I once gave a presentation on harnessing the power of media for social good, and one of my key points is that less is more. I’m glad to see I’m in good company. More designers are not adopting the same philosophy when it comes to Web design.
The Web seems to be burdened by the same excessive wordiness that plagued newspapers back at the turn of the last century (that’s 1900, not 2000). Look at how little copy is needed nowadays to market the same product:
The same is true when it comes to designing your call-to-action buttons on your site. Make it one button with two choices. That’s it. The last thing you want to do is make your visitors suffer from decision fatigue. Fresh tilled soil has some great examples on their site, including the remake of MobileMe into iCloud. Note how the iCloud design is able to maintain the Apple design elements (gray, curved box) while minimizing the design into a two-option choice. Easy, peasy. (For users. Your design team may need some time.)
Hot off the Web! The Guardian, the “stalwart of free content,” will start charging users of its iOS 5-only iPad app as of this Friday, Jan. 13.
To be clear, The Guardian does have a subscription service — users of its iPhone app can access three free articles per day before being asked to subscribe monthly. But the iPad app will start charging existing users (now receiving content under a free promotion with Channel 4 in the UK) for any content. New users will be allowed a seven-day trial before being facing a hard paywall asking for the monthly £9.99 subscription.
Meanwhile, the NY Times and People are giving new subscribers a discounted Nook, courtesy of Barnes & Noble. As yesterday’s post details, gadget tie-ins are tricky. This one might fare better because the publications are requiring payment, not offering a free trial or looking for opt-ins. And every subscriber will get a Nook at a discounted price, instead of just a chance to win one.
Hopefully we’ll be able to see their retention rates in a year and determine whether gadgets and subs go well together. But I remain doubtful.
We recently spotted this inventive sweepstakes offer by Local Media Insider. Not only can you enter to win a free iPad by signing up for a free trial, you can also refer a friend, and if that friend wins, so do you!
It’s a nice way to get B2B referrals and opt-ins for your list. The problem may be in retention. Sweepstakes hounds, like extreme coupon clippers, will be willing to sign up for a free trial of anything and then cancel their subscription after the drawing.
A more savvy approach might be to offer the sweepstakes for people who pay for a reduced price trial period — say$1 for 2 weeks? That way you’ve jumped over the pay hurdle and begun cultivating a relationship with people more likely to be genuinely interested in your content. When it comes to opt-ins, numbers count, but so does the quality of your leads.
Even if you’re not as excited about Season 2 of Downton Abbey like I am, you might be interested in checking out their Facebook page.
Most television companies start a video upon opening a page, an annoying tactic that has shown to causes viewers to leave a page. But PBS not only delays the viewing of their Season 2 teaser, but actually forces viewers to “like” their page before being able to view it.
Loyal Paywall Times readers already know that social media is not an incredibly effective way to get opt-ins or conversions. But, for organizations and companies that rely even partly on either advertising or fundraising, having more social media fans/followers/likes is a great way to show your product’s appeal and popularity.
Have you been able to improve upon the standard Facebook fan page (or whatever it’s called by the time this is published)? If so, we’d love to hear about it.
Yes, it’s only four days into the New Year, but not too soon to begin thinking about your Valentine’s Day campaign.
Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Valentine’s Day promotions are not just for dating sites! If you’re membership site isn’t very romantic, consider partnering with one that is to boost your opt-in or conversion rates. For example, how about one free month of gaming for guys who buy their sweethearts flowers?
While women tend to dominate online shopping, guys reign supreme around Valentine’s Day. Plus, most guys hate malls, so they’ll be searching for an online option. Make sure you search advertising and SEO is up to snuff. Include a “Valentine’s Day” keyword in recently updated content.
Most ecommerce happens the week before Valentine’s Day and top online sales in 2010 were February 5-6. So make sure your email blasts and promos are ready by the first week of February.
Don’t forget to show some love to your current members. A free giveaway to a limited number of respondents is a great way to foster that community spirit that so many membership sites thrive on.
And if January is a slow month for you, put all your ducks in a row so you can test your opt-in and conversation rates with whatever promo you choose! You’re bottom line will thank you for it.
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