I think of good web design as functional, not pretty. Google, Facebook and especially Amazon are not pretty sites but they are functional in every way. You can find what you want, when you want, how you want. The companies also get you to do what they want, when they want, how they want. They do this by employing a conversion marketing tactic.
As a beginner marketer, you don’t have to understand the technicalities of web design to help create a functional site. There are design tricks and strategies that get results. In this article, we’ll focus on one particular result: collecting email addresses.
Email marketing is key to the life of a lot of businesses because it is the start of a sales funnel. The offer is made in a very nuanced manner, often by giving something of value like a free trial of software or relevant helpful tips, in exchange for the email address; all before the selling begins.
When you know how to alter a page so that it does a better job at increasing email sign-ups, you’re armed with a powerful business-boosting skill.
So how do the experts do it?
They use several conversion marketing tactics that are used to seduce you into sharing your email. Here are 3 of them…
Conversion marketing tactic #1:
The Triangle Method of Design
Graphic designers are taught in school about the triangle of design. Top marketers on their websites usually have a right triangle that is “hidden” in plain sight. When you land on the page, you will be able to draw this triangle from header to headline to email subscription and back to the header. Here is a version used by ecommerce giant Shopify:
Above the fold of nearly all major websites built to collect your information, you will find a call-to-action that is at the top or to the side using similar methods. Sometimes the triangle can be more obvious as you will soon see.
Conversion marketing tactic #2:
The Immediate & Repeated Call To Action
Another method us conversion marketing folk use is immediacy.
You land on a page and before the header, you will have a call-to-action, then in the sidebar another call-to-action. Sometimes you’ll get hit twice before you get to the original information you wanted and you won’t even realise that your eye is flowing to these areas. I use the strategy on my agency site like the Shopify AdWords service but with the popup appearing after the mouse leaves the window. There’s another offer in the sidebar:
Did you also notice the triangle of design? Look at the shape of the green background at the top-right. It directs the eye by pointing down to the special offer.
Often there is a breakdown of benefits up front, or a question that is on the users mind like, “Do you want more traffic?”. In some instances you’ll have a popup that asks this with a highlighted answer of “yes” and then a darkened or greyed out option of “no”. That gets people clicking through. Just a simple “click here for information” or a similar call-to-action in plain sight is enough to get most users to click through. Digital analytics company KissMetrics use the strategy on their blog with this popup:
Conversion marketing tactic #3:
Up-Front Call-To-Action
Simplicity gets results in design because user distraction leads to procrastination. One of the oldest and best tactics in the world is to hit users with a clear sell up-front. This is often done by only showcasing the call-to-action and nothing of the website that exists beneath. The user then typically has two options: leave or subscribe. Sometimes there is a third option to read content. More and more home pages are being designed like this. Take a look at this example by one of my friends and top Australian marketer James Schramko at Super Fast Business:
Every thing he has done here is designed to persuade and compel you to sign up for information. This conversion marketing tactic is rampant online because it is effective at seducing people into giving up their email.
So there you have it, three powerful and commonplace conversion marketing tactics that digital marketing professionals use to solicit email addresses from their users.
These are great examples to use if you are interviewing for a job in conversion marketing or e-commerce marketing. Start by taking a look at the company website and notice how they currently try to get your email address, and whether they could improve by employing one of these tactics. Mention this at your interview and they will be eating out of your hand!
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