Maloney on Marketing Blog

What's good:

• the blog visual metaphor is successful
• scrolling to content doesn't seem appear to get in users way.
• Some of the Sub-titles seem persuasive (example: Save 40% on my Fitness... ) but could go further to engage users

Where are the opportunities for increased conversion:

1. Introduce time sensitive deals (scarcity) - which tend to strengthen message (and influence visitors to pay attention)
2. Make it more visually evident that "clicking on the Bookstore object" - will navigate the visitor away from their current location.
3. Explore other background color treatments for the right-hand side modules. They compete with each other - and become difficult to read.
4. Strengthen the top NavBar - it seems weak in contrast to the black backgrounds of the content modules.
5. Deal with visitor objections of buying a book from this site versus a BN.com by using cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is central to many forms of persuasion to change beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviors (it means, that people are holding two conflicting concepts in their mind at the same time). Focus on the needs of the users to "interact" in a blogging environment to change users mindset about the value of a blog site - versus the BN ecommerce model. Play up the intimacy of the site - and the quality of the content (along with a targeted collection of books).

The most powerful user experiences leverage these type of persuasive norms.

Overall - an interesting site...

Chris, Listen to your instinct. Address the design. If you are going to talk marketing you must look the part. Michael's advice is dead-on, but you need to focus on design. Do yourself a favor and good designer or go to a really good template site like theme forest but even then ask a true designer to implement it.

AFTER YOU HAVE DONE THAT...forget the design.

Focus on two things: Your Brand and your Product.

Your brand?is your name and likeness. Your Product? your success

People in your field want to know how you did it, what is your philosophy, your opinions, not so much about funny branding UNLESS you take the opportunity to use that item to highlight one of the ideas that made you successful. In short all contents should be about this. Fitness tips? how did that help you. Actually you should give that book away to anyone who subscribes to your email list. Imagine ads in other sites: FREE Fitness tips for internet marketers! WOW!! you will get boatloads of traffic! The book section? Scrap it! just review one book a week or month. Explain why it fits your philosophy. Why it helped you be successful and provide a helpful link to your affiliate program. In other words STOP SELLING....you will sell more that way.

Hi Chris...

Coming straight to the point, following are my views:

1. It Needs an Identity!! No logo or Symbol present, which sometimes might send wrong signals to visitors. Its better to have one.

2. The use of black color here is not very good. Try considering some vibrant colors. This looks very dull.

3. Add some introduction, a welcome message. Site remains incomplete without that.

4. The titles with links and text of body are of same color. Try differentiating them. Will add some distinction visually!

I hope you find the feedback useful.

All the best Chris!

Regards, Prashant

Hello Chris, I'm sorry but I anticipate that I use Google translator, this to avoid hurt me understand what I say. I saw you talk about marketing and I think I understand that you are not at all happy with your site but I think vice versa for the contents. Well, I think, 'personal idea' that the colors are not appropriate for the content that your site has, for the austere black is my idea would require a mixture of colors to increase the desire to retain your visitor to read interesting content. I believe that the header of the post is very invasive and the description is too long. I'll post 'points up what I mean. In addition I would like to tell you that I would agree to change WP theme, I should visit this page, here is everything you need to know to optimize a control panel with your WP Theme .I gave a simple idea and so I hope I saw your great commitment Essert state aid. Best Regards Michelangelo

Hi Chris,

Let's talk about the visuals... it's really a pain (I think using "not engaging" would not be an appropriate word for your blog design) for me to stay on it... skim the content and get to know what best I can get out of this blog.

As you stated you have visitors but not converting into leads and the reason is it's a great landing page from the SEO/SMO perspective and it's more likely to come in search and get visitors... and let me explain what happen when a user land on the page... first five second of eye interaction makes the visitor an absconder because it's doesn't have any engaging stuff.

Few of my suggestion:

• introduce some nice colors
• get rid of the black background from the right panel and come with some alternative colors... may be a light grey will work.
• use listing view as grid view end up creating white(blank) space
• get a logo
• HIRE A DESIGNER

I did a quick wire frame of your header section to give and idea that how it could be managed in more aesthetic way.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, Haider

Hi there! As for me, it's too much black on the right!!! Would try different color or blend another color with it. Some little things - logo (?) , "Search" button is higher then white search box, blue (?) frame on your photo. "Similar Items" button just doesn't work for me, don't like where it is and how it looks like. Good luck! :)

Hey Chris, I can`t see any motivation to subscribe to your blog, findind the subscription box was hard, just like the bookstore link. You should try to use some colors here to give attention to the right sections. Adding contrast would also make your blog more interesting.

I really think the layout organization is good, but it needs to call user attention.