There are a large number of blogs out there that talk about split testing and some, such as WhichTestWon, do nothing but report split test results. You can learn a lot of unexpected things from reading these tests, including some really creative and outside the box ways of increasing conversion rates. Let’s pause here for a quick definition of split testing from Kissmetrics:
“A/B testing is a fantastic method for figuring out the best online promotional and marketing strategies for your business. It can be used to test everything from website copy to sales emails to search ads. And the advantages A/B testing provide are enough to offset the additional time it takes.”
(This is from the A Beginner’s Guide To A/B Testing: An Introduction and, if you’re not familiar with it, I highly recommend reading the guide.)
If you tried all the conventional ways to boost your conversions and didn’t get the results you wanted, consider trying these unique ways.
Improve Conversions … By Going Below the Fold?
You have probably heard that the call to action should be above the fold. It’s in every basic internet marketing book, every introductory copywriting course, every guru’s “method” or formula. But in some cases, this rule of thumb just doesn’t pan out.
A study done by the Nielsen Norman Group found that “users do scroll, but only if what’s above the fold is promising enough. What is visible on the page without requiring any action is what encourages us to scroll.”
This is extremely situational and primarily applies to extremely complicated offers. If someone doesn’t even understand your offer yet, asking them for their information upfront can be premature.
Instead, taking a page or half a page to explain your value offering then asking for the opt-in sometimes works a lot better. Take a close look at your web pages and consider your target client. Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I need to establish credibility with my target customer before asking for action? (Make your offer below the fold.)
- Can I present my value proposition in a quick succinct statement that will make my audience want what I’m offering? (Make your offer above the fold.)
- Are my visitors already convinced they want my offer when they arrive on my opt-in or sales page? (Make your offer above the fold.)
- Do I have a complicated, hard to explain value proposition and uncertain visitors? (Make your offer below the fold.)
Boost Conversions by Creating an Extra Level for Your Product
Let’s say you have a Silver package and a Gold package. Your Silver package sells for $47 and your gold package for $97. If you’re looking for ways to boost conversions or to get more people to buy the Gold rather than the Silver package, this technique could be a fantastic bottom line booster.
Basically, you create another product and price it at slightly below your higher end product. For instance, in this case, you might do something like Silver for $47, Gold for $89 and Platinum for $97. The Gold package would be far, far inferior to the Platinum package.
Customers think to themselves: “Wow, Platinum is a steal at only $8 more. It has all the features I want.” The feeling of it being a bargain carries over so well that they’re more likely to buy the Platinum package than if you just had two options, without the third inferior product.
In a test of this method, Steve Young of SmartShoot, reports a 233% conversion increase. Learn more about this test here.
Selling on Authenticity, Not Price
Does your target customer value authenticity over price? For most coaches I have worked with, this is true. Their clients are more concerned with the quality and expertise of their coach. Price is often a secondary consideration.
ExpressWatch discovered that this is especially true in the watch market, where so many fakes abound. In their test, they took a prominent widget that sported a badge proclaiming the company’s low prices and replaced it with a badge that 
proclaimed that they were an authorized dealer. It used deep blue, a color generally associated with trust.
The results? Conversion rates more than doubled, going from 1.81% to 3.76%, a 107% increase. Read more about the test here.
Do you know what YOUR target customer cares about? Are they primarily looking for a bargain or do they care more about the quality of the product or service they are buying? You should include this information in your target client profile.
Simple Words Make a Big Difference in Conversion Rates
One theme you will notice time and again through reading split test results is how big a difference call to action buttons can make. You wouldn’t expect it to – After all, in a 2000 word sales page, how likely is the difference between “Buy it Now” and “Try it Free” going to be?
The difference can be huge. It can be as much as 20%. Meaning if you’re doing $100,000 a year, that’s an extra $20,000 in your pocket in a year.
For example, take this test LiveChat conducted. Just by changing their text from “Free Trial” to “Try it Free,” they boosted their conversion rate by a whopping 15%. For a company the size of LiveChat with over 1,600 customers, an increase of 15% is enormous.
But even as a small business or entrepreneur, you can appreciate the increase!
By thinking outside the box and challenging “standard practices,” you will find some creative ways to increase your conversions? Schedule some time to study split test results and look for tactics, principles, and techniques that you can apply in your own business.
Have you used an unexpected tactic to boost your conversion? I would love to hear about it! Leave me a comment.
