One great thing about marketing on the Internet is it’s all very trackable, if you do it right. That means you can easily and quickly figure out what works BEST for your business.
How would you like to know which headlines better get people’s attention? Or what price point is more appealing to your target market?
The good news is it’s very EASY to find out, with something called a SPLIT TEST.
In the past, setting up a split test practically required an advanced programming degree. But now, all you need to do a split test is a website, something to sell, and a good shopping cart system that will do the test for you. (I use, swear by, and recommend 1ShoppingCart.com.)
Here’s what to do:
1. Create the web sales page for your product. Make sure it’s FINAL and everything is in place.
2. Create a duplicate sales page, but give it a different URL. For example, your first sales page could be mywebsite.com/salespageA.htm and your second sales page could be mywebsite.com/salespageB.htm. This is more for YOU to easily keep track and tell the difference between the two pages.
3. Change ONE variable on sales page B. The important thing here is to only change ONE thing.
A few things you can test:
* a different headline
* a different price
* a different photo
* a different bonus
4. Set up your split test. The fastest and easiest way to do this is using the “Ad Tracker” feature in 1ShoppingCart.com. It takes less than 5 minutes to set up!
All you need to do is enter both URLs. The system will then give you a tracking link. You’ll use THIS link in your emails you send to your list. When your readers click on the link, the system will automatically alternate each visitor, sending visitor 1 to page A, visitor 2 to page B, visitor 3 to page A, visitor 4 to page B, and so on. And if a person returns to the link, she will be directed to the same page she saw. (Neat, yes?)
5. Interpret your results.
When you log into 1ShoppingCart.com to view your test results, it will not only tell you how many sales came from each page, but the percentage difference in sales.
The information you can learn from a simple split test can be INVALUABLE to growing your business! For example, I instructed one of my clients to test her new program at two price points: $87 and $97. She made 20 sales at $87 but NONE at $97. That means that $87 is a price ceiling for that group on this particular topic. (If she had made equal sales at both price points, I would have instructed her to make it $97 from now on, and to keep raising the price via testing until it hits a ceiling.)
Another example: One test I did during a product launch revealed that a simple change in the *design* of the sales page resulted in 25% more sales! So you can be sure I used that design going forward.
You don’t have to use split testing only for sales. Wouldn’t it be great to know which pages on your website get more opt-ins? 1ShoppingCart.com can also tell you how many people opt-in for your ezine while they’re there.
See how fun and interesting this can be? : ) Using simple tests like this GUARANTEES that you are ALWAYS improving your results.
Now, every time I release ANY new product or program, I always use it as an opportunity to continually improve my marketing. And you should too! (1ShoppingCart.com even has a 30-day trial for you to test this out.)
© 2003-2009 Alexandria Brown International Inc.
Self-made multimillionaire entrepreneur Ali Brown is devoted to creating financial freedom for women globally through the power of entrepreneurship. To learn how to create wealth and live an extraordinary life now, register for her free weekly articles at www.AliBrown.com