At our last free Web clinic Dr. Flint McGlaughlin talked about the value inhibitors of friction and anxiety and how to apply MarketingExperiments’ best practices to overcome them.

Unfortunately, our Internet connection failed 15 minutes before the end of the clinic, and we did not go into depth about one of the key elements for overcoming friction—an ideal incentive.

What IS an ideal incentive?

It’s the one that gives you a major boost in conversion; whether that’s lead information, a subscription, a sale, or simply more clicks through your content. Unless your current incentive is giving you that lift, you haven’t found the right one yet.

This coming Wednesday, April 2nd, we’re following up with a clinic on how to determine which incentive will work best to overcome friction on your Landing Pages and deliver maximum return. We’ll also cover the common errors to avoid.

I hope you’ll join us at 4:00 PM on April 2, 2008. Please click on this link: Finding the Ideal Incentive: How We Increased Email Capture by 319% to register for this clinic.

As usual, the clinic is free to anyone interested in learning more about our research into what really works when it comes to online marketing.

Yesterday I attended an internal training session that Dr. Flint McGlaughlin presented to the MarketingExperiments sciences, partner services, and journal teams.

Our session focused on the current conversion path (from a home page, to landing page, to offer page) for a long-time MarketingExperiments partner.

Flint set up the challenge: Get another significant sales lift from pages that we’ve optimized many times.

But wringing significant lifts from pages that we’ve been optimizing for months, even years, isn’t the only challenge: Making a change, especially a radical one, isn’t something large companies do very well (yet).

To help with the first challenge, Flint had the group take a fresh look at the pages by going back to our own basics. We applied the MarketingExperiments Conversion Index to the pages, and came up with at least a dozen ideas to change and test.

I won’t go into all the details, but here are some points to ponder until you see those test results appear in a future case study:

• Conversion takes place in the mind. Pages that create friction and anxiety lead to “unsupervised thinking” and “site flow disruption” in the mind of the visitor. These hurt conversion, and it doesn’t matter if your goal is more sales, subscriptions, donations, readers, or clicks.
• Clarity counts. Ensure that your Value Proposition is clearly, continuously, and congruently expressed in each step of the conversion process―from channel to landing page to offer page.
• Specificity converts. Have a specific landing page for each channel, whether it’s PPC, email, or a link from a home page.
• Find the ideal incentive. Just don’t create competition between your offer and your incentive.

The second challenge is far more complex: getting executives with P&L responsibility, creatives with egos invested, and an overloaded IT department to all sign off on minor Web site changes (much less radical ones).

Flint reminded the group that you have to start from a position of authority. I’d add that without authority and trust, you have no chance of making it happen.

I would enjoy hearing from marketers who have tried and failed and from marketers who have tried and succeeded to get corporations to act on their recommendations. How did you establish your authority? Once established, how did you build your credibility and maintain trust? Or did the whole relationship disintegrate before it ever got started?

Budgets are tight. Bosses are telling their employees that "nice-to-do" conferences and non-essential training and travel are out until further notice.

So here are two things to consider when deciding how best to spend that tight marketing budget.

One: Consider taking the MarketingExperiments online Landing Page Optimization course, and never leave your desk. That's one way to make your boss happy. Training with no travel required. You can apply what you learn to your company's site as you go, and once you pass the test, you'll be MEC-certified in Landing Page Optimization.

Two: Consider the case for a very, very short trip to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. during the first week in June, when we're going to teach a condensed version of the LPO course in just twelve hours over one and-a-half days.

Yes, this workshop will be intense, it will be a lot to learn, and it will not be easy. But when you deliver that first short, sharp, shock to your company's online performance, believe me, neither you nor your boss will regret it.

Those who have taken our professional certification courses know how substantial the ROI can be for a company that sends the marketing ranks through them. By making carefully selected changes and adjustments to a product's or service's Landing Page, the certified experts who come out on the other side of our course know how to help their companies gain double- , triple-, and in some cases even quadruple-digit increases in click-through rates, conversion, leads, and revenue.

Yeah, that's right: quadruple. Sounds like essential training to me.

If you can't make it to Ponte Vedra Beach, you can register here for the online courses in Fundamentals of Online Testing, Landing Page Optimization with an emphasis on subscriptions, or on e-commerce, or email marketing.

Those who regularly attend our Webinars and read our briefs might enjoy seeing pictures of the talented team behind the voices and the research. These pictures were taken last month at the MarketingSherpa email summit in Miami.

MECLABS CEO Dr. Flint McGlaughlin taught the MarketingExperiments Email Marketing Certification Course to over 400 attendees:

MarketingExperiments directors Aaron Rosenthal (left), and Jimmy Ellis helped a long line of attendees with live Landing Page optimization recommendations when they weren't helping Dr. McGlaughlin teach the one-day version of our Email Marketing Certification Course:

Bob Kemper, our director of sciences, helps research, write, edit, verify, clarify, and present our Webinars. Bob was an integral part of the team preparing and teaching the course. Bob is sitting closest to the camera in this shot of Dr. McGlaughlin. Seated to the right of Bob are Jimmy and Aaron:

You can learn more about or register for the online version of the Email Marketing Certification Course by clicking on the link.

Pay-per-click metrics can vary a great deal between seasons.

With the economy now slumping, it’s even more important to keep your supply, ad budget, and marketing sides synched with seasonal demand.

Need a surefire way to do that? Put reminders on your marketing calendar to check your cost per sale and profitability, then adjust your seasonal PPC strategies accordingly.

We’re well into the Easter and spring home-and-garden season, but for the rest of the year, you’ll want to map out your paid search strategy ahead of these major seasons:

Mother’s Day; Summer Fun & Vacations―5/1-8/1
Back to School and College―8/1-9/15
Halloween―10/1-10/31
Winter Holidays―11/1-12/25
“Get What You Really Wanted” Week―12/26-12/31

Here’s how to capitalize:

• Update sales and offers on your Landing Pages to match the current season. Ensure your headline, copy and calls-to-action on the page are completely relevant to the offer. You don't want to create "site flow disruption."
• Diversify your offers so that you always have a product that’s in season. Stretch. Innovate. Repurpose. For example, flowers and candy for Mother’s Day again? Yawn. What Mom really wants is . . . what you have to offer, of course!
• Study last year’s campaign results. Note the biggest ROI and most profitable keywords. Track these and apply adequate budget.
• Put a reminder on your marketing calendar to check your cost per sale and profitability. Successful paid search means locating the right customers, convincing them to convert, and eliminating costly traffic from tire-kickers.

Here’s a one-question quiz:

You already know the winter holidays are THE major engine for annual income, but how do the other major seasons and holidays stack up in terms of retail sales spikes? According to the National Retail Federation:

#2 Back-to-school
#3 Valentine’s Day
#4 Mother’s Day
#5 Easter
#6 Father’s Day
#7 Super Bowl (not really a season or holiday, but it generated over $9 billion this year)
#8 Halloween
#9 St. Patrick’s Day

Even if you missed #3 and #9 (today), now’s the time to start gearing up for #4-6. Think of it as March Madness for marketers. And if you want a cheat sheet for the rest of the year, download our 2008 MEC Annual Merchandising Calendar (PDF).

After our Feb. 20th Webinar where we optimized five Landing Pages submitted by our subscribers (you can read the journal brief here), we got several suggestions like this for future topics: “Linking emails to Landing Pages. What you should have on the email but not on the Landing Page, and vice versa.”

We really appreciate the feedback, so I’m happy to tell you that on Monday, March 17th (St. Patrick’s Day) our subscribers will get a special journal brief entitled “Email Optimization: How Relevance Lifts Conversion.”

I don’t want to give it all away here, but it does make some specific recommendations about how to synchronize emails and Landing Pages.

We’re also planning to devote our entire April 16th Webinar to the subject of email optimization.

Meantime, please join us at our next free, one-hour Webinar on Wednesday, March 19th: “Improving Conversion by 162%: How to Overcome Value Inhibitors.” Dr. McGlaughlin will be reviewing case studies where specific design elements led to exceptional conversion and revenue increases. You can register for that free clinic here.

Millions of households are just saying no to tons of printed catalogues and other direct mail (the average household receives about three catalogues per week according the U.S. Postal Service). According to a Feb. 6, 2008, article in the Washington Post, 18 states now have either do-not-mail lists or legislation pending to set them up.

With more households paying bills online and pitches for credit cards and home equity loans drying up too, postal officials now project they will be $1 billion in the red this year.

But don’t hold your breath waiting for businesses trying to cut costs and maintain profits to set up a rescue foundation for the slakkenpost.

Once businesses discover how to optimize product Landing Pages then lead customers there with effective search, email, and PPC—tracking what they look at and for how long, creating personalized offers, and nurturing a positive relationship instead of a wasteful, negative one—keeping the post office out of debt is probably the least of their worries.

Another plus to dumping the dead tree delivery model is being able to market a business as sensitive and environmentally-conscious.

As I mentioned in my “Green is Good” post in January, 9 out of 10 Americans surveyed by the Bernporad Barnowski Marketing Group said they would describe themselves as a “conscious consumer.” According to BBMG, “Conscious consumers expect companies to do more than make eco-friendly claims. They demand transparency and accountability across every level of business practice.”

86% of those surveyed said when products are of equal price and quality, they are more likely to buy from companies that commit to environmentally-friendly practices.

Companies that invite prospects and customers to shop with them online—saving gas (greenhouse and otherwise), trees, and money—are well positioned to stay ahead in a tight economy.

But be warned; the post office says it will continue to jack up first-class mailing costs every year as they struggle to make up the difference.

Even more reason to learn how to optimize your email campaigns with our upcoming professional certification course.

For the past two years, this blog has featured several contributors and a variety of voices. And in the months ahead, we’ll be doing even more -- with the blog, our Research Briefs, and our Web Clinics.

You already know the Marketing Experiments mission: To discover what really works. But we can’t do that alone. Our readers and research partners are vital to the equation, so we welcome your feedback and insights. Tell us what topics you want to hear more about. What new initiatives are you exploring? How can we make our Web Clinics and Research Briefs more valuable to you? What topics are falling off your radar?

To paraphrase this blog’s very first post, what sets us apart from hundreds of other Web marketing blogs is our foundation in original research, testing, and results. We’re seeing a dramatic increase in demand from marketers like you who are moving beyond outdated marketing methods based on intuition and the status quo. As a result, we’re striving to make more of our unique, data-driven information available in the formats you want.

Two years ago (as the editor and founding blogger for another Internet marketing publication), I had great respect for the quality of information Marketing Experiments brought to the industry. Today, as the new Managing Editor of MarketingExperiments journal, I invite you to share your suggestions and questions with me at editor@marketingexperiments.com – and let’s help each other take everything we do to the next level.

Regards,

Hunter Boyle

Managing Editor
MarketingExperiments journal

Top marketers presenting their case studies at the MarketingSherpa Email Summit in Miami last week included Matt Griffin of the Boston Celtics.

Though the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics probably don’t have this problem right now, the team found itself looking at quite a few empty seats at least once in the not too distant past. Matt’s straight-forward mission: Get ‘em filled.

First, Matt understands his audience. He knows he has a die-hard fan base. He’s analyzed their emotional purchasing behavior, and he knows they have a tendency to impulse buy. He also knows his team has a broad demographic appeal.

Phase one of his strategy? A targeted email campaign to customers who had previously bought blocks of tickets, especially colleges (target those of the players) and families (throw in hot dogs and T-shirts and make it a package deal), and offer customers who had opted-in to get emails from the team site a ½ off ticket.

Phase Two: An email campaign to previous ticket buyers, carefully tracking click-throughs on the offer. If they didn’t convert right away, they got a phone call. “Phone calls after the fact are gold for us,” said Griffin.

Fast-forward to the tip-off: Seats were full, the Celtics won (and thanked the fans), and that brought on Phase Three of Matt’s plan: Follow up with everyone who bought a ticket, or a block of tickets, and offer them a six-game package.

Results? Their approach is an NBA best practice, getting twice the returns of standard email campaigns with their “three-point conversion," and the Celtics are one of the top ticket selling teams, even in years they aren’t leading the league.

According to Matt, the Celtics aren’t about just putting on a professional basketball game: “What we really do is create an experience.”

Their approach to email marketing isn’t bad, either.