site banners tested: how minor changes led to a 433% increase in clickthrough for humana

Site Banners Tested:How minor changes led to a 433% increase in clickthrough for Humana

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Today’s speakers

Austin McCrawSenior Director, Content Production,MECLABS Institute

Mike LoveridgeHead of DigitalTest and Learn,Humana, Inc.

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Background: A social media site that offers membership exclusively to physicians.

Goal: To increase the number of qualified leads.

Primary Research Question: Which page will generate the most qualified leads?

Approach: A/B variable cluster split test

Experiment ID: TP1145Record Location: MECLABS Research LibraryResearch Partner: Sermo

Experiment: Background

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Experiment – Version A

• No site banner

• Objective-based headline

• Form-field with CTA for software demo

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Experiment – Version B

• Site banner

• Information-based headline

• CTA drives customers toward additional value-based information

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Which version will win?Version A – No Banner

Version B – Banner

155%conversion

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Headline KPI % Rel. Change

Version A - 154.7%

Version B - -

Increase in Qualified Leads155%The optimized version increased leads by 154.7%.

Experiment: Results

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Which version will win?Version A – No Banner

Version B – Banner

155%conversion

Why?

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Three reasons banners often underperform

Key Principles

1. Impersonal tone

2. Undirected eye path

3. Banner blindness

F

But what if you have to work within a banner?

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Mike Loveridge

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• Medicare banner

• In the rotating carousel on Humana.com

• Three banner positions

• Rotation speed = six seconds

• Complex page with over 150 competing links

• Two years of iterative testing performed

The Humana banner

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2014 2015

July

10Banner navigation

13%

Oct

6MVT

Title, copy, button71%

Sep

3Value prop

4%

Oct

16Agency banner II

162%

Dec

7Sam II

3%

Dec

1Personalization

GEO31%

Apr

2Rotation speed

20%

Nov

12Sam0%

Mar

17Specific CTA

7%

Apr

13Nav color

43%

Nov

25Login expander

12%

Sep

30Agency banner

33%

May

22Simplify

433%

Oct

28MVT

Large button, fontimages

22%

Medicare Banner Iterations: Timeline

In today’s clinic, we will discuss three key principles to maximize performance of your

site banners.

Today’s focus

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Strengthen your site banners

Key PrinciplesF

1. Dedicated: The most effective banners are not focused on many things, but rather “the one thing.” Generally — the more options, the more disorienting.

Experiment: Control

• Not immediately clear that this is a Medicare banner

• Excessive copy

• CTA does not stand out

Experiment: Treatment

• Attention drawn to the fact that this is a Medicare banner

• Concise copy

• CTA emphasized

Experiment: Side-by-side

Control

Treatment

433% increase in clickthrough

Be simple and concise

The color scheme is difficult to read, the headline is wordy, the value copy is difficult to distinguish and two CTAs compete for clicks. Even the photo is confusing.

The color scheme has been made easier to read, the headline is simple and clear and key aspects of the value copy have been bolded. Only one CTA is presented within the banner.

From this

To this

59%Conversion

Strengthen your site banners

Key PrinciplesF

1. Dedicated: The most effective banners are not focused on many things, but rather “the one thing.” Generally — the more options, the more disorienting.

2. Aligned: Effective banners do not focus on what we want from the customer, but rather what the customer wants from us. Site banners must be tightly aligned with the motivation of the user.

Experiment: Control

• Exploration-based headline

• Copy tailored to a research-driven prospect

• CTA implies a start to the customer journey

Experiment: Treatment

• Destination-based headline

• Copy tailored to enrollment-driven prospect

• CTA implies a purchase

Experiment: Side-by-side

Control

Treatment

192% increase in clickthrough

Align with customer motivationFrom this

To this

26%clickthrough

“Start Free Trial” CTA

“Get Started Now” CTA

HighlyMotivated

Low Motivation

“Learn more”“Get info”“Explore”

“Try demo”“Shop”“Start”

Align with customer motivationWebsite Banners THE ASK

Strengthen your site banners

Key Principles

1. Dedicated: The most effective banners are not focused on many things, but rather “the one thing.” Generally — the more options, the more disorienting.

2. Aligned: Effective banners do not focus on what we want from the customer, but rather what the customer wants from us. Site banners must be tightly aligned with the motivation of the user.

3. Interactive: The most effective banners are not treated like an advertisement to absorb, but rather an invitation to engage.

F

Experiment: Control

• Directional headline

• Clear copy that sets expectations going forward

• Specific CTA

Experiment: Treatment

• Headline is not directional

• Copy is salesy and largely irrelevant to customer’s needs

• Non-specific CTA

• Fine print in a banner?

Experiment: Side-by -side

Treatment

Control

162% increase in clickthrough

Invite customer to engage

Salesy, overly creative headline; CTA pointing customers toward more options

From this To this

330%conversion

Informative headline; CTA allows customers to engage in a way they are most likely to do (“Get a Quote”)

Invite customer to engage

The Control is salesy and broad, pointing visitors to a second step to download catalogs, manuals and white papers.

The Treatment builds value and provides prospects with the opportunity to download key documents directly from the banner.

From this

To this

245%downloads

To this

Is a site banner the best choice for my page?

Is my banner simple and concise?

Is my banner aligned to the motivation of my customer?

Can my prospect determine the banner’s purpose at a glance?

Is the CTA clear and directional?

Does my banner provide opportunity for engagement?

Does my banner send prospects in a direction that matches expectation?

Checklist: Strengthen you site banner