Multivariate Testing

Why Landing Page Testing Solutions Are Needed

May 6, 2015 by Justin Miller Leave a Comment

You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. This is especially true when it comes to website landing pages. These pages should be search engine friendly so you can draw visitors there first. You also want to catch visitors’ attention, provide some basic information, engage them and motivate prospects or customers to take action.

This is where landing page testing solutions are used. These tools allow you to build and run “A/B” tests or multivariate versions of a landing page to answer questions such as whether you should have a navigation bar, will visitors click on a video, what color is most appealing, or would testimonials support your cause. Here are some available online platforms which help design and test landing pages to fit your business needs:

Unbounce focuses only on landing pages, with customization features and A/B testing functionality. They provide over eighty templates geared towards maximizing conversions, whether a sign-up, form submission or sale. You can capture leads on your landing page and send them directly to Salesforce, MailChimp, Constant Contact or AWeber. It’s also easy to add KISSmetrics, Google Analytics, and other conversion tools like surveys or a live chat. Different plans are available, from $49/month to $199/month, with a 30-day free trial.

Optimizely provides one optimization platform for websites and mobile apps. It offers an intuitive, easy-to-use landing page editor with a strong focus on A/B and multivariate testing. Highlights include a reporting dashboard with a testing focus, cross-browser testing and integration with common analytics tools. Benefits include increased interactions, engagement, and conversions (leads and sales.) Different pricing plans are available from $17 to $359/month. A 30-day free trial starter program is also available.

Instapage

Designed to quickly build and customize A/B testing landing pages, Instapage focuses on turning visitors into leads and customers. Over seventy templates are available for uses such as click-through, lead generation, and “coming soon” pages. It also has the capability to learn based on visitors who come to the landing page, and will serve up the best possible landing page to help increase your conversion rate. Users can view real-time data to determine the winner of split tests, while tracking conversion types including thank you pages, button/link clicks, and shopping cart checkouts. Instapage integrates with a variety of marketing platforms such as Google Analytics, MailChimp, Constant Contact, AWeber, Facebook, Google+, and Twitter. Build your first page free, then upgrade to plans from $29 to $179/month.

SiteSpect

A little more technical in implementation, SiteSpect is designed to allow a broader range of testing options for every aspect of your site. Advanced behavioral targeting is available to create deep and engaging experiences. Users can test content, functionality and features across various websites, mobile sites, and apps, in order to uncover new optimization opportunities. Pricing is dependent on the solution chosen and the user’s ongoing website needs. While pricing can get expensive, if it helps solve your business needs and increase conversions, then it might be worth the investment.

DaBrian Marketing Group understands the importance of having a tested and proven lead generation and sales process. Contact us today to make a great first impression.

Sequential Messaging in Digital Advertising

January 15, 2014 by Daniel Laws 5 Comments

Defining Sequential Messaging

If you’re a follower of @DaBrianMarket or @DanielLawsJr, you have most likely seen our past tweets about sequential messaging. Sequential Messaging is generally a technique where messages are recorded in a preset order and executed individually based on the each activation of a device (tablet, smartphone, etc.).

So, What’s the big deal with sequential messaging?

Sequential Messaging has an opportunity to leverage the initial user interaction into a micro-conversion and target high quality leads. As an example, a shopper would click on a banner ad on a newspaper site for a new tablet. This action identifies the shopper as being interested in a new tablet and generates a series of sequential messages specific about the new tablet. The series of sequential messages could be on banners, emails, and perhaps in search engines. In some cases, the ad mix can be modified based on the shopper’s engagement with them.

What are the Future Possibilities of Sequential Messaging?

I think the future of sequential messaging is positive but contingent on the availability of technology to executive effective campaigns. I think there’s an opportunity to “connect the dots between digital advertising, TV advertising, mobile and gaming consoles.” It’s going to get easier to customize messages across devices with online tool-based logins, smart TVs, mobile devices, and gaming consoles offering more functionality and capabilities.

Take me for example. I’ve got a Samsung smart TV, Galaxy S4, Kindle, and more. My cell phone, which is connected to my Kindle, can change my TV channel. Thus, there’s no reason advertisers can’t create customized sequential messages across multiple devices. The capabilities of ad technology will be important to align with customer behaviors across multiple devices in order to customize the user’s overall experience with the brand. More specifically, it’s important that we obtain insights from sequential messaging to increase the effectiveness of marketing budgets and the ability to increase lead generation or sales.

What are the Challenges of Sequential Messaging in Digital Advertising?

In my opinion, one the main challenges will be measuring the effectiveness of sequential messaging in digital advertising and optimizing the process. In addition, the measurement of sequential messaging along with A/B or Multivariate testing across multiple devices. With the increasing importance on customer privacy, it will become increasingly challenging to track prospective customers, and with the recent Target data security breach, customers are becoming aware of the negative aspects of data collection and value their privacy. Furthermore, the tracking of sequential messaging will most likely require the tracking of customers’ unique logins as well as combining the data on their behaviors across multiple devices. Without educating customers on the benefits of doing so, it could be seen as intrusive and encounter a legal backlash from customers.

What about Measurement?

Last month in AdWeek, I read an article from Garett Sloane of Omnicom Digital which spoke of “sequential messaging as digital advertising’s next act.” I agree with Sloane’s point that sequential message could be the next step in digital advertising, but the execution requires powerful technology as well as perfect coordination. I think there will be a few businesses that look at sequential messaging as the next buzzword (right next to “big data”).

No matter the approach, it still needs to solve a business problem. Without measureable ad technology and the capabilities to collect the data, we’re going to have challenges measuring whether or not a message is resonating with the “right” customers. The right message, right person, and right time require the right analytical approach to improve the impact that sequential messaging has on delivering return-on-investment.

Is sequential messaging on your organization’s radar? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Top 5 Financial Services Marketing Tips

February 13, 2013 by Daniel Laws 1 Comment

We do a lot of work with banks and credit unions because of previous relationship within these markets. The financial services marketing landscape has really changed over the past decade and it’s about to get a mobile face lift and whole lot more in 2013. Below are my top five recommendations for bank & credit union marketers:

Go Mobile

Invest in mobile banking and measure the effectiveness of mobile to generate leads as well as increase sales. According to a report by Adology, Mobile banking is having the biggest impact on routine banking activities: 64% of mobile banking users in the U.S. say that the future ability to use their smartphones or tablets to check account balances would be highly valued. This move has the potential to increase liability and risk for financial services institutions, so make sure it delivers value to your customers.

Incorporate Measurement

Measure all of your marketing campaigns and implement tag management solutions. With all of the marketing tactics that financial services use as well as third party application processing, tag management will help to simplify tagging and limit data collection challenges. Tag management boils down to this–one tag on your site for numerous solutions, such as affiliates, third party application, media buys, etc.

Test, Test, Test!

Test your marketing tactics, PLEASE! The cost of many tests can be justified and can help improve your institution’s online sales process. If you’re not testing, you might as well dump a portion of you marketing budget into the trash and set it on fire.

Tag Management for Financial Services Marketing

The best place to test is within the conversion process. Invest the time, money, and resources into conversion optimization. It will require you to bring your partners (third party vendors) to the table for discussions. Tag management solutions can also streamline required vulnerability testing within the application process.

Predictive Modeling for Applications & Quotes

Now that measuring all of your marketing tactics is on the agenda, you should consider attribution and predictive modeling. Attribution modeling will help you give credit to marketing tactics that most impact the conversion process, and predictive modeling will help you to forecast future sales and revenue.

Have your own financial services marketing tips to add? Let us hear them in the comments below!

5 Lessons for Successful Internet Marketing

August 14, 2012 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

Recently, I was reading an article in Advertising Age that highlighted the lessons from their CMO Strategy Summit. I would have to agree with the eight things that the article mentions, but I’ve created a modified list of 5 lessons that applied to internet marketing or digital advertising. Below are my 5 lessons that should be applied to internet marketing:

Challenging Internal Think

We need to challenge the “internal think” within our organization and marketing departments. In the world of internet marketing, the old ways of thinking need to be modified and must include collaboration. In order to be successful, many departments can no longer work in solos; otherwise campaigns are destined to fail. We must work together to identify the best solutions that help to achieve strategic goals & objectives. This shouldn’t just apply to agency clients but advertising agencies as well. Be sure to limit risk and identify opportunities to control them with challenging internal think.

Building Relations with PR, Finance and IT (be inclusive)

Don’t just get to know your CIO but also the heads of Public Relations, Communications, and Finance. Understand what they think about your approach challenge, and obtain feedback from them. Include your department heads into strategic discussions because everyone has a role to play with the marketing campaign. Be prepared to justify cost, forecast, and predict outcomes with Finance, and reinforce the role of IT within the scope of every campaign.

Experiment with Failure (Wisely) – A/B & MV Testing

Experiment with failures through A/B & Multivariate testing of all things digital. Create controlled experiments, develop hypotheses, identify sample sizes for statistical significance, run the test, and don’t stop testing. It’s not as expensive as it was in the past with the functionality of Content Management Systems (CMS), Google AdWords, Google Analytics, KISSmetrics, and other usability testing sites. Start gathering information and spend less time talking about it in meetings that don’t generate outcomes to reduce cost and improve marketing.

Local, Regional, and then National

It seem like every business thinks they’re a national brand, but they have challenges spending the national budgets. Grow locally, regionally, and then nationally to save money, measure your effectiveness, and apply your finds to new markets. If done effectively, you just might identify competitive advantages and target national markets that grow your business.

Measure & Value

Measure the effectiveness of your marketing tactics and provide a value for leads or sales. This should lead to better marketing, reductions in cost, and the ability to forecast and predict. Now, you’re speaking the language of the finance department and gaining credibility. It should also help to reinforce the value of the IT department.

These lessons should help to position your organization and team for successful internet marketing campaigns. I would highly recommend that marketing professionals take a look the CMO Strategic Summit’s 8 lessons.