Standard rules of optimization often call for a single focus in writing the headline, body copy and even call-to-action. This works well when all of your visitors are interested in the same thing. But, what do you do when you have to write copy for a page that serves multiple visitor types with varying interests? In this Web clinic, Flint McGlaughlin, Managing Director, MECLABS, will reveal how copywriting and design impacts clicks and conversions on pages that serve highly diverse interests simultaneously. He will address some of the most common questions related to managing the messaging: • How many visitor types can I address on a single page? • How do I choose which prospect to focus on? • Are there any effective templates for managing multiple customers? • How do I balance the divided attention? • What copywriting mistakes are commonly made when writing for different personas?

1. Optimizing for Multiple Personas
How a recent test “broke the rules” of optimization and
drove a 331% conversion lift

2. Today’s Team
Jon Powell
Senior Manager
Research and Strategy
MECLABS
@jonpowell31 Market research practitioner with 6+ years of hands-on discovery gained through
managing hundreds of A/B and multivariate tests for e-commerce, healthcare, financial,
and education Research Partners.
#WebClinic

3. An Experiment

4. Background
Experiment ID: TP1560
Record Location: MECLABS Research Library
Research Partner: [Protected]
Background: An organization that offers a minimally invasive medical treatment for
people suffering from chronic pain.
Goal: To increase leads from the website.
Research Question: Which site will generate the highest lead conversion rate?
Test Design: A/B multifactorial test.
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5. Version A
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6. Version A
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7. Version B
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8. Version B
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9. Side-by-Side
Version B
Version A
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10. 331% Relative Increase in Conversions
The new page template B increased lead capture rate by 330.6%
Conv. Rate
% Rel. Change
Version A
1.6%
Version B
7.0%
-330.6%
#WebClinic
Stat. Conf.
99%

11. Familiar Behavior Patterns
From this
To this
Protocol ID: TP1306
266%
Increase in clicks
LOGO
LOGO
Protocol ID: TP1213
78%
Increase in conversions
Protocol ID: TP2026
46%
Increase in purchases
#WebClinic

12. Why did the treatment win?
So what was
different in this
situation?
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13. Optimizing for Multiple Personas
F
Key Principles
1. Messaging is naturally ordered into four stages: (1) To Listen, (2) To Attract, (3) To
Converse, (4) To Nurture. The order is as important as the activity. One cannot
converse before one attracts; one should not attract before one listens.
#WebClinic

14. Why did the treatment win?
After examination of:
• Feedback from service reps and Sales
• A data/metrics analysis of incoming
channels and keywords
• Existing customer research
The team’s preliminary research question:
What is the effect of providing multiple
paths (CTAs) for visitors to choose based
on where they are in the process?
#WebClinic

15. Optimizing for Multiple Personas
F
Key Principles
1. Messaging is naturally ordered into four stages: (1) To Listen, (2) To Attract, (3) To
Converse, (4) To Nurture. The order is as important as the activity. One cannot
converse before one attracts; one should not attract before one listens.
2. To enable conversation with different customers arriving at the same intersection,
one must alter the geography of the page in a way that attracts each group into its
own conversation.
#WebClinic

16. Why did the treatment win?
Though equally
weighted on the
page, the content is
not equal in the
mind.
#WebClinic

17. Optimizing for Multiple Personas
How do I write and design for a page that serves
multiple visitor types with varying interests?
#WebClinic

18. Optimizing for Multiple Personas
F
Key Principles
1. Messaging is naturally ordered into four stages: (1) To Listen, (2) To Attract, (3) To
Converse, (4) To Nurture. The order is as important as the activity. One cannot
converse before one attracts; one should not attract before one listens.
2. To enable conversation with different customers arriving at the same intersection,
one must alter the geography of the page in a way that attracts each group into its
own conversation.
3. A meta-analysis of these page types has uncovered how copywriting and design can
be adjusted to maximize response from pages serving multiple customer personas.
#WebClinic

19. Optimizing for Multiple Personas
Today, we are going to walk through tactical
design and copy changes extracted from patterns
of customer response.
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20. Design Changes
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21. Design Changes
F
Key Principles
1. The marketer’s goal is not simplicity; the marketer’s goal is clarity. The former is the
means to the latter.
2. Simplicity which obscures clarity is lethal to the close. This is true as it relates to the
prospect’s understanding of the marketer’s offer.
#WebClinic

22. Example: Simplicity vs. Clarity
Protocol ID: TP1315
Control
How would you
increase the search
volume on this page?
#WebClinic

23. Example: Simplicity vs. Clarity
Treatment
By giving the page a more
Google-like search
experience, our researchers
hypothesized an increase in
search volume …
The result proved that
simplicity does not always
guarantee clarity.
5.6%
Decrease in search volume
#WebClinic

24. Design Changes
F
Key Actions
1. To enable clarity of the offer for multiple personas, focus on these three types of
page template adjustments:
• The number of conversion paths
• The availability of subheadlines and headers for instructional guidance
• The sequence of the content
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25. From TP1499 To This …
This,
Protocol ID:
From This
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26. From This, To This …
Utilized the header to
be instructional
To This
Optimal #
of paths
25%
Increase in clicks
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27. From TP1315 To This …
This,
Protocol ID:
From This
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28. From This, To This…
To This
Optimized the
number of paths
32.4%
Increase in conversions
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Added a
subheadline for
explanation

29. From TP1460 To This …
This,
Protocol ID:
From This
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30. Utilized headers
for explanation
From This, To This …
To This
Reduced
paths via
consolidation
63%
Increase in conversions
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31. From TP17XX To This …
This,
Protocol ID:
From This
Increase in clickthrough
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32. Added a headline and
explanation subheadline
From This, To This …
To This
181%
Increase in clickthrough
Adjusted
color
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Adjusted
content
position

33. Copy Changes
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34. Copy Changes
F
Key Principles
1. “Mind is the great lever of all things; human thought is the process by which human
ends are ultimately answered.” -Daniel Webster
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35. The Great Lever in Action
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36. The Great Lever in Action
The Top 5 Reasons for
Bungee Jumping
1. Overcome a fear
2. If you go naked, it could
be free!
3. Cross an item off the
bucket list
4. Bragging rights
5. It’s safe
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37. Copy Changes
F
Key Principles
1. “Mind is the great lever of all things; human thought is the process by which human
ends are ultimately answered.” -Daniel Webster
2. We must realize that even as the lever moves in degrees, the sale moves in stages.
The marketer must match the message to the stage. We achieve this by synchronizing
geography with chronology.
#WebClinic

38. Customer Buying Cycle
Sample Keyword
The wide
variety of
search terms
brings light to
what customers
are trying to
achieve online.
Search Volume
Florida Car
Insurance Quote
Low
Car Insurance
Quote
Medium
Buying Process
Purchase
Intent + Shop
Car Insurance
High
Consideration
or Research
Insurance
Very High
Awareness
#WebClinic

39. Copy Changes
F
Key Actions
1. To enable a type of synchronization that serves multiple personas, align your copy
within each competing section closely with:
• Different stages in the buying cycle
• Relevant, distinguishable categories of interest
#WebClinic

40. From TP1560 To This …
This,
Protocol ID:
From This
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41. From This, To This …
To This
331%
Increase in conversions
#WebClinic
New copy focuses on relevant topics aligned
with buying cycle stage

42. From This, To This …
A single section was rewritten
to attract more of a given
prospect type
Then This
49.5%
Increase in clickthrough
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43. From TP1503 & TP1507 This …
This, To
Protocol ID:
From This
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44. All
Traffic
To This
20.6%
Increase in conversions
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45. Partner
Sites
Then This
As a result of this discovery, the team installed
dynamic response pages
32.4%
Increase in conversions
20.6%
Increase in conversions
#WebClinic
Google
198%
Increase in conversions

46. From TP1315 To This …
This,
Protocol ID:
From This
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47. From TP1315 To This …
This,
Protocol ID:
Copy written for
browsers and
deal seekers
5.8%
Increase in search volume
#WebClinic

48. A Final Experiment
#WebClinic

49. Background
Experiment ID: TP1203
Record Location: MECLABS Research Library
Research Partner: [Protected]
Background: A subscriber-only social media site designed to provide fast, easy access
expert advice for IT.
Goal: To increase subscriptions, subscription revenue.
Research Question: Which sign-up process will produce the greatest subscription rate?
Test Design: A/B multifactorial test.
#WebClinic

50. Background
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51. Background
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52. Control
Order Page
Pop-over
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53. Treatment
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54. Side-by-Side
Control
Treatment
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55. 10.9% Relative Decrease in Revenue Per Visit
The treatment order process received 10.9% less revenue per visit than the control.
Conv. Rate % Rel. Change $$$ / Visit % Rel. Change
Control
.095%
Treatment
.098%
-1.12%
#WebClinic
$1.89
--
$1.68
-10.93%

56. Review
#WebClinic

57. Summary: Putting it all together
F
Key Points
1. The marketer’s goal is not simplicity; the marketer’s goal is clarity. To enable clarity as it
relates to the prospect’s understanding of the marketer’s offer, focus on three types of
page template adjustments:
•
•
•
The number of conversion paths
The availability of subheadlines and headers for instructional guidance
The sequence of content
2. As the sale moves in stages, the marketer must match the message to the stage. Achieve
this by aligning copy of each competing section with:
•
•
Different stages in the buying cycle
Relevant, distinguishable categories of interest
#WebClinic

58. Templates for Multiple Customers
Page Templates that Work
Published July 5, 2013
http://www.marketingexperiments.com/site-optimization/page-templates-that-work.html
#WebClinic

59. See how you can conduct research with us…
MECLABS conducts rigorous experiments in the new science of optimization. We apply our
discoveries to help leaders optimize the financial performance of their sales and
marketing programs.
Learn more about how you may
be a fit for a MECLABS research
partnership:
• Select Research Partnership
Opportunities on the postwebinar survey
• Contact us directly
info@MECLABS.com
1-877-635-0565
x
#WebClinic

60. Live Optimization

61. EMAIL AWARDS
Winners Announced
MECLABS.com/EmailAwards
#WebClinic

62. Live Optimization
CVCheck
Primary Audience: Individuals and HR managers
Primary Objective: Sell background checks
http://bit.ly/1h0hl4n
#WebClinic

63. Live Optimization
Sherman College
Primary Audience: Sherman College students and
alumni
Primary Objective: Send visitors to proper area
http://bit.ly/16n2Wgl
#WebClinic