Wired Magazine has an interesting article on using scientific advertising principles with TV commercials. It’s definetly worth a read if you are interested in AB and Multivariate optimization of your web marketing. On TV, the classic problem has been tracking response accurately. Now it appears some pioneers have found ways to do this. Check it out: The Ad Scientists
Lose the navigation… or not?
If you start doing some research on landing page design, sooner or later you will come across “The Rules of Thumb.” I am not sure whose thumbs were used to create TRT, but believe me they exist.
“TRT sayeth thou shalt remove all navigation from thy landing page.”
Okay good idea- in fact I decided to follow it when I first read it. I built landing page after landing page, sans navigation. I mean, it made sense… until I tested it. What I found was that my landing page with my navigation bar intact outperformed the TRT version by 30%!
Now don’t think for a second I am trying to refute the rule of thumb or create a new one. Chances are most landing pages do perform better without extraneous navigation. But my point is, how will you know if your page works better with or without it?
This is where testing comes in. Without split testing your landing page head to head, there is no way to know. So go on… give it a try!
Testing Idea 1005- Use of a Product Image
If you sell an information product and you pay attention to the “conventional wisdom,” you should have a picture of your product. Or should you? Certainly this idea has been perpetuated by many. In fact there is a whole mini-industry of software options to help you create a physical representation of your product, which of course doesn’t exist. I am sure these guys are working their hardest to convince you that you need a picture of your product.
How do you know that picture actually increases your conversion rate? Certainly more and more people realize that your product doesn’t actually exist- and may dismiss you as having a lack of credibility by implying otherwise.
Have you tested it? Or are you just buying into what some marketing expert says? Remember, what works for one doesn’t work for all. Not only should you test whether the image helps, but also where on the page it should be positioned. Incidentally, I have tested this numerous times, but in the interest of not perpetuating myths or providing one size fits all advice, my only suggestion is to test it!
Testing Idea 1003- Page Colors
An often overlooked element of landing page success is the color scheme used. In brick and mortar retailing, the color blue has been theorized to increase sales. You can see this being used in many stores, from Wal-Mart to Best Buy among others. Does blue actually make a difference? Some marketing folks (especially the ones that came up with the research) seem to think so. But without testing, how can you be sure that it is the best color for YOUR product, offer or brand?
Online, color is arguably more important than in the real world. Online everything is presented in two dimensions, on a small screen. The colors you choose will likely have an even greater effect on the customers mood and actions. Here are a few of the things you can test:
- Background color
- Text color- although black on white or a similar light color is probably best for the sake of readability
- Headline color
- Accent colors
- Bullet colors
There are plenty more ideas, but this will get you started. What is the best color for your site, your product and your offer? Only you can figure that out, and only by testing different ideas.
