“Why didn’t I think of that?” I find myself saying that often when listening to Andy Crestodina. Crestodina is the co-founder of Orbit Media and author of Content Chemistry. He has a knack for giving digital marketing tips that make your brain happy. He’s either showing you how to set up Google Analytics reports or providing actionable marketing insights. Oh, and there is no one better at collaborating on content and getting the most out of it.
With this post, I’ll be focusing on his presentation for the Northeast Ohio American Marketing Association. He discussed neuromarketing, which is the use of cognitive processes to persuade. The presentation (you can view his slides here) had many tips and tricks for your website, email and social content.
My biggest takeaways were the marketing tips that you may not have heard before. But, they’re so obvious that you’ll kick yourself for not thinking of them.
1. The Testimonial Page Contradiction
Do you have a testimonial page on your website? That is the WORST place to put your testimonials. In general, testimonial pages are one of the least viewed pages on your site. You end up with high-value social proof on low-value pages. In short, they don’t get read.
People don’t go to your site to read testimonials. Instead, scatter the quotes throughout your site. Add them to pages where they reinforce messaging and build credibility with visitors.
2. Subscription Sign-Up
Below are three P’s to improve your subscription sign-up rate.
- Prominence: Make the sign-up box stand out. Consider a color that is contrasting to the rest of the webpage.
- Promise: Tell the viewer what they’ll be getting and when they’ll get it. And, be consistent!
- Proof: People imitate behavior, so include how many people have already subscribed (i.e. Join 10,000+ subscribers).
3. Seeing Double
Want to double your sales? Show two of your product. Alka Seltzer shows two tablets in their ads and even incorporates it into their jingle, “Plop. Plop. Fizz. Fizz.” The campaign worked as it caused their existing customers to consume twice as much.
4. The Priming Effect
Especially with pricing, the first number people see tends to be their comparison point (or anchor) for other prices. So, list the most expensive version of a product first. This makes the lower-priced versions look more reasonable. For example, Williams Sonoma lists their $380 bread maker right before the $235 version. The $235 version is their top seller (even over the $159 version).
5. The Pain of Loss > The Pleasure of Gain
People feel more pain from losing something than pleasure when experiencing a gain. A real-world example is Barnes and Noble. When a customer asks where to find a book, their employees don’t only walk them over to it. They actually place the book in their hands. This triggers ownership in the customers’ minds and makes it harder to put the book down.
6. Further Relationships by Crossing Streams
One way to further your relationship is by “crossing streams.” Crestodina’s tip: If someone likes or shares your content on one platform, thank them on another. So, if someone shares your content on Facebook, thank him or her on LinkedIn. It pulls your relationship into new platforms and deepens your ties.
7. List Order Matters
We all know people like lists. That’s why you see list blog posts everywhere. They get clicked and read. You’re reading one right now! But, did you know that the order of the list matters?
People have higher attention and retention for items at the beginning and end of lists. Put your most important ideas first, and the second most important last. The least important information should go in the middle.
8. Call-To-Action Button
Like using contrasting colors for sign-up boxes, do the same for call-to-action (CTA) buttons. If cool colors dominate your webpage, then use a warm color for the CTA. Because that area is different from the rest of the page, it draws our eyes.
9. The Giant Exit Sign
Be careful where you place social media buttons and other external links on your website. While we want people to follow us on these sites, we don’t want them to leave our site. Crestodina compared it to a department store with a huge exit sign as its only signage. While that wouldn’t make sense, we do it all the time on websites.
10. Follow the Eyes
Studies show that we are drawn into looking at faces or objects that resemble faces. Not only that, but we also follow the eyes to where the person in the photo is looking. Place your offer or CTA in their eye line.
What tips have you implemented that have shown quick impacts on your marketing? Tell us in the comments below.
Originally posted on the PR 20/20 Blog.