Author: AZIMA

Arizona Interactive Marketing Association is a nonprofit organization created to help you better understand interactive marketing through education tools, events, and networking.

Goward captivated the crowd with ‘Evolutionary Redesign’ tips

Posted on February 6, 2014 by - Events

Chris Goward speaking at AZIMA's January event.

Chris Goward speaking at AZIMA’s January event.

By Susan Kern-Fleischer

More than 75 guests attended the Arizona Interactive Marketing Association (AZIMA) event, “Learn How to Execute a Conversion Optimization Strategy That Drives Dramatically More Profit,” on Jan. 16 at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas. Chris Goward, founder and president of Wider Funnel Marketing Optimization, gave us a sobering glimpse into the reality that when it comes to website design and functionality, “most best practices don’t work because they have not been tested.”

People are expecting more when they visit your website and it is becoming more difficult to convert visitors to customers. Goward said most companies, guided by their agencies, make the common mistake of doing a complete redesign of their websites, without ever testing individual components, such as headlines, images, column redesigns, messages about security and more. He cited Amazon as a successful example of ‘Evolutionary Redesign’ which he said is the better strategy. Amazon has had the same website since 1995, but because the ecommerce retailer tests every day, Goward said Amazon essentially redesigns its website on a daily basis.

Urgency fuels Chris Goward's LIFT model, aka Landing Page Influence Function for Tests

Urgency fuels Chris Goward’s LIFT model, aka Landing Page Influence Function for Tests

He encouraged the audience not to get caught up in the latest, hottest design elements, such as using rotating graphics on your home page, which he said fails miserably from a conversion perspective. “Every time we test it, it loses. The only thing it does is solve the problem for the art director,” he said.

Another surprising revelation: The McAfee security symbol decreases conversion rates when inserted near the call to action.

How you test is critical and Goward recommended setting goals to lift sales in what he calls the ‘Waterfall’ method, starting at the top with your business goals, moving down to your marketing goals and finishing with your conversion optimization goals.

Goward shared several examples of proven conversion frameworks and how to create powerful value proposition tests, emphasizing that “there are no losing tests, only inconclusive tests.”

He ended his presentation by offering AZIMA guests a 20-page white paper on the topic (email Goward at [email protected]).

Join AZIMA on Thurs., Feb. 20 when Jodi Gersh of Gannett presents Content Programming For the Social Audience.

And, mark your calendar to attend our 2nd Annual TIM Awards from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thurs., March 20 at the Phoenix Art Museum. Named after Sir Timothy Berners-Lee, acknowledged father of the World Wide Web, the TIM Awards showcase Arizona talent and work in the interactive realm for calendar year 2013. AZIMA is accepting entries through Friday, Feb. 14. To learn more, visit www.azimaawards.com or www.joinazima.org.

Future of retail is not in reward programs

Posted on January 16, 2014 by - Tips and strategy

We Love Our Customers
In marketing we are consistently in pursuit of the one-to-one relationship we can have with a customer.

However operationally, every company’s customers are treated nearly the same way – even with the tiers of loyalty programs. Sure there are some extra perks here and there when you go from Silver to Gold status but they are the same for anyone at that level.

Looking toward the future there are many opportunities to recognize you as an individual both from the marketing side as wells an operational one. That’s when true personalization will be realized.

Read the full post on my Medium blog:  “There is something very big on the horizon and it will change the future of what it means to be brand loyal…. ”  Retail’s Future: iBeacon _ Rewards Programs + Klout technology = Individual Brand Pricing. 

Content Marketing: Predictions and popularity in 2014

Posted on January 13, 2014 by - Tips and strategy

"Content marketing" searches per month on Google climbed steeply in 2012 and just keep going.

“Content marketing” searches per month on Google climbed steeply in 2012 and just keep going.

Many predictions were made at the end of the year about content marketing in 2014.

Mashable predicts that this is the year when content marketing finally matures and brands, agencies and startups help it achieve real scale. 2014contentmarketing

According to the Content Marketing Institute, 93 percent of B2B brands and 90 percent of B2C brands are using content marketing to educate consumers about their brands.

Yet, despite the overwhelming interest in content marketing, 55 percent of B2B content marketers think their campaigns are ineffective.

Whether marketing folks have figure it out or not, a quick search of the blogs show that everyone’s talking about Content Marketing.  Here are a few blog posts that caught my eye recently:

 

 

 

Brand You starts with your day-to-day interactions

Posted on January 7, 2014 by - Tips and strategy

StickynoteIPromiseLooking at the landscape of Personal Branding Experts, I realized how most of them talk about the tactics of personal branding and not on the behaviors of it.

Building the Brand of You which I speak on often is about demonstrating the value of interactions with others and the decisions we make throughout the day.

On a larger scale that kind of personal brand building requires planning. And when they present themselves, analyzing those key opportunities so you can make the best choice possible.

Read my latest blog post –

Choose Wisely: Building the Brand of You has many options.   The many directions of the personal branding and how to choose the right one.

Let me know what you think and how you would have handled it differently if you have been given the assignment and a couple of hundred million dollars.

Chris Goward, expert in scientific website testing: Jan. 16 speaker

Posted on January 1, 2014 by - Events

Chris Goward, WiderFunnel

Chris Goward, WiderFunnel

If AZIMA’s next monthly speaker has any one message for you, it is “You should test that.” And by “that” he means images, headlines, navigation, colors, buttons, and every other element on your website to determine whether it is turning visitors into customers.

Chris Goward, founder of WiderFunnel, is next up, on Thursday, Jan. 16, at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas. The author of a new book, Goward will share tips about conversion optimization, something he calls part science and part art.

“Conversion Optimization dramatically lifts sales for all types of companies,” Goward said. “But, studies show that those with the right strategy and structured process get twice as much benefit as others. That’s what I’ll share at AZIMA.”


More about Chris Goward’s
Jan. 16 presentation:
Learn How to Execute
a Conversion Optimization
Strategy that Drives
Dramatically More Profit

Goward points to 30 or so detailed case studies on WiderFunnel which will give you an idea of what conversion optimization strategies are and how they can help drives sales, increase subscribers, attract registrations. WiderFunnel’s early clients include Tourism British Columbia, SAP and Google.

A preview of key points from Chris Goward:

  • Leading websites like Amazon, ebay, Magento and BuildDirect.com use ongoing A/B testing to find out what sells the most
  • Conversion Optimization is ranked as the #1 priority for Digital Marketers (tied with Content Marketing)
  • Evidence Based Marketing has replaced Gut Feeling Marketing with fast-growth companies
  • By testing the right things, you never need to redesign your website again because it evolves with each test
  • Only 24{2bbd478b6aadf2a9bb5e10dcf35d17c0d0772390afbaf5ac8145fb1096668903} of marketers are extremely happy with their latest website redesign
  • Only 49{2bbd478b6aadf2a9bb5e10dcf35d17c0d0772390afbaf5ac8145fb1096668903} of website redesigns finish on time
    YouShouldTestThat
  • Companies with a structure approach to conversion optimization get 200{2bbd478b6aadf2a9bb5e10dcf35d17c0d0772390afbaf5ac8145fb1096668903} more chance of large sales increase
  • WiderFunnel’s average conversion rate lift is 23{2bbd478b6aadf2a9bb5e10dcf35d17c0d0772390afbaf5ac8145fb1096668903} for Ecommerce and 49{2bbd478b6aadf2a9bb5e10dcf35d17c0d0772390afbaf5ac8145fb1096668903} for lead generation websites

In Goward’s most recent blog post, he explains why conversion optimization has become the top priority for digital marketers, outpacing social media and content marketing:  14 Ways to Have Digital Marketing Success in 2014.

In 2013, Goward published “You Should Test That: Conversion Optimization for More Leads, Sales and Profit or The Art and Science of Optimized Marketing.”

Go ahead, read his book to prepare for Jan. 16.  Or just come along and pick his brain in person. EVENT REGISTRATION.

 

Be an AZIMA speaker: Share your expertise in 2014

Posted on December 10, 2013 by - AZIMA News, Events

Interested in sharing your interactive marketing expertise with hundreds of your marketing peers, or recounting a particularly successful campaign?  Or know someone who’d be a good speaker?

AZIMA is looking for speakers, home grown folks here in AZ or otherwise, to take the stage at our monthly social events. And I’m sure you’re looking for a New Year’s Resolution.  Share your expertise in 2014!

You don’t need to rush into it.  We’ve got a few speakers lined up already, but spots in 2014 will go quickly.  So, if you are interested, give us a shout. We ask you to fill out this short form to let us know what you are thinking about presenting: PROVIDE DETAILS ABOUT YOUR PROPOSED PRESENTATION.

Chris Goward

Chris Goward

Events are held at the Scottsdale Hilton and attendees will enjoy a light dinner menu while they have the opportunity to learn from the best in the business. During those monthly events, as usual, we’ll be featuring a mix of research, hands-on training, panel discussions, case studies and how-to presentations that will help eager marketers optimize their online activities by gaining insight into multiple related disciplines.

Jodi Gersh

Jodi Gersh

We’re looking for presentations that provide practical, actionable advice for interactive marketers based on measurable results and real-world experiences. Think about your own success stories in areas such as email marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimization, mobile marketing, user experience and design, email marketing, paid search advertising, metrics and analytics.

 

Here’s the early lineup for 2014:  

Jan. 16 – Chris Goward, Founder & CEO of WiderFunnel. He’ll speak on “How to Create and Execute a Winning Conversion Optimization Strategy.”

 

Feb. 20 – Jodi Gersh, Director/Social Media & Engagement at Gannett. She’ll explore “Content Programming for the Social Audience.” 

 

Sheridan

Marcus Sheridan

March 20 – Marcus Sheridan, The Sales Lion, will be the MC for the evening at the  2nd Annual AZIMA TIM Awards. | Still time to enter any of our 12 categories.  Deadline: January 24, 2014.

 

April 17 – Paige Dell’Armi, Social Media Super Geek. She’ll share “Get the Perks: An Insider Look at Starbucks’ Social Media.”

Paige Dell'Armi

Paige Dell’Armi

Yes, that may be a tough act to follow, but we know you’ve got it.

 

Again, here’s the form to fill out to tell us what you’d like to share: PROVIDE DETAILS ABOUT YOUR PROPOSED PRESENTATION.

 

 

AND STAY TUNED FOR MORE.  

Bookmark this blog, JoinAZIMA.org, and follow along on Twitter: @JoinAZIMA and Facebook.  And if you have news to share or a job to fill, join the other 1,000+ members of AZIMA’s LinkedIn group.

 

UPDATE: New date for Mingle Bells, Thursday, Dec. 12

Posted on December 5, 2013 by - Events

ChristmasBallsAd2logo

Ad 2 Phoenix and Phoenix Ad Club are determined to make this year’s Mingle Bells a fantastic event. Since so many of you have fun work parties to attend on Friday night (Dec. 13), it’s time to switch it up a bit.

Here’s the new plan: Mingle Bells 2013.  New night. And it’s FREE!

 

WHEN:
6 to 9 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 12
The Western, Old Town Scottsdale
6830 E 5th Ave‎.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251

HOSTED BY: Ad 2 Phoenix and Phoenix Ad Club
COMMUNITY PARTNERS: Arizona Interactive Marketing Association (AZIMA) and AIGA Arizona
OFFICIAL DESIGN SPONSOR: Off Madison Ave.

The night will include:

  • Live music from country singer  Cody Johnson

  • Chance to win one of the amazing raffle and hashtag prizes we’ll be giving away.

  • Complimentary appetizers

  • Drink specials from 6 to 7 p.m.

    • $3 wells, $4 drafts, $2 PBR drafts, $2.50 domestic bottles and $5 house wines

  • Photo step and repeat

  • Mingling with our Community Partners: AZIMA and AIGA Arizona

TICKETS:   No tickets.  Just come on by.  

Toy donations will be collected upon entrance for the annual toy drive run by Positive Network Alliance, Inc, a Valley nonprofit serving Arizona’s children since 1987. To make sure you can REALLY have a good time, Ad 2 has a special discount code from official Transportation Partner Uber to get you home safely after all that liquid holiday therapy.

This may be a new date and location, but don’t worry – it will still involve plenty of eating, drinking, dancing, and networking. You can find more details about the changes on Mingle Bells’ Facebook event page.
PLEASE MINGLE RESPONSIBLY!

 

 

Sept 2013 Event Recap – Email in an Increasingly Mobile and Social World

Posted on October 3, 2013 by - AZIMA News

DSC_6429 DSC_6391 DSC_6384 DSC_6379More than 70 guests attended the Sept. 19 Arizona Interactive Marketing Association (AZIMA) event, “Email in an Increasingly Mobile and Social World,” presented by Chris Sietsema, owner of Teach to Fish Digital, at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas.

Chris delved right into real-life examples of email campaigns, critiquing well-known brands and pointing out how images loaded differently on computers and mobile devices. We especially liked how he sprinkled in his great sense of humor as he critiqued each brand.

It was clear that email marketers need to “adapt or die” and consider this sobering stat:

  •  80 percent of people delete emails that do not “look good” on mobile.

Chris continued his presentation, focusing on examples of how Mobile email should be Skinny, Scalable and Responsive. A few tools that can help with this process:

  • Jpegmini.com
  • Mailup.com
  • ThemeForest.com
  • LiveClicker.com
  • Email on Acid and Litmus (Design previews)

He also discussed Social in Email; Email in Social and offered more tips regarding tools that digital marketers can utilize.

Chris’ full presentation can be accessed at: www.slideshare.net/sietsema, and a recap of each slide with some of the best Tweets from the event can be found here: http://teachtofishdigital.com/email-mobile-social/ However, after it was all said and done, a number of good points really stood out from Chris’ presentations:

 

  • Email messages must be developed and delivered in a manner that fits each audience member’s interests, reading habits, and device usage.  It’s truly a ‘right message, right time, right place’ mandate.
  • You can learn a lot with email testing.
  • Don’t lust after your competitor’s metrics. Concentrate on the unique concerns your customers have.
  • If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying – Chris quoted Bob Ross, “We don’t make mistakes. We make happy little accidents.”

We thank Chris for his terrific presentation, and we were especially pleased to meet so many new attendees. We encourage you to learn more about AZIMA and contact one of our board members with any questions!

The Mobile Singularity: New Rules For Marketing To Smart Networks?

Posted on August 29, 2013 by - Events

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Email in an Increasingly Mobile and Social World

Posted on August 10, 2013 by - Events

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