How a radically different message approach affects conversion
Hillsdale College
Founded in 1844, Hillsdale College is an independent liberal arts college with a student body of about 1,400. Hillsdale’s educational mission rests upon two principles: academic excellence and institutional independence. The College does not accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies for any of its operations.
Experiment Summary
Timeframe: 03/15/2015 - 04/17/2015
The Hillsdale College donation page made the assumption than once a visitor made it to the page, they were committed to making their gift. As a result, the copy on the page mentioned other ways they could make a gift but did not try to reinforce the visitors decision to make that gift.
In an effort to improve overall performance of the page, we decided to run an experiment testing out multiple elements of the page. The goal was to reduce the friction that came with the out-of-the-box donation form (making it mobile-friendly and easier to use), remove choices the visitor had to make by removing the navigation, and improve the value proposition expressed on the page by talking about what was appealing and exclusive to Hillsdale.
Research Question
Will a radically different message approach on the main donation page improve the conversion rate and average gift?
Design
Results
| Treatment Name | Conv. Rate | Relative Difference | Confidence | Average Gift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C: | Original Page | 28.2% | $78.31 | ||
| T1: | Radical Redesign | 34.4% | 22.3% | 91.6% | $93.14 |
This experiment has a required sample size of 420 in order to be valid. Since the experiment had a total sample size of 647, and the level of confidence is not above 95% the experiment results are not valid.
Key Learnings
The biggests lifts will often come when trying a totally different approach. This radical redesign tested multiple factors in order to improve the overall conversion experience which resulted in a 22% lift to conversion and an 18.9% lift to average gift.