Just in case more proof was needed here it is:  keeping the messaging on your site  targeted and focused really works.   We recently completed a site messaging review project with one of our clients -  Prefix IT a provider of  software for remote management of PC’s and other network assets.

We started out speaking with customers to see how they actually use the product and then integrated that feedback into the site content. It’s always a tough call cutting out certain capabilities of the product,  but focusing the message on the key areas, even at the expense of not mentioning all of the rich functionality the product offers, has a real effect.

The messaging review also involves defining a clear call to action for the visitor – in this case getting them to download the demo product. In addition to making this a focus of attention on the site in general, we worked on  ensuring that the path to achieving the call to action is as intuitive and non-threatening as possible. In this case this involved moving from a register form with 7 fields and a two step confirmation process, to a one step, direct sign up and execute approach using only 2 fields (one required the other not).

There is a trade off here – namely: depth  of information about your trial customers. But in most cases, the ability to communicate on an ongoing basis  with your trial customers (what we call multi touch marketing – more about that in a coming post) can be achieved with much less information than you think.  Conversely – with competition in every product space as tough as it is – visitors are not inclined to spend a few minutes sharing their entire CV on a download form – they’ll just move on to the next product. If you’ve got confidence in your product – which you should – let the product speak for itself.

For Prefix the results have been astonishing:   a  consistent increase from 5% to over 20% in conversion of site visitors to download of the trial product within only 2 weeks.

It’s tough to argue with 400% growth so try it out . Or better still (**shameless plug alert**) contact us and let us do it for you.  Either way – always remember that less really is more.

Tags: conversions, download, forms, messaging, website

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 at 9:06 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.