Geotargeting – EHarmony Finds The Right Match For Canadians And US
The dating site eHarmony illustrated perfectly the importance of why testing is valuable, and why testing specific types of users is critical. The results were stunning in their clarity.
The company took a simple test with a clear answer, then ran the same test to a different geography, and got the opposite answer.
In the online world, we've all heard that adding too much navigation to landing pages or to registration pages is a mistake -- we've heard, time after time, that it distracts from our goal of getting users to complete the specific task we have assigned to them, such as filling out a form or moving further into the sales funnel.
But is it really a distraction? Or could it be a valuable way of answering customer objections to eliminate dropping out of the funnel?
That was the theory we tested with eHarmony. We helped them run a direct marketing campaign in which the campaign landing page either included or did not include tabbed navigation.
And we discovered that, true to accepted best-practices, adding tabbed navigation on a registration page did, indeed, distract from the task at hand. That is, it reduced registration page completions.
Except when it increased them.
To Marketers, Holiday Lockdown Is No Longer Relevant
There's an old saying that no battle plan survives once the first bullet has been fired. And I would argue that no holiday season merchandising plan, no matter how well-informed, survives once the first product has been purchased. So why would you firm up a plan in advance, without ever knowing, for sure, just what will happen once the "battle" commences?
Marketers are already beginning to gear up for the holiday buying season, and for many, that means they're putting into place a merchandising calendar: We're planning which promotions we'll offer. We're deciding on what date we'll stop offering free shipping. And we're nailing it all down now, because we know that, come November 1, lockdown begins and we will not be allowed to make any unplanned changes to the site.
Instead of planning testing and targeting tactics that will maximize conversions and purchases, tactics that will take advantage of the special buying behavior consumers exhibit just prior to Christmas, we're preparing to hunker down and hope for the best.
I'm going to let you in on a secret: Those of us who plan their holiday season this way are taking an enormous risk. We are potentially leaving countless dollars on the table by forcing our customers into a game plan that may not even work. And we're doing it during a season of utmost potential.
GooglePages – Can Google’s Brand Sell Your Products Better Than Yours?
This year, Google ranked number one in a survey of brand professionals. These folks estimated that the Google brand had the most influence worldwide – more than Apple, Toyota, or any other.
Now Honda is demonstrating the potential impact of that lead position by headlining its own site with the Google brand. Go ahead, search for “Honda Used Cars�? on Google. You will see a geographically targeted mash-up of a local map with pins on it representing available cars in your area, paired with a list of those cars. Give it a try.
4.8% Increase In Revenue Per Visit (RPV) For Sierra Trading Post
Chris Lange, Web Operations Manager for retailer Sierra Trading Post, felt certain that the company's web and buying departments, working together, could come up with a way to increase revenue per visit (RPV) by offering impulse purchase suggestions to shoppers on the shopping cart page. Through testing, Sierra Trading Post learned the company could improve revenue per visitor through up-selling impulse buys by at least 4.8 percent.
4 Ways To Boost Sales, Without Buying More Media
Four major approaches to optimization: testing, targeting, predictive modeling and social.
Top 10 Tips To Boost Holiday Sales
The holiday sales season is drawing near - a time when some marketers halt their testing process for fear of jeopardizing a boost in traffic. Giving in to fear and avoiding such a smash-hit tactic as testing, however, can be far more risky during the holidays than continuing to test. So rather than avoiding testing because of fear, take control of your site and your traffic by testing any or all of the following things.
Turn A Click Into A Connection
How Offermatica boosted conversions on our own website by promoting cross-channel marketing content on our homepage. By serving content specifically targeted to visitors clicking through from an article about us, we were able to encourage them to click more deeply into the site and to call our sales team for more information.
Beyond Keyword Optimization
The rate of change online used to be fun. Chasing the cutting edge was an exciting occupation with limited accountability. But now ROI, quarterly budgets, and the need to grow sales AND profits have replaced the cutting edge as the object of our efforts.
FAQ: How Can I Incorporate Testing Into My Affiliate Program?
Using testing with your affiliate program makes as much sense, or more, as incorporating it into your paid search campaign. Here's why.
How Testing Increased JoAnn.com Conversions By 30%
Chief Operating Officer of Joann.com, the leading website serving millions of arts and crafts enthusiasts monthly, has always made testing a priority. Here's what she has learned.
How To Increase Keyword ROI:
7 Steps From CMP's Michael Grover
Hankering after those keywords you can't afford but know will draw in the masses? It is not the cost per click that matters, but the cost per acquisition.
FAQ: How Can I Compete On Keyword Buys When My Competitor Keeps Raising The Bid?
The rocketing costs of keywords means that marketers who don't focus now on increasing ROI from paid search will soon be unable to afford effective search engine marketing at all. Here's how to stay ahead of your competitor in the paid search field.