Chris Goward _The Future Belongs to the Optimizers

Tweet to @chrisgoward #SDAOM

CHRIS GOWARD

The Future Belongs to the

Optimizers:

How to Seize the Opportunity


1981







Exploration ValidationConversion

Optimization+ =


25+ growth marketing experts with clients globally

The best optimization process, experts and results



Goal: sign up for the

monthly subscription


Hypothesis: Adding a

social inclusion button

will lift orders.

Hypothesis: Adding a

sense of urgency

button will lift orders.

6.5% Signups 0.5% Signups

A: Social Signal B: UrgencyControl

Goal: sign up for the

monthly subscription

?


You should be skeptical of so-

called “best-practices”


Get a free chapter at

www.YouShouldTestThat.com


(Want to know which button worked better?)




23.4% more orders for IBM Softlayer servers


115% more qualified leads for Magento

Enterprise


$1 million per month additional revenue for

BuildDirect.com


Use Framework Thinking

Embrance Zen Marketing mastery

Turn “best practices” into tested practices




This is a HiPPO problem.



Marketer happiness with latest website redesign

Extremely Not so much

24%

76%

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2115927/How-Facebook-cost-job-One-applicants-rejected-bosses-check-profiles-social-media-sites.html


2-5 year gaps

between redesigns

The best

websites

Yours

Radical Website Redesigns (RSR)



Continuous

website

improvement!

Evolutionary Site Redesign (ESR)


The future’s so bright...


But the industry is failing...



Proven

Quantitative

Logical

Solid

Intuitive

Qualitative

Inspired

Fuzzy


Optimization champions

are zen marketing masters

They combine the yin & yang of marketing


A structured optimization process makes

you 200% as likely to get large sales lift.

Source: eConsultancy Conversion Rate Optimization Report 2011


The best growth marketing process

promotes exploration and

validation


Infinity Optimization Process™


Increase affiliate revenue

per visitor.

Full service

engagement using

Infinity Optimization

Process

>282% revenue

increase after 3 years.


We knew there were inefficiencies

in our testing program, but didn’t

know how far off we were or what

to do about it.

We didn’t know if we had good

findings or how to make decisions.

Too many times we made

decisions based on emotion.

“

Shane Hale, director of site optimization

and conversion at DMV.org

The Situation Three Years Ago


The Situation Three Years Ago

• High Volume website with a one-person optimization team

• Mish-mash of ad server technology, Optimizely and Adobe

Analytics for A/B testing

• Lacked confidence in test results

• “Hunt and peck” optimization planning

• 4 - 8 tests per month

• Unknown optimization opportunity


Affiliate Offer Area

The website ranks well

for thousands for

relevant keywords and

provides helpful

information.

The affiliate offer area

was a primary area of

focus (representing

90% of company

revenue).





Explore

Experiences are

analyzed from the

customer’s perspective

using the LIFT Model.


TM

LIFT Model

(Note: For more info, google “WiderFunnel Lift”)



Clarity: Repeats previous step

headline

Clarity: Low button prominence

Distraction: Too many colors

Distraction: Gradient background

Distraction:

Three column

layout adds

complexity

Distraction:

Too much

content for a

simple action

Anxiety:

Unable to select

multiple

providers at

once


Variation C

Control Variation AReduce distraction + auto zip entry

Variation BButton isolation (vs B)Headline isolation (vs A)


Variation C

Control Variation AReduce distraction + auto zip entry

Variation BButton Isolation (vs B)Headline isolation (vs A)

+ 22.9%

+ 8.4%

+ 19.2%


Validate

Design of Experiments

is used to maximize

growth and insights


Control

Variation CCTA Isolation (vs B)

+ 22.9%


Control Variation AUrgency subhead

Variation BChoice Isolation (vs A)

Variation CLovability Isolation (vs B)


Control Variation AUrgency subhead

Variation BChoice Isolation (vs A)

Variation CLovability Isolation (vs B)

- 9.7%

+ 19.2% + 11.8%


Where do these ideas come from?

The process generates an unending stream of them.


Explore

Emerging research

fields provide new

sources of insights.


The “choice is yours” effect

A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of the

“But You Are Free” Compliance-Gaining

Technique, 2012

– Christopher J Carpenter

Analyzed 42 studies that involved 22,000

participants. Telling the person they have the

freedom to choose nearly doubled sales

success rates.


TM

LIFT Model



Content page banner testing

Control

VarA

-5.95%

VarB

+3.43%

VarC

-3.93%

VarD

-0.16%

VarE

+5.25%

VarF

+7.34%


TM

LIFT Model


“Married or not” cluster

“Qualify” Social Proof focus

Control Variation A

Variation B Variation C


“Married or not” cluster

“Qualify” Social Proof focus

Control Variation A

Variation B Variation C

+ 14.0%

No Change + 40.39%


Social proof (bandwagon effect)

We tend to put our trust in

something because we

believe many other people

have put their trust in it first.

There is safety in numbers.


Social Proof works

For this audience and context!






0.0% Conversion Rate


Explore

User research tools can

reveal surprising ‘A-ha!’

moments.






Explore

We conducted user

surveys to explore call-

to-action options and

product perceptions.


VALUE PROPOSITION:

Of low interest for

prospects, according to

on-site surveys.

CLARITY: No consistent

calls to action to guide

visitors. Prospects are

scrolling, but taking few

actions.


Hypothesis: Emphasize

Demo Request goal.

Variation A

Hypothesis: Education

focus to guide visitor

through various value

proposition points.

Testing hypothesis that

Demos work well with

this audience

(77% male, ages 25-

44)


Variation B

Hypothesis:

Call to action in addition

to Free Demo. What will

quality be vs Free

Demo?


Variation A Variation BTalk to a Specialist IsolationFree Demo + Education Focus

Control

Qualified Free Demo Requests:

Qualified Sales Calls:

(+2

Vars)

+ 11.2%

No change

+ 10.8%

+ ∞% (0 vs 196)

?


6 months later...


Qualified Free Demo

Requests:

Qualified Sales Calls:

+ 11.2%

No change

+ 10.8%

+ ∞% (0 vs 196)

Variation A Variation B

Revenue/Visitor: + 11.2% + 23.4%


= 8

x


Explore

The business context

shows that phone calls

to sales should be their

primary goal in all

subsequent testing

opportunities.


Growth + Insights = Awesome


After 15 test rounds: 115% more qualified leads for Magento Enterprise


Do test results fade over time?


0%18.8% 0% 11.8%

0% 0%

1 2 3 4 5 6

Six months of conversion optimization

Painful months

32.8%


0%18.8% 0% 11.8%

0% 0%

1 2 3 4 5 6

Six months of conversion optimization

Painful months

32.8%36.8%


0%18.8% 0%

11.8% 0% 0%

11.4% 0% 0% 0%

19.7%13.4%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

12 months of conversion optimization

Ouch!

100.8%


0%18.8% 0%

11.8% 0% 0%

11.4% 0% 0% 0%

19.7%13.4%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12


Ouch!

100.8%123.7%


18.8%

11.8%

11.4%

19.7%

13.4%7.3%

15.9%

12.8%

27.7%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24


259.8%


18.8%

11.8%

11.4%

19.7%

13.4%7.3%

15.9%

12.8%

27.7%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24


259.8%282.2%


Here’s where we are now

• The right tech – SiteCatalyst, Optimizely, Liftmap integrated

• The right process – using Infinity Optimization Process

• The right team – integrated with DMV.org and WiderFunnel

• The right pace – now running 500+ tests per year

• The right results – revenue doubled three years in a row


Shane Hale, director of site optimization

and conversion at DMV.org

Shane’s Keys to Success

Senior-level buy-in was critical

Track the right goals

Trust your expert partner

Don’t be afraid of the “left-field” tests


Learn how to become an optimization

champion

Download the new 32-page now

www.WDRF.NL/handbo

ok

Or email: [email protected]


Profitable ‘A-ha!’ moments everyday.™