Great Content Marketing Infographic from Demand Metric

Did you know that 90% of all organizations use content in their marketing efforts?

Although the phrase "content marketing" is something of a buzzword amongst today's marketing teams, the reality is that this inbound marketing practice is both remarkably widespread and effective. To learn more about what content marketing is, how it can benefit your organization and how to get started using this technique to promote your company, check out the following infographic (click to enlarge):

A Cheat Sheet to Perfect Creative

Give your creative the FREEDOM of a tight strategy.

What I love about what we do is that there are infinite ways to address the same problem.  There are few rules and usually, the crazier the idea, the better.

You want your creative to stand up and take notice.  You need it to be clear and concise.  To get there, you have to be focused!  

That's the job of the creative brief.  In one to two pages, describe exactly what needs to happen.  A great creative brief can lead to killer creative.  It's also your sanity check to know whether the creative is simply entertaining or on strategy too.

Here are the 5 areas to focus on when you're focused on creative:

1. What do you want to do?

Why are you spending this money?  What do you want the effort to accomplish?  How will you quantitatively know if it worked or not.

• What does the advertising do for the brand?
• How will the objective be measured?

2. Who are you talking to?
It's easier to write to a person than to a nameless group.  Who do you want to talk to?  Give them a name, a face, a personality and needs:

• What do they look like? What do they like to do? What is their economic standing?  What makes them tick? (be as specific as possible)
• What motivates them?  Why are they making this purchase decision? What's going on in their life?
• When they buy, why do they choose you?
• When they don't buy with you, why not?
• How do they FEEL when they make the decision?  How do you WANT them to feel (tone)?

3. The ONE Big Thing

Let's face it, we're lucky if anyone ever sees our work ... we're blessed if they care ... and if they take away ONE message, we've done our job.  What is the ONE big thing that you want them to know?

• How does it make you different from the competition?
• So what? (Benefit) What problem are we solving?  Why should anyone care?
• Prove it (3-5 supports - Prioritize) Why should they believe you?
• Who's voice is telling them?  Are you the trusted old uncle or the hip young friend or the crazy granny?

4. What do you want them to do?
How will the audience help you achieve your objective?  Do you want them to feel something?  Pick up the phone?  Go to a URL?  Run to your location?

• Is it easy for the target to do what you want?
• Who answers the Call to Action?  Are they prepared?

5. Thou Shalts and Thou Shalt Nots
What are the rules? The must and must nots.

• Budget
• Schedule and duration
• Media options: Print? Broadcast? Web? Direct Mail? SEO? Point of Sale? Outdoor?
• What does the staff need to know or do?
• Mandatories (logos, icons, legals, etc)

Now go back and start crossing words out.  Keep the brief ... well, BRIEF!  The more focused you are, the less sidetracked the creative ideas will be (You know creatives ... show 'em something shiny and you lose them for hours!).

From the brief, try to come up with at least 3 good ideas:

• The safe idea
• One that scares the hell out of you
• Something in between

Finally, when the work is complete, go back to the brief and start checking off each item.  If the work addresses each element of the brief, then it should be on strategy ... focused ... and ready to generate business.

We bring these marketing philosophies to credit unions and community banks nationwide, and would love to bring them to your institution too.  Contact us to see how.

Nearing 230,000 visits worldwide, we hope that you enjoy this blog.  If you find it helpful, please share it with your colleagues.  Also, check out our YouTube Channel for short video blogs about financial marketing.  

MarketMatch is also a nationally and internationally requested speaker.  Contact us to bring our marketing ideas to your next conference.

Here are the conferences where you can find MarketMatch.

See our story here. (click)

Chat with me LIVE! (click)

Or email me directly (click)

937-426-9848

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Kill the Friction Gremlins to Accelerate Buying Decisions

In a recent survey by CSO Insights, almost three out of four respondents (73%) said that their average sales cycle for new customers requires four or more months to complete. B2B marketing and sales professionals know that reducing the length of the buying/sales cycle will produce substantial benefits, but this is not an easy task. The only truly effective way to accelerate the buying process is to reduce the friction that slows prospects
down.

When it comes to accelerating the buying process, B2B marketing and sales resemble the sport of curling. Curling is a little like shuffleboard, but it's played on ice and involves sliding a large polished granite stone toward a target painted on the ice. The playing surface is prepared by spraying water droplets (called "pebble") on the ice. Because of the friction between the stone and the pebble, the moving stone will turn or "curl" to one side or the other.

After one team member "throws" the stone toward the target, two other team members accompany the stone as it moves down the ice and guide it toward the target. The catch is, these players aren't
allowed to actually touch the moving stone. Instead, they use brooms to sweep the ice in front of the stone. Sweeping temporarily melts the pebble and reduces the friction between the stone and the ice, and this changes both the speed and the direction of the stone. Therefore, sweepers affect where the stone stops, but they do so indirectly.

In B2B demand generation terms, friction is anything that slows a potential buyer's progression through the buying process. Like the sweepers in a curling match, one your primary jobs as a marketer or a salesperson is to reduce friction. You would like to be able to directly lead your prospects through the buying process, but in today's B2B buying environment, attempting to push prospects through the buying process on your schedule just doesn't work - at least not very often.



The friction gremlins live everywhere in the buying process, and some of the causes of friction are beyond your control. For example, a change in the prospect's business or financial condition, or a change in the composition of the prospect's senior management team can delay or stall the buying process.

The good news is, you can address many causes of friction with the right marketing content and selling skills. Most causes of friction fall into one of two categories - friction that relates directly to your solution or the problem or challenge it addresses, or friction that accompanies any significant organizational change.

Friction Related to Your Solution

This type of friction usually results from a lack of information. To keep moving through the buying process, potential buyers need the right information at the right time, and if they don't get that information, the buying process can stall. For example, a potential buyer's progression can be slowed or stopped if he or she:

• Doesn't understand or appreciate the costs or negative ramifications of the status quo
• Doesn't fully understand how your solution will improve the status quo
• Perceives that the purchase of your solution will entail substantial risks
• Doesn't have an accurate picture of the ROI that your solution will produce

Change-Related Friction

Change-related friction is usually caused by internal prospect issues, and most of those issues have little to do with the selling company or its products or services. Every prospect organization will have a unique mix of change management issues, but there are four causes of change-related friction that arise in most organizations. The buying process is likely to stall if the principal buyer:

• Doesn't understand how the proposed change will affect the existing organizational "system" (people, processes, and technology)
• Hasn't identified who must be involved in the decision to change
• Believes (or other stakeholders believe) that the problem or need driving the consideration of change can be addressed using internal resources
• Hasn't identified the issues or concerns that must be addressed to get buy-in from all necessary stakeholders

How to Reduce Friction

Both marketing and sales are responsible for reducing friction in the buying process, but marketing's share of the job has grown because of changes in buyer behavior. With business buyers delaying interactions with salespeople until later in the buying process, marketing content must be a primary tool for reducing solution-related friction. In fact, marketing content is often the only effective tool for dealing with the solution-related friction that arises in the early stages of the buying process.

Because change-related friction is unique to each prospect, sales must assume a large part of the responsibility for reducing it. Even here, however, marketing content can play an important role. For example, a white paper or ebook that describes how to build a business case for your type of solution can help your potential buyer identify all of the stakeholders who must be involved in the decision to change. A white paper or ebook can also be used to discuss why an internal "home-grown" solution isn't the best alternative for most companies.

You can't completely eliminate friction from the buying process, but the best way to speed up buying decisions is to kill as many friction gremlins as possible.

Photo Credit:  pop culture geek via Flickr cc

How Do You Serve Your Chicken?

There is a Chinese food restaurant in my neighborhood that is my husband’s and my “go to” place when we have a night where do don’t feel like cooking.  Out of the eight or so Chinese places that are within 10 minutes of our house, we like going to this particular one the most. 

The reason we like going there so much is because the place is clean, the people are friendly, and they are flexible with how they let you order traditional items on their menu.  For example, we love General Tso’s Chicken, but hate the heavy breading and greasy fried meat found at most places.  Here is our typical order:

General Tso’s Chicken

Unbreaded, steamed/boiled white meat

Extra broccoli

With as many times we have ordered this dish in our health-conscious way, we have probably received the finished product in that many ways as well:

• No broccoli
• Extra vegetables, but no broccoli
• Chicken was fried with breading
• Chicken was fried without breading
• Very little meat and lots of vegetables
• Big pieces of steamed chicken with the perfect amount of sauce and broccoli
• Chicken with runny sauce
• Do you see my point now?

I never know what I’m going to get when I order that particular dish, and, as long as my chicken isn’t fried, at the end of the day I don’t really care that much.  But if I decide to change, I would do so quietly.  I just wouldn’t go back again.

It's All About the Service Delivery

There IS a relation between me ordering my General Tso’s “my way” Chicken and banking with my financial institution.  What happened if I mailed a check to be deposited into my checking and it went into savings instead, thus causing an overdraft?  How many times do you think that would happen before I decided to change institutions? 

Your service delivery is everything.  And, while each person’s comfort level and anger threshold is different, you need to make sure your entire team is ready to treat every interaction and transaction like it is your last with that member.  Listen to them, make sure you do exactly what they ask for, exceed their expectations, and give them a reason to come back.  Otherwise, you may be quietly losing members or customers without them giving you a chance to find out why.

Amanda

Want to gauge the service delivery in your financial institution?  MarketMatch can help!  Our process creates and transforms the actual “voice of the customer” into clear knowledge-based strategy and ties service delivery strategy to the customer experience and brand promise.

Contact me to learn how we can help turn your challenges into opportunities with guaranteed ROI on your efforts. 

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You DO NOT sell deposits and loans.

Human beings make emotional decisions 

and support them with logic and rationale.

It's a bit of a fault, but it's partially what makes us who we are.  It's one of the many beauties of humanity.

Think about some of your most recent purchases...

"I need that Fred Flintstone sized driver to hit the inch and half wide ball."

"The Louis Vuittons will be 100 times more comfortable and last 100 times longer."

Really?!?!

So, if we are emotional creatures, why does so much bank marketing revolve around "Free Checking!" and a big ol' rate?

The truth is that we do not sell checking accounts ... or loans ... or CDs.  People can get THOSE things anywhere!  Let the Wells Fargos and Bank of Americas of the world take the obvious route - they can afford to be lazy.

You, my credit union and community banker friend, are different ... better ... smarter.  You understand that every single  day - with every single branch and electronic interaction - we are dealing with people's money.  And aside from child care, what is more emotional than that?!?!

No, we do not sell products, we sell TRUST!  

Take a look in your lobby right now.  Those people aren't there for your free checking, and they likely past a competitor or two to get to your branch.  They are there because they trust you.  In their mind, you are the expert.

When you sit down to plan your next campaign or draw-up your next brochure, start your planning where your target audience starts it's decision making ... with emotion.  THEN, you can support it with logic and rationale.

Learn from this retail example.

We bring these marketing philosophies to credit unions and community banks nationwide, and would love to bring them to your institution too.  Contact us to see how.

With nearly 223,000 visits worldwide, we hope that you enjoy this blog.  If you find it helpful, please share it with your colleagues.  Also, check out our YouTube Channel for short video blogs about financial marketing.  

MarketMatch is also a nationally and internationally requested speaker.  Contact us to bring our marketing ideas to your next conference.

Here are the conferences where you can find MarketMatch.

See our story here. (click)

Chat with me LIVE! (click)

Or email me directly (click)

937-426-9848

Follow me on Twitter @egagliano

Why Sales Winners Win (And What It Means for Marketers)

Last month, the RAIN Group, a respected sales training and consulting firm, published a research report titled What Sales Winners Do Differently. The report is based on a study of more than 700 individual B2B purchases in industries with complex sales. RAIN asked the buyers involved in each purchase to rank both the winners (the sellers who won the deal) and the second-place finishers based on 42 sales-related factors.

The major objectives of the study were to determine what sales winners were doing better or more frequently than the second-place finishers and what the second-place finishers need to change to increase their odds of winning.

What Sales Winners Do Differently contains many valuable insights, and I recommend that you take the time to read the entire report. I found three of the study's findings to be particularly interesting.

New Ideas and Fresh Perspectives Win

According to the buyers surveyed for the study, the most important factor that separates sales winners from second-place finishers is that the winners excel at providing potential buyers new ideas and fresh perspectives on important business issues. When potential buyers perceive that a seller is bringing something new to the table, the seller has a huge advantage. To produce this advantage, however, the insights provided by sellers must be new and fresh as well as valuable. The study found that providing insights that are useful and valuable, but not new, is not a significant factor separating sales winners from second-place finishers.

Sales Winners Excel at Communicating Value

The third most significant factor separating sales winners from second-place finishers is that sales winners do a superior job of communicating the value of their solution to potential buyers. There are three critical aspects of this task.

• Sales winners persuasively demonstrate that their solution will produce an attractive return on investment for the potential buyer.
• Sales winners effectively minimize the potential buyer's perception of risk.
• Sales winners convince potential buyers that their solution is the best choice among the available options because it delivers superior overall value.

Buyers in the study identified demonstrating superior overall value as the most important thing second-place finishers need to change to increase their odds of winning.

Solution Sales Still Lives

The authors of What Sales Winners Do Differently argue that their research findings differ substantially from some of the research results described in The Challenger Sale. In particular, the RAIN study authors contend that their research supports the view that solution sales is still a vital component of sales success, although they acknowledge that solution sales is no longer sufficient for success and that the concept needs to be changed in significant ways. To support their view, the authors note that "collaborated with me" was the second most important factor separating sales winners from second-place finishers, according to the buyers they surveyed.

In my opinion, the recommendations found in What Sales Winners Do Differently and those included in The Challenger Sale are more similar than contradictory, but that's a topic for another post.

What Sales Winners Do Differently obviously deals with the factors that drive sales success, but it also has a lot to say to marketers. As discussed above, sales winners win in large part because they excel at providing prospects new and valuable insights about important business issues and because they do a superior job of communicating the value of their solutions.

Today, marketing content must perform these same functions. Because business buyers are self-educating and postponing personal interactions with salespeople, your marketing content must act as your "surrogate sales rep" early in the buying process. In many cases, your first opportunity to provide new and valuable insights and communicate how your solutions create value will be via marketing content. If your content performs these jobs well, your odds of staying in the game will be greatly improved.

Diary of a Credit Union Marketer

Dear Diary...

"April 15: YES!!!!!  I just left the conference room after a meeting with my team, and I am so pumped about this new marketing campaign.  It’s going to be great!  This is the biggest multi-faceted campaign we’ve done yet.  We have mass media, direct mail, social media, email with PURLs, a microsite, billboards…we are going to get so many loans!  It launches on June 3, so I have a lot to do between now and then, but I’m confident I can get it done.

May 1: The staff members are all asking questions about this “new marketing campaign” the CEO mentioned at the staff meeting.  I’ve got to set aside some time to get everyone together to effectively explain what we’re doing and get everyone’s buy-in or this just isn’t going to be successful.  Then there’s that meeting I have today with a new print vendor to see if I can get better pricing for our campaign print pieces.  Oh, and I absolutely have to write that press release today about our school financial literacy program, and get a picture at the school when I am there to teach the class this afternoon.  

May 7: I’m feeling panicked because I’ve only gotten around to about half of the staff members to talk to them about the upcoming campaign.  How am I going to get to all of the branches this week and still get everything done on my list?  I need to get with our design team again because the art isn’t what I wanted exactly.  Are the programmers working on our microsite?  I also need to get all of our trade show materials ready for the community pancake breakfast on Saturday.  We need to take a game and some literature about the credit union with us.  Perhaps I should design some coupons for the campaign to hand out?  I’ll add that to my to-do list for tomorrow. 

May 15: One of our member service reps came into my office this morning needing help writing a letter to a new member of the credit union.  I was happy to help, but I still have to finalize the art for our postcard, and pull a list from our MCIF system, scrub it, and get it uploaded into our email system.  Oh my, I need to send out the Happy Birthday cards to our members who have birthdays in June.  Most importantly, my CEO asked me today to come to the board meeting tomorrow afternoon and present the new marketing campaign to the board and senior management team, so I’m going to have to work through lunch and push back my dinner date in order to get it done.  If the board doesn’t like it, then it will be really hard to justify the budget, so my presentation has to be well organized and include member data, market research and current statistics. 

May 31: I came in early today to get everything done so I don’t have to spend my weekend at the office.  I’ve spent the last hour responding to urgent emails.  Then the printer called and said that the size on our direct mail postcard dropping on Monday isn’t standard, so I have to get accounting to write a check to cover the difference in postage.  I also have to drive around to all of the branches today to make sure they have all of the collateral pieces they need for the campaign launch.  Our first email blast goes out next Tuesday and I still need to write the last two articles to go along with the campaign piece.  I should probably write a blog post, too, about the benefits of getting a car loan at the credit union.  That would be a nice complimentary piece to go along with our campaign…"

Wow, I remember being in those shoes.  At the end of the day, the work all got done.  But imagine how much better it would have been with more horsepower - especially in that last mile of the marathon? 

Many marketers are fearful of working with an agency for their marketing efforts.  They are afraid that their own positions won’t be justified if they are “hiring out” their marketing work.  But that couldn’t be further from the truth.  In fact, we work best with credit unions that already have marketers on staff, because no one knows their credit union’s strengths, opportunities, staff dynamics, objectives, and brand better than the marketing person. 

The beauty of working with an agency like MarketMatch is in times like the last mile of the race to finish that campaign.  A true marketing partner sits on the same side of the desk as the marketing person and their team to develop and execute a strategic marketing campaign.  Once the strategy is in place, we do the legwork behind the scenes to let you and your team focus on the things that you need and want to do like staff development, training, financial literacy…whatever it is.  We are here to make you look good.  

The end!

Amanda

Contact me to learn how MarketMatch can help you with your marketing efforts, whether it is through marketing strategy, branding or rebranding, budget planning, new product development, and much more.  Learn more about all of our client services by clicking here. 

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When the Teacher Becomes the Student (What I learned in NJ)

When I speak at credit union or community bank associations, I have two goals:

1) Provide at least one "ah-ha" moment - that magical time when a few words can make you look at the world a little differently, and
2) Have at least one "ah-ha" moment myself.

Last week I spoke for the New Jersey Credit Union League about building an authentic brand and branding your marketing department within the walls of your institution with ROI.  It was one of the most engaged, smartest groups that I've ever had the pleasure of speaking with.

During the full day training session, I picked up 2 new quotes that will make it into my starting rotation and in this week's blog, I'd like to share them with you too.

"It's not our fault, but it's our problem."

~ Disney Institute

Quick, round up all of your call center, tellers, branch managers, MSR/CSRs, anyone who interacts with your customers ... it's time you to take a field trip to your local tattoo parlor.  This quote is ink-worthy!

This quote is the foundation of Disney's quality service standard and it should become the backbone of your institution's culture!

It's not your fault that Mr. Washington bounced and check ... but you should do everything you can to help him make it better.  It's not your fault that Ms. Franklin overlooked her auto loan payment ... but you can help make sure she doesn't next time.  It's not your fault that Mr. Jackson came into the branch in a bad mood ... but you can help him walk out smiling.

Your entire team need to take responsibility, feel enabled and enjoy solving problems.

"If I asked people what they wanted, 

they would have asked for faster horses."

~ Henry Ford

It is vital to understand what your customers need.  It's our responsibility to determine how those needs can be met.  It's our job to be visionary.

Research is fine art.  You have to know what to ask, know whom to ask it of, and know what to ignore.

     Q: So, how did you hear about us?

     A: I just walked in.

Yah, right!  Your customer was just taking a stroll and decided to switch checking accounts, move all of their online banking, bill payments and automatic withdrawals - just like picking up a pack of gum and the grocery store.  Somewhere along the line, something that you did got to them.  Word-of-mouth about your outstanding service, a print ad, driving by the sign everyday going to work ... something effected them and made you top of mind when they got mad at their former bank.

We need to get beyond what our customers say and dig down into what our customers mean.  We need to give them what they need, not necessarily what they say they want.

So, there you have it ... my latest "ah-ha" moment.  What YOU can do with it is up to your imagination.  Let us know what big ideas you get and comment on this blog below.

We bring these marketing philosophies to credit unions and community banks nationwide, and would love to bring them to your institution too.  Contact us to see how.

With nearly 220,000 visits worldwide, we hope that you enjoy this blog.  If you find it helpful, please share it with your colleagues.  Also, check out our YouTube Channel for short video blogs about financial marketing.  

MarketMatch is also a nationally and internationally requested speaker.  Contact us to bring our marketing ideas to your next conference.

Here are the conferences where you can find MarketMatch.

See our story here. (click)

Chat with me LIVE! (click)

Or email me directly (click)

937-426-9848

Follow me on Twitter @egagliano

It's about creating interaction...

Greetings!

I am on my way to California and hanging out for a bit at the Minneapolis airport on my layover...intrigued by what I see.

Opportunities everywhere to meet your needs for food, drink, relaxation, power, etc.

However, there is ONE captivating location that seems to be attracting the largest crowds.  Its the casual restaurant that does not even look like a restaurant.  It looks like a cool sit down, relaxation station!

It has power outlets at each table, a swipe card and an iPad.  The iPad offers free internet, flight updates, games, etc...oh, and you can order something to eat or drink!

As you can see from the picture, it is an engaging experience!  Its 8:00 am CST and I count 35 tables and 33 are occupied!  And the most intriguing part?  At 31 of them, they have ordered a food or drink item!

Its ALL about creating interaction and interest!

The iPad an power offer the engagement that people desire and it is 100% relevent to their needs and even provides unexpected value (updates on your flight status, alerts to boarding times, etc.) Pretty cool!

How can you create relevant connections to your customers or members?

• Reinvent your bank or CU space?
• Add engaging staff?
• Add technology?
• Rethink the experience?

The answer is probably a mixture of each of these!

We are working on an industry changing set of ideas... one for banks and credit unions and one just for credit unions.

They BOTH will be magnets for customers, provide unexpected value and increase the perceived value of the retail experience... message me if you are intrigued!

Here's to a great Monday...

Cheer!

Bruce

We bring these marketing philosophies to credit unions and community banks nationwide, and would love to bring them to your institution too.  Contact us to see how.

With nearly 220,000 visits worldwide, we hope that you enjoy this blog.  If you find it helpful, please share it with your colleagues.  Also, check out our YouTube Channel for short video blogs about financial marketing.  

MarketMatch is also a nationally and internationally requested speaker.  Contact us to bring our marketing ideas to your next conference.

Here are the conferences where you can find MarketMatch.

See our story here. (click)

Chat with me LIVE! (click)

Or email me directly (click)

937-832-7894 x101

Follow me on Twitter @baclapp

7 Tips for Using ‘Power’ Polls For Listbuilding

[From my Target Marketing blog post http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/blog/list-building-20-using-power-polls-for-prospecting]

Most people know Web 2.0 is simply the evolution of the Internet into an environment of interactivity, reader participation and usability. Web 2.0 opens up the dialog between user and website or blog. This connection can help generate traffic and a viral buzz.

But from a search engine marketing (SEM) standpoint, the benefits are clear and measurable: More traffic and frequent interactivity (or posts) equal better organic (free) rankings in search engine results. Getting good organic rankings is a powerful way to find qualified prospective customers.

So what online tactic encourages Web 2.0 principles as well as helps with search engine results page rank, visibility and listing-building efforts? Targeted online prospecting polls, also known as "acquisition" or "lead generation" polls.

Based on the specificity of your poll question, online acquisition polls can help you: collect relevant names and email addresses; gauge general market (or subscriber) sentiment; and generate sales (via a redirect to a synergistic promotional page). Polls also allow for interactivity, where participants can sound off about a hot topic.
I've been including strategic acquisition polls in my online marketing strategy for nearly a decade now and have rarely been disappointed with the results. Some websites, like surveymonkey.com, allow members to set up free or low-cost surveys and polls. However, it may not allow you to include a name-collection component or a redirect to a promotional or "thank you" webpage, which is essential for a success.
If that's the case, either ask your Webmaster to build you a proprietary poll platform or use a poll script. You can find examples at hotscripts.com, ballot-box.net/faq.php, and micropoll.com.
Here are seven ways to help create a winning prospecting poll campaign:
1. Engage. Your poll question should engage the reader, encourage participation, pique interest and tie into a current event. And be sure to have a "comments" field where people can make additional remarks. Sample topics: politics, the economy, health, consumer breakthroughs, the stock market, foreign affairs.

2. Relevance. Your poll question should also be related to your product, free e-newsletter editorial, or free bonus report (which can be used as incentive). This will greatly improve your conversion rate. Let's say your free offer is a sign-up to a stock market e-newsletter and the upsell is a redirect landing page promotion to a paid gold investment newsletter for $39/yr. In that case, your poll question should be tied with the editorial copy and product, something like "Where is gold headed in 2013?" Investors who favor gold (your target audience), will respond to this question … and engage. You are gaining these qualified prospects as leads and perhaps buying customers.

3. Incentive. After people take your poll, tell them that to thank them for their participation, you're automatically signing them up for your quality, free e-newsletter or e-alerts … which they can opt out of at any time. To reduce the number of bogus email addresses you get, offer an extra incentive free "must-read" report, too. And assuming it's your policy not to sell or rent email names to third parties (and it should be, based on email best practices), indicate your privacy/anti-spam policy next to the sign-up button on your email sign up form. This will immediately reassure people that it's safe and worry-free to give you their email addresses.

4. Flag. Having your poll question somehow tie into your product makes the names you collect extremely qualified for future offers. Each name should be flagged by your database folks according to the answer they gave by topic category. You can create buckets for each product segment. Using our investing e-newsletter example, categories could be gold, oil, income, equities, etc. Segmenting the names into such categories will make it easier for you to send targeted offers later.

5. Results.  Use the poll feedback for new initiatives. In addition to collecting names, online polls will help you gauge general market opinion—and could help you come up with new products.

6. Bonding. Strengthen your new relationships. You need to reinforce the connection between the poll people just participated in and your e-newsletter. So make sure each name that comes in gets an immediate "thank you" for taking the poll. This could be via autoresponder or redirect "thank you" page. On your "thank you" page/email, can be a link for the downloadable, free e-report you promised. Consider sending a series of informational, warm and fuzzy editorial autoresponders to help new subscribers get to know who you are, what you do and how your e-newsletter will benefit them. This will help improve their lifetime customer value.

7. Results. Gratify participants with the results. Don't just leave poll participants hanging. Make sure you tell them the results will be published in your free e-newsletter or on your website (to encourage them to check it regularly), and then upload the results, as well as some of your best, most engaging comments. This is great editorial fodder, as well as helpful to increasing website readership and traffic.

Marketers have used polls internally (on their own company websites) for years. But now more than ever, with its cost effectiveness and efficiency, polls can be used to collect targeted leads and interact with prospects.

Polls aren't just for finding leads, either. They are also great for measuring market sentiment, doing competitor analysis and new product development; which, in turn, can help customer retention, customer service and sales.