The first presidential debate just ended, and I was inspired! If your like anything like me their is only one thing on your mind, and one thing only. It’s not who won the debt, who stuttered the most, or who has the worst poker face. But, the burning question that everyone wants to know is…..How are they going to Monetize this?
So, in all fairness, this is not a true A/B test. I subscribe to the one of the two candidates news letters. If I was a true analytics warrior, I would subscribe to both. But hey, no one is perfect.
It Started With an Email
Boom!
Debate just ended and the email marketing campaign begins!
Ok Ok…I’ll bite! Where does that magical blue link take me? Notice the capital letter in the /Tonight. opps, we don’t use capital letters in URLs do we? Also, notice the sub domain donate.barackobama.com. I wounder if his donation platform is hosted on a different server. Hey, do you think he uses a SaaS model to take donations? If so, I’d love to get 1% of everything that flows through that portal!
One more thing to point out, EUREKA! Tracking URLs!
Barack is using the campaign the /Tonight section of the URL and date of the email blast as tracking indicators. Now only if I could get my clients to tag their newsletter links with tracking URLs…It would make Google Analtyics analysis so much easier!
So that pretty blue link take us here
Do you see what I see? Small amount of content, inspirational image of Obama, large donation buttons, outlined step by step process that is a different color then the donation amounts and background Oh yea, check out the ability to give a “Other Amount.” You know, just in case you have 20 grand laying around. WordPress Template? I DONT THINK SO!
After Credit Card Information Is Taken, You Are Taken Here
You know, it never hurts to ask. Ask any start up entrepreneur, who cares about the one time payment! It’s all about the residual revenue! Check this out.
I love the “Election Day is closer than you think” quote that they put in there. I wounder if they are A/B testing this message. Just think if Test A generated a 20% increase in monthly gifts then Test B, one sentence could generate millions more in revenue.
Alright, now that we made a donation the conversion funnel is over right? WRONG!
“Ok new supporter, now that you just gave me money, here is something free for you to put on your car and broaden the reach of our message. But before we give you something for free, you need to save your payment information to make it easy to give us more money at a later time”… Who thought of this stuff? I’m impressed!
I know its a small image, so let me blow it up for you just in case you missed it. If you thought the bumper sticker was a good idea, take a look at this! You can enter your phone number so you can “Text Donations” to them at any given time. I bet this Email marketing campaign just turned into a SMS marketing campaign.
Well friends, we survived the Obama conversion funnel. Or did we?
But wait, like a Ginso Knife commercial, theirs more!
Now that we gave them money, we can save 10% at their online store if we want to buy more products! Talk about another conversion funnel to get your money. Genius! It’s getting late so I did not dive into what is past that other pretty blue link, but I bet their is tracking code on the link! I wounder if the online store check out process has the same ability to make monthly gift, or enter your phone number to set up SMS donations…… I guess we will have to wait and see.
Question – What does Romney’s conversion funnel look like? Anything like this? Did anyone get an email after the debate? If so can you forward it over? Just leave a comment below and I’ll contact you.
About Gabriel Gervelis
@seo_pro – I’m a digital expert a search marketing samurai, social ad serving gun slinger, start up entrepreneur, & marketing master mind who’s mission is nothing less then to change the world!
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