Role of Branding in Conversion Optimization
What is the Role of Branding in Conversion Optimization?
In many marketing departments there is tension between advocates of branding and advocates of response advertising. At times it seems more ideological than logical.
Branding and response are on the same team
In our conversion rate optimization work, we find no divergence between branding and response. We’ve seen that the website that delivers on the expectations of your brand achieves higher satisfaction and conversion rates.
Unfortunately, graphic designers often use ‘the brand’ to mean ‘my artistic preference’, and the result is an artistically-clever but functionally-frustrating experience.
A recent published example brand-supported success is Business Objects’ conversion optimization case study, where they achieved a 32% lift while keeping within very strict brand standards guidelines.
Are you asking too much of your website?
Your website is not meant to define what your brand should be. Your website should deliver on the best expectations your customers have of you. If you think your website will have a strong influence in changing your brand perception, you will find yourself grasping for supporting evidence.
The brand is important – but only to achieve company goals
The brand clearly is an important factor in maximizing goals. What if we were to create a conversion funnel experience that exactly mimicked the ‘best practices’ of another company and was a proven top performer for them, but had a very different tone than your company’s? The visitor would have to battle cognitive dissonance all the way through the conversion funnel.
On episode #115 of the Across the Sound podcast, Joseph Jaffe asks, “When did branding become an end in itself rather than a means to an end?”
The website that takes advantage of conversion optimization principles as well as reflecting your brand essence will be the top performer.
