Convert by Relating to Customer Context over Feature Functionality
Company: Hallmark Labs
Product: eCards Web
Project: Feeln UPsell A/B/C Test
Opportunity
Hallmark’s eCards product had been around for almost 15 years before Feeln (now Hallmark Movies Now) launched, so its user base was significantly larger. As the new kid on the block, Feeln wanted a piece of that pie so the marketing department created an upsell overlay that appeared post-registration for all new eCards subscribers.
I wish I could look back and say “Oh, this was 2014; display advertising/upsell best practices were only in their infancy.” Well, no, they were not. I had just spent 2 years learning about which design characteristics produced results from James Green and the sophisticated marketing team at Spark Networks. So luckily for me I had a built-in success story for my first project at my new job. Score!
Original Feeln Upsell Post eCards Subscription - Control Version A
Solution
This project was a marketing baby so I let them have their way with Version B, in the A/B/C test. The following points mostly reflect the changes I instituted for Version C.
Version B, “TV and Devices.”
Version C, “Family on Couch”
A proper, declarative CTA
Beyond the most obvious problem of the Opt-In CTA appearing as a footnote under the chaotic mess of information above it, it lacked being a focal point within the composition AND it was a button designed just as prominently as the Opt-Out. We created a focal point around the button with its placement, size and color. That was the first easy fix.
A simple message and a simple design
In the scenario of presenting an overlay after someone has gone the length of filling out registration information and providing a payment method, we can assume that the intention of sending an eCard is very, very high. So you have brief seconds to convey a message that will communicate what the offer is and what you are asking the user to do.
In the original version, we see:
colliding logos demonstrating multiple brands,
lots of text to read and redundant messaging within that copy,
and a cluttered composition forcing a user’s eyes to spiral around in chaos.
In the Version C:
we created a cleaner visual hierarchy of text and imagery. You see the Feeln (a lesser known brand) logo as inverse in the footer, heralding the highly recognizable Hallmark Hall of Fame in the upper right corner.
we chose an image of the family that had more depth of field which allowed more space to let the message come through.
the “why” to buy enveloped the “what” that was being sold
Relatable imagery and copy that spoke to the context of the user
The Hallmark brand is one that exudes a kindredness within family and friends. It’s about expressing appreciation for relationships, period. An eCards customer’s main proposition is to remind someone that they care about, that they are thinking of them.
I pushed to remove the device imagery in Version C and appeal to a customer’s emotional context by encouraging them to imagine watching a Hallmark movie with their loved ones. The CMO, a male, didn’t get this. I chuckle at the cliche: “Men and their devices.” Women were mostly the ones sending eCards. They didn’t care about the plentitude of where they could watch a video. They cared about the quality time they could spend watching that video, relating to their lives.
Feeln UpSell Optimizely Stats
Vindicia One-Click Sign Ups
Result
Version C, “Family on Couch,” improved click-through rates by 213% over the Control Version A, and was 31% more effective than Version B, “TV and Devices.” This ultimately resulted in raising Feeln Free Trial Sign Ups from an average of 12 per day, to 35, and an increase in conversion rate of 140%.
Takeaways
Don’t ignore gender
Speak to the brand
Consider customer context and intentions
Follow best display practices
Humanization over technicalities
Composition matters