In the previous lessons we’ve been building up to the point of having your product online and ready to sell. Maybe you’re already selling something online, or maybe you’re still working on it. Either way…
You need to know how to integrate testing into your marketing, otherwise you’re not “really” marketing…
(Watch this video…)
Main points:
– Sales copy
– Landing pages
– Email marketing
– Paid advertisements
ALL 17 of the elements described in lesson #51.
My Priorities:
– Headline
– Deck Copy
– Opening Paragraph
(Everything “above the fold”!)
If visitors are not staying on the page and engaging with your sales letter, then the rest of the page is pointless. That’s why I prioritize testing above the fold.
– Colors. They affect people on a subconscious level, and can really affect your conversion rate.
(See video for my recommendations regarding color testing)
– Video. We all know video is vitally important these days. Test it!
-The Offer
Awhile back, Mike Filsaime did an interview with copywriting legend Gary Halbert, who is now passed away. Gary said that the most important thing to test is “the offer”, and based on my experience I agree with him.
They broke down the offer into four areas that should be tested…
1) What they get
2) How they get it
3) What they pay
4) How they pay for it
1) Google Website Optimizer (A great free tool)
2) Covert Conversion Pro (Affordable stand-alone tracking program. See also Ad Spy Pro for PPC tracking)
2) Affiliate Prophet (What I personally use)
Some of the reasons I prefer Affiliate Prophet include…
-It’s self-hosted (on my own site, instead of google)
-Real time (never a delay in stats)
-The AIDA feature (predicts conversions)
(See video for my demonstration of Affiliate Prophet)
Click Here to Visit Affiliate Prophet…
Action steps:
1) Choose a split testing tool.
2) Create some split tests and start testing. (Or be ready to test as soon as you launch your product)
Don’t make the mistake I made for many years. Choose to think like a marketer, and don’t skip this step!
In the next lesson we’re going to talk about supporting your customers.
As always, you are welcome to post your questions and comments below.
Have a great day!
Eric,
Have you done [of course, you have so!]…a video or series on squeeze pages, autoresponders and all associated ?
Can i get linked to them, please.
How long do you test something you take action on the data?
Do you ever make the test URL the new baseline?
(if the test URL is successful then you are not going to change it )
I SO need this tip/lesson. It is what I do least of and is a very Newbie mistake.
Thanks!
🙂
Hi Eric,
Thanks for this Great Lesson once again.
And there’s another great thing here! Guess what – I’ve yearned for ages to be the first commentator on your lessons, and here’s it – I’m the first commentator – yipppeeeee….!!!
This was one topic I was really looking forward to, and it has really been of immense help. And the options you’ve provided are really affordable.
Thank you once again, and I wish you all the best.
Reed.
great video… one thing I don’t understand is how each visitor gets to index1 or index2. Are you getting them there through different links or does each page load up alternately somehow? And if you are getting them there ( to index1 or index2) through different links then, were that link is coming from could add many other variables than just changing the background color. It seems impossible to me to get good data on the changes you make too, as in this example to index 1 and index2, unless they load alternately. That way, the way a visitor gets to the index page is not a variable. Does this make since?
Hi Eric,
Superb lesson, looking forward to more great stuff. Yes I’ve been a Marketer for quite a number of years now, and the one thing that has tended to be left out, yes, testing. To rejuvenate a marketers interest in this much overlooked subject is like leaving that little pot of gold hiding in the rocks. Great stuff.
All the very best
Marcus DeVries
Awesome video. I’ve been thinking about buying Affiliate Prophet for some time now. Now, I’ll buy it. Thanks.
Eric,
This is an excellent video and a part that many fail to utilize. It’s important to see what the results are for every single thing you do or change online, especially when launching a product or course. I look forward to your future content. Thanks and take care. Patrick
Thank you! I had no idea how to test or even why I should test.
Bob
Eric:
Thank you for the great advise you have given us. I had stopped doing the Internet thing because of not getting anything from it other than how to spend money. After reading and watching some of your tips I am ready to plunge back in as a smarter and wiser IM’r. Thanks again.
Frank
Thanks! Looks like a couple slipped in before you though, I just hadn’t approved them yet 😉
Those are coming up next in the series, starting in lesson #59.
Good questions!
1) It depends on what I’m testing. For almost anything, I test a minimum of 100 visitors per URL. For sites where I’m getting a lot of traffic, I’ll test at least 200-300 visitors. But if you have a site where you’re not getting much traffic, it is possible to do smaller samples with Affiliate Prophet. As with any kind of testing, the larger sample you take, the more accurate your results will be. But I’d rather do a small sample than no testing at all.
2) Yes, I should have mentioned that. The winner of the test becomes my new baseline. If it’s close between two URL’s, I’ll keep them both for awhile longer and throw in a 3rd URL using Aff Proph.
Good question. The testing program takes care of that for you and loads the URL’s alternately, so the traffic is split evenly between them.
Cool!
Thank you so much Eric for your insights. We have just launched a coaching program. Your tips were very timely!
Thanks Eric, as always you are one of the best teachers on the net. God Bless
I sent you pm on digitalpoint forum, please check it, thanks
Eric,
Love this training!
One thing I have often wondered about split testing: Does using the redirect interfere with SEO ranking?
-Don
If you are into IM all tools are better. Especially when suggested by someone like Eric. Thanks for that. I am looking foreward for more videos
Thanks for the video Eric. I am looking foreward for more.
Thank you Eric. A definite eye-opener. I have been guilty of avoiding testing. After viewing this lesson, I wonder why.
Max
I always listen to what great and successful internet marketers have to say. Thank you eric
great product
thanks you for information about LESSON #57: Testing to Improve Your Marketing
Eric
Great post, testing is all too important in terms of feedback and understanding of campaigns and can be the difference between massive success and marginal failure.
Its probably the one area which isnt covered in too much detail (in my experience) which would greatly help newer marketers.
All the best
Tom
Hi Eric , Thank you so……..much for all your lessons…Indeed They are really useful to me as am a beginner in this info marketing niche….plz keep send all your lessons..
Have a Good Day!!!
Hi Eric, thank you so much for your website and ovcourse your lessons. i am a beginner in internet marketing and i know your lessons can help me a lot to improve my internet marketing skills. happy valentines..
Can always count on you for “sound” guidance. Thanks to you, my years of looking has become actual learning. Your down to earth technique had made all the years of my being an “Inet Voyeur” is coming together and actually making sense! I am very close to Taking the Plunge . . . any day now. Mahalo, grazzie, merci, thanks.
Eric
This has really helped a lot as I have a couple of sites which need split testing and not sure how to go about it, They are sites I am using SEO for not PPC.
This leads me to a question:
I’ve used xsitepro to build them, but have made some other changes in cpanel, because I couldn’t get the changes to work with xsp.
As you showed in ‘notepad’ in the video, can I do the same changes, create copy files, index1, 2 etc in the File manager of cpanel, and use the software?
John
Yes you could do that, but be sure to download those changed files back to your PC so you’ve got a backup of them.
A better option would be to learn how to edit those files in notepad offline, or ask XSP support if you’re having particular problem doing what you need to do. You should be able to edit the source code in XSP. But again, another option would be to export the html files to your hard drive from XSP and then edit them in notepad before uploading them.
Eric,
Your lessons are superb, but almost all of them freeze half way through. Very frustrating, just as it gets interesting it stops.
Hi Eric,
Another very informative video… I would not have completed this important task, if it weren’t for this lesson – so thank you. As my money tree is looking a little empty, I think I’ll take the google option
Cheers, Graeme
Please try these solutions:
I’ve been having serious problems with my connection speed. Is there anyway to download these videos so I can view them offline where I don’t have to wait for an hour to watch? Working on getting DSL as cable is getting saturated. Thanks man.
excellent software…..i would like to try.
Owwwwwww…..!!!!….Anyway, BLNTFM – Better Luck Next Time For Me…;-)!!!…Keep Going….You Rock…!!!
Well being a newbie to this site and having followed commision blue prints recomendations to look at erics tips I have found this most usefull. Now a day of study to go through the videos etc. All very usefukll stuff for a newbie like myself. Thanks John
I have been a student of all your lessons since fall 09 when i decieded to try and make some money online. Your lessons have taken me from not knowing a thing to having a couple of websites (one being trading pro system) and although i have had great fun and have learned alot through you and your associates i have been very disheartened that i cannot generate traffic (next to none). My budget is somewhat limited (due to kids in college) so my question and comment is will you be covering any simple methods of traffic generation in your lessons? Thanks for all your help
Split testing in email has been one of my best tests. I didn’t use to split test my email titles but since doing so it has helped me increase my opens about 20-30%.
Hi Eric, your videos/tips are very valuable and rare to find, thank you. I have one question: How could you create ScreenCast CD / DVD, and protect it. What program(s) to use. How do you go about it in general to produce CD/DVD. For example, I want to produce CD/DVD (Tutorial for teaching how to use some software), what is the best approach. (Program/software to protect, to make CD/DVD download when you insert into computer, etc)
Thank you again.
I create my screen capture videos with Camtasia, and it has the ability to export CD and DVD-ready files. You can then burn copies of the CD/DVD right on your computer.
However, if you are making a high volume of sales, or if you would rather keep it “hands off” for you, then I recommend using a fulfillment company.
For a very simple and affordable option I recommend Kunaki – http://kunaki.com/
They can make DVD’s for as cheap as $1 each. They can also fulfill and ship your orders for very low prices.
If you want a company that can product high quality product packaging and more advanced stuff like binders and workbooks, I recommend Corporate Disk, and you can reach them by going to: http://www.disk.com
Thanks, and yes I will be specifically covering traffic generation in-depth throughout several lessons.
I will be making a download membership area, as well as DVD’s after I complete the lessons.
Eric,
Thanks for great lesson. A couple of questions.
1) for affiliate site: we need to put the code on “conversion page”, that means we need to send the code to the affiliate manager. Is that right?
Now from Google there is another code:
conversion tracking code.
Aren’t these too many codes and what if AM doesn’t agree to put on their page which is not uncommon especially with CJ merchants.
Since we need control on both testing and confirming page, in what situations we can use this best.
2) Prosper202: do you have experience with it.
If I use this, can I skip Google conversion tracking, Google optimizer.
(I want to keep my site data away from Google).
Thanks.
That’s correct if you’re promoting something as an affiliate, but these lessons are mainly geared toward selling your own products.
Most affiliate program providers including CJ, clickbank, and most CPA programs do have internal tracking available. In other words, you don’t need to place your code on the conversion page. You just need to use the internal tracking system and then export the data so you can analyze it.
Prosper202 is a very good program for affiliates who promote via PPC.
Eric, I am experiencing difficulty with the link that is posted to affiliate prophet, it takes me to a page with no graphics and advertises conversion prophet. Am I at the right site?
David
Hello Eric,
Thanks for this Great Lesson once again.
All the best,
Arne
Please try again after a day or two. Peter is having some temporary web host problems (he doesn’t use my recommended host 😉
Split Testing Yes