does seasonal messaging really work? how one company's wrong assumptions led to a 25% decrease...
TRANSCRIPT
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: 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?
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.
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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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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
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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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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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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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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: 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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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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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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