How to use social media to increase your marketing conversion

How to Use Social Media to Increase your
Marketing Conversion
Daniel Burstein
Senior Director, Content & Marketing, MarketingSherpa and MECLABS Institute

The totality of human existence

#OrganicFood Source: @bettinakbh

#JacksonvilleSkyway Source: @freshouttafocus

#Hugs Source: @whimsicaltribe

Social media By Tomwsulcer - Own work, CC0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33873327

A cat that wrote a book
Source: Penguin Random House

Your product
Source: Your company
A picture of something truly
wondrous and amazing goes here.

+ a whole
lot of other
stuff
Source: Everyone

Your Customers’ Priorities in Life
Your product
Everything else

Your Priority at Work
Your product
Everything else
Your product Everything else

Your Priority at Work (on a Friday in the summer)
Your product
Everything else
Your product
Everything elseThe beach

Methodology Overview
• This analysis applies MECLABS’ proprietary
optimization heuristic, the Conversion
Heuristic, to your marketing.
• The goal is to systematically diagnose the
associated inefficiencies.
• The Conversion Index is a heuristic
developed from patterning the results of our
research library.
• It is a tool to help identify where to focus your
energies when moving through a conversion
opportunity.
THE MECLABS CONVERSION HEURISTIC
C = 4m + 3v + 2(i-f) - 2a©
Source: https://meclabs.com/about/heuristic

About MECLABS Institute
MECLABS Institute pioneered the conversion industry, established its concepts
and principles, and launched the first certified courses in the field.
Two of the first online publishers about marketing, MarketingSherpa began in
1999 and MarketingExperiments started publishing in 2000.
We’ve published hundreds of articles and videos about social media, the first one
in 2006 (Can viral video clips drive targeted traffic to your web site?)

If you’re looking for accounts to follow on social media…
@MECLABS on Twitter
MECLABS Institute on
LinkedIn
@MECLABSInstitute on
Facebook
@MktgExperiments on
Twitter
@MktgExperiments on
Facebook
MktgExperiments on
YouTube
@MarketingSherpa on
Twitter
MarketingSherpa on
LinkedIn
@MktgSherpa on
Facebook
MarketingSherpa on
YouTube

About Me
Daniel Burstein
Senior Director, Content & Marketing
MarketingSherpa and MECLABS Institute
Twitter: @DanielBurstein
LinkedIn: Daniel Burstein

Social Media Expo Jacksonville

Methodology Overview
THE MECLABS CONVERSION HEURISTIC
C = 4m + 3v + 2(i-f) - 2a©
VALUE
FORCE
COST
FORCE
COST
FORCE
VALUE
FORCE
Source: https://marketingexperiments.com/conversion-marketing/leveraging-perception-part-2

Motivation
Motivation has the highest coefficient because it is the most important deciding factor in the sales
process. It consists of 2 components:
The nature of the customer’s demand for the product (why)
The magnitude of the customer’s demand for the product (want)
• An effective strategy is to target customers or channels that have a higher motivation to buy our
product.
• To understand a user's motivation and design relevant web pages to their need, you must analyze
the behavior of both online and offline traffic channels.
THE MECLABS CONVERSION INDEX
C = 4m + 3v + 2(i-f) - 2a©
Source: https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/b2c-marketing-2/five-questions-understand-customer-motivation/

Major motivation for customers who follow brand accounts
on social media is to get coupons/promotions…
Source: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/demographics-
why-customer-follow-brands-social-media
Top motivation for all age
groups: “I want to get regular
coupons/promotions”

…but there can be a disconnect
Source: https://marketingexperiments.com/social-marketing/transparent-marketing-research
Companies said…
“All of the [garden center] employees and owners I interviewed said they were very hesitant to talk about
sales, prices or direct advertising on their Facebook pages. In fact, they attributed this to ‘consultants’
telling them to never sell on Facebook.” – Scott Stebner, Managing Director, Center for Rural Enterprise
Engagement
Customers said…
“While they did not want to be inundated with advertisements, they did want to be ‘in the know.’ One of
the respondents even mentioned that she had talked to a friend who purchased an item on sale during an
event and expressed frustration that the business didn’t advertise that event on Facebook. She
missed the event and sale. For her, liking Facebook pages meant that she’d be kept ‘in the know.”
– Dr. Lauri Baker, Assistant Professor in Agricultural Communications
at Kansas State University

Your audience likely has more than one motivation
Daily Users most
interested in learning
about sales and specials
Source: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/whats-motivating-social-relationship-between
Max Connectors (500+
followers) most interested
in learning about new
products/features/services

Your audience likely has more than one motivation
Millennial moms most
interested in being an
influencer
Source: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/millennials-using-social-media
Millennial non-moms most
interested in expressing
opinions

Discovering your brand’s social media followers’
motivations
• Social media organic analytics
• Keyword analysis
• Social media ad analytics
• Website analytics
• Social media listening
• Conversations with customers
• A/B testing
• Sequential testing
• Social media monitoring
• Hashtag usage
• Customer service interactions
• Sales interaction
• Employees gut understanding of
customers
• Surveys
• Participate in places customers
are – like forums and groups
• Read reviews
Source: https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/social-media-value-prop

Build a customer theory
• Unique customer profiles – How would you classify the groupings?
• Established customer insights – What have you learned so far?
• Demographic characteristics – What attributes do they have?
• Context – How are they experiencing your message?
• Common Desires – What do customers move towards?
• Common Fears – What do customers move away from?
• Unanswered Questions About the Customer – And now the work
begins
Continue to build and refine as your knowledge grows
Source: https://marketingexperiments.com/conversion-marketing/customer-theory-leverage-empathy-free-tool

Case Study #1: Learning from current customer behavior
Source: https://cheezetees.com/bono-cant-live-here-with-or-without-you-t-shirt/
Social media about
your brand can
happen here
Social media about
your brand can
happen here

Case Study #1: Learning from current customer behavior
Source: https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/marketing/social-media-marketing-customers-help-sell/
“We had organic visuals that were popping up on Instagram and Facebook before we
even had a presence on Instagram—just our customers taking photos of their box
and of their delivery.” – Cambria Jacobs, Vice President of Marketing, Door to Door
Organics
Grew social media fans more than 600% in less than 18 months

Case Study #2: Analyzing customer motivation to
create campaign incentives that resonate
Source: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/analyzing-customer-motivation-to-create
• GradeGuru: website that lets college students share class notes and
study materials
• Used a third-party research firm that specializes in mining social
media – such as blogs, social networks, and forums
• Learned a large group was motivated by fear of failure and need for
positive reinforcement. Based on this:
• Changed from laptop giveaway to academic grant
• Dropped Facebook ads, used on-campus ambassadors who promoted the
grant through Facebook by hosting note-sharing events

Case Study #2: Analyzing customer motivation to
create campaign incentives that resonate
Source: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/analyzing-customer-motivation-to-create
“We tested that with this type of messaging, and it's not the right fit.
This idea of getting recognition requires that you be seen as a
legitimate academic resource and that you're authoritative. It
doesn't help to be advertising on Facebook for this kind of thing. It
just detracts from the worth, almost.” – Emily Sawtell, Founder and
Managing Director, GradeGuru
Results: New member registrations grew by about 200% monthly and
the number of files uploaded per session tripled.

Case Study #3: Expand opportunities to match motivation
A physician’s only social network
Source: https://meclabs.com/education/how-medical-social-media-increased-conversion-197-percent

Case Study #3: Expand opportunities to match motivation
Source: https://meclabs.com/education/how-medical-social-media-increased-conversion-197-percent

Case Study #4: Learn from social media for offline marketing
• “We've really used social media
as a way to measure whether
something resonates or not So
we'll know before we go to
pay for TV commercials; social
media has already told us,
generally, what works with our
core audience.” – Robert Leary,
Director of Marketing, Old
Trapper
Source: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/strategy-around-character-to-increase-social-media

Force of Value Proposition
Appeal (“I want it”) – Three factors contribute directly to a
prospect’s degree of “want”: relevance, importance, and
urgency.
Exclusivity (I can’t get it anywhere else”) – Exclusivity is
related to the number of competing options. The lower the
number, the better.
Credibility (“I believe in it/you”) – 3 ways to intensify
credibility are: specificity, quantification, and verification.
Clarity (“I understand it/you”) – Is the message clearly
articulated and can the prospect easily find the message.
Value Proposition is the primary reason why your prospect should buy from you rather than any
of your competitors.
C = 4m + 3v + 2(i-f) - 2a©
Source: https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition

Marketers job is to help customers perceive value
“We do not see things as they are.
We see things as we are.”
– Rabbi Shmuel ben Nachmani
Image: By Helgabj on Flickr

Your social media needs a process-level value prop
Source: https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/levels-of-value-propositions

Case Study #5: Process-level value prop of YouTube title
Before
• Do the Penguin!
• 1,200 views
After
• Calm Your Nerves Before Public
Speaking: Do the Penguin!
• 104,558 views
Source: How to write an effective YouTube description: 7 steps

Case Study #5: Testing on social media to discover your
company’s value prop
Company: Shoe repair shop in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Goal: Determining which element of value it should lead
with
• 30 years of experience OR
• Convenient location
Source: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/small-business-social-media-advertising-with-facebook-ads

Treatment #1: Experience
Quality Shoe Repair 30 years of practice in
the repair of ladies’, men’s and children’s
shoes.
See where it is. (Google Maps link)
Treatment #2: Location
Convenient Location
The shop is in the center of Blagoevgrad
— 30 meters* from the “Mosque” stop.
Get fast with a car or with a bus №2. See
where it is. (Google Maps link)
*distance is approximate”

shoes.
Test #1: Optimized for engagement
Test #2: Optimized for impressions

“I still didn’t believe the experience was a stronger
value prop than the location, so I set a new test.”
– consultant Metodi Iliev

company’s value prop (Test 3)
shoes.
Treatment #2: Location
Ideally Located In The City Center
The shop is in the center of Blagoevgrad
— 30 meters* from the “Mosque” stop.
Get fast with a car or with a bus №2. A
blue area is nearby. See where it is.
(Google Maps link)
*distance is approximate

company’s value prop (Test 3)
shoes.
Test #3: Optimized for link clicks

Friction
Friction is the psychological resistance to a given element in the sales process. It is composed of
two components:
• Length – this might be the number of fields or the number of steps from Point A (desire to buy)
to Point B (purchase).
• Difficulty – this might be the nature of the fields, a disruptive eye-path, or page elements that
cause visitor annoyance.
The objective is to minimize not eliminate friction. If you eliminate all friction, you eliminate "the sale"
(you cannot remove a credit card field).
C = 4m + 3v + 2(i-f) - 2a©
Source: https://marketingexperiments.com/conversion-marketing/hidden-friction-silent-killers

Friction isn’t always a bad thing – Quantity vs. Quality
Source: https://marketingexperiments.com/lead-generation/lead-gen-form-conversion

Social log-in
• Less friction…or more? Provide an option for an email account

Sweepstakes entry on Facebook landing page
• Is there more or less friction
compared to a landing page on
your brand’s website?

Instagram sweepstakes with many actions required
• Each action increases friction, but it may be worthwhile to your brand

Using functions built into social networks to reduce friction
Helps fans reduce the
friction involved in trying to
find where to buy tickets

Case Study #6: Specific landing pages
Email Landing Page
MVMT’s email
campaign linked to the
general collections
page
Source: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/video/MVMT-email-marketing

Case Study #6: Specific landing pages
Email Landing Page
Relative increase in
conversion rate
44%
1.7x Higher revenue
Winter Escape Results
Source: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/video/MVMT-email-marketing

Anxiety
C = 4m + 3v + 2(i-f) - 2a©
Anxiety – Psychological concern stimulated by a given element in the sales or "buy" process.
You must seek to relieve and/or correct for anxiety at three different levels:
• Specificity – corrective measures address the precise source of anxiety.
• Proximity – visitor experiences corrective measures at the same time and place as anxiety is experienced.
• Intensity – amplify corrective measures to overcome irrational fears.
Source: https://marketingexperiments.com/conversion-marketing/addressing-customer-anxiety

Social media’s impact on conversion
• Conversion rate for marketer who mix search and social: 27%
• Conversion rate for marketers who do not: 17%
Social media marketing can decrease anxiety and increase brand
reputation.
Said social media was a “very effective” way to:
• Improve brand or product reputation (37% for SM vs. 29% for SEO)
• Improve public relations (36% for SM vs. 27% for SEO)
Source: https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/search-marketing/social-marketing-lifts-organic-conversions/ (2011
MarketingSherpa Search Marketing Benchmark Report – SEO Edition)

Social Proof
Social proof – A term coined by Dr. Robert Cialdini, refers to the phenomenon that people tend to
copy others. For example, laugh tracks in TV shows.

Share positive customer posts as social proof
Source: https://twitter.com/skipfidura/status/1171499841370746881

Case Study #7: Use social media growth social proof
in press releases
Source: https://marketingexperiments.com/social-marketing/facebook

Influencer marketing to reduce anxiety
Source: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/other/social-media-marketing-changes
When a big-name celebrity such as Kylie Jenner or Conor McGregor posts about it, HiSmile’s average social
media following increases by about 5,000 to 10,000 followers per day. The brand’s baseline is an average of
1,000 followers per day.
Look beyond subscriber numbers at engagement metrics
“You can have a million subscribers and get only 5,000
views on a video. We call that, in YouTubeland, a ‘dead
channel’.”
– social media influencer Dr. Stephanie Buttermore

Case Study #9: Promoting influencers to get them
involved
Source: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/social-media-marketing3
Owaves wellness planning app reached out to relevant influencers with more than 10,000 followers
and ask for their daily routine and a photo. The company then create an image and shared it.
"It was great for them because they got promoted on our blog, and it was great for us because we got
promoted on their social media." – Claire Akin, Marketing Manager, Owaves

Social doubt (the opposite of social proof):Button
Counters
But social media can actually raise anxiety when not used correctly. For example, social buttons with
little activity.
Source: https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/marketing/social-doubt-beware-the-downside/

Social doubt (the opposite of social proof):Leaders
with few followers
If your brand doesn’t have many followers…
…you may not want to add social account logos to your website yet

Social media customer service can reduce anxiety

Incentive
An effective test plan tests the other elements in the Conversion Index first, then seeks to test the
impact of an incentive for additional improvement.
C = 4m + 3v + 2(i-f) - 2a©
Incentive – an appealing element such as a discount, a bonus, or special offer introduced to
stimulate a desired action.
Incentive is used to “tip the balance” of emotional forces
from negative (exerted by friction elements) to positive.
Source: https://marketingexperiments.com/conversion-marketing/incentive-optimization

Offering incentive to follow the brand on social media
“There is an incentive (e.g.
sweepstakes, discount, gift
card)” is the third most
frequently cited reason for
following brands on social
media.
Source: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/why-customers-follow-brands%E2%80%99-social-accounts

Case Study #10: Social media giveaway lifts sales 15%
“Instead of just a customer re-tweeting a single tweet, or replying
something random [in Facebook], they really got into it and talked
about why they liked the product, why it’s a good product, why they
love the brand, and why they love Moosejaw.”
– Gary Wohlfeill, Creative Director, Moosejaw
Source: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/6-steps21

Case Study #11: Social media images on product pages
When added to product pages,
conversion rate increased
13% on average
• Candles have a ring
inside, worth $10 to
$5,000
• Ring reveal photos
gathered through product
giveaways on social
media
“If we know that someone sees a photo that a friend of theirs took on a product
page and the conversion rate is 20% higher, or what have you, compared to a
relatively anonymous photo, then we can know how much we can play with
incentives to get more of this content.” – Justin Winter, Co-Founder and CEO
Source: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/social-media-small-ecommerce-facebook-fans

Plenty more research, case studies, and data
MarketingSherpa.com
MarketingExperiments.com
MECLABS.com

How to use social media to increase your marketing conversion

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