Here’s our curated list of some great content we found this week!
I’m a complete believer in A/B testing, and I’m always skeptical of sure-fire techniques. But a post by Brian Dean (@Backlinko) shows some dramatic results achieved without exhaustive testing. Read Case Study – How I Increased Conversions by 785% in One Day (Without A/B Testing) for the details. But, if you decide to try the same approach, it’s OK to test it. Really.
There’s a phrase we hear all the time in stores, from phone reps, and just about everyone else. It’s such a common and friendly statement that we may use it ourselves. Not so fast, says fellow Forbes contributor and Pubcon speaker John Hall (@tweetJohnHall). He explains why this innocuous phrase may actually make customers question your motivation in The Absolute Worst Question To Ask: How Can I Help You?.
Another Forbes contributor, David DiSalvo‘s (@Neuronarrative), offers the neuroscience behind our preference for curved design elements. Take a look at Apple products and see how many sharp corners you find… not many! Get the details in Why Our Brains Love The Curve.
Sometimes it seems like there’s a big divide between the hard metrics of conversion and the softer field of branding. While any web marketing effort can serve both purposes, it’s often what is easily measured (clicks and conversions) that gets the attention. In What is the purpose of branding? conversion expert Chris Goward (@chrisgoward) bridges that gap. (Coming soon: a new episode of The Brainfluence Podcast in which Chris spills his conversion secrets!)
While we are on the subject of conversions, here is a case study from Visual Web Optimizer (@wingify)… Images are often an afterthought in the web design process, but swapping a landing page image here almost doubled conversion on the page – see A/B Testing Image on Lead Generation Page Increased Conversions by 89%.
Here is a huge, well-illustrated mega-post from Avinash Kaushik (@avinash) in which he dissects the UX offered by a big selection of mobile and desktop sites. It’s all in Digital Design & User Experience Best Practices: Happiness + Profits! Read it, bookmark it.
What makes a content viral? Nobody is successful every time, but there are formulas that increase the viral appeal of content. In Kelsey Libert‘s (@KelseyLibert) article at Marketing Land (@Marketingland), she analyzes viral winners to conclude what works. Kelsey reveals her findngs in The Power Of The First Follower: Analyzing The Viral Spread Phenomenon.
My Stuff
What’s the gold standard for web ad placement? “Above the fold,” right? Before you build that demand into every ad buy, though, read It’s Time to Forget the Fold. New data shows that browsing behavior is changing and in some cases below the fold ads may convert better.
In a continuation of a general theme of body language and subconscious influence, this week we interview a sales expert who is also a professional actor and trained hypnotist. Learn how you, too, can employ some of these skills in Episode 12 of The Brainfluence Podcast, Subconscious Selling with Peter McLaughlin.
We get daily inquiries about guest posting here at Neuromarketing. Most of these are spammy email blasts from wannabe content marketers, but we actually DO work with outside writers on occasion. To save time for everyone, we’ve set out what kind of content works for our readers here: Guest Posting at Neuromarketing. We’ve had some great posts from contributors over the years (that page links to a few of them), and, if you have something special to share let us know!
Does one package light up your brain more than another? Why do ecommerce shoppers abandon their carts? And, just how brutal can site reviews get? These stories and more are in last week’s basket of great content: Neuro-packaging, Google Brain, Brutal Landing Page Reviews… Roger’s Picks.
Need an excuse to head for Las Vegas? How about a two-day conference with a huge lineup of amazing speakers? As its name suggests, America’s Customer Festival – Las Vegas (September 15-16 at the Venetian) is focused on the customer. Topics include loyalty, engagement, customer experience, omni channel, big data, payments, and CRM. View the full speaker list and other details here.
Don’t forget to share your own find in a comment – your fellow readers will thank you!
