For some reason, we’ve reduced “conversion” to hateful visitor’s opting inwards to an e-mail listing or buying products from specific pages. Why? Isn’t a “conversion” when your visitor takes whatever desired activity on your site? Wouldn’t that hateful “sharing” or “leaving a comment” could also live considered a conversion inwards improver to subscribing in addition to buying things? We are told, “every page is a landing page.” We are also told to pattern landing pages to live unique amongst a unmarried intention… yet nosotros forcefulness content into our blogs thence that it all looks & feels identical.
As it is correct now, I write a post in addition to promise that people acquire out comments. I promise that people share, but without whatever subtle pattern cues that at that spot is a preferred activity - pattern wise, my spider web log posts lack purpose. On the verge of a website redesign, these are the thoughts in addition to questions that maintain me upward at night.
Not wanting to invest thousands into evolution without testing my pattern theories, I’m using landing pages to assay spider web log designs that are focused on each conversion type. That way, when it is fourth dimension to invest inwards a novel blog, I’ll know precisely what’ll piece of work best.
The Four Types Of Content Marketing
To sympathise my pattern philosophies, you lot should firstly sympathise how I write. First in addition to foremost, I am a content marketer. But I’m non ane of those “Know, Trust & Like” content marketers. Marketing – at it’s inwardness – is nigh testing creative, mensuration results, iterating on successes & learning from your failures. Being trust worty in addition to honest inwards your creative are useful tools, but they’re non the cease goal.
No analytics platform I tin recall of allows you lot to mensurate the amount of “Know” acquired from a slice of content. However, what nosotros tin mensurate are the following:
1. Social Shares – (Viral Content)
2. Comments – (Discussion Content)
3. Email Optins – (Lead Content)
4. Sales – (Sales Content)
Since I’ve started focusing my content to encounter ane of these iv conversion goals, I’ve experienced a meaning elevator for the desired conversion. This is probable because each content type also corresponds amongst dissimilar aspects of the marketing funnel.
• Viral = Awareness
• Discussion = Consideration
• Leads = Conversion
• Sales = Loyalty
Using this framework tin assist you lot prepare quantifiable success metrics around nearly every slice of content you lot create, helping you lot acquire a amend “content marketer.”
Incorporating these principles into pattern (rather than merely focusing on the writing) takes this framework a measure farther in addition to bakes intention into nearly aspect of your site, non merely on the pages meant to acquire leads in addition to customers.
DESIGNING FOR VIRAL CONTENT
If I engineer a slice of content to acquire shared, why should I visually bundle it the same every bit every other slice on the blog? Shouldn’t at that spot live a slightly stronger emphasis on social sharing in addition to does pattern play a role inwards that? Expanding attain is important, thence yesteryear having the visual packaging of that content exercise that for me maximizes my promo efforts. As an illustration of this inwards action, here’s “4 Facebook Advertising Techniques Every Marketer Should Know.” This page is pure, actionable information, but it doesn’t acquire out a whole lot of room for conversation beyond “Great Post!”. Instead, it’s soul run is to live shared, thence I wanted to comprise pattern elements emphasize that point. Custom calls to activity at the bottom of every article The most blatant illustration of this is when you lot attain the bottom of the article. Rather than utilization the same “sign upward for updates” e-mail opt in, I’ve included a customized telephone telephone to activity for the article to live shared.
It’s of import to banking venture complaint that amongst each “viral” piece, this telephone telephone to activity expanse volition live customized to intermission expectations & trim “ad blindness” Micro-shares embedded throughout the content. Understanding that the spider web is becoming to a greater extent than in addition to to a greater extent than visual, useful screenshots, infographics, in addition to video contain part buttons amongst micro calls to action. For instance, here’s a screenshot from the “How to Target C-Suite Executives” department from the Facebook Advertising article I was talking nigh earlier.
Instead of relying on whatever icon you lot pose at the starting fourth dimension of an article, why non allow all of of the images piece of work together every bit a promotional team? This is constituent of how “Growth Hacker” Dao Nguyen has grown Buzzfeed & how other increment hackers withdraw hold accelerate some really pop ventures. If you lot wanted to brand images easily sharable on your ain blog, you lot could utilization a service similar Marker.ly to brand that plough over almost correct away.
Oh, ane to a greater extent than thing:
Y U No Let Me Comment?!
Something else, which may seem counter intuitive, is that I purposefully did non include comments at the bottom of the article. This is for a few reasons. First, the run of this article is to live shared in addition to to inform, non line comments (most of which would live “Great post!” anyways). Second, from what I’ve experienced, at that spot is a sure as shooting grade of attrition that happens amongst spider web log comments. Conversation doesn’t maintain forever in addition to there’s a sure as shooting “late to the party” vibe that comes from seeing former comments if you’re visiting a spider web log for the firstly time. With this sort of content, it merely makes sense to acquire rid of them all together. I would much rather focus on having that slice of content spread, than splitting the viewer’s attention. But, merely inwards instance someone does want to inquire a question, or give another shape of feedback, at that spot is a subtle “If you lot withdraw hold whatever questions, e-mail me” link before the master copy telephone telephone to action.
WHAT I’M TESTING
Of course, similar amongst whatever landing page, this volition live an ongoing testing process. Being ane individual on a express budget, this is why I’m using Unbounce to assay & tweak until I know what plant best. That way, when I hire a developer to fully code the blog, I’ll already know what I’ll withdraw to bake into the site to cash inwards one's chips far grow without my assistance. With the telephone telephone to activity at the bottom of the post, I’ll live testing novel push images every bit good every bit including “Share yesteryear email” “Grab link” “Stumble” & “Reddit” links. With embedded images, I’ll assay adding additional icon heavy social networks similar Pinterst & Tumblr to the part options, every bit good where I seat the buttons on the image. I also assay adding part buttons to light-boxed images to see if that makes whatever improvement inwards the virility of that icon content.
I may also experiment yesteryear adding a triggered light-box when the visitor gets to the bottom of the article, similar to what Upworthy does when a video ends.
DESIGNING FOR DISCUSSION CONTENT
On the other hand, nosotros withdraw hold Discussion Content. Discussion content is meant to live thought provoking, inspiring, bewildering, whatever. The primary indicate of this type of content is of course of didactics start a conversation. Something I believe is broken amongst the typical spider web log is that you lot must scroll to the bottom of the post to acquire out a comment. When I read a thought-provoking article, it’s private lines or thoughts that compel me to comment, non the article every bit a whole. But to comment on a unmarried line, I withdraw hold to highlight the line, scroll down, paste, acquire out my thoughts, click submit, hold off for the page to reload, in addition to then honor where I left off. How incredibly distracting. I’m non the only ane who believes this is a work either. Forward thinking websites similar Medium utilization a commenting organisation that allows visitors to acquire out their thoughts on private paragraphs.
Filament.io (Digital Telepathy‘s incubator) is also working on a projection called “Highlite” that proposes to pose comments on the side.
Both of these are perfectly feasible solutions, however, personally, I believe commenting on private paragraphs is overkill, in addition to piece I actually similar what “Highlite” is doing amongst their sidebar conversation, I wishing their comments used persistent navigation techniques.
With the tidings content on my site, I’m doing merely that. As you lot scroll downwardly the page, the comment box floats on the sidebar in addition to follows you lot every bit you lot scroll downwardly the screen.
My hypothesis is that yesteryear having the comment box live persistent, the visitor tin speedily reply to snippets inside the article, without having to live completely taken away from it. You mightiness also imagine this volition improve the overall fourth dimension on site for these pages, because at that spot volition essentially live 2 conversations happening, the ane I spark amongst the article, in addition to the ongoing ane visitors withdraw hold amongst each other on the sidebar.
WHAT I’M TESTING
Though these pages aren’t fully alive yet, I’ll assay seeing if the sharing of these pages goes upward yesteryear adding social icons straight to a higher house the comment box. Because Facebook’s comment box already allows for optional publishing to the social network, I’ll live interested to consider if adding Twitter, Google+ in addition to Reddit buttons volition extend the conversation. Also, inwards separate assay versions of this page, I’ll live using dissimilar comment systems, similar Disqus & Livefyre to create upward one's hear which (if any) volition drive amend conversation.
WHAT ALL THIS MEANS TO YOU
So, you’ve sat hither in addition to read all nigh what I’m doing, but what does this hateful for you?
1. Start thinking nigh ways your existing website tin start working amongst you.Whether it’s using Markerly, embedding tweets, polite light-boxing, or something else solely – give your spider web log a constituent beyond merely existence criterion packaging for everything you lot produce.
2. Even if you’re non putting your comments on the sidebar, you lot recognize the divergence betwixt content intended to live shared in addition to content meant to live discussed. Stop trying to create content that tries to exercise everything all at once. This concept lone tin assist you lot focus on how you lot create amend content, in addition to tin improve your presence overall.
3. Everything is a test. If you’re on a budget, in addition to don’t withdraw hold an on telephone telephone developer, it’s amend perform tests inwards flexible, lower run a peril environs (like Unbounce) before investing several thousands of dollars on development, which may non live fully optimized.
Once you lot acquire the budget, withdraw hold the best elements from those tests, in addition to piece of work them into the lastly design. But for the dearest of Pete, don’t cash inwards one's chips into evolution without having information to dorsum upward your novel pattern choices. Other than that, I’d dearest to acquire your thoughts on everything we’ve discussed here, in addition to how else it could all piece of work for you. Any ideas or comments on how you lot tin ramp-up your site yesteryear testing your spider web log design? Are at that spot things inwards hither that you’re already doing, or exercise you lot recall I’m merely total of crap?
Sound off inwards the comments below, in addition to lets consider if nosotros tin start making a amend meshwork together.
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