:

We called it Warehouse Genius. It’s a capture box that allows warehouse professionals (their target demographic) to get immediate help for any of challenges they are dealing with.

Why is it so effective?

No one else in their industry provides 48-hour support for common warehouse challenges. So, it’s a valuable free service that attracts their target demographic. We also used search engine optimization tactics so the page can be easily found.
Site visitors build a relationship of trust with the company. They are not getting sold to all the time. They can visit the site and the Warehouse Genius feature and use it as a helpful resource with no strings attached.
The forklift dealer becomes recognized as the experts they are in their industry.
When our clients receives a Warehouse Genius submission the information is highly valuable. It allows them to understand the common challenges that their target market is dealing with. They use this to generate articles on related topics. And, from time to time the inquiries amount to future business (though, that’s not the only goal).

It was so effective, we thought we’d try it out to learn if it’s a valuable strategy for any industry. So, here is our version:

If you have a question about marketing and/or digital marketing, click the button below and ask us using our Marketing Genius form.

It’s completely free. No strings attached. We’ll share what we know and help you solve a potential challenge you could be struggling with:

What is SEO? An overview and definition

If you are unfamiliar with the term SEO – or if you have heard about it but not exactly sure what it is, then here’s an overview and definition so that you can understand what it is used for and even explain it to someone else, like an expert.

A search engine is a web site like Google or Bing or Yahoo. Its where you can find resources on the Internet by entering search terms. Simple terms like “organic dog food” or more complex phrases like “where in Tampa can I find organic dog food”.

The search engine will provide a list or web sites that answer that question and ranks them in order of relevancy. So the top site on the results page should be the best resource to answer your query. This is achieved by analyzing all kinds of criteria about each web site. The search engine scans web sites across the Internet and then indexes them based on the key words that they are about.

So what is search engine optimization or SEO for short? It is the process by which a web site owner customizes their web content pages – including the home page – to make them appealing to search engines looking for a match for specific keywords. And by creating appealing content that get’s shared and linked.

How is this done? There are three basic steps, although there is much more to SEO than just these, but they are the start of a strategy.

Table of Contents

STEP 1: Research keywords

The first step in any SEO strategy is to identify what keyword or set of keywords (often called a “keyword phrase”) to optimize a web site and its web pages for. Choosing the right keywords will result in large volumes of traffic arriving on the web site if they are keywords that are typed into a search engine frequently. LEARN MORE about keyword research

STEP 2: Optimize keywords on a page

This process involved editing text and programming code on a web page to help search engines recognize it as a good page to rank for a particular set of keywords and to list it in their search results. LEARN MORE about on-page optimization

STEP 3: Get linked

This process – also called in-linking – is the work done to get other websites to link to your web site. It can be done by listing a site on free directories, getting mentions in other peoples blogs, getting media mentions and in some cases buying links (although this can sometimes be ill advised) on prominent web sites. LEARN MORE about backlinking

STEP 4: Track and analyze

This process is about evaluating what keywords you have been ranked for on Google and Bing and then looking for ways to improve these rankings through optimization and in-linking.

STEP 5: Create valuable content and continue to optimize

After an initial execution of steps 1 to 4, your ongoing job will be to create great content on your web site that positions you as an expert on the web in the areas that you specialize in an what to be known for. If you want high rankings on search engines you must become a content creator and update the content regularly – or hire someone to do that.

Increase site traffic with an online dictionary

CWD recently built an online dictionary for one of our clients, a well-known forklift dealer based in California. During the process, we discovered how highly effective this strategy is for driving new traffic to websites.

This devine wholesale vaporizer batteries works especially well for industries that are highly specialized, such as: Healthcare providers, attorneys, real estate agents, tax attorneys and warehouse/logistics companies. They types of industries often have to educate their customers as to their products and services as part of the sales process. You can also check out this center that talks about mental healthcare services.

Increase site traffic with an online dictionary

Here’s why an online glossary of terms is so effective:
Building a dictionary of industry related terms allows companies to share their expertise and build credibility in their industry. Most importantly, you can optimize each page of the dictionary for search engines to dramatically increase your site’s exposure. Speaking of Site Exposure, It also comes with great Digital Marketing, if your looking for Digital Experts in Miami click the link.

Your site will climb the ranks of search engine listings for one word searches and for popular industry definitions. It’s common for other companies to link to a online dictionary to clarify terms on their own site (in-linking) . In-links help your site climb the search engine ranks. This will help you increase your chances of getting found by your target market.
How to build an online glossary:
If you want to build an online dictionary on your site it’s quite simple. It requires only three basic steps. Though, it will take a bit of time to put together.

Step 1: Compile a list of industry relevant terms. This is most effective for specialized industries. This is why, it works well in materials handling. Other businesses, like healthcare industries, law firms, real estate agents.

Step 2: Post terms in alphabetical order. You want to include a brief description of the term explained as simply as possible. This helps if you have a good copywriter that works with you. You can also add links to videos and images to help explain the term.

Step 3: SEO each term. Search engines, like Google, algorithms are based on keywords, so a dictionary is perfect for optimizing to appear in search when a traffic enters a specific phrase.

Once your dictionary is operational keep track of the terms that are getting the most traffic. These are likely the most challenging concepts to understand or the most popular terms in the industry. You can write and post articles related to the terms so you can continue to attract more of your target demographic.

To see an example of an online dictionary, visit the one we put together for RaymondHandling.com.

SEO backlinking 101

Backlinking is one of the most important and most overlooked techniques (by newcomers to SEO) in search engine optimization. Understanding how it works and how to do it will help you grow your site traffic quicker than any other SEO tactic.

Table of Contents

What is backlinking?

It’s the process of getting other websites to link to your website. And it’s very important because search engines like Google and Bing use these links to decide how valuable your website is. Each third-party site that links to one of your web page is a vote of confidence.

High number of credible third party links = site popularity = top search engine ranking on Google and Bing

An easy way to think of in-linking is to call it a referral. Think of it like this: Would you be more likely to go to the theatre to see a movie that you a) saw a preview for on TV, or b) that three of your best friends recommended? Probably the latter of the two scenarios would more likely influence your choice to go see the movie.

So, when another company puts a link to your site on their site it sends a message to search engines that your site has content that’s good enough to share. That makes it valuable. And as a result, your site moves up the search engine ranks.

5 easy ways to backlink:

1. Ask for a link. Search for similar sites that match the keywords you’d like to be ranked for. Email them and ask them to link to your site in exchange for providing free content to them. Or guest post on their site and in exchange, offer them to guest post for you.

2. Pay for a link. Find sites that get a lot of traffic from individuals in your target market. Pay them to link to your site. Or, provide them with an ad that links to your site. Text links in the body of an article are always preferred however and are assigned a higher value to search engines.

CAUTION HERE: Some ads are coded so that they are not used by search engines as a referral link. Their web site uses no-follow tags to tell a search engine to disregard them. These have zero value for SEO purposes.

3. List in free listing resources. List your site in free business directories.

4. Make yourself available to the media. Provide your expertise to online media outlets – get interviewed. Ask that the writer link their article or show notes (in the case of broadcast) to your web site. This will help you gain major clout with search engines because media websites tend to be highly ranked.

5. Share content on social media. Share your content on social media. People who find it valuable will share it and it will get linked in blogs.

Important information about backlinking:

Be judicious about guest posting. A few years back there was a high number of SEO gurus that caught on to guest posting. Naturally, they used it to their advantage. They would provide the same article to large quantities of web sites.

Google caught on and adjusted their algorithm. They clamped down on the entire process. So now, if they decide that you are mass sharing the same article just to get links, your site will be penalized. You will actually fall down the search engine ranks.

Google counts links and actually looks at the content of the site that is linking to your site. For example, if your website is about horses and it is linked to by a site about knitting it won’t be as high a vote of confidence as another website about horses.

Google considers the position of the link. If you a third party site puts a link to your site in an article of a popular web post versus the bottom of a page that gets less attention. Google sees this as more valuable.

Create content that is good link-bait. The best links are the ones that happen naturally and organically so create content that is the best on the web. People will naturally share it especially if it’s a bit unusual and rare.

Anchor text in the link is important. If a site links to your site about dog food and presents the link as it’s url it won’t be as influential as a statement, such as linking the keywords words: “Check out this site about dog food reviews“. In this example the linked keywords tell Google what the linked site is about.

Cross-link all your web properties. Wherever you can link to your site from web sites you own.

Link inside your web site. Cross-link pages on your website. If you write a post and mention a keyword from a post you wrote on another topic, link to the post. This will also keep site visitors on your site and engaged with your brand. And it helps Google understand your content better based on the words you crosslink.

In-linking takes time but the end results is more site visitors, which could lead to more sales. It’s the third step in the process of basic search engine optimization strategy. To be most effective, you’ll also want to check out the articles on keyword research and on-page optimization.