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Closed Loop Marketing’s Sandra Niehaus on the Hottest Conversion Trend, 3 Biggest Optimization Mistakes, SOPA/PIPA, and the Best SF Hangouts
Editor’s Note: With Conversion Conference 2012 San Francisco just around the corner, we thought it’s about time you learn a bit more from each of our speakers. So we put on our journalist/paparazzi hat and placed each speaker on the proverbial hot seat by asking four questions, including one which can be considered a burning issue for digital marketers and other professionals in the internet industry: the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA). From this day until the conference, we’ll be featuring a speaker and their answers to the questions so be sure to check out our blog regularly.
But wait, there’s more! You can join in and do some pre-conference engagement with our speakers by sending in your own questions through email, Twitter, or our Facebook Wall. We’ll make sure your questions get the attention they deserve and even feature them here.
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re one of the biggest UX fans. We’re really thrilled at the prospect of getting together with some of the biggest names in UX and usability at the Conversion Conference. Here’s someone we UX fans can’t wait to meet at SF: Sandra Niehaus, VP for User Experience and Creative Director of Closed Loop Marketing, a full-service UX optimization agency. Sandra also co-authored the popular book “Web Design for ROI,” which ups her cool factor by several notches. Here’s her take on the hottest conversion trend, the three biggest optimization mistakes, SOPA/PIPA, and the best SF hangouts for people watching and food tripping:
1) What do you think is the hottest trend in optimization or conversion for 2012?
This is flying under the radar now, but it’s going to be huge: system optimization. By that I mean creating consistent user experiences across multiple devices and processes, optimizing every transaction along the way – including the transitions.
2) What would you say is the biggest mistake people (still) make when it comes to optimization?
I’m in a rant mood, so I’m going to cover 3 very common mistakes I see all the time: First is the I’m Done Here fallacy – assuming your optimization program is done once you’ve implemented best practice updates. It’s not done, not even close. Best practices bring your interface up to the level of basic requirements, like a teenager learning to take a shower & put on a clean shirt every day. But to stop there, just because hey, people don’t cringe anymore when you’re around, that’s short-sighted. Your competitors are already testing different hairstyles and learning French.
The second big and very common mistake I see is what I’ll call a Failure to Graduate. This happens whenever a winning test variation is not allowed to “graduate” to the “real” website, interface, or product. The sponsor moves to another department, or IT throws up too many roadblocks. Whatever the reason, there sits a sure-thing, proven 50% conversion gain, unused. Call me crazy, but that’s just nuts.
Third, and even more insidious mistake is Failure to Extrapolate, otherwise known as laziness. This simply means that conversion wins achieved on one part of an interface are never dispersed out to other areas. As an example, say you’ve found a 20% OFF! offer that tests really well on a landing page. If you don’t also test it on other landing pages, in your email and social campaigns, product pages, etc., you’re missing a huge opportunity to ramp up your conversions exponentially. The organizations who avoid this mistake usually have a single person responsible for improving conversion rates. This person has broad, cross-department authority, a CRO-specific budget, and executive support, and is able to bridge communications silos and move cross-team projects forward.
3) What’s your take on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA)?
The intention may’ve been reasonable, but the end result would be chaos. Just say no.
4) What’s your favorite place to hang out in San Francisco (that one place you just have to drop by/visit when you’re in the city)?
Union Square for people watching and singing along with the street performers. Chinatown for photography opportunities, scary but delicious food, and counting how many shops have duplicate product inventories.
We sure wish we’re always around when Sandra’s in a rant mood, just so we could pick up more expert conversion advice!
Got a question for Sandra that can’t wait till the Conference? Post it on the comments section below, tweet it to us, or post it on our wall and we’ll make sure she gets it.
More About Sandra
As VP User Experience and Creative Director of Closed Loop Marketing, Sandra leads the company’s conversion optimization projects. She is co-author of the popular book “Web Design for ROI” from New Riders Press, and regularly writes and speaks on the topics of conversion, usability, and design at industry and business conferences. Sandra has contributed her expertise to projects for a wide range of companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Brocade, DeltaVacations, ReelzChannel, Allstate, Insweb, and many others.
With a diverse background ranging from computer science and web development to music composition and design, Sandra approaches conversion optimization from a holistic viewpoint. She joined Closed Loop Marketing in 2004 after nearly a decade as an independent web consultant, and since that time has led and executed projects resulting in millions in incremental revenue for the company’s clients. She resides in Northern California, where she writes, practices mixed martial arts, and surfs whenever the work gods allow.
See Sandra Live!
Sandra will be presenting a session on “Designing from Inside the User’s head” at Conversion Conference West 2012 in San Francisco, California. See the full agenda and read more about this session.
Want to save on your Conversion Conference Registration? Follow Sandra on Twitter to say hello and request for a discount code!
P.S. Regular Pricing for Conversion Conference SF ends Friday, March 02, 2012. Don’t wait the last minute, register now to enjoy some savings while you still can (and before passes are gone!).
