Background Two MarketingExperiments formulas, the Optimization Sequence and the Conversion Index, represent critical principles that are essential to the effectiveness of any Landing Page optimization project. The Optimization Sequence Our research has shown it is most important to optimize your product first; then the presentation of your product, your Web site, and all the collateral around it, including e-mails; and then your channels, such as PPC ads and natural search. In the formula above, “OPr” stands for Product factor. Optimization here includes product attributes such as quality and usability as well as the Value Proposition of the product: Why someone should buy this product instead of a competitor’s. “OPrn” stands for the Presentation factor. Optimize every step along the conversion process, from your email copy to the Landing Page to the check-out process. “OCnn” represents optimization of the Channel factor. How can you best match the specific motivations that brought prospects to you via that Channel? The best performing Landing Pages are those that match exactly the Motivation of the customer coming to you from a given channel. The MarketingExperiments Conversion Index (above) addresses the probability that a given visitor will convert (complete the entire process), where: “C” represents the probability of Conversion. “m” represents the level of match between offer and customer Motivation. “v” represents the clarity of expression of Value Proposition. “i” represents the Incentives used to counter Friction in the sales process. “f” represents the level of Friction in the sales process. “a” represents the Anxiety caused by the conversion process. 4, 3, and both 2s are coefficients in the index representing the relative level of return on investment for time and energy spent addressing each factor. Although the coefficients are market-specific, product-specific and company-specific, they represent our experience from thousands of optimization experiments with hundreds of companies across a broad spectrum of industries. After Motivation, the clarity of the product’s Value Proposition is the most important factor in determining whether a customer buys from you or not. Why is this product different? Why is this product better? Why are you the best source, Follow

Now, here’s a claim that does for persuasive copy what Jonestown did for grape Kool-Aid: “We’re #1 in our industry.”Not only will this particular (unsubstantiated) claim poison your copy, but the copywriter’s desire to use it stems from the same psychological principle that’s said to have caused so many Jonestown believers to have tragically drained their own deadly draught: Social Proof. To paraphrase Robert Cialdini, we tend to view behavior as being correct to the degree that we see others performing it. (Salting tip jars works. Ask any bartender.) And though very few people willingly identify themselves as “followers,” marketers know that most of us are interested in or swayed by “best-selling” and “hot” items. Sure, copywriters should want to leverage social proof — they just need to learn to do so effectively. Here are some things to keep in mind when tapping into this psychological principle: a) The more people the reader observes performing the behavior, the more powerful the effect. b) The more similar to your audience the observed people are – or the more admired they are - the more powerful the social proof. Knowing this, I recommend you take a hard look at whether you have the chops to make this claim. And if you do… Get specific with your claim How are you defining your terms? Are you “Number 1” because you have the largest market share; the most highly rated products/services; fastest growth rate; or because industry insiders consider you the front-runner in terms of innovation and leadership? Frame your statement so readers can picture it in their minds without blinking. Then… Be Concrete. Get Substantiated. Example: “Xenoic Industries is the preferred widget vendor to 15 of the top 20 Fortune 100 companies, including So & So, Inc.” Although it may seem counter-intuitive, that’s usually better than claiming “70% of market share.” Regardless, be sure to include similar figures for mid- and small-sized businesses if that’s also part of your market; otherwise, your bragging will backfire as they’ll feel excluded. Also, “…has been favorably reviewed by The New York Times, Newsweek, and The Economist, and was the subject of a feature story in The Wall Street Journal. Read the reviews here” is far more persuasive than claiming to have been “reviewed by hundreds of top newspapers and magazines.” As Follow