Does Seasonal Messaging Really Work? How one company's wrong assumptions led to a 25% decrease in clickthrough

Does Seasonal Messaging Really Work?How one company's wrong assumptions led to a 25% decrease in clickthrough

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Today’s speakers

Jon PowellSenior Manager of Executive Research and Development,MECLABS Institute

Ben FilipVice President ofPartner Development,MECLABS Institute

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Experiment: Background

Background: A large financial institution.

Goal: To convince visitors to take out a mortgage or refinance an existing mortgage.

Research Question: Which email treatment will generate the highest clickthrough?

Test Design: A/B sequential test

*Note: Test has been anonymized to protect partner confidentiality.

Experiment ID: TP 2077Record Location: MECLABS Research LibraryResearch Partner: (Protected)*

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Experiment: Control

• The Control uses a non-seasonal headline

• The body of the email features bulleted value copy

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Experiment: Treatment

• The Treatment incorporates a seasonal headline

• Halloween-themed imagery and seasonal modifications to the value copy are implemented throughout

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Experiment: Side-by-side

Control Treatment

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Experiment: Results

Relative decrease in clickthrough25%The treatment with integrated seasonal style messaging recorded a statistically significant decrease in clicks.

ClickRate

Relative Difference

Level ofConfidence

Control 8.1% -- --

Treatment 6.1% -25.1% 99%

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Why didn’t the seasonal treatment win?

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Why didn’t the seasonal treatment win?

Many marketers assume that seasonal messaging plays an important role in delivering the right message, to

the right person, at the right time. How can we ensure that seasonality enhances, rather than sabotages, our

campaigns?

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Today’s focus

Today we will be looking at two key principles from this

test that can be leveraged to prevent similar one-time

campaigns from costing us revenue.

Principle 1

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Seasonal messaging

1. For seasonal messaging to be effective, it must be relevant to your product and enhance your core value proposition. Unnecessary seasonality strips away the clarity of the offer and dilutes your core value proposition.

Key principles

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Which is likely to enhance my core value proposition during Christmas?

This? Or This?

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Not this …

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But this …

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Experiment: Control

• The Control already achieved a decent level of clarity with customers

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Experiment: Treatment

• With the addition of Halloween copy and imagery in the Treatment, much of this clarity is obstructed

• This brings up one question: If the additional content doesn’t clarify the value proposition, does it increase its appeal, exclusivity or credibility?

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• The Halloween messaging fails to make the offer more appealing to the prospect or add exclusivity to the offer

• In addition, there is no meaningful connection established between Halloween and mortgage acquisition or refinancing

Experiment: Treatment

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Background: A computer retailer.

Goal: To leverage seasonal messaging in order to increase computer and accessory sales.

Research Question: Which page treatment will generate higher conversion?

Test Design: A/B split test

*Note: Test has been anonymized to protect partner confidentiality.

Experiment ID: TP11170Record Location: MECLABS Research LibraryResearch Partner: (Protected)*

Experiment: Background

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The Control: Traditional Design

Marquee w/ Featured Products

Product Category Menu

CategorizedProducts

4th of July Discounts

Experiment: Which page converted more?

The Treatment: Integrated Seasonal Design

52%In conversion (99% LOC)

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Experiment

9%In Open-Rate

26%In Click Rate

Original Subject Line:

Book now to save up to 30% on hotel stays this December in [City]

Treatment Subject Line:

Holiday Shopping, [Traditional City] Dinners, Cathedral Concerts and More [City] Traditions

Principle 2

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Seasonal messaging

1. For seasonal messaging to be effective, it must be relevant to our product and enhance our core value proposition. Unnecessary seasonality strips away the clarity of the offer and dilutes our core value proposition.

2. To guard against future one-time campaign disasters, no assumption should be left untested. As marketers, we cannot afford to blindly rely on “best practices.”

Key principles

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Assumption: Responsive design will always increase mobile clickthrough

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Experiment: Mobile side-by-sideResponsive

54%In Clicks

Unresponsive

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Assumption: Upfront costs scare off prospects

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Experiment: Sex offender registry

$6 a month for full access

Control

$6 per month+ $20 activation fee

Treatment

X No Differencein conversion

99%In Revenue

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Assumption: The call-to-action should always be placed “above the fold”

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Experiment: Call-to-action placementControl

• Call-to-action placed “above the fold”

Treatment

• Call-to-action placed “below the fold”

220%In Conversion

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Assumption: We should leverage our unique brand design whenever possible

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Experiment: Local newsletter sign-up

Control

• Simple, traditional typeface

• Standard form field

• Brand-specific typography

• Branded design for sign-up form

Treatment51%In Conversion

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Is seasonality relevant to my product or service?

Do my seasonal campaign elements spotlight, rather than distract from, the actual product?

Is my seasonal messaging careful not to detract from the clarity of my offer?

Does the inclusion of seasonality make my product more attractive or appealing to the customer?

Checklist: Seasonal messaging

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Live optimization

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Live Optimization: National Parks and Recreation

Primary Audience: Park visitors and potential park visitors

Page Purpose: Generate sign-ups and raise awareness of parks and recreation efforts and national parks

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Live Optimization: Far & Wide Collective

Primary Audience: Prospective customers of artisan-made clothing and home decor

Page Purpose: Sell artisan-made products

Pop-over newsletter registration

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Live Optimization: Bose

Primary Audience: Prospective customers of high-end audio equipment

Email Purpose: Gather leads in exchange for promotional brochure

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Live Optimization: 740 Rewards

Primary Audience: B2B — Clients looking for website support and social media management

Page Purpose: Lead generation

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Live Optimization: Falcon Social

Primary Audience: Marketers in need of better social media management

Email Purpose: Encourage download of software demo

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August clinic preview

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Next Clinic: Test background

Founded in 1973, the Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit research and educational institution—a

think tank—whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies.

Every December, the Heritage Foundation sends out an email to members asking for donations to help the group reach their year-end fundraising

goals.

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Next Clinic: Control

• This email was sent by Jim DeMint,

the president and most well-known

leader of the nonprofit, asking

recipients for their support with a

year-end gift

• The Control leverages continuity, as

all support requests throughout the

year have come from DeMint

• The tone of the email is formal and

professional

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Next Clinic: Treatment

• The email was sent by Christie

Fogarty, the nonprofit’s much lesser

known Director of Membership,

making the same request

• The Treatment breaks continuity, as

all support requests throughout the

year have come from the president

of the nonprofit

• The email uses a much softer,

informal tone

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Which treatment won?

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Live August 12 at 4 p.m. EDT

• The exact changes that resulted in a 380% change in response rate• Why those changes convinced donors to give• Lessons learned from NextAfter’s nonprofit work that can be

transferred to for-profits• Key strategies to utilize and pitfalls to avoid when leveraging

personalization

Join us, along with special guest Tim Kachuriak of NextAfter.com, for the next live 35-minute Web clinic to discover:

To see the results

To join live, register at the link below:

MarketingExperiments.com/personalization

Customer Motivation

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