717 798 3495
Editor’s Note: With Conversion Conference Chicago just around the corner, we thought it’s about time you get to know more about our speakers. From this day until the conference, we’ll be featuring a speaker and their answers to conversion and event-related questions.
You can join in and engage our speakers in pre-conference networking by sending in your own questions through email, Twitter, or our Facebook Wall. Big thanks to @In4mationHQ and @gtslawfirm for sending in their question (see question no. 2). Just like them, you too can have your burning questions for our speakers answered and featured here!
Huzzah, it’s only three days before our first Chicago show!
Today we want to introduce you to Chris Goward, co-founder and CEO of Widerfunnel Marketing Optimization, a full-service conversion optimization agency. Chris developed the the LIFT Model™ framework for test hypotheses development. Chris is also a veteran of the Conversion Conference series and was one of our top-rated speakers at ConvCon West in San Francisco last March.
We know you can’t wait to meet Chris so we put him on the hot seat to answer our burning questions. Read on and find out why you should be planning to join him at his Conversion Conference session on Monday:
1) What do you think is the biggest challenge encountered by folks who are new to conversion rate optimization?
I see two major challenges come up repeatedly.
The first is finding the variety of skillsets needed to run optimization tests. You need conversion strategists, designers, copywriters, developers, project managers and analysts. And you need a process to get the best hypotheses and challenger variations from them all while avoiding committee decision-making.
The other challenge is knowing what to test. That’s probably the most common question I hear: “How do I know what to test?” The challenge is that you need more than a list of conversion optimization tips. As eConsultancy discovered in their 2011 Conversion Rate Optimization Report, organizations with a structured approach to CRO were twice as likely to have had large conversion rate lift.
2) What’s your favorite color for encouraging conversion? Why?***
I just finished writing the chapter of my upcoming conversion optimization book where I talk about color, so your question is timely.
Colors carry meaning and some certainly work better than others. But, the one that works best is entirely related to the website’s overall color scheme. There is no magic color, although we joke about our friend B.O.B. the Big Orange Button. He works hard.
3) Which speaker(s) are you most excited to hear, beside yourself, at Conversion Conference Chicago?
There are speakers other than me there? 😉
Seriously, though, I’m looking forward to all the sessions. It’s a good group of speakers.
4) What’s your favorite Chicago hangout? Why?
Conversion Conference!
Got a question for Chris 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 he gets it.
About Chris
Chris Goward is a leading expert in Marketing Optimization. His methods have helped clients improve their website lead generation and sales rates by up to 290% for clients such as Ebay, Epson, BabyAge.com, ColonialCandle.com, SAP, Alfresco, Outrigger Hotels, Google and many more. His WiderFunnel LIFT Model is taught at the Unversity of Eastern Michigan Conversion Optimization program.
Chris is Co-Founder and CEO of WiderFunnel Marketing Optimization and is a regular speaker at conferences like PubCon, SMX, and IMC. Chris was the “highest rated speaker” at SMX Search Analytics and IMC workshops. His work has been published in Marketing Sherpa, Search Engine Watch, the Google blog, Search Engine Marketing Journal and DM News.
See Chris Live!
Chris will be sharing more conversion optimization insights at Conversion Conference 2012 on June 25th and 26th in Chicago. Join him in his session on “Fact or Crap: Putting Optimization Best Practices to the Test.” See the full agenda and read more about this session. You can also follow Chris on Twitter for some pre-conference networking.
Save $100 when you register with Chris’ discount code CH12306. Register now and get ready to join Chris on Monday!
