Marketers are projected to spend over $67 BILLION in digital campaigns by the end of 2016…WOW. With that type of spending, there are seemingly no limits to driving traffic to your site. But, how do we take these visitors and better convert them in the rapidly evolving digital landscape? It’s time to re-think the traditional view of the conversion funnel: - Why every door into your website can lead to important conversion insights. - Better leveraging data to pinpoint weak spots of your website. - Proven testing tactics that can help you drive more conversions!

1. Get the Most out of Your Traffic: Smart Strategies
to Increase On-Site Conversion
@pdrama1
Pedram Farsaii

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Before We Get Down To Business…
Let’s make some friends

3. $67 Billion

4. To Put It In Perspective
The President of the United States
has an annual salary of $400,000
$67B ÷ $400,000 = 167,500

5. To Put It In Perspective
$60B$59B$51B
< $67B

6. To Put It In Perspective
Let’s say you could spend $20 every second.
$1B would take 578 days to spend.
$67B would take 38,726 days to spend or a
little over 106 years.

7. To Put It In Perspective

8. $49.60
$58.12
$67.09
$75.44
$84.44
$93.70
$-
$10.00
$20.00
$30.00
$40.00
$50.00
$60.00
$70.00
$80.00
$90.00
$100.00
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Billions
US Digital Ad Spend Trend & Projection

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So What?
We as marketers, business people and owners put all this awesome
hard work into our Digital Marketing Efforts.
Digital
Marketing
Social
Media
Analytics
Design
Mobile
Strategy

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Here’s What I’d Like To Accomplish Today
Share a few strategies and personal experiences I use
actively and hopefully help you go back to work a HERO.

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Which Brings Me To My Main Point
How can we get the most out of this traffic to convert
more business?
I. Challenge: Re-Think Your Funnel
II. Find Your Site Weaknesses (and strengthen them!)
III. Keep Track Of Key Metrics

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Re-Think Your Funnel

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A Little About Me
- Digital marketer for nearly ten years
- Currently work on the front lines of The Washington Post’s digital acquisition
strategy.... i.e., how can we get more digital subscribers (and keep them)?
- Worked with multiple brand names:

14. Anything going on at The Washington Post?
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In case, of course, you were wondering why digital marketing is a big push now…

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0
10
20
30
40
50
60
MillionsofUniqueVisitors
Unique Visitors to Washington Post
Source: Comscore Digital Universe
Our Digital Focus Seems To Be Paying Off
Content is (and probably always will remain to be) KING! We’re focused on creating
interesting, engaging content for readers nationwide while maintaining the
journalistic standards that have driven the Washington Post for the past 125 years.

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Understanding Your Funnel
What Is A Purchasing Funnel?
Starts with visitors and ends with customers
www.yourwebsite.com
Visitors coming into your site
by whatever means (direct,
search, referral, etc)
Winning – marketing success
and sales come out

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Re-Think Your Funnel
What Is A Purchasing Funnel?
Starts with visitors and ends with customers
www.yourwebsite.com
Visitors coming into your site
by whatever means (direct,
search, referral, etc)
Winning – marketing success
and sales come out

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The Traditional Top-Down Approach

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Traffic Is Coming From Everywhere

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Find Your Sweet Spot For Conversion
Pay Most Attention To Users Who Have Already Shown Intent

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Find Your Sweet Spot For Conversion
- Because traffic is generated from various sources/campaigns, visitors coming in
the front door aren’t the only ones to pay attention to.
- In order to optimize your (re)marketing dollars, run tests to validate your
hypotheses about your visitors and then spend on the highest converters.

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Real-Life Example 1: Testing A Hypothesis
Hypothesis: In order to generate more subscriptions, remarketing $$
are not better spent targeting visitors across every step of the funnel
Top of the Funnel Readers Registered Readers Engaged Readers Purchase Abandoners
Test: 4 separate buckets of readers based on engagement

23. 17x’s more likely to
purchase a subscription
Real-Life Example 1: Testing A Hypothesis
Engaged Readers Purchase Abandoners

24. Real-Life Example 1: Testing A Hypothesis
Engaged Readers Purchase Abandoners
Do not bucket users all the same way,
otherwise your marketing dollars could very
well be wasted. Target the most engaged
and/or push methods to get users more
engaged.
Key Takeaway

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So you’ve re-thought your funnel and
tested a few hypotheses…now what?

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Find Your Site’s Weak Spots

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A/B Testing…Your Data Awaits
Every door into your website should be measured!

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Real Life Example 2
Multi-Channel Funnel Path To Conversion Report
Step 1: Where are our most valuable customers coming from?

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Real Life Example 2: Learning Tree
Behavior Flow Report – Google Analytics
Step 2: How do these valuable segments flow through our site?
Step 3: Implement tests at drop off points to support conversion!

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Real Life Example 2: Learning Tree

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Real Life Example 2: Learning Tree
35% increase in online
enrollment conversion rate

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Real Life Example 3: Washington Post
Three Step Shopping Cart:
1. Product Selection
(Shown)
2. Sign-In (Not Shown)
3. Payment (Not Shown)

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• Google Analytics Behavior Flow Reporting
Real Life Example 3: Washington Post
- Data shows large drop off
on product selection page
- Good place to start testing

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Real Life Example 3: Washington Post
VS.
VS.

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New, lower price and new headline decreased
conversion by 35% compared to default
Real Life Example 3: Washington Post

36. • Description: 50% of users on acquisition who attempt to abandon the product
selection page will see this pop-up offer.
Real Life Example 4: Washington Post

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Overlay increased conversion by
10% compared to default
Real Life Example 4: Washington Post

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Keep Track of Key Metrics
& Have A Testing Roadmap

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Inside Scoop
• Did you know:
• The Washington Post’s mobile traffic outpaces desktop traffic by nearly
50%
• But, the majority of paid subscribers convert on Desktop

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Inside Scoop
• Did you know:
• The Washington Post’s mobile traffic outpaces desktop traffic by nearly
50%.
• But, the majority of paid subscribers convert on Desktop.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR MARKETING IS DOING?

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Data To Track - KPIs
There are a plethora of data points that should be tracked in order to
monitor effectiveness. These include but are not limited to:
ROI based on segmented traffic
Organic traffic search numbers and % shares, both YoY and MoM
Top paid & organic keywords/remarketing content driving clicks & conversions – both
branded and non-branded where available
Top referring domains that drive conversions
Top social domains that drive conversions
Percent of conversions & traffic on desktop vs. mobile
Conversions & viewed content by location
Most frequented pieces of content
Pages and keywords with high bounce rate
Author statistics
Internal search requests and metrics
Take rate

42. Visualize Your Data Per Channel
Example Purchasing Funnel For Social
10,000
1,000
10
10% Take Rate
.1%
- Is this an acceptable conversion rate for you?
- Is this particular channel performing how it should?
- Where is the drop off and how can I test to optimize each step
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

43. Create A Testing Roadmap
What To Test Where When Success Metric Result
Button Color Checkout Page Oct 1, 2014 Take Rate 10% Lift
Headline Home Page Nov 1, 2015 Conversion Rate TBD
Social Proof Home Page Dec 1, 2015 Take Rate TBD
Short Form Email Sign Up Jan 1, 2016 Email Signup TBD
“Buy” vs. “Get” Checkout Page Feb 1, 2015 Conversion Rate TBD
Having a plan will keep you disciplined and
on track. Trust me, it’s easy to get distracted.

44. Summary
I. Re-Think Your Funnel – Traffic
Comes from Everywhere!
II. Find your Site’s Weaknesses.
III. Pay Attention To What’s Going
On – Keep Track Of Metrics
and Have a Testing Roadmap.

45. Summary
I. Re-Think Your Funnel – Traffic
Comes from Everywhere!
II. Find your Site’s Weaknesses.
III. Pay Attention To What’s Going
On – Keep Track Of Metrics
and Have a Testing Roadmap.

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Always Be Testing
• Each easy to use and cost effective tools
that allow you manipulate specific items
of your page
• You can measure success however you like
(conversions, visits, clicks etc)
• The tool will spit out a statistical
confidence level and a winner over a set
period of time as to which experience
(your A or B) pushed a user to conversion