Does Brand Help or Hinder Conversion? The answer is “yes”

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Does brand truly drive revenue for every company — even if it’s not Google, Nike or Apple — or is it just a marketing department’s raison d’ê·tre? Is it really as powerful as marketers think it is?

The latest MarketingExperiments Web clinic answers this question with (of course) testing. Be sure to watch it to learn why it’s critical to be thoughtful about how and when you use branding elements.

Consider this anonymized test:

Background: A regional marketing commission.

Goal: To raise awareness of local activities and events, increasing number of travelers and tourist spending in [City].

Research Question: Which sign-up page will generate the most responses?

Test Design: A/B split test

The Plain and Simple Control

The Control was a landing page that encouraged people to sign up for a free guide.

The New and Improved Treatment

The Treatment added details — font, images and design — that better reflected the brand.

Results: Testing matters

The Web clinic audience overwhelmingly declared the Treatment as the winner. After all, more branding should drive more conversions, right?

Here are the revealing and surprising results: the Control had a 51% higher conversion rate than the Treatment.

This demonstrates the importance of testing, and the dangers that lie in the mindset that more branding automatically equals more conversions. If this organization would have replaced the Control with the Treatment without testing, they would have lost more than half of their leads.

Fortunately, they did test. The outcome made this organization realize that when they incorporated more brand images, fonts and colors into the Treatment, it made the page very difficult to read — so much so that people didn’t want to bother filling out the form.

Conclusion: Branding is only as effective as its application

Branding is powerful with a critical caveat: it must make moving forward in the cycle easier for prospects by enhancing the patented heuristic below.

This heuristic is a guide that MarketingExperiments and its parent company, MECLABS, derived from analyzing tens of thousands of sales flows. It explains what it takes to convert (C) a prospect into a customer and shows how the five variables — motivation (m), value proposition (v), incentive (i), friction (f) and anxiety (a) — relate to each other. The numbers next to the variables identify how much power they have to affect conversion.

Ineffective branding typically increases friction and increased friction detracts from value. Friction is, essentially, anything that causes customers to work harder to move forward in the sales process.

In the case of the regional marketing commission, prospects were being forced to decipher text through hard-to-read fonts and dark images, which caused 51% of their leads to leave the sales cycle. That’s significant, and emphasizes why it’s critical to use branding with care.

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Start Smiling More With These Great Dental Care Tips

There is a lot of information about how to care for teeth out there. Anyone can benefit from good information about dental care, and if you are looking for some, you have come to the right place. Read on for some tips to help you learn how to take proper care of your smile.

It is important that you go to the dentist to have your teeth cleaned every six months. Having a professional cleaning helps to get rid of tarter build up and polishes your teeth so that they look their best. It can also help to spot cavities that might be hiding where you can't see them.

Flossing isn't always easy. If you have a hard time working the floss down and then back up again, consider picking up a product that is "waxed." You can also look for a floss holder, which should assist you in getting the floss to do what you need it to do.

You should not purchase a toothpaste advertised as a product that can whiten your teeth without checking the label first. Look for fluoride. This ingredient is absolutely necessary for healthy teeth, and some whitening toothpaste do not even contain fluoride. Try a toothpaste for a few weeks and switch to a different brand if you are not happy with the results.

If you require a filling in one or more of your teeth, choose wisely. Tooth-colored composite fillings are an attractive, discrete option. However, this type of filling also happens to be less durable than most metal fillings. Metal fillings are also a better option for larger areas. Remember, looks aren't everything!

Floss your teeth twice a day. Flossing is helpful in getting food and plaque out from between your teeth. When allowed to sit there, any foreign substance can cause decay in your teeth, and that is what causes cavities. Each morning and night after you brush, floss between every tooth.

You should go to your dentist if you bleed a lot when you brush your teeth. Sometimes this happens when the toothbrush we use is too hard, however it may also be a sign of serious problems like gum disease. If you're bleeding no matter what toothbrush type you use, speak with a dentist right away.

If you keep getting cavities (or your child is), talk with your dentist about the possibility of a sealant. This is a clear coating that is simply brushed onto your teeth. The coating is permanent and helps children with weak enamel avoid cavities. It's easy for a dentist to put sealant on.

A great tip when it comes to dental hygiene is to avoid extreme temperature changes. When you go from a particularly hot environment to a cold one (or visa versa) your teeth can become very sensitive and in some cases, you can damage the enamel. This also means you shouldn't eat hot and cold foods together.

When you don't have time to brush, consider chewing a piece of sugar-free gum instead. Avoid aspartame as studies have shown it can have some frightening side effects health-wise. Instead, find gums, which include Xylitol such as Pur gum to have a healthy way to clean your teeth after meals.

Regular dental visits are a must. Obviously, one of the best ways to take care of your teeth is to visit your dentist regularly. He can find any problems that you might have before they get too bad.

There is a lot to know about teeth. Sifting through all of the information about dental care can be a daunting task. It is hard to know what information will work best. Fortunately, you can start using the tips you got here today, and you will have a better smile tomorrow.

Electrical Tips That Can Save You A Lot Of Money

What does it take to become good at home improvement? Is it the tools, the installation, or the technique? It's none of those things. It's about research and drive. Without these things, you will not get your home to look how you want. These tips can come in handy to help you out.

If you need to patch some small cracks in your roof, a roll of three-inch wide aluminum tape can take care of the job. Separate the paper backing and apply the sticky tape to a clean surface. This ensures a waterproof seal over any cracks.

If you put new cabinets in your home, your kitchen will glow with beauty and style. New cabinets show all of your family and friends that your kitchen is a professional place for cooking and entertainment. You can find cabinets in light wood stains and dark wood stains, giving you the ability to personalize your kitchen to your specific tastes.

Rearranging your furniture can be fun, but oftentimes you need visual aides to determine where to put everything. A great way to arrange furniture with visual aiding is by taking a piece of graph paper and cutting out square shapes in a scaled format to represent your different pieces of furniture. You can easily toss your graph paper pieces around and decide how everything can fit together. It definitely saves you the trouble of pushing your furniture around first.

Carefully examine the benefits of rental equipment before securing it for a home improvement project. Any repair or renovation job can be made faster and easier by renting purpose-built equipment. Such equipment is not always economical, though. Before laying out money for rentals the canny homeowner will weigh the savings in time and effort the equipment offers against the expense the equipment adds to a home improvement project.

The kitchen is usually the room that sells the place. Take a look around and see if there are any inexpensive things you can do to your kitchen to make it look recently update. Get rid of that wallpaper or add hardware to your cabinets. Do whatever is simple and quick, but effective. You will be able to mention the update in you listing and buyers like seeing that.

Sealing air leaks is an inexpensive way to improve the energy efficiency of your home. Unsealed cracks and openings are one of the leading causes of heat loss in the average home. Common problem areas include around doors and windows, around pipes, wires and ducts that lead outdoors and around recessed light fixtures. Use caulk to seal small cracks and expanding spray foam for larger gaps and openings.

Your old luggage rack can be turned into an interesting side table for your living room. Simply take the glass out of a big picture frame and attach it to the rack using a permanent glue. Place a lamp on top and enjoy.

If one has a wooden deck, porch, gazebo, railing, or any other wooden structure, such as a playground set, putting a wood finish on it can be a good weekend project. It will seal the wood from the elements and increase the life span of the structure. The finished product will last much longer than the time it took to accomplish.

Homeowners undertaking major renovation work on high-value homes should engage an architect. While their services are expensive, architects make back their cost on large, complex projects. They help homeowners manage complex jobs involving multiple contractors and sub-contractors and have the aesthetic sensibilities which can preserve and increase the market value of an expensive home.

After reading those tips, you should have a general idea of what it takes to become good at home improvement. What tools will get the job done? Which one do you choose? Despite your answer, know that no matter your skill level, you can always improve upon your home, by yourself.

Confused About Chiropractic Care? These Tips Can Help!

Chiropractic care is something that a growing number of people say they simply cannot live without. The pain-relieving qualities of proper care and treatment can be truly amazing, and legions of individuals want to learn more. The paragraphs that follow are intended to provide some helpful information on how best to seek, secure and enjoy quality chiropractic care.

Talk with your friends about anyone they've used for chiropractic care. Sometimes it's those close to you that know the best people to call. If you've got friends who swear by a certain doctor, then it may save you a ton of time in searching for the best one around.

It is never too early for chiropractic care. Often children are born with problems such as subluxation. Don't be afraid to have your baby attended by a skilled and qualified chiropractor. Early care while the bones and structure are still malleable can make a tremendous difference in your baby's overall health and well being.

Chiropractic treatment should be stress free. When taking your baby or child to a chiropractor, be sure to present the appointment as a positive experience. Good chiropractic care should help your child feel better and more in balance right away. Having a good attitude toward chiropractic care enhances the effectiveness of that care.

If you are visiting a chiropractor regularly, track your progress over the first five sessions. If you aren't seeing any improvement at all after just these first few visits, you are probably wasting your time. Look for another caregiver and then give them a try of at least three sessions.

Do your research online to find the best chiropractor around. These days, there's so much that you can learn from a little web research. There are forums and review sites that will give you the low down on different doctors and what to expect. This research can definitely help you make the right call.

If you are looking for a chiropractor, be sure to check any references thoroughly before you make an appointment. While there are chiropractors that are really concerned with your health, others will tell you that you need unnecessary treatments. Read reviews online, and ask your doctor for recommendations.

Make sure your back is supported when writing on a flat surface. Try supporting your head with one of your hands. You need to take breaks often when writing. You should get up and stretch your body during these breaks. Lastly, make sure the chair you're sitting in is comfortable.

Be very specific when telling your chiropractor about your issues. The more information that you can provide the more likely it is that the doctor can pinpoint the problem. This will lead to a much more effective treatment. It's really your job to not be shy about the problems you are having.

There are lots of folks who attribute their continued good health to routine chiropractic care. To those who have yet to experience this phenomenon, the incredible claims may seem a bit exaggerated. However, after reviewing the material presented above, it is likely that lots more individuals will begin to explore the potential benefits of chiropractic treatment.

Painting Pros You Want To Know

Are you thinking about changing up your home living space by adding new furniture but aren't sure what fits well in your space? Interior design can be tricky for some people, but the tips in the article below will show you how to choose the right furniture for the space that you are living in.

When thinking of the type of colors you want to have in each room in your home you want to coordinate with the style of your home and the color scheme outside your home. Try your best to coordinate a color scheme with all the rooms in your home and try to make everything look likes it flows together.

One of the easiest steps in interior design involves painting a room. Paint gives a room a fresh look, and it can completely change the feeling in the space. Paint allows you to put a dash of your individual style in the space, and it is an inexpensive way to begin redesigning your home.

An easy way to redesign your kitchen is to reface your cabinets and change out the hardware. This is an inexpensive project that most individuals can do themselves. There are a variety of hardware pieces sold in hardware stores, and this makes it easy to find pieces that fit your individual style.

Try adding plants to your room. You'll be surprised at how much more lively, yet calming; a room can become just by adding a simple plant to the room. A single plant, properly placed, can really set the mood and bring a room together. Just don't forget to water it!

As stated in the article above, it is not all that complicated to pick out furniture that goes well with the space you are living in. The tips you read here should be a great starting point to help you figure out some great ideas that will work in your own living environment.

Dental Care Tips That Can Help Save You Money

The first people noticed in a crowded room are those with the brightest smiles. If for whatever reason, you're teeth have looked a bit stained lately, have no fear! The following article is full of helpful tips and tricks to get your teeth looking brighter than they ever were before.

Visit your dentist regularly. A lot of times dentists are able to spot problems before you ever have any type of pain. If they can find the problems before you have pain, they can usually fix them relatively easily. This can save you a lot of money and pain.

Talk to a dentist or periodontist right away if your mouth bleeds after you brush your teeth. Don't ignore the most common sign of gum disease -- bleeding, painful gums. Gum disease can cause bones loss, tooth loss, infections, and diabetes.

Only use mouthwash free of alcohol. Alcohol as an ingredient can dry out the tissues in your mouth. This creates a breeding ground for the very bacteria you are hoping to avoid. Alcohol-free mouthwash is also less of a temptation for kids and teenagers looking to experiment with when bored.

Always use toothpaste that contains fluoride. There are very few toothpastes available that do not contain fluoride, but some of the newer organic toothpastes do not. Fluoride is essential for strong and healthy teeth. So if you want to use an organic toothpaste that does not contain fluoride, use it after you brush with a fluoride toothpaste.

Try rinsing your mouth after you eat. Brushing is still the best way to clean teeth after meals, but sometimes you can't do that. This is where rinsing can be handy. When rinsing, you're removing leftover food on your teeth and in your mouth. You're also helping to neutralize your mouth's pH levels.

Try your best to stop using tobacco products. Most people are not aware that smoking can cause gum disease, which leads to tooth loss in many. If you want to raise the chances of your teeth lasting much longer, try your best to get rid of your addiction to tobacco products.

To achieve better oral health and attractive teeth, it is imperative that your diet be geared toward this goal. You must limit your intake of sodas and sweets. Many dental problems can be traced back to these two foods. Drink less coffee in order to whiten your teeth. It will cause teeth to be stained.

Some women's gums get very sensitive and bleed when they go through menstruation or hormonal changes during puberty. If this is your case, you can easily get rid of this problem by taking oral contraceptive. Go to the dentist to make sure the bleeding is not caused by gum disease.

Do you like to eat ice? It's best to stop that asap. Ice can easily crack or chip your teeth and the cold can trigger very painful reactions from sensitive nerves. Try chewing some sugar-free gum instead. If you still feel tempted, remove ice from the equation. For instance, don't use it in drinks.

Make sure to floss daily. Too many people skip or forget this step, and it is very important to your dental care routine. You get food and bacteria stuck in between your teeth. A toothbrush can't reach deep in between teeth to remove them. You need to floss at least once a day to prevent dental issues like bad breath, gingivitis, enamel wear, etc.

The key to a great smile is bright shiny teeth. With a nice set of pearly whites, you'll be much more appealing to people you meet, and it will do wonders for your confidence. Make sure to implement the advice given in this article and you are sure to have great looking teeth in no time.

Top Car Repair Questions Answered Here

No more wondering what the next step is when something goes wrong with your vehicle. Auto repair is not a simple subject, but you can know how to make the right decision regarding repairs. Continue reading to find out more about what to do next time your car breaks down.

When taking your car to a repair service, make sure that you have all documentation handy. This is important as you do not want the mechanic to do tasks that have already been performed on your car. This can help you save a lot of time and money with your repair.

If your vehicle begins making a louder noise than usual, you should suspect the muffler needs replacing. This is a job best done at a shop because it is difficult to work under a car without a lift. You can get a warning or even a ticket if your muffler sounds too loud.

Basic maintenance like oil changes are actually very easy to do yourself. You only need at ramp, a pan, and a few basic tools. Just be sure to check with your city or county government beforehand to find out where to take your waste oil. It is extremely damaging to the environment, and you could face steep fines for dumping it out.

A spare tire and a jack need to be in your vehicle all of the time. If you purchase a new car, you should have these in your trunk. You will have to spend a lot to get your car towed if you cannot change the tire right away. It is much easier and inexpensive to do it yourself.

Keep an eye on all of the warning lights on your dashboard and know what they mean. They are located there to assist you, so use them to your advantage. Ignoring them for extended periods of time will only make the problem much worse than it already is.

Watch for warning signs with a mechanic. There are a few signs to look for when you speak with them about your car. If they try talking really fast about the necessary repairs, can't look you in the eye when talking to you, or try to brush you off, you should find another mechanic. They may be hiding something or they may only care about the money.

When working on your engine be certain to wear proper safety equipment. You need ear plugs to protect your hearing, goggles to protect your vision and polyurethane or latex gloves to protect your skin from damage and injury caused by acids and other fluids. If you have long hair, be sure to secure it to avoid having it become caught in moving parts.

Go to a repair shop you are considering for the long haul with a smaller job first. It can be something as simple as an oil change or a tire rotation. This will give you at least a better hint of their capabilities, workmanship and friendliness before a bigger issue occurs.

Think about snapping some photos of your entire car prior to bringing it in for repairs somewhere. Most shops would not strip your car, but there are those who do this to make extra money. It is in your best interest to have documentation of your vehicle's condition, just in case.

You should now be able to make the right decision next time you have a problem with your car. Don't get stuck on the side of the road. Don't overpay for your parts. Don't get duped by the side-street mechanic. Instead, get treated right with the tips that have been discussed here.