Could a landing page design make a big difference in sales? You bet!

It’s been known that in direct mail, graphic design excellence can boost sales and profits.  This is why the best graphic designers are most often the ones behind pieces that mail in the millions.

         

But would this hold true for a landing page selling a nutritional supplement?

         

A recent split test by one of my clients showed the value of hiring a top-notch graphic designer for landing pages.

In this test, a landing page I wrote was laid out by one of my freelance designers and by an in-house designer
 

Every send was split tested to see the difference between the designers.  The results?  Eye-opening!  The freelance designer’s piece generated 60% more $$$ per name and 50% more $$$ per click. The end result?  Over 53% more dollars generated!

Proves this point:  It's worth it to hire a freelance graphic designer.

   

The Direct Marketer’s “Ultimate” Customer

Ask any direct marketer of consumable items such as natural health supplements who is the ultimate buyer and the answer is likely, “Anyone who buys on Auto-Ship.”

As you know, “Auto-Ship” is when a customer signs up to buy a product AND also agrees to have more product automatically shipped at an agreed upon time, like every three months.

Of course, this new shipment is automatically charged to the client’s credit card (with approval)…so for a direct marketer, this means a steady stream of income without having to send out renewal notices or additional promotions. 

           

Ideal, right?  You bet.

Normally, I’d say you should test “Auto-Ship” offers.  In the past, I’ve only had one package that went out with an “Auto-Ship” offer and while it did well, it wasn’t a super winner.

But now that’s all changed with a piece I recently wrote which is now rolling out.

The offer was not tested.  The client made the decision to turn the “Best Offer” 6-month supply, with the greatest savings and FREE Gifts, into an “Auto-Ship” offer.  We also included typical 3-month and 1-month offers with no “Auto-Ship.”

To be frank, I was a little worried about the offers—as you know, the offer is 40% of the success or failure of the promo.

The piece is a winner!  Surprisingly, 50% of the orders are coming in on “Auto-Ship”—making the piece even more profitable!

I’d still recommend you test “Auto-Ship” offers.  But this has opened my eyes to the HUGE benefit of “Auto-Ship” orders.  If most or all of these customers stay on “Auto-Ship,” this product’s sales could be off the charts!

Can subject lines affect size of average order? You bet!

You know testing subject lines is vital for on-line marketing. 

These tests can result in significant differences in open rates, click through rates and of course, orders.

         

But could they make difference in the size of the average order?  Yes!  And this can make a huge difference in your profitability.

         For a natural testosterone boosting product, I wrote two different subject lines:

         Subject: 3 reasons why most testosterone boosters fail

         Subject: Will the next great testosterone booster be unjustly banned?

The first subject line (3 reasons) was followed by an email that revealed that most testosterone boosters fail because they work too slowly…have only been tested on rats…or lack high enough dosages for fast results.

The second subject line (unjustly banned) was followed by an email that revealed that most every low testosterone solution has come under scrutiny by Big Government.  I then added that if history is any indication, the government may soon ban many legitimate natural testosterone boosters by lumping them in with steroids and unnatural hormones.  I then told readers that this new breakthrough T booster is perfect legal, over the counter, clinically tested and still available “at this writing.”

The results of this test?  Both subject lines produced similar open rates and click through rates.  But the average order of the “Unjustly banned” subject line was much higher—so it was the clear winner!