Last month we completed our first round of optimization with Piktochart.

For those of you not familiar with the product (you should check them out), Piktochart is one of the top infographic tools in the world. With hundreds of creative templates, it allows marketers without design experience to create productive, professional infographics in minutes.

We’ve been working with them on optimizing their entire funnel, from sign ups to paying customers. Piktochart are always up for testing and learning in order to provide the best experience for their users, which is a great attitude, and we were excited to join the team!

This is their original homepage:

 

The current homepage already has some good tactics for conversion. They have a brightly colored call to action, a large headline, copy with the word “Discover” (which is a great attention grabber), and easy to digest bullet points.

They also use social proof and write where they have been featured, so that users can see how serious and well known Piktochart is.

The video shows how users can create their infographic – but it is not constantly running, so it does not distract users attention from the call to action, but rather allows the user to control their experience.

Piktochart wanted to work on the emotional targeting strategy and learn more about their customers, so we decided to take the current homepage, and kick it up a notch in terms of the strategy – bringing about the emotional triggers we want the users to feel in order to take action on the homepage.

We hypothesized, based on our marketing personas (discussed later), that our main emotional triggers were empowerment and energy. Our goal was to to give the user the immediate understanding of what they will be getting with this product, and the energy and empowerment to see themselves creating these infographics!

Our Mission: To Increase Sign Ups

Our Ship: The Homepage

Our Map: Research and Strategy

Step 1: The Ground Work

After researching the market and the competition and understanding the stage better, we discussed Piktochart’s goals and what they wanted to improve.  Piktochart was interested not only in signing more people up to their service but also in getting more people to create an infographic and complete it- so we kept this final conversion goal in mind throughout the process as well.

Our research showed that we should test making users feel a personal connection to the product, and feel empowered to design, as well as energized to continue designing from the homepage through the entire template creation process.

We started with an analysis of the product, the market, and the target audience. We researched the competitors and the target audience, and studied Piktochart’s user data with Google Analytics, Kissmetrics, and Crazy Egg heatmaps.

Step 2: Recognizing and Understanding the Target Audience

Once we had this data, we created several Marketing Personas. With our marketing personas, we were able to develop our strategy and tactics based on the emotions that would trigger our personas.

This is part of one of our marketing personas – as an example for you!

Step 3: Developing Your Strategy

The next step was combining the behavioral information we researched with the emotional research results to define a clear strategy. So we considered what emotional needs will pull our users to take action, and developed tactics that would fulfill those needs.

Step 4: Designing for CRO

When designing for Conversion Optimization, one must consider coloring (and branding), imagery, and copy while keeping those emotional triggers in mind!

Based on our research on the target audience, we knew that many of our users were professionals and students, not graphic designers, who wanted to turn their content into something beautiful even with their lack of design skills. So our copy reflected our understanding – they want to create something impressive, and quickly too.

Here is the variation we created:

The Changes:

1) Image: We wanted to express value and energy, so we changed the image to reflect the end product – the infographic.

2) CTA: The focus was to create infographics, so we put in a clear Call To Action button.

3) Overall Design: To give an overall infographic feel to the whole page we put the title in an infographic style banner, added some texture to the background and cool edges on the page.

4) Bullet Points: Due to the fact that research shows that users read less than 28% of text on the page, we wanted to reduce the overall amount of text on the page, and we kept what we felt are the most important (Nielsen Norman Group). So we selected three bullet points, based on user surveys of what features were important to users and heatmaps, and shortened the subtitle.

5) Copy: In order to make maximum emotional impact, we wanted to refer directly to the user – because we know those words have greater power. So we changed the copy to speak directly to the user.

 

Step 5: Testing

We ran the test for 10 days, using Optimizely, with a 50/50 division for traffic between the Original and the Variation. The variation design improved registration by an overall of 11.4% with an improvement of 14% and 15% on Google+ and Facebook Registration respectively, and an improvement of over 20% on certain browsers like Firefox and Google Chrome.

Next Steps:

After increasing conversion of user flow to sign ups, our next step for the emotional targeting strategy is to optimize the registration page and we’ve just launched it! Our goal is to continue the same strategy through the process of the user funnel. This is the variation we created vs. the original design:

Original:

Variation:

Which variation do you think is going to win?

When people venture into AB testing they have a set agenda, like increasing registrations or downloads for example. All efforts are dedicated to increasing that one KPI and running different AB tests to improve it.

For me, conversion optimization has always been about more than just optimizing that one KPI. It’s about running meaningful tests that can teach us more about our customers and using those insights to change entire processes within the business leading to higher profits and revenues across the board. In essence, imagine being able to truly understand your customer on an emotional level and translate that knowledge into relevant, optimized interactions.

Done correctly, conversion optimization can help us optimize customer service processes, sales methodologies, user journeys and entire products. All these changes can lead to higher revenues by simply running meaningful tests and following a strategy.

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CRO is about being able to truly understand customers and translate that knowledge into revenue
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The Gap

So how do you do conversion optimization the right way? how do you run meaningful tests you can learn from? To start off lets take a look at what people are doing today and define the key points that need optimizing.

The #1 Issue:

Not knowing what to test leads to meaningless tests which lead to insignificant results

• In 2014, 42% of marketers said the hardest part of CRO is analyzing the results.

• In Q1, 2015, 63% of marketers said they optimize their site based on intuition.

These two numbers are a direct result of the fact that the vast majority of tests ran these days by all marketers are solely behavioral targeting tests. Behavioral targeting means that the type of browser, geographical location, time on page and other behavioral metrics decide which type of variation of a landing page the visitor gets to see.

Image source: VWO

Then to optimize this process, AB tests are run on various elements of a landing page such as the color of a call to action button, a title of a page or an image. In the example below you can see what these sort of tests look like:

Basically marketers do not know what to test, so they look at the numbers, see patterns and guess what needs to be tested, then once the results come in, they’re not sure what they mean or what to optimize next. The reason for this is that behavioral targeting is a good start, but it isn’t enough.
Let’s take a look at the missing part.

The Missing Link

In order to test correctly and reach meaningful results, you need to have a strategy, and combine emotional targeting with behavioral to your testing methodology.

Emotional targeting is the missing link in most online marketing strategies and notably in conversion optimization. If behavioral elements such as time on page and type of device are what lead the behavioral targeting methodology, it is the emotional gain that leads the emotional targeting methodology.

The emotional targeting methodology derives from one of the most basic foundations of marketing and psychology: People are irrational beings and our decision making process is almost entirely emotional. Which is why, in order to sell you have to appeal to the emotional side of your customers.

Throughout the history of marketing, offline advertisers have always used emotion to derive sales and revenue. The offline advertising world focuses on the emotional value and not the features or pricing of a product like in the online world.

Take Sprite for example, their ads are meant to make us feel excited, alive and energized. There’s no text telling us that drinking Sprite will energize us or that it’s better than any other drink, by simply using colors, images and movement Sprite make us feel it.

When it comes to the online world the average person sees hundreds of messages and ads a day and has to somehow navigate through them all and make a decision. We tend to think that by highlighting our features or cost customers will choose our product when in fact, no matter what you are selling, what resonates with with your customer isn’t your product but the emotional gain.

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No matter what you’re selling, what customers care about isn’t the product but the emotional gain
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Good marketing leaves an impact which is focused on helping customers become better versions of themselves. Showing them the person they can be (who they dream to be) and how the product can help them become that person.

The online advertising world is almost completely behavioral, technical and product focused. It’s all about the features or the pricing of a product, using a lot of text to explain why it is better than another. For example: Skype.

Skype uses its headline to tell you what it does and a preloaded video showing you people using Skype. The most highlighted information on the page is the features such as “Call, message and Share” and so is the price (free).  

But what would an offline Skype ad look like? Would they promote themselves the same way? Apparently not.

While in the online world Skype is all about their product, their billboard is clearly appeals to the emotion of their customers and the people they want to hire – “Embrace your true calling”.
To me this makes no sense, though we know emotions sell, the offline world which cannot track its results solely uses emotion while the online world which allows for seamless tracking and analysis focuses on behavior only.

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Show customers how your product can turn them into the person they dream of becoming
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Putting Theory Into Practice

Let’s have a look at how applying emotional targeting can increase conversions dramatically and have an impact on entire business.

Working with WallMonkeys (a super cool print on demand service for decals and murals), our goal is to increase revenues and find a way to stand out from competitors.

Starting out we dug deep into the analytical data using heatmaps, Google Analytics and other tools to determine user behavior and the key points that needed optimizing within the funnel. We then ran our emotional triggers research and identified the triggers we wanted to start testing.

Two things became clear from the research, on the strategic side the target audience (mainly parents) needed to see how Wallmonkeys changes their entire home for the better. On the user behavior side we realized that the majority of customers started their purchase using the search bar.

The changes we made to the homepage were in structure, color, image and usability. Wallmonkeys is a fun, cool and exciting experience which had to stand out.

Using color psychology, we highlighted the fun, fresh and cool service that is WallMonkeys. The image was changed to reflect the target audience and the end result (brightening your home). In terms of usability, we enlarged the search bar and centered it. These changes lead to a 550% increase in revenue. By catering to the emotional needs of our visitors and emphasising the search bar in our test we increased the amount of searches on the site and also discovered that ‘search’ wasn’t producing relevant results at all times. This discovery allowed WallMonkeys to optimize search and as a result produce an even higher increase in revenues. By testing a strategy and making meaningful changes we were able to increase revenues and change important processes within the business.

Getting Started with Emotional Targeting

To get started with emotional targeting here are a few tips and steps you should follow:

#1 Getting to know your users

How well do you know your customers? Can you answer questions about their life, dreams and hobbies? There’s more to our customers than browser type and geographical location. Checkout this step-by-step guide to creating a marketing persona and dive deeper into successful emotional targeting.

#2 Show it don’t tell it

Show don’t tell is the art of conveying a message in a way that consumers can quickly comprehend and see what’s in it for them. Instead of telling visitors how amazing your product can be for them, show it to them by using images, colors and the right headlines.

A few facts about text vs. images and color:

• Almost 50% of our brain is involved in visual processing. (Human anatomy and psychology)

• It takes us only 150ms to process a symbol and only 100ms to attach a meaning to it

• On average users only read 28% of words per visit (more likely to read 20%). (Nielsen)

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On average users read just 28% of words per visit
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We suffer from an overload of information and the best way to convey a message quickly is by using visual and colorful aids. Which means: Show it, don’t tell it.

People do not read long texts or have time for them, make the most of the first 3 seconds a visitor lands on your page and show them without effort what’s in it for them.

Manpacks for instance could write on their landing page that they have an endless supply of condoms, underwear and socks. Then they could also explain about their fast delivery, the wide selections and how cool they are. Instead they use an image, well-known logos and one powerful headline to portray all of these values within seconds.

Which brings me to my next point:

#3 Value Over Features & Benefits

In Experian’s latest Digital Marketer Survey 49% of marketers said their top challenge is standing out against competitors.

When it comes to standing out against competitors, most online companies showcase their product, features and pricing when in fact using emotional targeting you could stand out in a crowd of features and bullet points.

Car insurance for example is an extremely competitive industry and you have to really stand out in order to succeed. In the insurance industry one of the most important elements people check is pricing; people want cheap car insurance and every company promises to do so. Let’s take a look at two companies saying the same, but very differently:

InsuanceStep has a landing page that says it: “Save up to 70%”.

While Quotelab, makes you feel it:

Note how their funnel is exactly the same, yet the use of the right colors (blue for trust and stability), a strong image and trust icons make all the difference.

#4 Using Color Psychology

Color plays an important role in emotional targeting. In fact it has long been proven by psychological experiments that different colors have an effect on specific parts of our brain and can change our feelings. For years artists, designers and advertisers have used color to affect us emotionally and change our feelings towards specific brands, logos and pieces of art. A recent study showed that the color of a logo affects consumer emotion towards its brand. The following article will show you how to increase conversions using color psychology.

#5 AB Test your Concepts

Last but not least, start AB testing your concepts and strategies. Once you’ve profiled your users, created a strategy and designed your landing page (or any other part of the funnel), it’s time to test it and gain insights about your customers. This is how you run meaningful tests that lead to higher conversions and important insights. Don’t forget to checkout this AB test checklist before you launch.

I started skydiving about five years ago, everyone thought I was crazy. It started out as a one time thing, “just an experience” is what I told everyone. But the moment I stepped out of that plane, I knew it was over. This is who I’m going to be – a skydiver.

Skydiving is all about challenging yourself, pushing new boundaries and taking the plunge. And yes, that is exactly how conversion optimization works.

It is skydiving (among other things) that taught me how to be a better optimizer. 5 years later I think it’s time to sit down and discuss how skydiving made me better at CRO and how you can utilize these CRO hacks to your advantage.

Gearing Up

Like anything in life skydiving has a beginning a middle and end. Each part has its own complexity and sets the tone for the next one.

With just over 600 jumps I get asked quite a lot if I still get scared before jumping out of the plane. My answer is always the same: Of course I get scared… I’m jumping out of a plane!

The thing about skydiving is that if you’re not worried, you’re doing something wrong. Either you’re not challenging yourself enough or you don’t understand the complexity of what you’re doing.

Before taking the plunge it’s exciting and worrying all at once. You constantly ask yourself if it’ll work and what will happen? This is exactly how it happens with CRO. And to answer all these questions you have to carefully prepare:

1. Assembling a team – the first part of a good jump is creating your team and allocating tasks. Each person on the team has a vital part in helping the jump succeed. It’s crucial for everyone to be on the same page. In conversion optimization, getting your team on board is crucial for your success. Though you can do it yourself, having a team that’s dedicated to the test in hand is helpful. Our recent article on how to get your team on board with CRO can give you a few good tips for rallying everyone and getting the job done. The key, is connecting everyone under the same goal, and showing people how CRO can not only increase ROI for the company but also optimize everyone’s daily workflow. Conversion optimization is all about learning and optimizing not just the current KPI but entire workflows. We’ll get to this in more detail later.

2. Defining a goal – Every jump has its goal. As a skydiver you want to optimize your personal progress and your team’s. You can only have one main goal per jump. Focusing on more than one main goal is distracting and makes analyzing the jump later more difficult. In CRO, much like skydiving defining one main goal is key for success. Once you have one goal (e.g – signups or more purchases), your entire team’s efforts can focus on it. This ensures that all test materials are dedicated to this goal only. Trying to reach more than one goal  may confuse your team. It could make it hard to analyze the results and understand them. Goals can change from test to test, but make sure you choose one goal and one goal only and strive for that. Align your team, so everyone knows what you’re aiming for. This way you will be able to evaluate your performance as a team better.

3. Research and planning – Once you’ve set the goal, it’s time to dive into some research and start planning the jump. On one hand I could just get on the plane, plan the jump on the way up and just see how it turns out. This is quite common in skydiving and even more common when it comes to conversion optimization tests. Many optimizers neglect the first part of research and preparations. They jump straight to testing. For me, planning is the most important part of the jump. Careful planning and research will result in a successful jump. I may not reach my goal completely within the jump but I will be able to know what went wrong, what I need to optimize and what to do different next time. In CRO, careful research will show you the pain points of your funnel and tell you exactly where to start testing. Start by understanding your current metrics, track what matters and choose a starting point. Once you’ve chosen a point in the funnel to optimize, don’t guess or test for the sake of testing – build a strategy, and follow it. So, I could just make the jump without planning and enjoy the ride. But as a professional skydiver and optimizer I want to progress. I want to prepare and be able to optimize my performance with each jump (or test) I take.

4. The checklist – Before boarding the plane I always have a checklist. It gives me a moment to go over my plan and gear and make sure I haven’t neglected anything. My checklist consists of going ever my carefully planned jump, making sure the entire team is focused and checking my gear. My CRO checklist is pretty much the same:

• Realign my team under the same goal – make sure everyone is on the same page
• Check tracking and the testing platform (e.g: are the goals firing?)
• QA, QA, QA (on all browsers and devices, is your variation working correctly?)
• This pre launch checklist on Optimizely’s site is a great source of information.
• Also, checkout our landing page checklist to ensure you’ve addressed everything.

Taking the plunge

The best part happens next: The jump. Blood rushes to your brain and you get an adrenaline rush. This the part where you stay focused. Once you’ve launched a test, you have to give it time to run its full course. Watch it closely, give it time and do not stop the test until it’s reached statistical significance.. Most marketers are quick on the trigger. The smallest sign of the test being unsuccessful and they stop the test. Win or lose, a test is a learning process and you have to let it run. As a skydiver the worst thing to do is quit a jump in the middle.Stopping means losing all chances of learning from the process and benefiting from it.

Pic by: Inbal Harosh

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Win or lose, a test is a learning process and you have to let it run
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The Aftermath

The Aftermath is just as important as the planning stage. One thing I noticed about myself is that immediately after the jump I’d start criticizing myself and driving conclusions from it before I’ve even looked at the video. By the time I’ve picked up the chute from the ground and started walking back to the hanger I’ve already decided I’d failed and it was a waste of time.

Enter – Hannah Betts, one of my favorite coaches and a truly amazing hard core women (who also happens to act as a stunt double on Marvel’s Agents of Shield!). If Hannah taught me just one thing – it would be not to rush to conclusions, watch the video, take a deep breath and mention all the good stuff that you’ve learned. This is actually great advice for life in general but let’s focus on testing. Analyze the test, take it all in and look at the numbers. Evaluate the results according to your goal, the process you went through and strategy. Good testing helps you learn more about your customers, and grows your business. Whether it fails or succeeds, the most important part of the test is learning from it and being able to apply these findings within your business. If you built your test wisely and understand the results you can improve not just KPIs and ROI but your entire sales process, your customer service and of course your product.

Main takeaways:

• Plan ahead – build a strategy that resonates with your goal and more importantly allows you to learn from your tests.

• Don’t be afraid to try new things – testing elements on a landing page is nice, but if you really want to learn – dare and push new boundaries.

• Listen to people who have experience – take in everything and don’t be embarrassed to ask.

• Learn from every experience (the successful and the failed ones) – Have I said this enough?

• Enjoy! – to be a true optimizer you need to have fun and enjoy the process. True optimizers looks for ways to optimize everything in life.

Skydiving has taught me a lot about optimization, patience and testing. As the quote at the entrance to our office says:

“Never stop testing and you will never stop improving.” D. Ogilvy

Thanks for taking the time to read about mt experience as a skydiver. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.