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Material handling email funnels

Once you get set up on an email marketing platform, the first thing to do is to ensure you hook it up to the lead capture forms on your web site. That way, when a site visitor signs up on your site their contact information goes directly into your email marketing system and database of contacts.

What do you do with that contact information? Get in touch with them as soon as possible. Do not let your contacts sit there for a long time while you figure out what to do next.

When a contact signs up on a form on your web site, you immediately know they are interested in your brand and what you have to offer. It won’t take long before that excitement dies and they forget. So, get in touch with them immediately. If you use a system like Infusionsoft this can be automated.

The other important thing you need to do before you start sending emails is understand anti-spam laws.

Read about the American email law called CAN-SPAM at:http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/can-spam

Read about Canadian email law at: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/casl-lcap.htm

Materials handling email funnels:

The two most strategic email marketing funnels

An email funnel is a strategically planned sequence of emails that is intended to produce a specific outcome. An effective one takes contacts on a journey and primes them to take a specific action. There are two popular email funnel formats, for two customer segments. They are:

1. New Contact Funnel – for people new to your brand

2. Existing Customer Funnel (sometimes called a “nurture funnel”) – a “stay-in-touch” funnel that keeps you top of mind

Here is the basic premise of a New Contact Funnel:

A contact enters the funnel -> receives a number of emails with giveaways (useful content, etc) on a regular basis -> is asked to make a purchase

Here is the basic premise of an Existing Customer Funnel:

A contact that has already purchased enters the funnel -> receives a sequence of emails with giveaways on a regular basis that prime them to continue to purchase -> makes another purchase -> continues to receive emails….

The two funnels should be connected, so that anytime a lead makes a purchase they go into the existing customer funnel. This way, they will be nurtured to continue to buy and/or or engage with your brand.

A Materials Handling example of how to use email effectively:

Case study: A dealer of warehouse racking has a list of contacts comprised of warehouse managers in their sales district. They want to use email to boost sales. Here’s what they should do:

Step 1: Generate great content for warehouse managers that helps them understand racking and optimize their warehouse for efficiency, spacing saving and productivity about. Content could be in the form or: Articles, white papers, links to videos, infographics etc.

Step 2: Give away the great content for free on email each week.

Step 3: Approx. 10-15% of the time offer them a deal on rack. This could be a limited time racking special. It’s important to note: You want to send them great free stuff regularly first so they enjoy your emails and trust your brand.

Step 4: Once you’ve offered your contact to buy a product, contacts that do purchase should go into the existing nurture campaign where you continue to give them great stuff and upsell them once and a while on new products. If they bought from you once, chances are, they will buy from you again.

For B2B companies with largest services and products, you’ll want to use the same strategy. However, for you, it’s more about brand awareness. Create yourself as an experts resource, so you stand out in your industry.

Purchasing an email marketing platform

Many companies don’t yet understand how impactful email marketing can be as a method of growing their business. The marketing budget for email is minimal and many businesses use inexpensive platforms such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact and iContact, to send mass emails.

While these platforms are less money and do offer some ability to track emails sent, they are not at all comprehensive. The services they provide are somewhat limiting.

Companies who are serious about using email marketing to generate sales should invest in an email marketing platform such as Infusionsoft. It is one of the top email marketing platforms currently on the market. There is also Ontraport, Marketo, and several others. At CWD, we use Infusionsoft, so we will briefly highlight its benefits.

Purchasing an email marketing platform

What is Infusionsoft?

Infusionsoft is a comprehensive email marketing platform that’s hosted by the company Infusionsoft. To purchase Infusionsoft the initial investment is $1,000 to $2,000 for setup. There is also a monthly hosting fee of $300 to $500 per month. (Price is based on number of email addresses you’ll be sending to and features used.)

It offers more features than most basic email marketing platforms. Here are some of its advantages:

Email automation. You can set up large networks of automated email systems. Infusionsoft allows you to easily see what emails are being sent and when. Each email you create is mapped out on a grid, which provides a visualization of the system you design.

Web forms and landing pages. You can build web forms and landing pages in Infusionsoft. You can hook them up to email or you can use the url to post the form or page online (on social media, for example). When you build web forms the information that a contact enters into the form can be set up to populate under that contact’s record in the Infusionsoft database.

Lead score system. Infusionsoft allows you to track your hot leads. Based on information such as open rates and number of links clicked or actions taken, the system will rate the engagement levels of your contacts. You can set it up so you receive an alert when a contact is ready to buy. Or, you can nurture contacts that are losing interest, or have gone cold.

Keep your contact list organized. You can upload all your contacts into your Infusionsoft database and categorize them appropriately. You can apply tags, which are labels, to contacts based on their characteristics and behaviors.

Build emails. You can build your emails inside Infusionsoft. It’s very easy to create emails and upload pictures, email headers and footers. You can add links to your emails or upload attachments. It’s all very user-friendly.

Track engagement levels. There is an entire section with conversion reports that you can review on a regular basis. It provides you valuable information such as how many people are opening your emails, how many of them are clicking on links in those emails, and how they get into your system.

Customer support. Infusionsoft has live support staff that can help you with your campaigns and teach you how to use thesystem’s features.

Templates: Infusionsoft offers a marketplace that includes a gallery of email campaigns. Based on the emails you’d like to send, you can upload a template directly into your system and then personalize it. This makes it very easy to set up email marketing funnels if you are not yet an expert.

Email marketing for materials handling companies

Email marketing is a highly under-used digital marketing tactic. And it’s powerful. You can use it to grow your list of leads and turn those leads into buyers. But, it has to be used effectively, which requires learning a few critical and not always intuitive techniques.

It’s also important to understand that growing your materials handling sales through email marketing takes time. It’s a long-term strategy and one that does not always show results immediately. (Although, when done right, it can take as little as 90 days.)

Email marketing for materials handling companies:

If you want to increase your sales revenue by using email marketing to turn leads into buyers you first need to understand the greatest marketing error that many materials handling companies tend to make.

The No.1 email marketing pitfall

Email marketing requires a specific strategy to be effective. If you do email marketing the right way, you will produce results. If you don’t, you could damage your brand. You can also hinder your ability to use email to communicate with your contacts.

The number one thing to understand is that effective email marketers use email as a medium to:

1.Generate new leads and turn interested people into buyers

2.Keep existing buyers engaged so they are more likely to buy again in the future

Many materials handling companies are email blasters and they don’t know it. Email blasters turn people off in the hopes of landing a few sales. Read these definitions to identify which category your business currently belongs to:

Definition of an email blaster: An email blaster uses email to try to get people to buy their stuff. They don’t consider that there are different groups of people with different needs on their list of contacts. The goal of an email blaster is to sell their stuff to whoever will buy it. They send emails with no strategy and no direction. Their email content is all about them. And they send email to anyone that they have an address for.

Definition of an email marketer: An email marketer creates a long-term sales strategy that has a specific end goal. They send emails to various groups of people. The emails offer valuable content that speaks to the subscribers This builds desire, trust, and loyalty. They ask people to buy when appropriate. Their email content shares expertise that is of interest to subscribers.

If you find yourself in the email blaster camp, don’t feel bad, that is where most people find themselves. Why? Email marketing is still a relatively new form of marketing. Especially in the materials handling industry. There are only a handful of highly effective email marketers.

Many B2B companies also overlook the potential of email marketing. Though they are not necessarily selling a list of products, email can still be used for brand awareness and engagement.

If you follow a few basic steps you can easily create an effective email marketing system that helps you grow your list, generate more sales, communicate directly with your audience, and ultimately, make your company more money.

There are four important steps to follow to implement email into your marketing strategy:

Step 1: Purchase an email marketing platform

Step 2: Setup your email funnels

Step 3: Learn how to write great emails and share great content (see these pallet rack guys)

Step 4: Track your progress and tweak your strategy

How to optimize your materials handling website

On-page optimization is the process by which you edit the content and the source (programming) code of a web page to ensure that a search engine identifies the page with the keywords that you want the page to represent.

When done successfully, on-page optimization will position a page on the front page of a search engine for the keywords optimized for.

It’s not necessarily a difficult process, but it does take a great deal of time. Especially, if there are multiple pages of content that require optimization. And, the more pages you optimize, the more you increase your chances of those pages landing in the top ranks on search engines.

On-page optimization requires some basic knowledge of HTML, which is the technical programming language that makes web pages work. However, you don’t have to be a web guru to learn it. If your site runs on a content management system like WordPress, then your knowledge of HTML can be nominal.

This article will show you how to optimize your materials handling website for search engines. It will also show you examples of how an article on RaymondHandling.com was SEO’d.

How to optimize your materials handling website for search engines:

There are six areas on a web page that can be enhanced and embedded with keywords to optimize that page. They are:

#1:H1 tags: One of the most important places on a page that needs to be optimized with the keywords or the keyword phrase you have selected is the H1 tags. H1 tags are reserved for the biggest and most important headline on a page. Any given page should only have one set of H1 tags. These tags should be wrapped around the headline, which heads the content on a page.

When you write your headline there are important things to keep in mind:

1) The phrase you are optimizing for should appear as far to the left of the headline as possible. Said another way, the keyword phrase should consist of the first part of your headline.

2) The headline needs to be human readable. Anyone reading the page should not have to think that the headline is written in poor English. It should be a perfectly formed phrase that reads naturally. Failure to do so, will produce weird looking web pages that people will hate reading and search engines won’till like. However, this strategy will backfire over time.

#2: Keywords in your web address or URL: Google puts high emphasis on keywords that appear in the web address of your web page. If you have a web developer that manually creates the name of the HTML page make sure those keywords are part of the HTML file name. Each word should be separated with an underscore or a hyphen.

If your company uses a content management system such as WordPress, it automatically turns your headline into the name of your HTML file and this becomes part of your web address or URL.

The URL for the article featured in the previous example (Figure XX) titiled: “Best racking for my warehouse operation”, would be:

http://raymondhandling.com/best-racking-for-my-warehouse-operation

#3 – Body text: When a search engine crawls your page it will look for keywords in the body text on the page. The keyword phrase that you select for this page should appear several times in this text. The rule of thumb is to ensure that it appears at minimum once and preferably 2 to 3 times. One school of thought is that one of these instances should also be bold faced to show the search engines that it is important text for the page.

Watch out for SEO companies that aren’t reputable. They often engage in a practice called keyword stuffing. If the body text contains the keyword phrase too many times it can work against your site. If the Google algorithm detects this is the case, it will penalize you for the behavior.

It’s always a good idea to use synonyms. Google’s algorithm picks up on variations of words.

#4 – IMG tags: <img> tags are an HTML code used to define images embedded in your web pages. This tag tells a web browser where the image file is located on the server, as well as, its height and width and any styling information on how to treat the image on when it is displayed.

An often overlooked parameter in the IMG tag is called ALT. This parameter is used to describe the image in the event that the image can’t be displayed. It is also used by screen readers for the blind to help describe the image.

#5 – Title tag: In the header of your HTML file all pages typically have a tag set called <title></title>. The words between these tags will show up at the top of your browser window. Or, in the case of a browser window with tabs, it will appear as the tab title. Google and Bing play close attention to the contents of this tag so you will want to ensure that your keyword phrase appears as the first few words. One top SEO expert suggests that failure to put your keywords here will guarantee that your website will not rank on Google’s first page of results.

You will also want to ensure that you use no more than 60 characters in this tag. Google ignores anything after 60 characters. So, keep your title tags short and sweet.

The content of your title tags also shows up as the headline used to describe your site listing in Google results. If the title tag is not clear, Google has been known to rewrite it for display results.

#6 – Meta description tag: This tag also appears in the header section of your HTML file. The contents of this tag are used to describe your web site in search engine listings. If this tag is not defined Google will usually take the first 10 to 15 words of the first paragraph of your body text and use that as a description in the search engine listing. You have 160 characters to play with here. Your keyword phrase should appear as close to the beginning of this text as possible.

The killer SEO tactic the experts use: In-linking:

In-linking is perhaps the most important and perhaps the most overlooked technique in SEO. The top experts know the power of in-linking and use it to great effect.

It’s the practice of getting other web sites to link to your web site. This is really important because Google and Bing use these links to calculate the value of your web site and web pages.

A link to your web site from another site is a vote of confidence. You can think of in-linking like this: A link is like a restaurant patron that says they will return to a restaurant. Would you eat at restaurant where one customer provided a recommendation or that 50 customers recommended?

It is important that you spend some time getting third parties to link to your site. This is especially true when it comes to highly competitive keywords.

Here are a few quick methods for generating links:

1. Find similar sites: Search for sites in Google that match keywords you want to be ranked for. Email them and suggest your content. Offer it to the them for use on their site in return for a link back to yours. Or suggest where they can link from their site directly to yours. Obviously competitors won’t link to your content, but others might.

2. Share on social media: Share great articles on social media. People who appreciate the material may link it to their sites or blogs.

3. Business listings: List your site on business listings sites.

4. Press releases: Issue press releases about new products and services to press release services. They will link to your web property. Often search engines will pick this content up and list it.

5. Media coverage: Provide your expertise to media in your industry -– trade publications or blogs or business sites. If you are interviewed, ask for a link to your web site.

6. Link bait: Link bait is content on a web site that is hard to find, provides rare information and that people naturally share. This content will get linked to from other web sites, when it is discovered.

How to write materials handling articles: 10 tips

Learning how to write materials handling articles that are well-written to effectively attract warm leads in your target market is not easy. The following 10 tips will help:

How to write materials handling articles: 10 Tips:

1. Word count: The number of words in one article/blog should fall in the range of 500-750 for short pieces and 1000 to 1500 words for longer pieces. These are general rules. Write longer if the topic merits it and the information flows naturally. Long posts do well if their content is segmented with subheads (titles that break up the text) or easy-to-follow bullet points. You can also use list formats to make them bite sized. The reality is, most online readers will not read more than 10 to 15 paragraphs in a session.

For SEO, longer posts do well if they cover a topic comprehensively.

2. Write compelling, yet descriptive headlines and subheads: Writers often get too creative with the headline of their piece. Good titles should: 1) Compel a reader to read the piece, 2) Briefly describe what the article is about, and 3) Support search engine optimization efforts. A site that does that well is warehouseiq.com which provides warehouse and forklift resources techniques and training. It also provide useful resources such as forklift manuals.

Google looks for search keywords in headlines and gives them weight. If your article is about superior racking designs for warehouse optimization then the headline should read something like “How to optimize your warehouse using rack designs you haven’t considered”, and not “Rack-o-rama!”.

3. Be concise and descriptive: Be concise with your language. Explain everything, but the absolute basics. (No need to explain what a “lift truck” is, but you should explain what “cantilever rack” is.) Write for people who have just come to the business. Don’t assume your audience is full of experts. Even seasoned professionals will forgive you for over-simplification.

A clear concise article will reinforce what they already know, as well as introduce new information and ideas. And that gives value to all readers regardless of their level of expertise. A good rule of thumb is to write for a Grade 9 level of knowledge and understanding.

4. Avoid buzzwords: Marketers are notorious for inventing words or concepts that don’t serve the reader. A great example: “WarehousXPro9 is a forklift management solution” versus the more accurate “WarehousXPro9 is a forklift management web-based software package”.

What’s a solution? It’s the answer to a problem. That is a great message to convey in sales copy. However, it’s an over-used term and has become cliché. If you say something is a “solution” and don’t explain what it is, the reader can’t visualize it.

Better yet to say: “WarehousXPro9 is a sophisticated, yet easy to use software product.” You would go on to say: It is installed on a company’s server and can be accessed by any web-enabled device. Warehouse professionals can use a tablet or smartphone to access a series of visual dashboards that show data about a warehouse and allows them to manage the operation more efficiently.“

Bottom line here: If in doubt say more. Don’t be afraid to explain a concept so you leave the reader with a greater understanding of what’s being said.

5. Get to the point early: Don’t waste your time with long and winding introductions. If you are introducing a topic in a creative way connect it to the key point you are trying to make in the article quickly. If you go on too long you risk losing your reader.

A good introductory paragraph (in journalism it is a called a “lead”) can be an effective tool to engage the reader. It’s an on-ramp to the central point of the piece not a country road that gets you there eventually.

If you are not hitting the focus of your article by paragraph 3 or so, re-work the piece.

6. Don’t be“salesy”: It’s okay to plug your company but do it discreetly. If you write too much about why your company is great and why your products are awesome your reader will be put off. They may feel clubbed over the head. No one likes to be sold to.

Serve the reader first. The article should leave them feeling that they got value for taking the time to read what you had to say and they will come back for more the next time.

7. Demonstrate, don’t tell: Show the reader why something is true. Don’t tell them. Why would they believe the latest lift truck is “amazing”, just because you say so? Describe the new lift truck and its features and benefits, and let them draw their own conclusions.

8. Write with intention: Ask yourself the questions: Why would someone read this article/blog? Are you engaging with your intended audience? Is what you’re writing informative and helpful? Is your writing in line with the long-term strategy that expresses that you and your brand are topic experts?

People buy from experts, not sales people. Actually, they buy from experts that sell. Why? Because experts are trustworthy, helpful and useful.

9. Do more of what works, and less of what doesn’t: Writing content for a brand is strategic. It is about gaining a following, earning trust and respect and driving sales for your company as a byproduct.

How do you know if you are doing that? Measure engagement and outcomes. How many people read your articles? Which ones did well? Which ones didn’t?

If an article gets good traction and is well read (we use web analytics tools to track and understand this) write similar pieces in future because clearly there is a demand for the content. Use the free tools at http://google.com/analytics.

10. Take yourself out of the equation: Don’t write what you want to write. Write for your audience first and then bring it back to what you want to write about, or have the expertise in. Provide value to the reader. Put yourself in their shoes and ask why would I read this article or blog post?