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Karen J. Marchetti

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Response Coach, Response FX

319 points

Master copywriter and offer strategist for driving maximum response from websites, landing pages, email marketing, and direct mail campaigns.

Extensive B2C and B2B marketing experience in financial services, software and other high tech, memberships and subscriptions, seminars and training, e-commerce, and more.

Internet Marketing instructor, San Diego State University.

WEB: Response Blog

May 23, 2012

Karen J. Marchetti and 6 other people answered this question at this roundtable

The Status Quo: Defeat Your Biggest Competitor in Marketing and Sales [5/17 @ 1 pm]

How much of a problem is creating prospect-centric messages when marketers have little time to find what prospects really want?

As a copywriter, I've found it helpful to listen to conversations in the Customer Service and Sales departments. I just ask the manager for an available chair, and sit down and listen. I find myself taking a lot of notes as I listen and think ... more

Status Quo Strategy

April 29, 2012

Karen J. Marchetti and 5 other people answered this question at this roundtable

The Social Content that Spreads [4/24 @ 4 pm]

How do you consistently create compelling content that represents your brand as well?

As companies have developed "style guides" that guide the way their branding "looks" -- use of logo, corporate colors, fonts, etc. -- so should they develop "style guides" for the way their branding "sounds" (i.e., the corporate "voice").
This is part of a normal Branding ... more

Human Resources

Content Creation

April 29, 2012

Karen J. Marchetti and 9 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Social Media and Content Marketing For Business Q&A [4/24 @ 11 am]

If your CEO asks why it's important to blog, how do you answer?

As part of your overall social media strategy, your blog (along with your website) is one of your key "content hubs." For every new blog post, now you have a reason to use social media to post a tweet/update about your latest content (and drive ... more

Content Marketing

April 25, 2012

Karen J. Marchetti and 7 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Social Media and Content Marketing For Business Q&A [4/24 @ 11 am]

How do you get CEO and C-Suite to not just buy-in to social content, but participate?

Start with the blog. Schedule each C-level participant maybe once a month for a blog post. This way, they're connected, but it's not an overwhelming time commitment. (This is what many large corporations do quite successfully. Especially with technology companies, followers love to read posts ... more

Content Marketing

April 11, 2012

Mike Kennedy selected a best answer for at this roundtable

The Power of Buyer Personas in Sales and Marketing Success [4/4 @ 11 am]

Do you measure innate human traits as part of your Buyer Personas?

An example would be knowing how prospects prefer to be communicated with and what appeals to them before talking to them:
Will they want you (the sales rep/marketer) to be warm and friendly or quieter and more reserved? Do they prefer to see the full ... more

March 28, 2012

Karen J. Marchetti and 1 other person answered this question at this roundtable

The Power of Buyer Personas in Sales and Marketing Success [4/4 @ 11 am]

How useful is a buyer persona to the organization?

We find Buyer Personas critical to:
1. Creating website navigation
2. Creating Content Strategy by Buyer Persona by Buying Stage
3. Instantly communicating to all sales and marketing staff what audience we're talking about
The key to maximizing ROI from your website, and using Content ... more

Feb. 12, 2012

Karen J. Marchetti and 22 other people answered this question

What is the most powerful technique in SEO?

Key SEO Technique: Tie your monthly SEO results review to your upcoming Editorial Calendar.
If you want to rank more highly for certain keywords, schedule blog posts around those keywords. Add articles (that use those keywords) to your Resources section of your website.
Content is ... more

Digital Marketing

Online Marketing

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Jan. 29, 2012

Karen J. Marchetti and 14 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Content Marketing: Vendors as Publishers [1/26 @ 11 am]

Why is content marketing so important right now?

Content marketing has become so critical because:
- 41% of your audience says they engage with a sales rep only AFTER they do initial research.
AND
- 24% of your audience engages with sales only AFTER they've already established a preferred list of vendors.
(http://bit.ly/contentearly) ... more

Jan. 25, 2012

Karen J. Marchetti and 1 other person answered this question at this roundtable

The Social CMO in B2B: Lessons from Marketing Leaders on Social Media Marketing Success [1/18 @ 11 am]

Is the time for experimenting with digital marketing 'over'?

As long as new digital marketing options continue to be launched, there will always be a need to learn how to make the best use of those options to achieve marketing objectives.
However, for those companies that have blindly jumped into social media marketing without ... more

Dec. 21, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti and 6 other people answered this question

How frequently should we be "touching" our prospects in our nurturing programs?

" . . . pushing their content and products." Nurturing emails should be educational, and, as noted above, based on points in the sales cycle (typically defined by the last response they made).
SPAM is defined as email that isn't relevant to the recipient. Send me ... more

Content Marketing

Nov. 28, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti and 5 other people answered this question

What's your definition of spam?

Thanks for your comment and your "+", Alan!

Email Marketing

Nov. 23, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti and 7 other people answered this question

What should you create first: a blog, a corporate website, or a Facebook page?

If you are selling a consumer product, a Facebook page could be a short-term option IF you believe your own circle of friends may include actual PROSPECTS for your product. Or you believe your friends may have actual prospects for your product within their circle ... more

Nov. 23, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti and 2 other people answered this question

Should you send an email to your subscriber base every time you make a change to your website?

Dana has mentioned the key consideration: VALUE.
All communication programs should add value. When you develop your contact strategy for your email nurturing and retention programs, the topics need to deliver value to the specific audience(s).
Your customers' time is valuable. Don't waste it by sending ... more

Company Website

Email Marketing

Nov. 23, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti answered this question

How can social media increase my visibility and business?

Hi Antonia,
There are at least 4 key elements to social media:
1. Valuable content
2. Traffic driving to that content
3. Content curation (another way to deliver value to your contacts)
4. Relationship building
Step one, though, is to find out where your particular prospects are engaging on social ... more

Real Estate Industry

Social Media Marketing

Nov. 23, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti and 7 other people answered this question

What are the latest best practices for building a corporate website?

Best Practices in 2011-2012 for Websites:
1. SEO is part of the FIRST phase of website planning. Keyword research must be done before any programming is done -- you want each page URL to be search-friendly with keyword phrases incorporated, and you want to know the ... more

Company Website

Internet Marketing

Nov. 13, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti and 67 other people answered this question

What do you consider the difference between a manager and a leader?

Great quote, John. At a client company, there was a senior manager who was always focused on getting the job done within budget and on time. Unfortunately, she was a marketing manager -- and too many times, she sacrificed a more effective use of funds ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Sept. 30, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti answered this question

Does anyone have any metrics/ white papers/ research on Facebook fan to customer conversion?

Hi Graham,
Here are some stats with references:
1. WHAT'S A FAN WORTH? One Facebook fan is equal to 20 additional website visits per year for the 100 leading ecommerce websites (Hitwise, Website Magazine, September 2011).
2. THOSE COMPANIES MOST ACTIVE IN SOCIAL MEDIA ARE REAPING THE MOST ... more

Sept. 30, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti and 1 other person answered this question at this roundtable

Community Management: Practical Lessons From the Field [10/11 @ 11 am]

How should community managers work with product development and engineering within an organization?

To get product development and engineering involved in social media activities:
CONTENT AND PARTICIPATION
1. Ask key personnel to provide blog posts within the editorial calendar. In general, engineers respond better to posts by engineers, etc. Potential customers and existing customers will appreciate the ability to have ... more

Customer Service

Sept. 30, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti and 1 other person answered this question at this roundtable

How to Market to IT: Real Advice Direct From IT Experts [10/4 @ 1 pm]

What does an IT buying cycle look like?

It's also common for companies to go through the following steps, although not always in this order:
1. PROBLEM RESEARCH: Information-gathering on how to solve a particular problem, identifying of potential categories of solutions that might be considered
2. SOLUTION EVALUATION: Once the potential categories of solutions ... more

Information Technology

Sept. 30, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti answered this question at this roundtable

Ten Actions Marketing Should Take RIGHT NOW! [10/4 @ 11 am]

What are the best ways to determine which content is useful and which isn't for your leads?

Some ideas:
1. Ask your salespeople what some of the key objections are
2. Ask your inbound customer service people what some of the key questions are
3. Check your website analytics for the FAQ topics that get the most traffic
4. Identify the key differences between you and ... more

Customer Service

Human Resources

Information Technology

Sept. 22, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti is now following Sam Wee

Sept. 21, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti and 5 other people answered this question

Is it practical to try to put a dollar value on your social media fans and followers? Why/why not?

A study from Hitwise (Website magazine, September 2011) found that one Facebook fan was equal to 20 additional website visits per year, for the 100 leading e-commerce websites.
A July 2009 study from Altimeter Group of the 100 most valuable brands found:
- Companies with most social ... more

Sept. 21, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti and 8 other people answered this question

Is it an issue for businesses to have different personas on different social media channels?

It is absolutely reasonable -- and many times, strategically appropriate -- to use different personas across channels, especially in a B2B situation. In B2B, multiple decision-makers and multiple influencers can be involved.
If each social network has a role in your overall social media plan, that ... more

Online Marketing

Sept. 14, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti and 1 other person answered this question

Should video always go above the fold on your website/blog? Why?

We always try to get the video screen as high up on the page as possible. These days, with many viewing while multiple windows are open, and on smaller devices, "above the fold" is a smaller area than ever. I want at least at least ... more

Online Marketing

Sept. 7, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti and 6 other people answered this question

Are you willing to overlook bad email creative for a good offer?

As it is with landing pages, websites, and direct mail, so it is with email: offer is what drives the response. Some really ugly websites, landing pages, and direct mailers have been real winners in terms of response.
HTML email is more likely to get caught ... more

Email Marketing

Aug. 17, 2011

Karen J. Marchetti and 3 other people answered this question

As a platform, is blogging used more for community building, building authority or SEO purposes?

A blog tends to be used as a content distribution vehicle, first and foremost. Content is distributed on a blog to demonstrate expertise, start a dialog with customers and prospects, and obtain SEO benefits.
Based on my clients, their company blogs' objectives in order of ... more

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