Metrics Marketing Blog

Looking to Increase ROI? Start with Optimizing Conversion through User Experience!

January 20th, 2012 by Melissa Zapata No comments »

If customers cannot find your products or make it through the checkout funnel, they cannot buy your products. Increase your conversion rates by increasing your site’s usability. Often, making just a few updates can make a significant impact on the ROI for an eCommerce site. A simple tool such as the Conversion Rate Calculator can help put a tangible value on improving the usability of a website. These basic calculations open the door for a discussion to quantify what small improvements can mean to an eCommerce site.

Conversion Rate Calculator

The Conversion Rate Calculator estimates the value of improving the customer experience of a website based on;

- Average number of visits per month

- Average number of transactions per month

- Average transaction size dollar amount

While basic, this tool demonstrates the idea that a slight improvement in the customer experience of a website can be significant. It does this by multiplying the individual impact across the size of the average cart and the number of users who can now complete the conversion process. A site with a seamless checkout process can help relieve abandoned shopping carts.

User research experts take a deeper look into an eCommerce website and can obtain insights that can provide an even higher ROI. For example, consider a behavior-cased usability study that identifies areas of opportunity by qualitatively examining where users struggle. By pinpointing where users struggle and making those changes can more than make up the cost of the initial investment. Ideally, companies who are considering improving customer experience can use this tool as a rough estimate or starting point.

Metrics Marketing Group’s Research and Customer Experience Vice President Cathleen Zapata comments that, “From experience, I’ve seen that incorporating usability research and testing early and throughout the project timeline can have a huge pay off.” She continues “Estimating ROI not only gives marketers peace of mind that they’re correctly allocating their marketing budget, it also shows the value of each enhancement.” To learn how Metrics Marketing can help maximize your site for ultimate conversion through usability studies and customer research, visit www.metricsmarketing.com/Lab for more information.

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Posted in User Research, eCommerce, website usability

Tags: ecommerce increase conversion user experience

Now Hiring: Research & Customer Experience Manager

January 19th, 2012 by Kelly Bowman No comments »

The Metrics Marketing Research & Customer Experience Manager will work on projects for a variety of clients providing user research, market research and information architecture expertise. This position will be charged with assisting with growing the Research & Customer Experience practice and service offerings. The candidate must be detail oriented, focused on delivering high quality deliverables, have a passion for the field of usability and research, and possess customer empathy with a drive to create outstanding customer experiences.

Position Objectives

Leverage professional experience and skills in an effort to increase efficiencies of Metrics Marketing’s customer experience processes and methods “tool box.”
Utility player mindset: maintain flexibility to be used in a variety of other roles (including some potential administrative duties) to support the team with a “whatever it takes” to get it done attitude.
Support the sales process by providing work estimates and assisting with creating sales materials and conducting client-facing presentations where appropriate.
Acting as the project manager for customer experience projects as assigned; manage Metrics Marketing resources (where appropriate) to meet client needs.
Work closely and foster relationships with internal account managers, creative, development and analytics when creating outstanding customer experiences.
Demonstrate professionalism in both demeanor and appearance and foster client relationships in this client-facing role.
Work effectively with account managers to meet expectations on time and on budget.
Produce deliverables with exceptional accuracy and quality.

Primary Responsibilities

Help Metrics Marketing meet or exceed client expectations through effective delivery of customer experience projects.
Manage and conduct customer experience projects utilizing the following methodologies (or other appropriate methodologies) within the research and customer experience discipline:
- Formal (lab based), remote, iterative, comparative and competitor usability testing
- Lab based, remote and completely mobile eye tracking studies
- User Personas
- One-on-One Interviews (IDIs), Focus Groups & Surveys
- Heuristic Evaluations & Competitor Assessments
- Information Architecture, Card Sorting & Task Analysis
- Contextual Inquiries & Ethnographic Research
- Online Research
- Split Testing & Multivariate Testing
Manage customer experience projects as assigned.
Understand our client’s business needs and effectively identify and review appropriate methodologies in order to develop comprehensive and effective customer experience strategies.
Help educate client and internal staff on usability, usability best practices, and be an advocate of the Research & Customer Experience Group.
Serve as an expert within the research and customer experience discipline. Be able to clearly articulate Metrics Marketing’s key differentiators as it relates to user-centered design and customer experience and explain our approach.
Support the sales process by providing work estimates, suggesting appropriate methodologies, assisting with creating sales materials, conducting client-facing presentations, and generating ideas and conducting research to support the sales process as assigned. Assist with billing and other client administrative tasks as assigned.
Help build enhanced or more formalized Metrics Marketing customer experience processes and structure.
Become knowledgeable with the breadth and depth of Metrics Marketing solutions.
Stay abreast of the latest technologies and market trends.
Help build Metrics’ research and customer experience processes, structure and service offerings.

Secondary Responsibilities

Generate new business leads through the identification and cultivation of new client prospects.
Provide occasional administrative support — if/when needed, such as
- Billing coordination
- Client meeting coordination

Additional Responsibilities

Fit the Metrics Marketing culture: honesty; hard work; team-focused
Gain “working knowledge” of technologies required to keep Metrics Marketing “leading-edge”
Travel as necessary.

Reporting Relationship

This position reports directly to the Vice President, Research & Customer Experience.

Interested applicants should send their resume and cover letter to careers@metricsmarketing.com

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Posted in careers

Twitter Brand Pages & What it Means for Marketers

December 19th, 2011 by Megan Smargiasso No comments »

The latest Twitter announcement regarding the addition of brand pages is leaving marketers to wonder, how will this change the way we use Twitter for business? I’d like to review the key features and high-level thoughts on how the new changes may impact the way you communicate your brand online.

Review of Key Features & Enhancements

Among other features, the brand pages will give companies the capability to have a large banner above their twitter stream giving them an opportunity to highlight their logo or incorporate creative work samples. This banner will stand out above and beyond the personalized background that most companies have already adopted. In addition, companies will have the ability to stick or hold specific tweets at the top of their stream enabling them to have some control over what followers see beyond their ever-changing twitter stream. Lastly, is the discover feature, which sounds somewhat similar to clicking on a hash tag to explore relevant tweets, but will tailor the results to reflect the interest and location of the consumer…enabling a more personalized experience for tweeters.

Metrics Marketing Twitter Brand Page

For marketers and those who manage company twitter accounts this means that tweeting relevant and compelling content will make it even easier for consumers to discover companies they would want to follow. The discover feature seems to be the key piece in this announcement as social media companies make a push to provide more relevant content tailored for every user. The larger banner space will be a helpful feature in encouraging companies to activity update and stay connected with their twitter pages but will have relatively little effect on the increase of engaging conversation. Creating searchable relevant content that consumers want to read is a key element to gaining and keeping followers.

Initial Feedback

Twitter has become a great way for businesses to engage in a two way dialogue with their consumers. More companies are taking the lead in the online space by listening and reacting to consumer tweets. For marketers this means that while these new twitter enhancements are a great way to enhance the look and feel of their brand page, it is ultimately the content that makes brand pages a success. Consumers might think little about the enhanced banner and could possibly start to develop “banner” blindness to the first tweets in a company stream if they become too self serving. Similar to how users fail to actively see the paid results on a Google results page, we anticipate similar results with the enhancend banner in Twitter. If consumers embrace the discover feature, it will lie on the marketers shoulders to consistently Tweet relevant news and content to their company’s followers.

The changes and enhancements to Twitter do not stop here, it is rumored that Twitter will continue to enhance and incorporate new features into their new design.

Metrics wants to know…
What are your thoughts on Twitter brand pages? How will it change the way your organization uses Twitter for business?

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Posted in Social Media, Twitter

Tags: Social Media Twitter

Metrics Marketing Group Wins Top Honors at 2011 Interactive Media Awards

December 16th, 2011 by Jennifer Ryans 2 comments »

Hyatt Legal Plans Website

Spirit of Blue Foundation Website

Metrics Marketing Group, an analytics-driven, database marketing and interactive services firm, announced today that it has been awarded by the Interactive Media Awards™ Best in Class in the Legal category for its work on the Hyatt Legal Plans Corporate Website and Outstanding Achievement in the Charity category for its work on Spirit of Blue Website. These top honors recognize that each project met and surpassed the basic standards of excellence that comprise the web’s most professional work.

Metrics’ received Best in Class, the Interactive Media Award’s highest honor, for its work on The Hyatt Legal Plans Corporate Website. The website underwent a complete end-to-end redesign which was fueled by the client’s desire to improve the site’s design, usability, content and features. Metrics performed a remote usability study to evaluate the site’s user experience and built the site leveraging a content management platform. The upgraded site features new interactive legal tools, content, as well as improved navigation, graphic design and a mobile site.

“Our overarching goal was to improve user experience and information accessibility for our primary users, plan members as well as human resources and benefits executives,” said Marcia Bowers, Sales and Marketing Director at Hyatt Legal Plans. “We knew that Metrics was the right firm to execute this project and we’re honored to have the Interactive Media Council, a respected organization with a panel of esteemed industry experts, acknowledge our updated website.”

Metrics also received Outstanding Achievement in the Charity category for its work on Spirit of Blue Website. The Spirit of Blue Website’s was designed to allow individual products to be sent to multiple vendors who would then fulfill their specific portion of the order. The website is able to manage the complexity of this process and keep the customer updated on the overall status and shipment of the order.

“Our site required a unique order fulfillment component which Metrics was able to develop without forsaking the site’s design,” said Melissa Parola from Spirit of Blue Foundation. “We are honored to work with Metrics and have our website recognized with this prestigious award.”

Interactive Media Award winners were judged on various criteria, including design, usability, innovation in technical features, standards compliance and content. In order to win this award level, the site had to meet strict guidelines in each area — an achievement only a fraction of sites in the IMA competition earn each quarter.

“This award further validates that Metrics is more than capable of developing and designing websites with complex features and functionalities leveraging the Magento eCommerce platform,” said Stephen Kidwell, eCommerce Practice Director of Metrics Marketing Group. “Our team’s diverse capabilities in development, usability, creative design and search engine optimization, help us achieve best-in-class eCommerce solutions for our clients.”

With more than 15 years experience in eCommerce development and design, Metrics Marketing provides best in class comprehensive eCommerce solutions focusing on the Magento Enterprise platform. Every Magento implementation is infused with search analytics and usability best practices, ensuring that your site is optimized for ultimate conversion. Both Magento development and creative is done in-house (U.S. based) by Metrics’ Zend and Magento certified developers and designers. Comprised of the best individuals that produce award-winning work, Metrics’ team is equipped to provide the best eCommerce solution for any retailer.

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Posted in User Research, eCommerce, magento, website usability

The Relationship of UX & SEO in Website Redesign

December 7th, 2011 by Melissa Zapata No comments »

Early in a website redesign process, marketers must consider usability for improved functionality and a seamless conversion path. A website enhanced with usability best practices can increase conversion, customer loyalty, retention, customer satisfaction, trust and productivity. However, one user is often overlooked during the redesign process: the search engine. This omission can result in significant revenue losses and lead to thousands of dollars in reworks post launch.

It’s important to remember that search engines are users, too, and ones that can have significant impact on whether other users ever see your website or not. Marketers can improve the visibility of a website within natural search engine results by streamlining access and developing keyword rich code and content through the process of search engine optimization.

Furthermore, collaboration between SEO and Usability improves elements such a category names and content migration/development because of the information available via keyword research tools and web analytics. In addition, technical site optimization will ultimately impact usability by adding alternate text for images (helps the visually-impaired user navigate a website), lightening code to make site pages load faster, and informing URL and breadcrumb structure, to help users understand where they are within the website.

Designing a site that is optimized for usability and search engines will result in greater visibility online and subsequent traffic increases and conversions. Interested in improving the usability and findability of your website? Give us a call at 877-332-9222. – Our experts are happy to help!

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Posted in Search Engine Optimization, User Research, website usability

Tags: Search Engine Optimization Usability user experience Website Redesign

Webinar Announcement: Utilize Your Customers’ Online and Email Data to Increase Sales

December 5th, 2011 by Kelly Bowman No comments »

Complimentary Webinar Series from Metrics Marketing Group

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MEET THE PRESENTERS

Utilize Your Customers’ Online and Email Data to Increase Sales

Wednesday, December 7, 2011
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST

Are you interested in increasing overall customer engagement with your email campaigns and decreasing abandoned shopping carts? Metrics Marketing has created a solution by combining the power of the ExactTarget email platform with the strength of Magento’s eCommerce solution. In this webinar, learn how to better leverage your customers’ data to increase engagement and sales.

Presented By:

Tiffany Olson, Interactive Business Development Manager & Adrienne Embery-Good, Business Development Manager

Tiffany Olson, Interactive Business Development Manager at Metrics Marketing Group

Adrienne Embery-Good

Adrienne Embery-Good, Business Development Manager at Metrics Marketing Group

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Posted in Email Marketing, ExactTarget, Magento-ExactTarget Integration, Webinars, eCommerce, magento

8 Creative Tips for Holiday Email Campaigns

November 28th, 2011 by Melissa Zapata No comments »

It’s never too late to plan for the holidays! Whether you’re finalizing or just beginning your holiday email campaign planning, keep in mind these tips to create the most effective campaign, ultimately exciting your shoppers and increasing conversion – something that you and your customers will celebrate.

Plan Your Campaign – Get started by determining your holiday sales goals and how you plan to measure success. Evaluate any prior email campaigns and determine what was or was not successful. In addition, decide when and how often you will distribute your holiday emails to your shoppers.
Target your Email – To deliver the best results, build a targeted email list to promote your offerings. In many cases, not all of your customers should receive the same email. Segment your customers strategically in order to target the most appropriate shoppers by their purchasing habits.
Decorative Design – It’s easy to make a few creative changes to your web content design to make it festive for the holidays. Optimize holiday emails with relevant navigational bars and graphics. This allows holiday shopping to seem more relevant to your subscribers as well as encouraging them to engage in your offerings.
Personalization – A personalized name in the email can allow your subscribers to feel connected to your brand and help increase your open rate. Attract them by personalizing the subject line of the email to read “Eric, Open Your Holiday Gift Here” – rather than a generic subject line. Be sure to extend the personalized connection from the email directly to your landing page.
Grab Their Attention – After you’ve engaged the customer, provide specific calls-to-action. This will allow you to more effectively communicate with your customer. Provide clear calls-to-action that explain exactly what you want them to do: “Buy Now,” “Shop Here,” or “Visit Our Website.”
Increase Conversion – through personalization, specific calls to action, and clear landing pages. Landing pages should be designed to correlate with the holiday campaign, ultimately encouraging the sale. Allow your landing page to entice shoppers and easily navigate to check-out.
‘Tis the Season for Sharing – Design your emails to be ‘sharable.’ Allow consumers to forward them along to their friends and family, as well as social media platforms. This allows them to engage and acknowledge your brand in various online social networks; potentially increasing your subscriber list.
Give Gifts – offer enticing gifts to your customers. These gifts can be as simple as free shipping, coupons, or discounts on featured holiday items. This will make your campaign more attractive and allow your shoppers to feel like they are getting an exclusive ‘bargain.’ Just by offering a little gift can make your marketing efforts go a long way.

Need help with your holiday email campaign this season? Contact Us!

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Posted in Email Marketing

Register Now – Study Results: Utilizing Eye Tracking to Optimize Direct Mail

November 22nd, 2011 by Kelly Bowman No comments »

Complimentary Webinar Series from Metrics Marketing Group

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MEET THE PRESENTERS

Study Results: Utilizing Eye Tracking to Optimize Direct Mail

Presented By:

Cathleen Zapata, VP, Research & Customer Experience at Metrics Marketing

Thursday, December 1, 2011

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST

Earlier this year, the research experts of Metrics Marketing conducted a proprietary study on 33 companies across an array of industries. This study focused on understanding user behavior as it relates to interacting with advertisements received in the mail. In this webinar, learn which types of mail pieces stood out from the rest, how long recipients interact with a mail piece on average, and what makes them want to “keep” a delivered offer while throw others away in the trash. We’ll also share information on utilizing eye tracking for other applications such as websites, landing pages, email and more.

		Cathleen Zapata VP, Research & Customer Experience at Metrics Marketing

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Posted in Direct Mail, User Research, Webinars, eye tracking

Metrics Marketing Reveals Proprietary Eye Tracking Research to Help Direct Mail Marketing

November 14th, 2011 by Kelly Bowman No comments »

Example heat maps from the study.

Metrics Marketing Group, an analytics-driven database marketing and interactive services firm, recently debuted proprietary research conducted by in-house Research and Customer Experience experts that can help improve the effectiveness of direct mail campaigns. Metrics utilized MetricsLab^SM, its state-of-the-art user research facility in Cleveland, Ohio, to conduct the study and reveal insights into how recipients interact with direct mail pieces.

In order to utilize Recipient Experience Testing to optimize direct mail campaigns, Metrics Marketing’s Research and Customer Experience team conducted a primary research study to identify opportunities, abandonment points and learn what users see (and what they don’t see) on 45 different direct mail pieces. From eye tracking and facial expressions to observing actual actions to receiving verbal feedback about the design, Recipient Experience Testing allows marketers to see firsthand how a direct mail piece can be improved.

The Recipient Experience Testing conducted by Metrics Marketing Group included direct mail pieces from industries such as financial insurance and insurance, retail, travel, communication and hospitality. Each direct mail piece was accompanied by aggregated heat maps, focus maps and key performance indicator (KPI) charts. Heat maps and focus maps highlight areas that recipients see while KPI charts display statistics for specific areas of interest. The Research and Customer Experience team used KPI’s to determine in what order areas are viewed, for how long and how often. From this research, Metrics Marketing was able to capture images and statistics that can help marketers determine how effective their direct mail campaign will be before implementation.

“For today’s direct mail marketers there is little opportunity to grab customer attention and stand out from the crowd. The print cycle is long, and competition is fierce, thus optimizing your creative prior to launch is imperative,” commented Cathleen Zapata, Vice President of Research & Customer Experience at Metrics Marketing. “This type of research provides marketers with real data to optimize their direct mail campaigns and ultimately improve conversions.”

Cathleen Zapata will be presenting the high-level results of this study, including heat maps, focus maps and KPI (Key Performance Indicator) map examples in the upcoming webinar “Study Results: Utilizing Eye Tracking to Improve Direct Mail.” The webinar will take place November 30, 2011 from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. EST on Metrics Marketing’s BrightTalk channel. To register, visit http://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/2099/37543.