Author: Brian Massey

Posted on

Austin, Texas: The Conversion Capital of the World [SlideShare]

In case you have not heard, Austin announced themselves as “The Conversion Capital of the World” this past February. Much to the dismay of Vancouver and surprisingly, the mayor of Sochi, Anatoly Pakhomov, who flat out denies Austin’s existence altogether.

Who knew so many people would be up in arms over what is obviously a tried and true proclamation. 

I know, you are thinking, “Here they go again. A SlideShare? What could possibly be next? Podcast? Webinar? Oh no, an infograph!”

All great ideas that we will definitely take into consideration. Thank you.

Ok, so we are a little proud of our self proclamation, but who wouldn’t be?

In fact, Ryan Deiss of Digital Marketer, sums it up nicely with this statement: “The motto of Austin, Texas is “Keep Austin Weird,” and weird is exactly what you’ll need to be if you want to succeed at digital marketing.”

So, take a look at these 18 CRO weirdos…er…experts who reside in Austin and see what they have to say about The Conversion Capital of the World.

[signature]
Posted on

What Is The One Thing That Keeps Searchers From Converting On Your Site?

There is an insidious voice speaking to your visitors from the moment they click through to your site. It camps in the back of their minds, setting up a tent and proceeding to talk your visitors out of taking action. While there are many angles this voice can work to fill visitors with doubt, there is likely one that is common to a large number of your visitors.

It’s “the thing.” Dun – dun – dun.

If you can discover and address “the thing” – the major concern shared by a significant number of your visitors that keeps them from converting – then you can make some major improvements in your conversion rates and revenue per click.

When testing, we have found that this thing will fall into one of five areas: risk reversal, value proposition/messaging, social proof, user interface/user experience, and credibility/authority. All of these nagging questions may be present to some degree, but one of them is more pressing than the others — and addressing it will give you wins early and often.

  1. Risk Reversal
  2. Value Proposition & Messaging
  3. Social Proof
  4. User Interface & User Experience
  5. Credibility & Authority

Read the rest of the article.

[signature]

Posted on

A Lesson in Website Optimization from the Conversion Scientist

What is Website Optimization?

Website Optimization is the science of finding more online revenue without paying to get more visitors. 

Where do you start?

Get out your spy kits and start assessing your competitors sites. If you want, you can use a tool like Ghostery to see if your competitors have installed analytic and testing tools. If they have, you need to get moving on yours. If they haven’t, you can create a serious advantage over them but doing it for yourself – right now. In order to get a leg up on your competition and optimize your website, the time is now time to test and discover how your site is performing.

OK, so how do you do this? Easy – after you have assessed the competition, and discovered what you are up against,  call someone that will teach you the ropes on A/B testing.

Website Traffic Analysis

You need to know how your website is performing

Conversion Sciences offer a free consultation at http://conversionsciences.com/contact.

To find out the 5 important metrics used in monitoring clients’ websites and what you need to look for in your competition, check out the entire article on http://blog.marketizator.com/using-science-to-increase-conversions.html.

[signature]

[sitepromo]

Posted on

Maximizing Webinar Registration Conversion Rates

Webinars are powerful lead generators. A webinar attendee has raised their hand as a potential prospect better qualified than most of your other leads.

  • Webinar attendees have a problem that you solve.
  • Webinar attendees are willing to spend 30, 45, or 60 minutes to solve that problem.
  • Webinar attendees are often further along in the sales funnel.

Thus, getting people to your webinar is important. Your visit-to-registration conversion rate is key.

webinar regstration conversion rateYour Webinar Registration Conversion Rate

If you flip this equation, you get the Webinar Registration Abandonment Rate. No one wants to be abandoned.

So, I cringe when I see what the Webinar providers use as registration pages. These pages are austere, provide little customization, and prevent me from measuring my conversion rate.

image
Is your webinar provider’s registration page chasing away attendees?

 

It’s so bad that marketers are required to provide instruction pages to help their visitors get through the registration process.

In this article, you will find the kind of registration process I prefer. I invite you to check it out. It is provided by Hublished, a new service that gives marketers control over the webinar lifecycle.

This registration process is superior because:

  1. My hard-won visitors never leave my site to register.
  2. The registration overlay doesn’t have to remind them of why they were interested in the topic.
  3. Registrants aren’t left at some random thank you page after registering.
  4. I get the data I need to calculate my registration conversion rate (and I expect it to be higher).

Give it a Try

When you complete this registration, you will have registered for a 30-minute webinar on How Webinar Content Fuels Conversion. You’ll want to attend or watch the recorded webinar later.

 

We have a full description of the webinar avaialble.

[signature]

Posted on

The Battle for Your Marketing Dollars: Email vs. Social Media

email vs. social media

In my book, I define several kinds of “marketing batteries,” two of which are the “Subscriber Battery” and the “Social Battery.”

Marketing batteries store attention, and are charged through your online properties. Your email list is your subscriber battery and your friends, followers and fans are charge your social batteries.

The subscriber battery can pack a real wallop, and so marketers get a scared of looking like spammers. The social battery is unpredictable in its ability to deliver attention back to your website.

Business people let email drive their daily tasks, checking their mail multiple times per hour. As a general rule of thumb, you want to get your email marketing program working before investing in social media.

We like email. The best way to make social media work for you is to charge your subscriber battery from it. Your email list is an asset you own. Your subscriber battery is at the mercy of people like Mark Zuckerberg. It can be taken away or shared with advertisers.

We feel vindicated by this infographic, which we think treats both batteries fairly.

If you think about it, email is the largest social network on the planet anyhow. So stick them both in your marketing petri dish and see what grows.

In 2012, email marketing delivered a return on investment (ROI) of 4,000 percent. And it’s easy to understand why – no matter how swiftly social media platforms have developed; email remains the single most popular online activity with 97% of users sending and writing emails. 

Still, social media marketing is not just resting in a neutral corner. It is growing, and exponentially. In 2012, small to medium sized businesses projected to increase their social media spending 100%.

So wouldn’t it make sense to pair these two golden gloves together within your marketing plan?

  • ·         94% of internet users using email
  • ·         61% of internet users are using social networking sites

Looking at those figures, you have to assume that 33% of the internet is using both, and that number is bound to grow. Think of the jabs will you land if you apply both tactics.  By using these tools cooperatively and proficiently in your marketing plan,you can strengthen your brand’s awareness, significantly increase your influence, and maximize the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

Now, throw your lab coat over your chair, take a seat, and get ready throw the throw-down of the year. 

The Matchup:  The pioneering folks at HostPapa created this knockout infographic. See how email fares in a scrap with social media. You might be surprised by the judge’s decision.

Hat tip to Marketing Tech Blog for drawing our attention to this.

Let’s Get Ready to Rummmblllllllle!

 email-versus-social-infographic

 [signature]

Posted on

Scientific Advertising by Founding Conversion Scientist Claude Hopkins

imageIs it possible that this book was written in 1923?

Is it possible that a book written before the depression is the foundational work for those of us optimizing our online businesses?

Yes, it is possible and true.

Before the Internet, there was Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins. It’s a brief, clear and even motivating read. You will find Claude Hopkins Scientific Advertising free download in the Conversion Lab.

Claude definitely earned his lab coat in our opinion.

[sitepromo]

[signature]

Posted on

Getting Our First Book Published: The Stories Behind the Stories

In South Austin, just a few miles from the new airport lies Patsy’s Cowgirl Cafe. Even in a Texas town, this is the kind of place that makes you look twice.

The smart and amiable Joe Pulizzi sat across from me separated by his plate of migas and my chicken fried steak marinating in cream gravy and Tabasco sauce.

Had I known this would be an important turning point in my professional life, I couldn’t have picked a more memorable place.

Cowgirl

This is how my story of getting published begins, and is just one of the stories behind the story found in 13 Top Authors Explain How To Get Your First Book Published.

1. Building Strong ConnectionsFound in these gems are some tips for the aspiring book author.

2. Creating a “Blog To Book” strategy

3. Outline a marketing plan before writing or a selling a book

The fact that you can buy Your Customer Creation Equation on Amazon is a testament to the story’s ending. Joe became my publisher.

For more tips and advice head on over to The 60 Second Marketer and read 13 Top Authors Explain How To Get Your First Book Published.

Posted on

Lon Safko Sees Marketing Connections Everywhere

Lon Safko wrote the bible, that is, the Social Media Bible, now in its third edition. When you take on a subject as sweeping and fast-changing as the entirety of social media, you can’t come away from it unaffected.

I met Lon. He’s been affected.

But Lon’s affliction is that he now sees connections between marketing channels that others would miss. He’s like a marketing version John Forbes Nash, Jr. who was depicted in the movie A Beautiful Mind.

He’s written his visions down in a  book called The Fusion Marketing Bible. I got to see him present at Engage Mexico and took copious notes. For you.

lon safko marketing fusion engage mexico-1000x3000Click to Enlarge

Share this Image On Your Site

[sitepromo]

[signature]

Posted on

Your Mobile Customer Equation with Jamie Turner [INFOGRAPH]

When talking about mobile marketing strategy, Jamie Turner claims, [pullquote]”The smaller the screen, the closer the visitor is to buying.”[/pullquote]

If you hear him talk, you understand why it makes sense.

I got to hear Jamie talk, and captured his wisdom in an Instagraph for you.

jamie turner mobile marketing engage mexico instagraph

Jamie Turner tells us exactly how to make mobile a part of our Customer Creation Equation.
CLICK to ENLARGE

Share this Image On Your Site

 

[sitepromo] [signature]

Posted on

LinkedIn Can Generate Business for You. Ask Viveka Van Rosen [INFOGRAPH]

For Viveka Van Rosen, LinkedIn is a results-oriented tool that is great at generating new referrals for your business.

It’s not just social media to her.

Find out how she makes LinkedIn work for her clients in my live instagraph of her presentation from Engage Mexico.

Viveka Van Rosen Notes from Engage Mexico by Brian Massey

Instagraph recorded live during Viveka Van Rosen’s LinkedIn presentation at Engage Mexico.
CLICK TO ENLARGE

Share this Image On Your Site

Please include attribution to customercreationequation.com with this graphic.

 

[sitepromo]

[signature]