MarketingExperiments.com Web Clinic Podcasts

Optimizing Landing Pages: The four key tactics that drove a 189% lift

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:01:45 -0400

On our August 11 web clinic, Flint McGlaughlin, the Director of MECLABS Group, shared the MarketingExperiments foundational theory of value communication and introduced a teaching aid The Value Exchange Fulcrum to help our audience implement this theory.

Live Optimization: What we've learned from the last 200 experiments distilled into three basic principles - plus live-optimization examples

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:39:17 -0400

In our July 21 Web clinic, Flint McGlaughlin and the MarketingExperiments team shared three basic principles that you can use to improve your landing page conversion right now and conducted 40 minutes of live optimization of audience submissions to help drive those lessons home.

The Compounding ROI of Sequential Conversion Increases: How one company took a small gain and multiplied it tenfold

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:31:01 -0400

In our June 30 web clinic, Flint McGlaughlin and the MarketingExperiments team shared three key considerations for developing a holistic testing strategy and a series of experiments that produced an optimized path with a 272% increase in overall impression-to-lead conversion.

One-to-One Marketing at Four Levels: Strategic ways every marketer can enter into an online conversation with customers

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:49:55 -0400

In our June 9 web clinic, the MarketingExperiments team shared four levels of one-to-one marketing application based on a marketing department's specific resources and capabilities.

Technology Blind Spots: How human insight revealed a hidden (and almost missed) 31% gain

Wed, 19 May 2010 12:08:26 -0400

Senior Manager of Research Partnerships Andy Mott, Director of Sciences Bob Kemper, and Research Analysts Corey Trent and Jon Powell walked our audience through three recent experiments featuring both B2B and B2C real-world scenarios, the three most common blind spots of testing tools, four problematic default technology settings that can invalidate your online tests, what it means to actually run a valid test, a five-point checklist to help you get the most from your technology, and key strategic considerations for running multivariate tests.

Integrate Your Marketing: How one company combined offline and online marketing to increase subscriptions by 124%

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:22:28 -0400

Are you using online and offline marketing in a cohesive way to drive the greatest ROI? On the April 28 web clinic, the MarketingExperiments team discussed how best to combine online and offline tactics and revealed how one media company drove 124% growth in subscribers through intelligent integration.

The Business Case for Testing: How one marketer convinced her business leaders to start testing and drove a 201% gain in the process

Wed, 7 Apr 2010 16:30:47 -0400

Trying to gain the budgetary and executive support to create a culture of testing in your organization? On our April 7 web clinic, Andy Mott and Adam Lapp provided our audience with a behind-the-scenes look at the story of how one marketer was able to champion online testing within her organization and what you can learn from the significant success that resulted.

Social Media Marketing in Four Proven Steps: A methodology to move from sporadic to strategic use based on research with 2,317 B2B and B2C marketers

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:55:47 -0500

Social media marketing has been a blazingly hot topic for marketers in every industry this year. But since this technology is so new, there is still a daunting knowledge gap. So we invited special guest Sergio Balegno, the Research Director of MarketingSherpa, to our most recent web clinic to share his findings and help you better understand the social media landscape. Then our own Boris Grinkot, Senior Manager of Research and Strategy, shared ideas based on our optimization principles to help you apply Sergio’s findings.

The Five Best Ways to Optimize Email Response (Part 3): Special live optimization web clinic

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:58:15 -0500

Learn key principles to improve your email response rate. In our February 24 web clinic, the MarketingExperiments team optimized audience submissions to give you ideas for key changes you can make to your current campaigns to drive big conversion gains.

The Five Best Ways to Optimize Email Response (Part 2): How to craft effective email messages that drive your customers to action

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 12:42:30 -0500

Learn how to optimize the basic structure of your email and what each piece should convey to make it effective. In our February 3 web clinic, Dr. Flint McGlaughlin walked our audience through key principles that will help you craft effective email marketing campaigns.

The Five Best Ways to Optimize Email Response (Part 1): How to craft effective email messages that drive your customers to action

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:36:18 -0500

At MarketingSherpa’s Email Summit ’10 in Miami, Dr. Flint McGlaughlin delivered an opening session about the best ways to optimize email response. Here is the audio recording of that live event, complete with live optimization of audience submissions.

Maximize your Agency ROI: How adding science to the creative process reveals a 26% gain

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:30:10 -0500

Learn to boost ROI from your creative executions by casting aside your hunches and delving into data-driven methods. In our January 13 live web clinic, Andy Mott and ExactTarget's Joel Book explored discoveries gained from an email competition in which three agencies redesigned email messages for three clients.

Clarity Trumps Persuasion: How changing the first seven seconds of user experience drove a 201% gain

Wed, 6 Jan 2010 14:45:16 -0500

While marketers invest the majority of their time and budgets on areas deeper down in the funnel, MarketingExperiments research has found that most of the gain from optimizing a website occurs in the first seven seconds of users' experience.

Optimize your Email in Three Steps - How one marketer tripled revenue from their house list

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 12:08:59 -0500

Your peers’ biggest email marketing challenge (88% find it very important) is to retain existing customers, according to the MarketingSherpa 2010 Email Marketing Benchmark Report. Cost-conscious organizations are trying to offset the impact of the recession by keeping what they have.
In our December 2 clinic, the MarketingExperiments team shared research which illustrated how to increase email ROI from your current subscribers in a time of decreasing demand. President Greg Burningham and researchers Boris Grinkot, Heather Andruk, and Corey Trent discussed the three steps to a successful email campaign.

Surprising Wins from 2009 - Using insights from an uncertain economy to drive 302% growth

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:08:20 -0500

We conducted hundreds of tests in 2009 to augment the marketing of research partners in a variety of B2B and B2C industries. In our November 11 web clinic, our analysts distilled some of our most valuable lessons of this challenging year into key takeaways that you can use to capture market share in 2010. Researchers Boris Grinkot, Adam Lapp, and Paul Clowe shared their most surprising wins to illustrate these important points.

No Unsupervised Thinking: How to increase conversion by guiding your audience

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:46:18 -0500

From PPC to offline advertising, you likely invest significantly in driving prospects to your site. But do you put the same amount of resources into guiding them through to conversion? In our October 28 web clinic, we took a detailed look at how to clearly guide your audience from first visit to conversion. Researchers Boris Grinkot, Corey Trent, and Heather Andruk investigated five key elements to directing visitor eyepath.

What to test (and how) to increase your ROI today

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:44:42 -0500

In recent web clinics, you've learned how to optimize aspects of your site ranging from landing pages to affiliate marketing. In our October 14 web clinic, we took a step back from optimization tactics to focus on maximizing ROI through smarter testing. To address your toughest testing challenges, senior researchers Boris Grinkot and Ana Gaby Diaz explored how to overcome four common obstacles. Before you develop your next testing plan, read the clinic summary (PDF) or view the full presentation video to learn how to improve your tests, results, and ROI.

Ecommerce Optimization: A holiday playbook for procrastinators

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:42:58 -0500

Didn't get all your holiday marketing plans locked in place this summer? Don't panic. You're not alone. We know you've been stretched thin this year, but help for your holiday ecommerce marketing efforts is on the way. On September 30, MarketingExperiments presented a special guest clinic with renowned ecommerce analyst and GetElastic blogger Linda Bustos, where we presented a playbook of test ideas and tactics you can use right away and get back in the race.

Beyond landing pages: Conversion rate optimization strategies

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:41:00 -0500

Optimizing for conversion rates is often linked to landing pages - and for good reason. But we all know landing pages are just the tip of the iceberg. In our September 16 web clinic, our research team explored how you can apply our Conversion Sequence and improve results in myriad areas, from ecommerce and shopping cart pages to lead-generation paths, homepages, and more. If you're looking to increase ROI in several places on your site, these are the strategies that will help you get there.

Affiliate marketing: Tests and tactics that increased clicks and leads by 165%

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:38:43 -0500

How can affiliate marketing help you generate more traffic, leads and sales? What steps should merchants, affiliates and networks take to increase their ROI? Inspired by takeaways from Affiliate Summit and past MarketingExperiments affiliate clinics, we looked at ways that all involved can avoid or overcome common pitfalls and build more successful programs. During the August 26 clinic, Director of Channels Aaron Rosenthal and Senior Analyst Robert Reynard explored:

- Research on what is and isn't working today
- Tests and experiments with gains of up to 165%
- Do's and don'ts for merchants, networks and affiliates

Optimizing PPC campaigns to boost conversions, ROI

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:29:56 -0500

With increased pressure to make the most of every marketing dollar, many marketers are taking a hard look at how their PPC efforts are - or are not - delivering now. Beyond ad copy and keywords, research shows that optimizing for post-click conversions not only helps you combat rising keyword bids and competition, but also provides the strongest ROI. You can significantly improve results without increasing costs - and in many cases, dramatically reduce costs - with the right PPC campaign strategies in place.

Optimization vs. frustration: Overcoming barriers to better tests and gains

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:21:48 -0500

Presenters:
- The MarketingExperiments Team

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Consistent testing can give you an advantage over your competitors and lead to major ROI gains. But there are plenty of pitfalls along the way.

You might have a small sample size. Maybe you don't know exactly what to test. And what are all the raw numbers really telling you?

These barriers to testing are the focus of our next web clinic. We'll examine three of the biggest obstacles to effective testing and analysis -- and discuss strategies that you can use to overcome them.

Join us and discover how to tap into the real lessons that could be hiding in those reams of data.

Live optimization: Improve your SEO clicks and conversions

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:41:51 -0400

Presenters:
- The MarketingExperiments Team

Special Guest:
- Paul Taylor, President, Webmarketing123

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Is attracting qualified prospects with SEO one of your top conversion hurdles?

As the battle for search rankings keeps heating up, your site can't afford to fall behind or rely solely on pricey PPC clicks. You need to compete for quality organic clickthroughs and capitalize on that traffic when it gets to your site.

That's the focus of our next live optimization web clinic.

We're teaming up with SEM pro Paul Taylor of WebMarketing123 to discuss the SEO landscape and strategies that increase visibility and traffic. Then, our team will optimize SEO-driven landing pages culled from our audience to show you ways to increase conversions.

Twitter Experiments: Getting beyond the "now what?"

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:42:05 -0400

Presenters:
- The MarketingExperiments Team

Special Guests:
- Jason Breed, Sr. Director of Business Development, Neighborhood America
- Marc Meyer, CEO, Digital Response Marketing Group

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Twitter is fast approaching a crossroads: Is it built to last -- or will it fail to bring in real business results?

What can organizations expect beyond the networking basics?

Join us for our first "crowdsourcing" web clinic and we'll explore the answers together.

For this special topic, we've enlisted Jason Breed of Neighborhood America. He'll present case studies showing how big-name brands are using Twitter to improve bottom-line results.

We'll also look at the methods and models that organizations of all sizes are using to build their Twitter audiences -- and review some of your Twitter profiles, live-optimization style, with our audience.

B2B Success Stories: Four tests with gains of 21% to 254%

Tue, 19 May 2009 14:58:46 -0400

Presenters:
- The MarketingExperiments Team

Our last clinic recognized the optimization results of B2C marketers in our audience.

What about the efforts of B2B marketers and their tests?

This time, we'll explore how four B2B sites applied the Conversion Sequence to optimize their landing pages, PPC and email marketing campaigns -- and saw increases ranging from 21% to 254%.

With a range of specific examples and tactics, you'll come away with several ideas to improve your own campaigns, from lead generation to direct sales and subscriptions.

B2C Success Stories: Conversion strategies that produced 30-300% gains

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:43:55 -0400

Presenters:
- The MarketingExperiments Team

While many of our case studies come from our research partners, this special clinic will highlight the successful tests of our audience.

Join us as we explore how applying the Conversion Sequence led to major ROI gains for workshop and clinic participants.

We'll review the tests and optimization strategies they used to achieve gains of 30-300% -- and help you pinpoint ideas you can use to improve your own pages.

What's working now in optimization -- new tests and a 364% gain

Thu, 9 Apr 2009 09:53:04 -0400

Presenters:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments
- Jimmy Ellis, Director of Optimization Research
- Aaron Rosenthal, Director of Channels Research

To stay ahead of the curve with optimization, marketers need to know what's working now -- and glean strategies that they can quickly apply to their own pages and websites.

After all, many techniques that work today in landing page optimization are likely to be less effective in several months.

Join the MarketingExperiments team as we explore optimization strategies that are currently working and review our recent research and testing -- including a test that achieved a staggering 346% increase in conversions.

Along with pointing out ways to improve your existing pages, this clinic will showcase examples of pages that are getting it right.

Participants can expect to learn several optimization ideas they can implement right away.

Special Clinic: Optimizing Spanish-Language Landing Pages (LIVE)

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:30:31 -0400

Do you have an English-language web page that you want to test with a Spanish-speaking audience, but you'd like to do more than just translate the copy?

Are your Spanish-language landing pages getting the optimization attention -- and results -- that they deserve?

The buying power of Hispanics surpassed $860 billion in 2007 and will exceed $1.2 trillion by 2014, according to a University of Georgia study.

Yet in many English-language markets, it's not uncommon for sites to simply translate existing English pages to Spanish. There are better ways to reach out to this growing audience.

For this clinic (conducted in English), our team will:

-- Explore growth trends in the Spanish-language market
-- Offer a sneak preview of our tests in this area
-- Optimize landing pages submitted by attendees, and
-- Address your specific questions with a live Q&A session

Surprise Winners: How "wild card" tests achieved gains of up to 86%

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:30:47 -0400

Presenters:
- The MarketingExperiments Team

Optimization best practices don't come with an iron-clad guarantee.

Sometimes, even the most carefully crafted campaigns get trumped by what we call "wild card" test treatments -- with surprising results.

Is there a way to predict and replicate the success of these outliers?

Join us for our next free web clinic, where we'll explore:

- Experiments where best practices have backfired
- Lessons learned from a range of unexpected winners
- How to incorporate these findings into your own tests

Our team will review case studies and examples, and address your specific testing questions with a live Q&A session.

Special Clinic: B2B Landing Pages (Live Optimization)

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:51:36 -0500

Special Guest:
- Brian Carroll, CEO, InTouch

Presenters:
- The MarketingExperiments Team

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B2B marketers: Now it's your turn ...

Our special guest, lead-gen and B2B expert Brian Carroll, will join the MarketingExperiments team for a clinic dedicated to live optimization of B2B landing pages.

For this clinic, the selected pages will also become contestants in an interactive competition -- where our live audience votes will choose the grand prize winner.

Runners-up and audience participants will also be eligible for prizes.

To enter the contest, include your landing page information when you sign up for the clinic. (Note: You may still participate without entering the contest.)

Since our B2C clinic had "Optimization Idol" overtones, with this session we'll be testing an "Optimizing with the Stars" model.

So, are you ready to rhumba, optimization style?

Special Clinic: B2C Landing Pages (Live Optimization)

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:29:09 -0500

Presenters:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments
- Jimmy Ellis, Director of Optimization Research
- Aaron Rosenthal, Director of Channels Research

B2C marketers: We're pleased to announce a special web clinic based on your recent feedback.

For this clinic, the MarketingExperiments team will devote the full session to live optimization of B2C landing pages.

Plus, the selected pages will be part of an interactive contest where our live audience gets to decide the grand prize winner. Runners-up and other clinic participants will also be eligible for special prizes.

You might think of this clinic as "Optimization Idol" -- and if you've attended our live optimization clinics in the past, you already know we have our own Paula, Randy, and Simon.

To enter the contest, include your landing page information when you sign up for the clinic. (You may participate in the clinic without entering the contest.)

Email Optimization: How to improve ROI from capture to conversion

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:34:04 -0500

Presenters:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments
- Jimmy Ellis, Director of Optimization Research
- Aaron Rosenthal, Director of Channels Research

Despite all the buzz about social media, email is still the top channel for most marketers.

The challenge? Growing your lists and conversions year after year.

Since email is such a low-cost yet powerful way to drive response, now is an ideal time to grow your list and strengthen your brand.

Our next clinic will show how you can maximize the impact of your email capture pages and messaging. Our team will:

- Review tests that yielded conversion gains of 49% or more
- Discuss ideas that did and didn't work, and
- Optimize a participant's email sign-up path live.

Join us for this interactive clinic and you'll come away with tactics and strategies that can dramatically improve your ROI from email.

Optimizing Offer Pages: Steps that increased conversion 148%

Thu, 8 Jan 2009 10:11:46 -0500

Presenters:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments
- Jimmy Ellis, Director of Optimization Research
- Aaron Rosenthal, Director of Channels Research

How would you like to start the new year with a 148% increase in conversion rate?

For our first Web clinic of 2009, our team will break down a recent testing series that did just that.

We'll focus on ways to reduce friction and anxiety, with specific steps you can apply to your own offer and payment pages. These ideas and principles can help you dramatically improve your site's success rate.

Our team will also conduct a live Q&A session with your questions.

2009 Marketing Blueprint: Are you ready to break the rules?

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:40:47 -0500

Presenters:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments
- Jimmy Ellis, Director of Optimization Research
- Aaron Rosenthal, Director of Channels Research

No matter what happens with the economy in 2009, you've still got ROI goals to hit and high expectations to meet.

Conventional wisdom suggests that you play it safe, stick with what's worked, and ride out the slump. But is that really your best bet?

There's a time to follow the rules. And there's a time to break them and take calculated risks in pursuit of greater gains. Join us as our team explores how you can benefit from both approaches.

During this free interactive Web clinic, we will:

- Discuss essential principles you'll want to focus on for 2009
- Break down new case studies and examples
- Address your specific questions in a live Q&A session

Covering both B2B and B2C, this clinic will give you action steps and ideas you can implement right away to start the new year strong.

Lessons Learned: Our analysts reveal the top takeaways from our 2008 research

Thu, 4 Dec 2008 16:45:56 -0500

Presenters:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments
- Jimmy Ellis, Director of Optimization Research
- Aaron Rosenthal, Director of Channels Research

To discover what really works in optimization, our team is constantly running tests and conducting experiments.

Now it's time for our annual analysts' roundup, when we step back, review the results of the past year, and present the most significant lessons gleaned from our wide-ranging research.

During this free interactive Web Clinic, we will:

- Review this year's most significant research findings - Discuss action steps, strategies and methodologies you can use now - Answer your optimization questions with an extended Q&A session

Whether your focus is B2B or B2C, you'll come away with ideas and tactics to help you end the year on a high note and prepare for a challenging year ahead.

Powerful Value Propositions, Part II: Live Optimization

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:43:35 -0500

Presenters:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments
- Jimmy Ellis, Director of Optimization Research
- Aaron Rosenthal, Director of Channels Research

You got the principles from our recent clinic on value propositions.

Now it's time for hands-on practice and specific guidance.

In this special live optimization clinic, our team will show you how to improve your value proposition and your site's results.

During this free, interactive Web Clinic, we will:

- Review examples and the keys to a strong value proposition - Break down optimization steps you can apply right away - Optimize attendees' value propositions with our live audience

If you attended the first clinic, you'll still get several new takeaways.

Ecommerce Holiday Playbook: 13 ways to maximize revenue and beat the downturn

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:43:23 -0500

Presenters:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments
- Jimmy Ellis, Director of Optimization Research
- Aaron Rosenthal, Director of Channels Research

As if the holiday season wasn't tough enough.

Now the economy is roiling -- but you still need to hit your numbers.

Here's help: We are conducting a special, 2-hour virtual clinic on optimizing ecommerce for the holidays, with an emphasis on powerful strategies you can implement quickly.

Join the MarketingExperiments team as we introduce our "Ecommerce Holiday Playbook"-- a series of action steps to help you prepare for this crucial season.

Then, we'll show you how to apply these ideas with a rapid-fire live optimization session featuring participants' ecommerce websites.

Throughout this special clinic, our team will be online to answer your specific optimization questions.

Powerful Value Propositions: How to optimize this critical marketing element -- and lift results

Wed, 8 Oct 2008 11:01:51 -0400

Presenters:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments
- Jimmy Ellis, Director of Optimization Research
- Aaron Rosenthal, Director of Channels Research

Think you've got a powerful value proposition?

Let's put it to the test.

Our recent Landing Page Optimization Workshop reaffirmed that marketers still need a lot of help with this -- so here it is.

During this free, interactive Web Clinic, we will:

- Explore why value propositions are so vital to your results
- Review real examples of what does and doesn't work
- Provide a worksheet to help improve your value proposition
- Address your specific questions in a Q&A session

Your value proposition is one of the most critical factors for improving your marketing efforts, regardless of channel. The takeaways from this clinic can substantially boost your ROI.

Special Clinic: A Proven "Playbook" For Growing More Leads

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:37:46 -0400

Presenters:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments
- Brian Carroll, CEO, InTouch

It hasn't been an easy year for B2B marketers.

If you're looking to end the year on a high note and prepare for an uncertain '09, this is a clinic you will not want to miss.

Brian Carroll, renowned B2B expert and author of the widely acclaimed book, Lead Generation for the Complex Sale, will be presenting this special session with Dr. Flint McGlaughlin.

During this free, interactive Web Clinic, we will:

- Discuss strategies that dramatically increased leads -- but not budget
- Present a proven, five-step "playbook" for more effective lead growth
- Devote a special Q&A session to your lead-gen issues

With up to 80% of leads being squandered regularly, according to research, now is the time to optimize your processes and plug the leaks. This clinic will give you the tools and tactics you can use right away to do just that.

Special Clinic: Optimizing Headlines & Subject Lines (LIVE)

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:40:13 -0400

Presenters:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments
- Jimmy Ellis, Director of Optimization Research
- Aaron Rosenthal, Director of Channels Research
- Hunter Boyle, Managing Editor, MarketingExperiments

You asked for more on headlines... and here it is.

Thanks to the record-breaking response to our last clinic, we are hosting a special live optimization follow-up session.

During this free, interactive Web Clinic, we will:

- Examine new headline and subject line test results
- Review and optimize audience-submitted headlines
- Address your specific copy questions in a Q&A session

Our last clinic was a jumping off point. Join us as we dig deeper and explore how you can create, change, and test more powerful headlines that resonate with your audience and boost results.

With live optimization of your headlines and subject lines, plus new case studies and tactics, you'll come away with specific ideas and language you can test right away to improve your conversions.

Optimizing Your Headlines: How changing a few words can help (or hurt) results

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:24:29 -0400

Presenters:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments
- Hunter Boyle, Managing Editor, MarketingExperiments

What's one of the easiest tests you can run to boost conversion?

Headlines, right?

No coding needed. No redesigns. Just powerful, enticing copy that fits the offer, the channel, the customers' needs and expectations - all in 10 words or less. Perhaps "easy" isn't the right word.

There's much more to headlines than slapping a catchy subject line on an email blast, or cramming keywords into PPC ads. Knowing how to run valid headline tests is just as critical as the copy itself.

During this free, interactive Web Clinic, we will:

- Examine recent email, PPC ad, and landing page test results
- Discuss how to create and test headlines more effectively
- Explore what makes a successful headline, and mistakes to avoid
- Review and optimize examples of weak headlines
- Address your specific copy questions in a Q&A session

In one hour, you'll come away with ideas and strategies you can apply instantly to improve your marketing efforts.

Special Clinic: Optimizing PPC Ads, Part II (LIVE)

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:55:26 -0400

Presenter:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments
- Jimmy Ellis, Director of Optimization Research
- Aaron Rosenthal, Director of Channels Research

Due to the overwhelming response to our last live clinic, we will be conducting a follow-up live optimization clinic on PPC campaigns to cover additional areas, paid-search ads and landing pages.

What's new in this clinic? Our team of experts will:
- Explore the two types of relevance vital to paid-search success
- Optimize a new slate of search ads and landing pages
- Address your specific PPC questions with an expanded Q&A

Here's what Annie Cushing, Web producer for Layers magazine, had to say about our last optimization clinic:

"That webinar was, hands down, the best I've ever attended. Very, very helpful. Usually I'm looking at my watch about halfway through a webinar and getting distracted ... But with this webinar, I was enraptured with the way they deconstructed the different participants' websites. It was a challenge to try to find the pain points in the landing pages before the presenters did, which kept me engaged the whole time. When I realized it was almost 5:00, I was actually disappointed."

NOTE: This is our last clinic devoted to this topic this year. Don't miss this chance to learn how to optimize your own campaigns with specific feedback, tactics and strategies you can apply immediately.

Special Clinic: Optimizing PPC Ads (LIVE)

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:23:57 -0400

Presenters:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments
- Jimmy Ellis, Director of Optimization Research
- Aaron Rosenthal, Director of Channels Research

Don't miss your chance to have your pay-per-click ads optimized in real-time by our team of experts.

This free, live optimization session will provide you with specific feedback, tactics and strategies you can apply immediately to improve your PPC ads and landing pages.

Using Testimonials Effectively: How credibility indicators can help (or hurt) your conversions

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 16:48:38 -0400

Presenter:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments

Is "testimonial blindness" the new "banner blindness"?

As more and more websites use these credibility indicators,
marketers need to know if these elements really work, if they're
just cluttering up pages, or worse - hurting results.

During this free, one-hour Web Clinic, we will:

- Examine recent tests that increased (and reduced) conversions
- Discuss proven ways to use testimonials more effectively
- Review and optimize attendees' landing pages (time permitting)

Optimizing Subscription Paths: How to improve results by 59% or more.

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:32:02 -0400

Presenter:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments

Even in a strong economy, selling online subscriptions can be
difficult. And in today's environment, you need every advantage
you can get.

Optimizing your subscription-path pages is the best way to
increase revenue without increasing your marketing budget.

Join us to find out how one Clinic attendee achieved a 200% lift
in conversions from our 10-minute live optimization session.

During this free, one-hour Web Clinic, we will also:

- Examine recent tests that improved sign-ups by 59% to 77%
- Discuss how "clarity trumps persuasion" in sub-path pages
- Review and optimize attendees' landing pages (time permitting)

Filling the Pipeline: Lead generation strategies that got an 86% increase.

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:20:51 -0400

Presenter:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments

Your landing pages get plenty of traffic, but you're sure they
could be pulling more leads. Sound familiar?

Whether you're focused on increasing quantity, quality, or both,
you'll come away with proven ways to get there.

During this free, one-hour Web Clinic, we will:

- Review tests that have helped (and hurt) sign-up rates
- Explore the impact of incentives and Friction
- Examine page changes that got an 86% increase

We will also review and optimize attendees' lead-gen landing
pages live during the call, time permitting. Please join us and
learn how to apply these strategies to your own sales funnel.

Simple Tests, Significant Gains: How our research partner increased revenue by 130% with small changes.

Thu, 22 May 2008 11:06:29 -0400

Presenter:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments

Online testing can lead to major ROI gains – if the right tests
are set up, executed and analyzed effectively.

Even modest testing, done consistently, will give you a
significant edge over competitors. But you need to know:

- Which tests will provide the biggest potential impact?
- How should you structure tests for consistency and accuracy?
- How can you keep improving results and success rates?

Special Clinic: Optimizing eCommerce Websites (LIVE)

Thu, 8 May 2008 11:33:01 -0400

Presenters:
- Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Director, MarketingExperiments
- Jimmy Ellis, Director of Optimization Research
- Aaron Rosenthal, Director of Channels Research

Here's your chance to experience our optimization experts in
action, breaking down what is - and isn't - working on
eCommerce sites.

Measuring What Matters: How simplifying your metrics can increase Marketing ROI by up to 75%

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:17:19 -0400

Today, ROI is everything - especially in a slumping economy. Are your current metrics giving you the full story?

Probably not. MarketingExperiments estimates that up to 75% of the data Web marketers collect is either misleading or inaccurate.

Finding the Ideal Incentive: How We Increased Email Capture by 319%

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 12:18:27 -0400

The right incentive can make a significant impact on response rates, whether it’s used to build lists and generate leads or increase online sales.

But how do you determine which incentive will work best to overcome friction and deliver maximum return?

And which common errors should you avoid?

Improving Conversion by 162% - How to Overcome Value Inhibitors

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:55:19 -0400

Which specific optimization steps have been shown to increase conversions by reducing Friction and alleviating Anxiety?

Optimizing Your Landing Pages Part 2

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:21:07 -0500

The MarketingExperiments team conducts live optimization on Landing Pages sent in by our subscribers.

Optimizing Your Landing Pages Part 1

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:13:40 -0500

The MarketingExperiments team conducts live optimization on Landing Pages sent in by our subscribers.

Landing Page Optimization: Finding Ideal Price Points

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:34:17 -0500

How do you know when it's better to raise prices to increase
revenue, or reduce prices and pump up your Conversion Rate?

In this clinic we will review the results of recent testing on
price elasticity of demand, and what they revealed about
optimizing prices and increasing total revenue.

2008 Internet Marketing Strategy: Are You Prepared?

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:58:52 -0500

Get ready for the greatest Internet marketing year yet.

Join us on January 9th to hear what MarketingExperiments scientists thought were the big ideas of 2007 and their observations, predictions, and recommendations for growing demand for your products in the coming year.

What can we learn from the biggest winners of 2007 as we finalize plans and budgets for 2008?

Marketer’s Intuition Revisited: Is There a Place for Intuition in Web Page Optimization?

Thu, 6 Dec 2007 17:59:14 -0500

Previous MarketingExperiments surveys showed intuition was unreliable when it came to predicting the best page performance, the best headline, the best copy in the test cases we studied: Our survey-takers were wrong at least 50% of the time.

But the very nature of optimization includes an element of intuition. How can it be honed to its maximum reliability? Should we ever trust it?

You’re invited to use your intuition at our next Web clinic to assess examples of Web page optimization. Test yourself against the test results. You may be surprised, or not!

Landing Page Optimization: Increasing Conversion by 150% and Lead Gen by 2,379% with an Effective Call-to-Action

Thu, 8 Nov 2007 12:05:31 -0500

Which changes will produce the best Conversion results when optimizing a Call-to-Action? Can distinct approaches be combined to increase both sales and leads?

Previous test results have shown that one particular change is typically a trade-off: It has a negative impact on direct Conversion but increases overall Conversion.

In this clinic we'll look at a case study in which changes to a Call-to-Action increased direct Conversion by 150% and Lead Generation by 5,722%.

Landing Page Optimization: Improving Conversion 50-60% by Applying Continuity and Congruence

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 09:05:10 -0400

Are customers getting what they expect when they reach your Landing Page, or are they receiving mixed or incomplete messages that disrupt the effective expression of Value Proposition and hurt Conversion?

After our recent clinic on Site Flow Disruption we received many requests for more information on the relationship of Continuity and Congruence and the clear communication of Value Proposition.

This brief reviews two recent case studies where improving Continuity and Congruence significantly improved Conversion for our partners.

Marketing Experiments Webinar: A Clinical Assessment of Your Landing Pages

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:24:25 -0400

Landing Pages submitted by online businesses were selected for a real-time assessment by the Marketing Experiments team.

Marketing experts Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Jimmy Ellis and Aaron Rosenthal analyzed each page, identifying areas where applying key concepts of Landing Page Optimization could result in significant improvements in page performance for these businesses.

Lead Generation: Is Your Sign-Up Process Costing You Leads and Conversions, or Maximizing Them?

Wed, 3 Oct 2007 11:40:13 -0400

Are you missing sales by chasing after conversions instead of generating leads? Is your website out of synch with your business model?

Getting prospective customers to land on your pages is just the beginning. You have to capture leads before you can develop a relationship.

In this clinic, we will look at the results of recent optimization testing and what they showed us about improving lead generation, and therefore conversion.

Landing Page Optimization: How Businesses Achieve Breakthrough Conversion by Synchronizing Value Proposition and Page Design

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 08:49:45 -0400

Professional marketers have long known the importance of knowing and being able to convey the Unique Value Proposition for their company or organization. Many will spend weeks and months tuning and refining their "UVP" statements. And it IS truly essential that you have, and can concisely state a unique and compelling value proposition.

However, effectively expressing your value proposition through your website involves more than just the words you use. Every aspect of your site is communicating your value proposition and conflicting messages may be hurting your conversion. Marketers must understand how to protect their landing pages against the #1 threat to conversion: SITE FLOW DISRUPTION.

In this clinic we will reveal how the two dangerous forms of disruption - Discontinuity and Incongruence - can keep customers from responding to your value proposition.

Landing Page Conversion: Getting Significant Improvements Even When You Can’t Complete Your Tests

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:35:42 -0400

What do you do with a test when conversion rates don't validate?

We have all probably designed a test webpage or offer email that we expected to dramatically outperform the control and been stunned when performance was poor, or the results came back inconclusive.

Optimization Testing Tested: Validity Threats - Beyond Sample Size

Fri, 3 Aug 2007 11:59:04 -0400

Through online optimization testing, we strive to discover which webpage or email message will perform best by trying each version with a random sample of target prospects.We decide during test design how much difference we must see to warrant making a change, and what level of confidence we need to consider the data "valid" using statistical methods.

But is sample size the only factor that should be considered when assessing the validity of our test results? In this clinic, we will identify the four greatest threats to test validity, and look at some case studies that reveal the dangers of relying on a "statistically valid" sample alone.

PPC Advertising Tested: The Relevance of Relevance

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:33:53 -0400

Anyone who has set up or managed a paid search campaign can testify that there is an element of art involved in realizing the full potential of every advertising dollar. Part of mastering this art form is understanding the nature and role of relevance in paid search, and more importantly learning how you can use this understanding to improve the performance of your paid search campaigns.

In this clinic, we will look at several case studies that reveal the underlying principles of PPC relevance as they pertain to keywords, ad copy, click-through-rate, and conversion.

Landing Page Optimization Tested: Creating Effective Incentives -The Science of the Art

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:20:05 -0400

We are all familiar with the concept of using incentives, such as product discounts, free gifts or free shipping, to boost sales. However, rarely have we done the kind of research that allows us to think through the true principles and the mathematics of developing highly effective incentives - that is, ones that result in the maximum profit at the end of the day.

In this clinic, we combine foundational marketing and business principles with recent research findings to explore a simple but effective way to track down your "ideal incentive" using the two key criteria of Perceived Value Differential and Return on Incentive.

Landing Page Optimization Tested: Big Conversion Gains from a Little Scissors & Grease?

Thu, 7 Jun 2007 15:17:47 -0400

When prospective customers arrive at a website, they come with a specific intention or motivation. They may have come simply to browse or out of curiosity or by mistake. However, many come with the intention of making a purchase. For those prospects, it is the efficacy of the website’s purchase funnel--the pages that make up the buying process--that determine whether the visitor becomes a customer or merely a statistic.

Among the factors that influence the probability of conversion, an element we have called "friction" is key for us as marketers. The reason is that, unlike Motivation or the product factors of Value Proposition, Friction is something that we can significantly influence with comparatively little energy or cost; and the conversion gains we receive can be disproportionately high compared with the level of investment.

Harnessing Social Media: How to assess the value of Social Media Optimization (SMO) opportunities and use them to create a successful and cost effective marketing strategy.

Thu, 24 May 2007 12:22:10 -0400

As marketers we simply can’t afford to ignore growing social media marketing opportunities. While social media is never a total marketing solution, this niche area of marketing comes with a new set of theories, tactics and methodologies that every marketer should be aware of.

For the past 12 months, we have used video sites, blogs, social networks and discussion forums to drive targeted traffic to five different sites. This clinic will cover how researchers drove 165,204 page views and spent only 1.7 cents per click driving traffic using social media optimization. It will also help marketers consider the role and use of social media optimization in their strategic marketing plans.

Landing Pages Tested: How does having more than one objective to a page affect its performance?

Thu, 10 May 2007 16:10:29 -0400

Which will perform better, a landing page that has one clear objective or one that has multiple objectives?

As marketers, we are continually faced with the dilemma of determining what to show customer prospects when they arrive at our sites.

Should we present them with just one offer or option, or give them several and let them choose? What if I have what they want, but fail to show it? Do customer options and distracting page elements cause confusion?

In this brief, we use recent research with real-world companies to illustrate 5 fundamental principles of landing page clarity that you should use to maximize conversion.

Landing Page Optimization Tested: How to Create a "Sticky" Landing Page

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 11:53:03 -0400

In this clinic we identify the essential elements of website conversion and use them to design "sticky" landing pages that maximize clickthrough to your order process

Email Marketing Optimized, Part 2

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:37:44 -0400

In this clinic we will study the factors that determine the efficacy of online marketing Email copy at generating clicks and sales.

During the Live Clinic, Dr. McGlaughlin shares the findings of MEC's research on Email copy effectiveness and illustrates the principles of effective Email copy writing to optimize actual messages submitted by MEC Journal members.

Email Marketing Optimized

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 11:37:44 -0400

How Matching Ad Design to Context Improved Conversion by 127%

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 11:37:44 -0400

Content advertising has become a staple of online paid advertising. In fact, presuming Google AdSense is reflective of the marketplace, of the more than $6.7B spent on search-related online advertising in 2006 according to March, 2007 IAB figures, about 37% or $2.5B will go to content ads. Does whether a content ad or offer link stands out from or blends into the host site's native content make a difference in its performance? New Marketing Experiments research suggests that the answer is...

How To Increase Conversion by Reducing the Technology Barrier

Thu, 1 Mar 2007 11:37:44 -0400

The architecture we use to manage our business may not be the same structure we should use to market it. Our business is to serve our customers, make it easy for them to get what they want, and create an image of class and competence that elicits goodwill.

Site design tested: 7 ways to increase site conversion by reducing Customer Anxiety

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 11:37:44 -0400

In this brief we will look at how customer anxiety level, based upon the appearance of your landing page, will influence buyers' perceptions about you, and how these impressions translate into purchase decisions.

We will also provide 7 essential ways to reduce anxiety and improve site conversion.

Can Viral Videos Drive Targeted Traffic To Your Web Site?

Wed, 1 Nov 2006 10:26:46 -0400

There are millions of short video clips on the web, produced both by professionals and amateurs.

Tens of millions of people watch these short videos, but how effective are they at driving qualified traffic to web sites?

Using YouTube and Google Video we published some short videos, measured the number of times they were viewed, how many clickthoughs were generated, and how many site visitors converted to subscribers.

Choice vs. Simplicity

Wed, 4 Oct 2006 11:37:44 -0400

It is tempting to provide web site visitors with a broad range of options and choices.

In fact, online marketers often fear that unless they provide the broadest possible range of choices, they might miss out on what a prospective customer or subscriber is looking for.

But what happens when you provide multiple choices and options?

In this brief we look at test data that reveals how people actually respond when faced with complex choices and simple choices.

The MEC Guide to Presenting Your Case for Testing

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 17:00:00 -0400

Most marketers understand the importance of online testing. But how can one best convince senior management?

While online marketers in large and medium-sized companies and organizations know from case studies and other published data that a testing program can yield dramatic increases in revenues, they often find it hard to sell the need for testing internally within their own companies.

What is the best way to present the benefits of testing to your manager or senior management team?

Small PPC Engines Revisited

Wed, 6 Sep 2006 16:42:28 -0400

Small PPC Engines Revisited - Two years ago we conducted a study of small PPC engines to find out whether they offered online marketers a profitable opportunity to generate more sales.

At that time our research indicated that these smaller engines could indeed generate significant additional revenues.

Today, two years later, and with even more intense bidding for keywords on the major PPC engines - Google, Yahoo! and MSN - we wondered whether these smaller engines still offered a profitable source of additional traffic and income.

Optimizing Free Trial Offers

Thu, 24 Aug 2006 16:03:38 -0400

Optimizing Free Trial Offers - Can copy and design changes alone significantly lift the performance of free trial offer pages?

Merchandising Calendar for 2006 Fall & Holiday Season

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:29:31 -0400

Merchandising Calendar for the Fall & Holliday Season 2006 - Which gives the best return on your investment - Pay Per Click or building strong affiliate partnerships?

The ROI on PPC vs. Affiliate Marketing

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 12:35:01 -0400

The ROI on PPC vs. Affiliate Marketing - Which gives the best return on your investment - Pay per Click advertising, or building strong affiliate partnerships?

Testing The Power Of Urgency On Landing Pages

Thu, 13 Jul 2006 12:21:25 -0400

Testing the Power of Urgency on Offer Pages - In the world of offline direct mail it has long been understood that creating urgency increases conversion rates. Typically a special offer of some kind will expire on a particular date.

Essential Metrics for Online Marketers

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 15:52:26 -0400

How to create a simple metrics dashboard to track what really matters.