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When it comes to creating and executing an effective marketing program, the old adage, “change is the only constant” couldn’t ring truer. With customer needs and behaviors constantly evolving, sometimes even from minute-to-minute, marketers need to continually iterate to meet customers where they are at that very moment.
While many marketers are familiar with the rationale behind using multiple digital ad variations, others are less accustomed to embracing this dynamic variation concept when it comes to their website. Why? Well, some may not realize this level of website personalization is possible, and others may merely be unaware of the true conversion potential of their website.
However, what we do know is using the same base website for weeks, or even months on end leaves untapped revenue on the table. This is a problem that no one needs to own as sophisticated CRO technology already exists that can help you easily run website experiments and dynamically personalize and optimize, in real-time.
Keep reading to learn why it’s time for marketers to embrace change by ensuring their website is never static.
1. Every website visitor is unique
Online visitors set the tone and context for their online shopping experience. Maybe they’re multi-tasking while working, patiently waiting in the McDonald’s drive-thru line, or catching up on their favorite true-crime podcast—maybe they’re doing all three at the same time! Whatever the case may be, because your customers can access your website from anywhere at any time, under varying conditions, their behaviors are everchanging making it challenging to categorize site visitors into distinct contextual segments.
Because of this, a one size fits all website content for broad segments will not work for all. People are complicated, and at times impulsive, which means every time they visit your website they should see a version that reflects your evolving relationship and their evolving needs in that moment, not yesterday’s, or last week’s.
2. The law of diminishing returns applies to your website
When building a digital ad program, setting a frequency cap on an ad version, by publisher, or at a campaign level is table stakes for all marketers to avoid diminishing returns. While this is a tried and true best practice in the world of digital advertising, marketers often forget this same principle when it comes to their website.
If a customer has seen a version of your site several times and still hasn't converted– it’s time for a change, ASAP! In fact, a pro tip would be to change it real-time in case they don’t give you another chance at a do-over. That’s why your website testing should be always-on to ensure repeat visitors are met with an updated experience that will facilitate a frictionless conversion. In doing so, you’ll build 1:1 personalization that enables you to meet each customer where they are in their buyer journey, encouraging previously passive shoppers to take action.
3. Repeat customers are different to new website visitors
A repeat customer should never receive the same experience as a new visitor. You should use the insights gained from their previous visits and purchases to enhance and personalize repeat customers’ site experiences.
Did they browse a particular item last time they visited your online store? Maybe they requested a demo of your product earlier that day. Did they view your social proofing? - show them new ones! Whatever the circumstances, your website is a source of intelligence that informs where to make the changes to your site that will encourage repeat customers to convert over and over again.
4. One in five new website variations fail
While marketers hope that every website experiment they run will lead to positive results, there can be some unhappy endings when it comes to site testing. Sometimes your original content idea will be stronger than the new variation you’re testing. We’ve found that one in five original page versions out-performed a new test. When that’s the case you need to make sure that your CRO solution is adaptable, so you don’t wait a month or a quarter showing a website variation that’s not resonating.
That said, don’t throw your baby out with the bathwater just because you found that your best idea was your first idea. The new variation you tested may not be wrong— it just might not be the right option for that moment in time. With Intellimize you can use all of your site variations and allow our machine learning to identify when it’s the right time to show this version again.
5. External factors impact human behavior
Humans are adaptive by nature so it doesn’t take much to alter how we feel and act. Online behaviors can change easily due to exposure to world news, pop culture, daily life, or even competitor updates. If your biggest competitor launches a new product or rebrand that you think may hurt your bottom line, consider making adjustments to maintain conversions.
More importantly, you need to change your copy, content, and imagery to accommodate customer sentiment around current events at a local, national, or global level. Perhaps you’re selling a product during a time of uncertainty or political upheaval that makes your copy seem out-of-date, or even insensitive. During these times, you should activate new variations of your site and lean into intelligent machine learning to understand which messaging will resonate with your site visitors during fluctuating circumstances.
Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome is the definition of insanity. It’s time to implement a solution that enables you to make changes to your site continuously to improve your customer experience and conversions in our ever-changing world.
