Speaker: Kati Davis

What is a conversion? 

  • a desired action a user can complete through yoru site that allows you to capture some data about them
  • indicates how often your visitors felt compelled to give you some information about themselves in return for something of value that you offer

What is conversion optimization? 

  • conversion optimization aims to increase the amount of conversions your site generates

What is this important to higher ed? 

  • your site is a relationship-building tool, not a brochure (Karlyn’s note: i’m not sure i entirely buy this…sometimes people do go to your site just looking for information)
  • driving traffice is only half of the equation
  • limited resources require getting the most out of your budget
  • testing eliminates internal debates because you let the site visitor decide what works best.
  • 85 percent of traditional-age students use the web as their main (and increasingly only) source of information.

Higher Ed Conversion Examples

  • Who are you trying to reach? 
  • What can you provide that offers value to a prospective student? 

Marketers who consistently test and tweak their landing pages see an average lift of 40%

Six Essential Elements Affecting Landing Pages

  1. Friction caused by elements on the page that require a prospect to do extra work
  2. Incentives 
  3. Vistor Motivation Level and Type
  4. Value Proposition - how quickly can you convey the value you’re providing? 
  5. Anxiety
  6. Credibility Indicators

Source: Marketing Experiments Journal

21 Optimization Tips

  1. Do not send leads to your home page - create a targeted landing page for each specific purpose with one strong call-to-action
  2. Identify your top entry and most visited pages and determine why they are valuable to your visitors
  3. Keep the page simple - use white space and remove navigation; MySpace Generation less exposed to online advertising clutter than their parents (Karlyn’s note: also not sure I buy this - i’m all for keeping the page simple, but why remove navigation?  also right now MySpace is all about clutter)
  4. Use the keyword on the page: is this page relevant to me?  Adding a dynamic “you searched for xxx on Google” resulted in a 48% life in conversions, plus a higher average order value.
  5. Strategically use pictures to create clarity and trust (hero shot of people in the program, people on campus, sample of packet)
  6. It’s like dating - don’t ask unnecessary questions: weight quantity versus quality; 42% of marketers say they have too many form fields on their pages.  you can followup with additional questions later.
  7. Make the form appear physically shorter; this is less likely to frustrate the impatient, fact-paced visitor.
  8. Clearly state what will happen when the users fills out the form - is it a packet? a phone call?
  9. Be clear about which fields are required in addition to an asterisk - change text color or use bold.
  10. Perform a usability test on the form with a friend or coworker.
  11. Make your thank you page work for you.  Up to 40% of prospects say they are willing to share additional information after they convert. 
  12. Make the button graphically appealing (colors, shading, size)
  13. Send a follow up email to confirm that you received their request or download a PDF (confirms visitor’s email address)
  14. Find other ways to connect, like online chat.  Offline conversions with an online only 800 number. People may not be willing to convert right then and there, but they may be willing to ask you a question.
  15. Indicate how the information provided will be used  are you going to sell it?
  16. Allow the user to opt-in to other newsletters or to be contacted by an admissions rep. 
  17. Focus on effective copy.  use second person (you and your); bullet points highlighting key benefits; avoid jargon
  18. State the most important ideas at the beginning and the end (not the middle)
  19. Track it - assign a source code to lead (the more specific, the better, focus area, ad group)
  20. Test everything - marketing is all about testing what works.
  21. Look for inspiration outside of higher education.

Tools and Resources