Adler Interactive – landing pages that convert

Segment to create strong headlines

Wondering which headlines drive the most conversions?

Try segmenting your traffic through simple choices and then using the primary choice as your headline. If you give your users basic choices they will provide ideas that you can then use to create powerful headlines and messaging.

Use segmentation to get to know your respondents interests and then write headlines that clearly address them.

Contact me if you want more details and examples!

Listen to my interview on the Techno Granny Radio Show

If it is your landing page, every opinion counts but yours.

It seems like career or at very least account suicide to tell clients that their opinions are the few that do not matter. Yet, I have done that on numerous occasions – as tactfully as possible of course!

But when you think about it, companies are not their own customers and they are not legitimate consumers of their own content. In addition, they have a very filtered view of their product or service that exists far outside of what others would know. Because of this, corporate opinions about their landing pages and conversion paths are often the least useful.

I have equated this to a chef who dislikes a particular dish and wants to remove it from the menu – yet everyone in the restaurant who tries it loves it. Well, many times when companies decide they don't like the taste of their landing pages, they kill the dish before the customer gets to taste it.

So, if you are marketing online don't be afraid to put ideas out there – even ones you may not personally like. You may be surprised to find that your prospects respond far differently than you imagined.

What went wrong? Maybe you should ask…

It's been said that you learn as much from mistakes as from successes. Although, clients would prefer not to hear that! However, in the world of post-click marketing, this has never been more true.

We are easily able to test and determine which messaging is most effective at reaching our conversion goals. This makes it easy to tell exactly which message doesn't work…

Or does it?

One of my favorite fallacies of logic (yes I have a favorite fallacy) is "Post hoc ergo propter hoc." In English this means "after this, therefore because of this."

I say it is my favorite because it is the argument I have heard over an over in my career:

It goes something like this: "We tried (fill in the blank) marketing before and it didn't work." "Our prospects don't respond to (fill in the blank again) marketing."

These statements are thrown around board rooms, conference calls, and every other conversation about marketing and advertising you can imagine. Yet, in all of these "statements of fact" there is rarely a true dissection of WHY a campaign didn't produce the desired results. What was the target? What was the value proposition? Was it easy to respond? Were responses correctly tracked and documented? The questions to determine the true reasons for apparent lack of success go on and on.

So, you've read this far. But, what do we do with all of this? Simple, let's ask those that didn't convert why our message was less relevant than the source that gained the click.

In a few select campaigns we are asking these questions and incentivising those that didn't convert to tell us why they didn't. Now, it is important that this is done at the right time and in the right way. We certainly don't want to make it more appealing for prospects to not convert! However, if done correctly, there is a substantial amount of information that can be gained from those "failures."

One last thing: If you decide to ask, be sure to check your organization's ego at the door. What you hear may surprise you. At very least, you will be prepared the next time that your company questions the "why" of a campaign's failure. This will be a very different conversation than the "That type of marketing just doesn't work for us."

Optimization Confusion - what is the difference between Search Engine Optimization and Conversion Optimization?

When speaking with prospective clients, many times they are confused about the word "optimization." It's understandable, we throw the word around a lot in this industry and are often talking about two very different aspects of online optimization.

Search Engine Optimization is generally regarded as the practice of developing your online presence in such a way as to improve relevant search engine rankings. There are a number of strategies and methods utilized both on the site and also throughout the Internet through the use of blogs, social media, inbound links, etc.

Seach Engine Optimization is a detailed and ongoing work that SEO experts research and perform continuously to keep up with the search engines.

Conversion Optimization is a bit different. This is the practice landing page optimization and conversion path optimization to increase conversion rates on landing pages. Landing page optimization requires an understanding of the prospects needs and the development of clear value propositions and obvious call-to-action. In order to convert visitors from user to lead or customer, a number of strategies need to be deployed to maximize the relevance of your communication to your prospect.

Both are very important elements of a successful online offering. The best online strategies include a mix of both SEO and landing page optimization.

Join our new LinkedIn Group – Online Conversion

Anyone who wants to learn more about online conversion through landing page and conversion path development is welcome to join and contribute.

Click here to join.

Cisco

Landing pages and conversion paths: What's the difference?

We often blog or write about landing pages since this is the most universally known term for a campaign specific page developed specifically for lead generation or ecommerce. Wikipedia defines landing pages as:

"In online marketing a landing page, sometimes known as a lead capture page, is the page that appears when a potential customer clicks on an advertisement or a search-engine result link. The page will usually display content that is a logical extension of the advertisement or link, and that is optimized to feature specific keywords or phrases for indexing by search engines."

However, we also often use the term "conversion path" in the same sentence as "landing page." So, what is the difference? Conversion paths are generally what we recommend to clients due to several pronounced advantages they enjoy over landing pages.

Conversion paths provide a more strategic approach and allow users to segment themselves based on their particular interest, need or situation. After segmenting, the subsequent pages are developed to speak more directly to that user's interests and needs. Several advantages are:

• Increased conversion due to relevancy and simplification of the message. We do not have to tell someone every feature of our product or service if we have properly segmented them. Now, all we need to communicate is how it fits their current need.
• Improved brand voice. Being all things to all people at one time is rarely the best approach to establishing a strong brand position. By segmenting, your company can better establish its brand in the user's mind as relevant and a provider of a specific value they seek.
• Marketers learn more by analyzing segments. Clients often find sub segments and new markets by paying close attention to the choices made by prospects. This information can be utilized to develop future campaigns and to help develop focus and direction in subsequent online marketing.

There is no specific formula or right or wrong approach. Knowing which tool to use is as important as having the tools available. When in doubt over whether to choose a landing page or conversion path, the same holds true as in all other marketing activities that we recommend.

Test and never stop testing.

Don't propose on your first date

I realize that sounds like an odd title for a blog on landing pages and conversion paths but there are some interesting similarities between dating and online conversion: Traditional landing pages are a bit like proposing on the first date. Give a little bit of information, offer some promotional gift or chance to win and make your pitch.

Conversion paths, on the other hand, are a bit more like a courtship with your prospects. Instead of jumping right into the hard sell (will you marry me?) you begin with a dialogue and learn more about your prospect by allowing them to make choices and segment themselves. As you learn about them, you are able to tailor the conversation on subsequent pages in a way that they most identify with.

The advantage of this approach is that by the time you are ready to "pop the question" and ask for their information, you have learned more about them, they about you, and those who have made the journey are interested in you for you. Much better than just marrying you for your money (or promo).

Don't get me wrong, there is a place in landing pages and conversion paths for free offers and incentives. It's just important to understand that they are not the only thing and should only be part of a more thoughtful strategy.

Submit your landing pages for review

We are accepting submissions to review landing pages and provide feedback on changes that may help improve conversion.

Post your landing page in the comments!

Direct marketing, landing pages, and PURLs

Most of my posts are targeted to online lead sources. However, landing pages and conversion paths are equally effective for improving the effectiveness of offline traffic sources like direct mail.

Many print providers have taken notice of this fact through the use of Personal URLs or PURLs. These are unique URLs which are generated for each prospect on a mailing list and usually include the person's first and last name. PURLs are a way to differentiate your offer, however they are not perfect.

Advantages:

• Unique
• Personalized 
• Feature landing page solution
• Allow for pre-filled forms to reduce effort from respondents 

Disadvantages

• May discourage response due to privacy concerns 
• Clients must pay for each PURL even if no one responds 
• Landing pages are often created by inexperienced landing page designers
• Message testing is difficult and prospect self-segmentation is rarely used 
• Require printing on more expensive digital presses due to personalization 
• Poor quality leads are often reported from respondents who just visited the landing page and filled nothing out

Like any strategy, PURLs should be tested against non-PURL campaigns to ensure that the PURL solution is the most effective direction to take. We also recommend that PURL landing page designers study landing pages and conversion paths and use those strategies and best practices to encourage prospects to become legitimate leads.

Another option is to create landing page and conversion path campaigns for your direct marketing without the use of the Personalized URL. Doing this can be more cost-effective and also reduces the privacy concerns that prospects may feel. In addition, standard offset printing can be used which is far less expensive per piece than digital variable data presses.

In comparing PURLs with non-PURL landing pages, you may discover that the cost per lead is significantly less using a non-PURL solution. However, you may find that PURLs improve your response rate so that the additional leads justify and cover added expense.

The solution? Test, test, test.

If you are interested in learning more about how to improve upon PURLs, whether your company currently offers/uses them or not, click here.