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By Mary D’Alatri
Director of Account Services, ion interactive
As the Director of Account Services for a company that has helped hundreds of customers design and maintain their landing page optimization programs, I’ve heard plenty of excuses attempting to explain why marketers haven’t been able to focus on optimizing their landing pages in the past. As a result, our team’s first priority has always been to demystify the entire optimization process in order to allow these customers begin to identify and overcome their testing hurdles.
Of all the reasons that we’ve heard for past failures, there are four recurring hurdles that appear to present the biggest challenge:
Not knowing where to start. As with most journeys, the first step is often the hardest. Conversion optimization is no exception. In fact, we find that most customers are either overwhelmed with the amount of content there is to test, or have trouble identifying test-worthy page elements. In either case, being unable to identify the first necessary action more often than not leads to a loss of hope and results in complete inaction. The good news is that the entire process is much like a series of dominoes: if you can just tip that first one, you’ll set off an entire chain reaction that will carry you to surprising endings.
Not being able to move the needle. We hear this a lot with customers that have engaged–or are currently engaged–with an optimization strategy, but have reached a frustrating plateau. Implementing several strategies in a row without seeing any fruitful results can become a demoralizing process that often results in giving up all- together. The key to overcoming this hurdle is to identify which factors are contributing to your stuck needle. If you had it moving in the past, it stands to reason that it can move again: you just may have to remove the ‘sticking point’.
Being overwhelmed by a multimedia world. This hurdle is all too commonplace: just when you have your desktop landing pages in order, you see a spike in mobile traffic, read an article on the importance of QR codes, and then realize it’s time for an email drop. For optimal results, you simply can’t send all of this traffic to the same, one-size-fits-all landing page. Each source is going to drive a unique set of respondents with unique needs. In order to make this a manageable task, you have to determine what’s required for each source and how to quickly and efficiently create experiences that deliver just that.
I can’t prep for long-term success. This is simultaneously the most common and most difficult hurdle to overcome. The light-speed world of marketing demands that optimizers be agile and ready to adapt to ebb-and-flow of visitor behavior. In this way, it’s critical that a marketer has a solid, yet flexible road map of future tests. Additionally, it’s imperative that you also gain the long-term buy in of your management team. The key to this hurdle is finding a way to excite your company in much the same was you are. We’ve found no better way to do this than to share results that can’t be argued with!
If you can learn to overcome these four common hurdles to conversion optimization, you’ll be well on your way to creating and implementing game-changing strategies that will boost conversions.
Be sure to stop by my session at Conversion Conference Chicago for complete details and tips on how to blow through these hurdles!
About the Author
Mary D’Alatri leads ion’s client services team and is responsible for client strategy and satisfaction. Mary brings a strong understanding of the online space and the opportunities it brings to marketers.
Prior to joining the ion team, Mary served as the Director of Client Services and Development for an online marketing agency focusing on Search Engine Optimization and Paid Search. This has given her extensive knowledge of the entire online buying cycle and how to create an impactful integrated marketing plan. She has been a frequent speaker at leading industry events and has a passion for client education and satisfaction.
See Mary Live!
Mary will be sharing conversion optimization strategies at Conversion Conference 2012 on June 25th and 26th in Chicago. Join Mary in her session on “Busting Barriers: How to Overcome Testing Program Obstacles.” See the full agenda and read more about this session. You can also follow Mary on Twitter for some pre-conference networking.
Save $100 when you register with Mary’s discount code CH12303. Take advantage of regular prices before they go up on June 22 – Register now!
