Persuasive Momentum
10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Using Flash
Adobe Flash has been habitually misused by design-centric website developers — so much so that a few of us at FutureNow tend to wince when it’s even mentioned in passing.
It’s not that we don’t like Flash. When used purposefully, Flash has the potential to dramatize a product or service’s benefits in ways that static pictures and text can’t quite match.
The micro-site for the Sigma DP-1 camera (choose language preference to start) is a good example of Flash done right.
Notice how the choreographed presentation of text and pictures dramatizes the benefit of having a DSLR image sensor in a compact camera body. And notice how the site’s designers capture your attention from the beginning of the presentation and lead you to a place where you can then interact with the camera’s features.
Sigma’s Flash presentation creates persuasive momentum, then leverages it by bringing viewers to an interactive website where they can drill down into specifics.
For an example of Flash used within a website — rather than as an introduction to a website — I recommend taking a look at this page from the Leo Diamond website. No, it’s not the prettiest site out there, but the Flash tools provide visitors with a better feel for diamond carrot size and color than either text or static pictures could. And it works.
Flash can be an effective tool when used intelligently and sparingly. But before you decide on using it, ask yourself the following questions:
1. What will this allow me to convey that text and static images wouldn’t?
2. Am I actually conveying benefits or just adding sparkle and glitz?
3. Is there a way to make this more interactive and not just a push-presentation?
4. If I can’t make it interactive, what can I do to hook the viewer right from the start, so they don’t skip the presentation? (You ARE going to provide a “skip” option, right?)
5. What pathways am I providing to the flash viewer when they are done with the interactive tool or presentation?
6. Are there clear links and pathways forward that will lead to conversion?
7. Will the static content allow visitors to drill down into the topics most important to them?
8. Does it address the visitor’s true concerns?
9. Will you capitalize on the persuasive momentum from the Flash presentation?
10. Do your calls to action continue to build on that momentum?
If you can answer those questions, it might be smart to use Flash sparingly.
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About the Author: Jeff Sexton is a Persuasion Architect, and on June 2nd, he’ll be taking the day off from helping clients fuse style and substance to teach FutureNow’s Persuasive Online Copywriting seminar in Manhattan.
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Written by:Jeff Sexton
How Website Images Affect Visitor Persuasion
Have you ever read a blog post that had so many interesting and profound ideas, you actually re-read it several times? That’s what happened to me when I read this fascinating article by Joseph Carrabis at iMedia Connections.
I originally read the article because it talks about gender and website design. But there’s much more to it than the title (”Website Marketing Across Genders”) suggests. For instance, the phenomenon he calls “Towards” and “AwayFrom” advertising.
I’ll dig into that in another post, but in the meantime, take a look at his description of using a visual on a page to draw visitors toward a specific action:
Let me give you an example of an automotive retailer site that also works in print. The goal is to have the visitor purchase a new vehicle. Place an image in the upper part of the screen or print piece. The left of the image is the owned vehicle, the right of the image is the desired or target vehicle. Just right of center is the couple or an individual facing the desired vehicle and walking towards it.
The web’s media capabilities allow the message to get across very well because the couple or individual can be seen actually moving towards the target vehicle. In a static image that implies walking have the right hand swinging towards the target vehicle, the left hand swinging towards the owned vehicle.
So simple. So powerful.
Speaking of simple and powerful, if you haven’t read Bryan Eisenberg’s award-winning article on images and eyetracking, you should. It definitely clarifies Joseph’s point.
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Written by:Holly Buchanan
When a Banner Ad Becomes a One-Click Stand
Holidays are a great time to advertise. Because of the emotional context, marketers know people will be especially attracted to holiday-themed ads. Valentine’s Day is no exception: You can almost set your clock to the sudden rush of banners strewn with cheesy hearts, bears and candy kisses.
Banner ads, once clicked, usually evoke the confusion of Alice’s rabbit hole more than the come-what-may optimism of Forrest’s box of chocolates — either way, you don’t know what to expect.
Grabbing attention is tough, and most of us are jaded from past letdowns. So, to work, a banner campaign must direct traffic, showing visitors what they’ll get and why they’ll want it.
Who You Lookin’ At?
One way to get attention is by showing models. TracFone is an example of a company that puts on a human face (albeit a scowling one). Let’s take a look at one of their banners to see how they might improve conversion…
The Valentine’s Day motif grabs attention, as do the girls’ faces, which seem to be looking straight at you. But eye-tracking studies show that we’re drawn to models’ eyes. We end up mesmerized, ignoring the critical parts of the ad.
The folks at TracFone should read Bryan’s post, “How a Pretty Face Can Push Visitors Away.”
Since our attention stays on the faces and eyes, TracFone’s benefits are lost in the background. The all-caps name “XOXOFONE” frames the faces, further keeping the eyes on the upper left-hand side. A simple change in the direction of the eyes to the lower-right side of the ad would direct visitors to the call to action and company logo. (Besides, it might make these girls look like they’re not going to yell at the first guy who invites them to Prom via TracFone.)
Oh, No They Di’int…
From the banner ad, visitors are sent to this busy landing page:
Tracfone presents big, bright red hearts as a marker to connect the visitor. Yet they fail to build persuasive momentum. At this critical stage, the visitor isn’t brought deeper into the buying process. Instead of continuing the scent trail [define] of information, TracFone introduces new information and visuals that create a disconnect with the banner ad it was designed to support.
If TracFone were a Future Now client, here are a few things we’d have them test:
1. Don’t Look at Me! — When using models, make sure the eyes aren’t the focal point. Use an image that directs the visitors’ eyes toward the call to action. Let the copy drive the click.
2. Buy When? — Don’t propose marriage on the first date. There’s almost never enough info on a banner ad to convince someone they should actually “buy now.” Try flirting instead.
3. Consistency is Key — Build on the information and images on the landing page. Help would-be customers make the connection. People will quickly lose momentum to move forward if you present different prices, copy and images than they saw in the ad.
[Editor’s Note: Tired of one-click stands? Sick of hiring gold-diggers who don’t return the investment? Bring home a conversion analysis your CFO would approve of.]
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Written by:Peter Lee
Pushing vs. Flirting: When Repeat Repetition Doesn’t Sell
Ever get the feeling that your marketing sounds like a broken record? If so, do you ever get the feeling that your marketing sounds like a broken record?
If so, maybe there’s good reason for that. Maybe it does (sound like a broken record).
Your company’s website is always on. It’s always there, speaking on your behalf. And it can get old quickly. Sometimes, it’s best to play it cool. Be yourself. Don’t try to pick up every customer you meet. If you want to attract someone unique, define what it is that you’re not. But, whatever you do, don’t be pushy; it’s the ultimate turn-off. The rules of attraction aren’t much different if you’re selling soap or not-buying love.
The Hard Sell
[RSS readers, click here for video.]
When’s the last time you had a Kraft Caramel? Did you chew it, or did you just sort of gum it down? This commercial is kind of cute in retrospect, but it’s a prime example of why we should all be thankful that the mass market era is gone, gone, gone, gone, yeah. You don’t have to be Pavlov’s cat to know this won’t work today.
The No Value Proposition Hard Sell (Retro Edition)
[RSS readers, click here for video.]
Head On introduced itself to the public without saying anything but its name, over, and over, and over, and over, and… (Arrrrrggghhh!!! What were they thinking!!?? It’s like listening to “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” performed by a choir of chainsaw-wielding parrots.) The only thing this commercial does to sell its product is actually give me the headache it implicitly claims to cure. And despite the fact that dissecting their marketing logic just gave me another headache, I still refuse to buy the stuff. This would’ve been a bad commercial in the 50’s. Today, there’s simply no excuse to disrupt the intrigue continuum.
Repetition as Humor
[RSS readers, click here for video.]
In the 80’s, brands were still tinkering around with tried-and-true mass marketing tactics. York does a good job here of using mind-numbing repetition to make you laugh at their own brand. York is fun. It’s a peppermint patty — what’s not to love? And it works. The melodrama of it all makes the ad ridiculous enough to stick; you shake your head and smile at the same time. Still, the begging for attention thing is a bit much. (Isn’t it annoying when cute people act this way? You’re cute. We get it. Enough, already.) For me, this ad evokes fond memories, not of the Alps, but of boring auto body shop waiting rooms and greasy glass counter tops next to diner cash registers; the usual places one falls in love with a York.
Want to be a marketing pick-up artist? Brand Autopsy has some tips on how to freshen up your online marketing game.
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Written by:Robert Gorell
Brands & Landing Pages: A Neanderthal Challenge
This week — thanks to some of you being in town for our Persuasive Online Copywriting seminar and a staff training — our team had some great insights while examining online and multi-channel marketing campaigns. Eventually, we got to thinking about one of today’s more compelling brands: Geico.
But first, a little background…
One of our seminar attendees helped us notice something interesting about “Corporate DNA”. Something wasn’t “write” with her company’s messaging. They’re large, well-known, and have spent decades projecting themselves as a Humanistic culture, with massive, ongoing radio and TV ad campaigns. So, the first thing we noticed on their website was that the copywriting was tailored for Methodical types. (To read more about how we classify personality types into Competitive, Spontaneous, Methodical, and Humanistic, click here.)
Where did this disconnect come from? Were they really a Methodical company, after all? According to our guest, they were. OK, then why not just say so in the TV and radio ads? It’s a bit jarring to have one impression of a brand through its multi-channel advertising, only to go to their website and find it’s something completely different. This is the friction that causes customers to bail. Customers want a consistent relationship and tone from their brands, whatever the channel may be.
When I came across this banner on Technorati this past week, I was intrigued:
Step #1 — The Banner / Advertising Campaign
Since we’d been talking about how to create messages that appeal to different personality types, I thought it would be a good idea to see what my team had to say about the experience Geico created from banner ad, to landing page, to getting an insurance quote.
Over email, I asked my fellow Future Now consultants what they thought about the campaign:
1. The banner appeals to which personality type(s)?
“The fast-paced types; Spontaneous first, then Competitive.” –Cinde Johnson
2. Would the brand itself cause other personality types to click through anyway?
“Geico is a brand that’s known and trusted. People who recognize that it’s a Geico ad, and have a positive association with them, will likely click.” –Dan McGuigan
“Humanistics will like the friendliness of the gecko from other ads they may have seen/heard, and the cup of tea makes it a bit more personal, more human. A Methodical, on the other hand… I’m not so sure. There’s not a lot for a Methodical to go with in the banner, except that it says that it’s ‘easy’. But they’re generally too deliberate to be moved by branding alone.” –Cinde Johnson
3. How does this banner connect with their brand, and your expectations of it?
“The little lizard with the Aussie accent (using “mate” in the messaging) helps us connect with a brand we already know. Their branding has always expressed how Geico makes it ‘easy.’ so this is continuing that perception.
“The problem is I forgot what they did; I just knew they made it easy! Although I like the banner, and it probably connects well with the other marketing communication spots that they have out there, I actually don’t know anything about Geico besides seeing this lizard on ads — and that he’s got an accent. I’m probably not the typical American, but I actually forgot what they did.” –Melissa Burdon
“Geico positions itself as the easy way to save money on insurance in 15 minutes, so this ad does reinforce their branding.” –Ron Patiro
4. What’s your overall impression of the banner?
“Not bad. I’d say a solid B.” –Anthony Garcia”
“One of the only times I’ve seen ‘click here’ work in a Call to Action. People can’t say it, but well-branded talking geckos can.” –Ron Patiro
“If I just saw this banner ad, and didn’t know they offer insurance, I wouldn’t be enticed to click. Even changing it to ‘Geico makes insurance easy,’ would have cleared that one up for me. They need to be thinking of the different stages of the buying process as well.” –Melissa Burdon
Step #2 — The Campaign’s Landing Page
I am glad Geico continued the scent from banner and landing page by reinforcing and repeating the logo, the imagery, and copy tone. Remember, our friend the talking gecko has promised us it would be easy. But once I clicked through, I had even more expectations.
Here’s what they had to say about the landing page:
5. Does the landing page reinforce the banner’s message?
“If one were to ‘think’ about the connection — which most people don’t do consciously — they would see that ‘Would you like cream…” does inject a message of how easy Geico makes getting a quote or rate.” –Peter Lee
“I didn’t notice the little mug and tea bag in the banner. I actually wondered what was in the lizard’s hand, but, when I clicked, I noticed the mug. Instead of just telling me Geico can save me money, they specify they could save me ‘hundreds,’ so I have a better idea of what we’re talking about. ‘Would you like cream or sugar with that?’ tells me it’s a commodity; something we need in our everyday lives. We treat ourselves well without Starbucks, so how are we treating ourselves with insurance? We could also be saving some money on insurance to put toward our coffee fund!
“I’m going off on a tangent, but there are quite a few messages that could be taken out of this add.” –Melissa Burdon
6. Would you do anything to improve this page?
“They might want to provide a bit more information for Methodical types. People often switch to a methodical choice when shopping for something like insurance.” –Mal Watlington
“The ‘continue’ button gives me no sense of what I get if I enter this information. What’s the payoff? How much more information am I going to have to give you? My inner Methodical side isn’t happy at all.” –Holly Buchanan
Be prepared. Geico chose the the word “just” fill in your zip code. That word has meaning. As in there is really nothing much more to this than “just” filling in your zip code.
Finally, let’s see what happens when we click through to get an insurance quote…
Step #3 — A Disconnected Form Process
When a Spontaneous type lands on this page, one of the first things that stand out is the big “0% Complete” in the progress indicator. They don’t jump right to the form. Instead, their eyes scan the progress indicator, thanks to the disconnect between the first landing page/banner and the green “0%” — and everything else on the form.
Here are their impressions of this crucial third step:
7. What would the personality type(s) you chose — the ones driven by the banner — think of this first step in the quote process?
“I’ve already given you my zip code. You mean, there’s a lot more to getting this quote!? This isn’t easy.” “You said this would be easy, but I’m not sure this is going to be easy.” “Why do you need my name and phone number to give me a quote?” “Wow–six pages of forms to complete to get a quote! This is easy?” (”Where’s my little gecko buddy and his little cup of tea?”) –Cinde Johnson
“Then complete disconnect. I hit a page with a completely different design, asking for lots of information. I’m looking for the lizard, but instead I see the typical white chick, offering help. I don’t want to talk to the white chick. I want to talk to the lizard.” –Holly Buchanan
8. What would you do differently to appeal to each of the personality types on this page?
The primary persona driven by the ad, the Spontaneous, most likely never spent the time filling out a long form like this - they just don’t have the time. They might call, but like everyone else in the world, the would never admit they “need help.” What if they had the Gecko right there and in his tone said something like, “If filling it out ain’t easy, call me.”
“The Competitive is going to think “OK, you said you can save me money, but now you’re asking for information, and there’s nothing to tell me how much more you’ll need or how filling out this form is going to accomplish that goal. All I see is “continue” (really weak Call to Action). What’s the benefit in continuing?
“The Humanistic, like me, is going to feel like “I want to talk to the lizard, not that white chick. What happened to my milk and sugar? You went from warm and fuzzy to cold and impersonal. You just lost that wonderful rapport you worked so hard to establish.
“The Methodical is going to think (since they don’t feel) “How many steps are involved? You don’t indicate the exact number of steps involved in this process. What is this process? Exactly what information do you require? How long will this take? How will you use this information to save me money? Will I be here for a minute, or two hours? I can’t plan ahead because you give me no way to understand the process, how long it takes, or what the process even is. And what’s with that annoying icon with a foreign accent about, anyway? My 3 year-old daughter thinks it’s cute. Want to sell car insurance to 3 year-olds, do you? Great. Want to sell car insurance to me? Get a life.” –Holly Buchanan
The Brand & Landing Page Campaign Challenge:
Perhaps it’s not so easy…
Please let us know what you think of the Geico brand, its ad campaigns, and its landing pages. How would you answer the above questions?
Is creating the right brand and landing page experiences so “easy” a caveman, of any personality, could do it? What will you do to insure your brand and landing pages connect with customers? Let us know if you need help.
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Written by:Bryan Eisenberg
Free Webinar Replay: 7 Ways to Boost Your Holiday Conversion Rate
Recorded Webinar: “7 Simple Ways to Boost Your Holiday Conversion Rate” (From September 12, 2007)
About: Elastic Path Software presents “7 Simple Ways to Boost Your Holiday Conversion Rate.”
Your ecommerce bucket is about to be filled with tons of eager holiday shoppers, ready and willing to buy. Plugging your conversion rate leaks now will maximize your holiday success. We will show you 7 simple ways to lift your conversion rate that do not require a ton of effort to implement, yet deliver big results. Register to attend and find out how to make your holiday sales sing a merry tune.
Future Now Persuasion Analyst Melissa Burdon and Elastic Path Software VP of Innovation Jason Billingsley will be your panelists. As always, bring your questions and our experts will address them during the live Q&A session.
Watch it now: Click Here
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Written by:The Grok
What You Don’t Know About Form Abandonment
Marshall Sponder shares an interesting comScore study that illustrates what we at Future Now have been saying for many years: shopping cart and form abandonment happens well before people reach the form.
I’m always thrilled when additional evidence surfaces.
The majority of abandonment issues can be fixed if you focus on answering visitors’ questions earlier in the “funnel” or purchase consideration process. Persuasion Architecture™ (define) is designed to anticipate the questions people have and facilitate the momentum required for them to accomplish their goals.
We’ve been solving this problem reliably for years. Do you still have a form abandonment problem?
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Written by:Jeffrey Eisenberg
Screencast: Shopping for Auto Insurance Online
For this edition of Screencast, we decided to focus on something close to my heart: auto insurance. My teenage daughter is about to be driving for the first time, and I want to know what I’m getting myself into financially. I’d also like to see a bit of information specifically about insuring teenage drivers. I’m sure you parents out there can empathize.
All too often, companies get so hung up on optimizing their sites to convert late-stage, ready-to-buy customers that they don’t realize that creating the most relevant experience is really what helps them in the long term. For instance, I may end up buying the cheapest car insurance I can find, but I’d prefer to do business with a company that’s transparent about teen driving coverage and expenses. I’m not ready to buy today, but that’s fine. Soon enough, I will.
So, for the next few minutes, see what happens as I browse Geico.com, StateFarm.com, and Progressive.com in this early-stage buying scenario:
(For those reading this in RSS, click here for the video.)
As always, we hope to hear more suggestions on websites to cover. We’ll do our best to insure it’s something each of us can walk away with.
We’d love to hear some comments from parents or anyone who’s bought car insurance online. Oh, and don’t be afraid to steal this video. Just stay away from my daughter’s car. 
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Written by:Anthony Garcia
Van Gogh on Creating Magical Web Content
Vincent Van Gogh painted his ‘Starry Night’ in 1889 while in an Asylum at Saint-Remy.
Vince’s painting has affected millions. It’s one of the best known images in modern culture. It’s inspired songs such as Don McLean’s “Starry Starry Night” and is one of the most replicated prints. The painting has a magnetic appeal, engaging the reader by drawing them into its world.
I say “reader” rather than viewer because this image is a perfect example of how an image SPEAKS a thousand words in an instant, emotional impact.
In the past decade, the online marketing industry has been known to echo the phrase “Content is king”. Great content — and equally good layout — is key to helping your visitors successfully find what they’re looking for. The content that’s king to search engines is the copy on a website, but the content that’s king to visitors is a balanced mixture of copy and images.
The images on a site help to create a face for the organization. The emotional visitor is engaged by pictures of friendly employees and clients. Logical visitors, meanwhile, look for images of competent executives — sorry, but handshake clip art won’t do — as well as product images that clearly describe every feature, using different angles and environments.
As a professional model, I get to see how my image is used to promote and communicate their products. As an online conversion and persuasion analyst, I see how clients use words and images to communicate their products and services. Too often, clients are missing some of Van Gogh’s magic brew that could radically improve their conversion results.
As website visitors become more exposed and sophisticated, they become more demanding. This means you’d better have ALL your words and images working in sync to persuade your visitors that they are in the right place.
The images most websites feature aren’t magnetic and powerful; they don’t speak to the visitor. Ask yourself what your images are saying and if they’re saying the right things. Are you conveying the “feel” of your company and products so the visitor really knows what they’ll experience when they buy from you?
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Written by:Melissa Burdon
Push vs. Pull Messaging and Visitor’s Intent
A recent New York Times article covered the advent of some new platforms for showcasing video clips of funny ads with intent of attracting, or “pulling,” visitors seeking ads that promise to entertain; a move the article implied might be the answer to TiVo, media fragmentation, and a host of other problems affecting traditional advertising. What the article misses, though, is the need to account for viewer intent and message repetition.
First, a little background.
In Waiting for Your Cat to Bark, Jeff & Bryan Eisenberg compare traditional, mass media advertising methods (i.e., “push” marketing) to Persuasion Architecture’s use of “pull” marketing. With repetition — and a marginally effective message — ads were once able to create an association in the audience’s minds between…
a) a particular need or want, and;
b) the product’s ability to satisfy that need or want.
They did this using the exact same mechanism Pavlov tapped into when he created an association in the mind of his dogs between the ring of a bell and the serving of food. Done correctly, this type of advertising can reach prospective customers before they’re in the market for your product or service, causing them — once they finally have a need for what you sell — to think of you first and feel good about their decision.
It’s called branding, and it works. But the problems with branding in today’s world are many.
First of all, mass media is an illusion. Thanks to a fragmented media landscape — narrowcasting, long-tails, etc. — most companies don’t have the budget to reach enough people with enough repetition to make branding an efficient option. Secondly, people are using technology to screen out ads that are pushed at them. Because they can, audiences (understandably) don’t wish to be interrupted and now have the means to prevent the interruptions altogether.
Pull marketing, on the other hand, capitalizes on an audience’s existing desire for a product or service and creates a strong enough scent trail (define) to “pull” the customer through her buying process. You don’t have to work to plant an associative memory in the mind of the dog between the scent of raw meat and the satisfaction of his hunger. It’s already there; you just have to make sure the dog can follow the scent all the way to the food.
When buying process is satisfying, it’s often repeated. Repeated satisfaction (not repeated ads) creates brand affinity. This aspect of pull marketing eliminates much of the requirement to repeat an advertising message or to try to “break through the clutter” of ads being pushed at people. You’re going with the flow of a prospects attention and desires rather than trying to commandeer it.
The challenge of pull marketing is to correctly presume, and match, customer intent. What are people really intending to do when they search on this or that term? How do your prospective customers think about and describe their problems? if you misinterpret intent, the rest of your efforts at creating relevant scent trails will be in vain.
Pull marketing won’t reach potential customers before they’re in the market for your what your brand offers. If they’re not aware they need, or will need, what you sell, they won’t search for you — and they’ll be unlikely to pick up on your scent trail. Of course, loads of repeatedly satisfied customers have been known to create word-of-mouth that reaches more people, but the question remains: How do you engage prospects — no, that’s not an oxymoron — in an age when push advertising has become prohibitively expensive?
Let’s get back to the NY Times article and problem with sites like VeryFunnyAds.com:
1) Viewer Intent.
Visitors to these sites come there with the intention of finding entertaining ads. They’re looking for jokes. That’s the itch they’re trying to scratch. They’re clearly not coming there from an interest in the products being advertised. So, pull marketing is out, as is any meaningful attempt at conversion.
But, hey, at least they’re watching the ads, right? You’ve now got their attention and you’re not paying painfully high media rates to get it. How about these platforms as a vehicle for push marketing?
2) Repetition.
First, even before mentioning repetition, let’s talk about relevance. Funny/entertaining ads are only useful when the humor is integral to the brand’s Unique Value Proposition (more on UVP here). If humor is an effective way to convey the brand’s benefits, the viewer remembers the product’s promise. But if the humor strictly gratuitous, or only tangentially relevant, it usually falls flat. And when that happens, listen closely. That’s not the cash register in the background; it’s the sound of crickets and tumbleweed.
How many times will they need to see your ad before they feel the product will satisfy their need? Compare that answer to the amount of times you — or anyone — is likely to watch the same video at VeryFunnyAds.com. Two times? Three?
Does anyone need to tell you that’s not enough? Basically, you’d need an entire campaign of funny ads in order to get enough repetition for this “pull” attempt at branding to work properly. This can be done, but it’s a tall order. For instance, I loved this ad, but it fell flat with different personality types.
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Written by:Jeff Sexton
