Marketing and Business Insights: Weekly Q&A with Jandre

I'm back to hosting regular live Q&A sessions every Thursday, covering topics from key marketing metrics to business growth strategies, conversion tactics, and AI tools. Here are the valuable insights from our latest discussion.

Understanding Key Marketing Metrics Beyond Conversions

When evaluating campaign performance, many marketers focus solely on conversions, dismissing other metrics as "vanity metrics." However, these metrics tell an important story about why you might not be getting conversions.

Three crucial metrics I analyze when campaigns aren't performing:

1. Click-Through Rate (CTR): This indicates how well your ad grabs attention. Think of it like an email open rate – if people aren't stopping to look at your ad, they'll never make it to your website. A healthy CTR should be around 1.5-2%.
2. Unique Link Click-Through Rate: This shows how many people not just engaged with your ad but actually clicked through to your website. It measures how compelling your message is and how well you're creating curiosity. Ideally, this should be 50-75% of your CTR.
3. Landing Page Views: This reveals how many people who clicked actually made it to your site. If this isn't at least 60-70% of your clicks, you might have a slow-loading website that's causing people to drop off before the page loads.

If these three metrics are healthy but you're still not getting conversions, you can then look at the next batch of metrics like add-to-cart rates and checkout conversion rates to identify where in the funnel people are dropping off.

Profitable Niches for Lead Generation

The best niches for lead generation depend on your target market and your understanding of their needs. Some consistently profitable options include:

• Beauty services
• Solar installation
• Water purification
• Legal services
• Dental and medical practices
• Auto dealerships

What matters most isn't necessarily the industry but your understanding of that target market and their pain points. The better you understand your audience, the more effectively you can generate leads.

Choosing the Right Funnel for Service Businesses

When selling services, your funnel strategy should align with your pricing tier:

For low-ticket services ($200-500):

• Self-liquidating offer funnels work well
• Webinars can work but may not be worth the time investment

For high-ticket services:

• Book-a-call funnels are effective, but clients may be hesitant due to time-wasters
• Webinars can justify the time investment
• Focus on demonstrating upfront that the call will be valuable

The key is psychology – help potential clients understand that engaging with you won't waste their time and that there's real value on the other side of the call.

Tracking and Analytics Tools That Work

For tracking and analytics, we've found that overly complex dashboards often confuse clients. Two effective approaches:

1. Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio): Great for custom dashboards, but can be complex for clients.
2. Sync With: This API connects to Google Sheets, automatically populating data that you can then customize and analyze however you need.

The right tool depends on who's using it and what insights you need to extract.

Converting Hesitant Prospects

When a prospect hesitates to become a client, it boils down to a simple principle: they're not convinced that the money they'll pay will translate into value for them or their business.

To convert them, you need to either:

1. Change your pricing (though this impacts margins)
2. Better articulate the value you're offering
3. Provide stronger proof that your services will deliver real value

It's rarely about the product or service itself – it's about how well you communicate its value proposition.

Growth Strategies for Non-Repeatable Products

For businesses selling products that aren't naturally repurchased (like bridal jewelry), there are two main growth strategies:

1. Maximize value on initial sales: If you can't get repeat purchases, increase the profit margin or average order value on each transaction.
2. Create complementary products: Develop items that customers might need at other points in their journey. For bridal jewelry retailers, consider what else these customers might need before or after the wedding.

Think about Apple – few people buy two iPhones simultaneously, but many buy an iPhone, AirPods, a case, AppleCare, and eventually an iPad or MacBook. Create an ecosystem of products that serves customers at different points in their journey.

WhatsApp Marketing Effectiveness

WhatsApp marketing can be particularly valuable for businesses with limited budgets that might not have sophisticated websites. It enables direct conversations that build emotional connections and trust.

However, WhatsApp works best as a supplementary channel rather than your primary lead generation method. Consider using Facebook lead forms or landing pages as the initial touchpoint, then transitioning to WhatsApp for nurturing the relationship.

The platform shines for strengthening emotional connection, building trust, and providing convenient customer service after the initial contact has been made.

AI Tools for Modern Business

AI has transformed how we research and make business decisions. Some powerful applications:

• Custom ChatGPT: Upload your business knowledge and create a resource that your team can interact with for contextual information.
• Claude AI: Excellent for writing copy that sounds natural and authentic.
• Grok: Valuable for deep research on specific topics.

While AI tools have incredible capabilities, the future belongs to businesses that maintain authentic human connections. As AI becomes ubiquitous, customers will increasingly value genuine emotional connections with the companies they patronize.

Setting Boundaries as a Freelancer

When transitioning from agency work to freelancing, clear communication is essential. Set expectations early with a service level agreement that outlines exactly what you'll deliver and at what price.

If clients request additional services beyond the original agreement, confidently explain that this requires adjusting the compensation. The key is expressing yourself naturally, authentically, and with humility.

The clearer you are about expectations and boundaries, the more clients will trust and respect you, leading to healthier long-term relationships.

Is Social Media Advertising Still Worth It?

Social media advertising isn't just worth it – it's an absolute necessity. What was once considered a luxury marketing channel is now a core business requirement for sustainable growth.

Without actively advertising on these platforms, businesses will find it increasingly difficult to compete as more competitors enter the market and create more noise for consumer attention.

Even if you're currently profitable without social advertising, that position may not be sustainable as competition increases and customer acquisition costs rise.

Email Marketing Frequency Best Practices

The ideal number of emails depends on finding the right balance between engagement and annoyance. The goal is to send as many emails as possible that drive clicks while keeping unsubscribe rates low.

If you're not getting the traffic you need, you might need to send more emails. If your unsubscribe rate is climbing, you're likely sending too many.

The solution isn't necessarily reducing frequency but increasing value. When your emails consistently provide content people want to see, you can send more without driving subscribers away.

Insights on Ideal Average Order Value

There's no magic number for average order value that guarantees profitability. What matters is the margin on each sale, not just the total amount.

A $300 sale with 90% profit margin is more valuable than a $1,000 sale with 20% margin. Focus on profitability and margins rather than fixating on average order value.

That said, most e-commerce stores average between $600-800 per order, with variations by industry:

• Nutrition stores might be higher ($800-900)
• Grocery delivery could be $1,200+
• Luxury goods can be significantly higher

Every industry is unique, so don't try to force your business into metrics that don't fit your market.

I'll be hosting these Q&A sessions weekly on Thursdays around 10-11 AM, and will often bring team members or special guests to share their expertise. Join me with your marketing and business questions, and let's continue learning together.