Matthew Roach, Sanoma (AUS/UK/NL) - Conversion Hotel 2017 - keynote

A 5-step
process to
optimisation
Matthew Roach, November 2017

Have you – as a CRO or marketing professional - ever asked yourself
these questions?
How can I possibly learn all of this?
Even if I learn it – how can I possibly to remember
everything?
That’s a great idea/tip – but how will I remember
that when I need it?
So many things to be done – where to start?
What do I test now?
Can I optimise this business/campaign? I’ve not
done this type before
How do all these different types of research &
analysis fit together?
Forgot to do that first – is my analysis now invalid?
We have all the skills – why are we not making
much of an impact?
Optimisation is hard – why didn’t I choose an
easier career than this?

§ Matthew Roach, Director of Optimization (CRO), Data Science & Analytics
§ Sanoma Revenue of €1.6B
§ Dominant market positions in Holland, Belgium & Finland: TV, news & magazines (print/digital),
classifieds, ecommerce, price comparison, affiliate models
§ My background: Sanoma 3 years , before that own start-up 4 years
§ ‘Defend & Deny’ culture + politics + bureaucracy + resistance to change + legacy
§ Meeting with CEO Susan Duinhoven, September 2015
Introduction and setting the context…
I needed a process!

.
.
.
.
.1
2
3
4
5
• Price
• Hooks & Triggers*
• Personalization & Recommendations
• Psychology (Cialdini)
• Accessibility
• Works all screen sizes
• Page load speeds
• Bugs
• Layout & flow
• Visual styling
• IA & Navigation
• Copy & CTAs
• Technical analysis
• SEO technical audit
KEY ELEMENTS TASKS & ANALYSIS
• Data Science review
• Heuristic analysis
• Benchmarking
• Qualitative analysis:
o Customer interviews & feedback
o Usability testing
o Surveys & Heatmaps
• Quantitative analysis:
o Web analytics review
o Card sorting & TreeJack
*Hooks & Triggers = newsletters, alerts, community forums, loyalty etc.
Functional
Usable &
Intuitive
Persuasive
Optimization Pyramid: a 5 step process
GrowX3

.
.
.
.
.1
2
3
4
5
• Price
• Hooks & Triggers
• Accessibility
• Bugs
• Layout & flow
• Visual styling
• IA & Navigation
• Copy & CTAs
• Benchmarking
o Usability testing
Functional
Usable &
Intuitive
Persuasive
Optimization Pyramid: a 5 step process
Eisenberg’s ‘Hierarchy
of Conversions’
Conversion XL’s ‘Research
XL’ framework
GrowX3

Before you even start any process – you must define your goals
Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
.
.1
2
3
4
5
Product & Conversion Goals GrowX3

GrowX3
Step 1: Creating a product that customers actually want
Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
.
Product Customer Fit1
2
3
4
5
• SEO keywords
• Lean Design & Customer journeys
• Unique Value Proposition
• Customer motivations & needs
• Keyword analysis
• Design sprints & prototyping
• Value Proposition Canvas
• Customer interviews, Surveys, Cluster
analysis
Product & Conversion Goals

“If I had asked people what they
wanted, they would have said faster
horses.”
Henry Ford?

§ Uber did not kill the taxi industry > it did it to itself by not meeting customers needs (no
money, not knowing how long to wait, not enough taxis)
§ Amazon did not kill the retail industry > it did it to itself with bad customer service
§ Spotify did not kill the music industry > It did it to itself by forcing people to buy full length
albums
§ AirBnB did not kill the hotel industry > It did it to itself with limited availability & pricing
options
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/amazon-did-kill-retail-industry-alberto-brea
Alberto Brea, Executive Director OgilvyOne Worldwide
Disruption happens when competitors meet customer needs better..
In a connected global marketplace where competitors are one
click away – everyone is being disrupted

Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
.
2
3
4
5
• SEO keywords
analysis

Value proposition canvas: map needs to product/service
Any new feature, benefit or design change should be ruthlessly assessed
against the personas and this value proposition canvas.

NU’s ‘News Needs’ model*
Stay updated Apply the News
Experience &
Entertainment
Informed Opinion
ActivePassive
Fast
Slow
• Motivations creates needs
• When we understand the
customer need, we understand
what product/service or
specific feature/function to offer
them
• Digital strategy should
frame/limit the needs to be met
• CROs can then focus on and
optimize to those specific
needs
59% 14%
12% 15%
*Adapted from NOS News need model

Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
.
2
3
4
5
• SEO keywords
• Lean Design & Customer Journeys
analysis

As Mary Meeker points out, leading digital companies are hiring more
designers…
https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/31/here-are-some-reasons-behind-techs-design-shortage/
Lean Design is optimisation before something is even built
From ‘Internet Trends’ by Mary Meeker

Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
.
2
3
4
5
• SEO keywords
• Lean Design & Customer Journeys
analysis
MVP ready for launch!

Step 2: Getting Data & Analytics right to accurately measure impact
Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
Data & Analytics
2
3
4
5
• SEO keywords
analysis
• DataAsset review
• Customer Journey Funnels set-up
• Analytics health check
• KPI trees & Drivers
• DataAsset
• Customer Journey Funnels
• Analytical tools & set-up
• KPIs
GrowX3

Break goals down into ‘foundation KPIs’ and understand drivers.
Example: Video Ad Revenue
Video ad revenue /
page view
CPM per ad
Ads viewed /
page view
% video plays
with ads
Number of video
plays / page view
First video
clicks %
Number of
videos / page
Follow on
video clicks %
# ads per
video
CTR
% Ad
completion
Video ad revenue
Foundation KPI
# page views
# Page
views/visit
# New users
(Acquisition)
# visits
# Returning
users
(Retention)
%
returning
Bounce rate
Return
frequency
Continued
Continued

Create KPI a dashboard
North Star metric
REVENUE
(CONVERSIONS)
RETENTION
• Return frequency
• % returning users
• # returns from
Newsletters
• # sign ups
• # subscribers
• Delivery rate
• Open rate
• CTR
• # returns from Alerts
• # sign ups
• # subscribers
• CTR
• # returns from Social
posts
• # followers
• CTR
• Total revenue
• Display Ad revenue
• CTR
• # ads per page
• Fill rate
• Viewability
• Video Ad revenue
• Streamstarts
• Follow on views
• Ad completion
• # videos per page
• % Videos with ads
• Branded content revenue
• # clicks
REFERRAL
• # social shares
• # retweets
ACQUISTION
• Organic
• # new visitors
• SEPR
• App installs
PRODUCT
(ENGAGEMENT)
• Minutes per week
• # visits per week
• Page views/visit
• Article views/visit
• Number of days/wk
visited
• Visit duration
• Adj. Bounce rate
• Time to page interactivity
• Page load success
• % Ads per page
• # searches
• Sanoma Account
• # sign ups
• Sign up % success
• Sign in % success
• % logged in sessions

NU.nl unable to measure accurately or easily view ~50% of these KPIs
REVENUE
(CONVERSIONS)
RETENTION
• Return frequency
• % returning users
• # returns from
Newsletters
• # sign ups
• # subscribers
• Delivery rate
• Open rate
• CTR
• # returns from Alerts
• # sign ups
• # subscribers
• CTR
• # returns from Social
posts
• # followers
• CTR
• Total revenue
• Display Ad revenue
• CTR
• # ads per page
• Fill rate
• Viewability
• Video Ad revenue
• Streamstarts
• Follow on views
• Ad completion
• # videos per page
• % Videos with ads
• Branded content revenue
• # clicks
REFERRAL
• # social shares
• # retweets
ACQUISTION
• Organic
• # new visitors
• SEPR
• App installs
PRODUCT
(ENGAGEMENT)
• Minutes per week
• # visits per week
• Page views/visit
• Article views/visit
• Number of days/wk
visited
• Visit duration
• Adj. Bounce rate
• Time to page
interactivity
• Page load success
• % Ads per page
• Account sign ups
• Cannot be measured or not being measured correctly (Web)
• Cannot be measured or not being measured correctly (All)
North Star metric

Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
Data & Analytics
2
3
4
5
Optimization Pyramid 1:
• Price
• Accessibility
• Bugs
• Layout & flow
• Visual styling
• IA & Navigation
• Copy & CTAs
• SEO keywords
analysis
• Retention curve analysis• Retention & Aha moment
• Benchmarking
o Usability testing
for Product and Conversions
Product Market Goals Fit
• DataAsset
• KPIs
GrowX3

Optimization Pyramid: Acquisition/Marketing
Persuasive
Optimization
(of 5Ps)
Delivery
Data & Analytics
Campaign Customer Fit (5Ps)
• Product, promotion, price
• Place (channel)
• Target audience (People)
• Digital attribution
• Campaign tagging
• Analytical tools
• KPIs
• Display speed
• Email delivery rates
• Automated social posting
• Channel/platform optimization
• Price optimization
• Promotion optimization
• Target audience optimization
• Personalization
• Landing page optimization
• Channel selection matrix
• Segmentation analysis
• Motivation/needs personas
• Attribution models & testing
• Measurement plan
• KPI trees & drivers
o Campaign analytics
review
o Customer interviews
o Surveys
Marketing Goals
Marketing goals achieved for +ve ROAS
1
2
3
4
5
• Cost per Action (CPA) • CPA calc GrowX3

The principals underlying it are always the same… The process
framework works in every situation (so far..)
Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
Data & Analytics
2
3
4
5
Goals
STRATEGY
PLUMBING
OPTIMIZATION

The output from these pyramids research will be a long list of issues
which you prioritize in the usual way
.
Technical
analysis
Heuristic
analysis
Surveys
Mouse
tracking
User testing
Web Analytics
analysis
Retention
brainstorm
Management ideas
SEO review
PPC review
Content
Marketing
brainstorm
Email
Marketing
brainstorm

Completeness: it’s hard to remember everything you need to do1
Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
Data & Analytics
2
3
4
5
• Price
• Accessibility
• Bugs
• Layout & flow
• Visual styling
• IA & Navigation
• Copy & CTAs
• SEO keywords
analysis
• Benchmarking
o Usability testing
• DataAsset
• KPIs

Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
Data & Analytics
2
3
4
5
• Price
• Accessibility
• Bugs
• Layout & flow
• Visual styling
• IA & Navigation
• Copy & CTAs
• SEO keywords
analysis
• Benchmarking
o Usability testing
• DataAsset
• KPIs
The order in which you do things matters…2

‘The Basics’
Sexy stuff
… & the biggest wins are at the bottom2
ILLUSTRATIVE %s
Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
Data & Analytics
2
3
4
5
Hygiene factor
Hygiene factor
+ 30-50% uplifts?
+ 0.5-30% uplifts?
+ 50-1M% uplifts?

Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
Data & Analytics
2
3
4
5
Goals
AB testing is only applicable once reach top layers – there is alot you
can (and should) do before you start testing
3
‘’Just Do Its”
AB testing
AB testing = Optimising
(but is definitely step 1)

Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
Data & Analytics
Product Customer Fit
A structured process allows you to tackle any optimisation challenge:
from an entire company to a single feature
• Run a design sprint (with customers) to iterate
and create MVP(s)
• Do customers actually need a newsletter? How
does it relate to the VPC?
• What are the KPIs (& targets)
• Have the campaign tags been set up correctly?
• How will I measure & report
• Are they being successfully delivered and
rendered?
• Are the links back to the site/app working?
• Nicely designed & laid out: clarity and few
distractions
• Is copy concise and tied to needs/motivations?
• Personalized content & recommendations
• AB testing of subject lines
NEWSLETTER LAUNCH
4
Goals
1
2
3
4
5

Social (Facebook) campaign checklist
PERSUASION
DATA & ANALYTICS
FUNCTIONAL
CAMPAIGN CUSTOMER FIT
(5Ps)
OPTIMIZATION OF 5PS
q What are the campaign goal(s): e.g. Brand awareness, conversions, Lead Gen, etc.
q Metrics/goals aligned with other channels
q Determine your Cost per Action/Acquisition (CPA) or Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
q People: target audience/segment defined (and their CLV)
q Product: product selected for promotion (entire business <>single product)
q Place: platform(s) selected to reach target audience (Facebook)
q Promotion: Initial promotional tactics agreed upon - especially what content for each target audience on each platform
q Price: discounts and offers determined
Marketing Goals
q KPI tree created for each business goal and KPI drivers identified
q Measurement tools implemented and tested as working (including attribution)
q Dashboard created for KPIs within reporting tools
q Attribution tracking set-up for other channels
q Place: compare metrics across platforms (and channels!) and reallocate spend to highest performers
q Promotion: high performing posts are boosted (4 stage process)
q Promotion/People: New or amended custom content/ad variations created for existing or new target audiences
q Promotion: adjust ad placements to highest performers
q Price: test impact of different offers
q Landing pages optimized
q Psychology applied to boost goals
q Delivery execution e.g. Automation of posting
q Identification of bugs (e.g. Facebook ad stats)
1
2
3
4
5
ILLUSTRATIVE

Optimization Pyramid for a Start-up
Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
Data & Analytics
2
3
4
5
• Price
• Accessibility
• Bugs
• Layout & flow
• Visual styling
• IA & Navigation
• Copy & CTAs
• SEO keywords
analysis
• Benchmarking
o Usability testing
• DataAsset
• KPIs

Optimization Pyramid for an established business
Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
Data & Analytics
2
3
4
5
• Price
• Accessibility
• Bugs
• Layout & flow
• Visual styling
• IA & Navigation
• Copy & CTAs
• SEO keywords
analysis
• Benchmarking
o Usability testing
• DataAsset
• KPIs

Management: budget, tools, explanations & accountability5
Persuasive
Usable &
Intuitive
Functional
Data & Analytics
2
3
4
5
• €70K/year
• €10K/year
• €75K/year
• €500/year
• €15K/year
• €10K/year
• CRO
• Hotjar
• VWO
• Interviews & Usability testing
BUDGET NEEDED RESOURCE
• €5K one-off
• €10K one-off
• €45K/year
• €10K one-off
• SEO consulting advice
• Design sprint & designer help
• Customer researcher
• Interviews & Surveys
• Mixpanel• €500/month
• CDM
• GA Premium,AppAnnie
• WebAnalyst
• €10K/year
• €50K/year
• €60K/year
• Data Scientist
• Dynamic Yield
• UrbanAirship
ILLUSTRATIVE

Difference between a good CRO/Marketeer and a great one
Value = (Knowledge + Process) x Skill x Attitude

Tip 1: Create checklists for each element & analysis
*if you don’t use checklists – read the Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

Here’s the Google Analytics one we just completed for NU

Tip 2: Organize your Folders & Bookmarks to match your process

Tip 3: ‘Partner up’ with Conversion XL for refresher courses

Tip 4: Customize and standardized your CRO management tool to align
with your process

Do I have customer product fit? Have I met your needs? Will I get product
market fit?
Aggghh… I’m feeling overwhelmed… how can I
possibly learn all of this?
Even if I learn it – how can I possibly to remember
everything?
That’s a great idea/tip – but how will I remember
that when I need it?
There are so many things to be done – where do I
start?
What do I test now?
Can I optimize this business – I’ve not done this
type before?
How do all these different types of research
analysis fit together?
Oops I forgot to check that first – is my analysis
now invalid?
We have all the skills – why are we not making
much of an impact?
CRO is hard – why didn’t I choose an easier
career than this?

Feedback?
Opportunities at Sanoma
Thanks for listening!
mattroach@mac.com
matt.roach@sanoma.com

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