A Cup of Coffee to Increasing Conversions

Powered by MECLabs, MarketingSherpa is a research firm that tracks what works – and what doesn’t work – in all aspects of marketing. After conducting extensive tests and experiments, they publish the results free of charge for the marketing community at large.

Basically, they are today’s online marketing bible.

Image versus copy

Recently, the highly entertaining team, led by Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, Managing Director at MECLabs, disclosed findings related to web/landing pages. The “Image vs. Copy” clinic was presented to more than two thousand people – including experts with decades of experience and bright-eyed newbies. I left with several takeaways worth mentioning.

The success of single person shops and corporate giants alike is grounded in solid branding, marketing and advertising techniques. And, today more than ever, building high-conversion web/landing pages is a critical component in the overall marketing strategy.

The ultimate goal is to present a web/landing page with a combination of images and copy that answer this single question:

“If I am your ideal customer, why should I purchase your product over any of your competitors?”

Dr. McGlaughlin explained that every element on a landing page must sell something – that each element must communicate what the viewer will get.

He further explained that the effectiveness of any given web/landing page depends on it’s ability to communicate value with force and precision.

Images communicate value with the most force, while copy communicates value with the most precision. Therefore, it’s critical to find the balance between both image and copy on the page. In fact, finding the right balance between images and copy on a web/landing page led to a 29% increase in conversions for the MarketingSherpa team.

Images themselves must sell. That’s why it’s time to say good-bye to the stock photos of a handshake coming out of a computer and the over-done hero shot – these images don’t communicate anything to the audience. In fact, they distract from the critical message.

Dr. McGlaughlin gave listeners three key points for choosing images that communicate value with the most force:

The force of an image increases as the connection between the image and the perceived value becomes clearer. Therefore, marketers must choose images that have a direct implication of value for the actual product or service. For instance, to increase image relevance, marketers should stop using random stock images that communicate little to no value about the offer. Ask yourself this: How connected is the image to the value?
The force of an image increases with its authenticity. Images can bring a realism that reduces the “virtual distance” between an offer’s value and the recipient’s perception of that value. Therefore, choose images that help the visitor see and touch the core value of the product. For instance, showing a family enjoying a roller coaster can provide tangible reality to the purchase of amusement park tickets. Ask yourself this: How much authenticity does the image bring to the value?
The force of an image increases as its relative graphical proportion increases. Used properly, images should draw the natural eye-path of the visitor and thus bring more force to the value communicated by the image. Image weight must be used sparingly, as too many competing graphical elements will only confuse the visitor. Ask yourself this: What is the graphical weight of the image? Why?

When it comes to copy, McGlaughlin explained that less copy – not more – actually increased conversion rates. But only when two things occurred:

When the copy included specific, quantifiable details. (Ask yourself this: Does my copy utilize qualitative or quantitative language?)
When the copy included a tone that matched the visitor’s motivations. (Ask yourself this: How does my choice of words match the motivations of my visitors?)

Finding the right balance between images and copy will transform your marketing efforts–imagine making a few small changes that could result in 30% more meetings, consultations or opportunities to quote on a job.

Remember, when creating any marketing material, look at it objectively and answer this question: