How reinforcing the value proposition and adding a call-to-action affects donor conversion.
The Heritage Foundation
Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institution—a think tank—whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.
Experiment Summary
Timeframe: 05/13/2016 - 06/13/2016
In an effort to optimize the main donation page for The Heritage Foundation, we took a look at the copy that was currently there to find ways to improve and increase the force of the value proposition. While the existing copy was strong and provided solid evidentials, we noticed it was missing an important element in the copy, an ask. Our hypothesis was that we would be able to increase donor conversion and overall revenue by adding copy, to what was already there, that included a call-to-action and reinforcement of the value proposition.
Research Question
Will adding a call-to-action and reinforcing the value proposition improve donor conversion and revenue?
Design
Results
| Treatment Name | Conv. Rate | Relative Difference | Confidence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C: | Control | 10.2% | ||
| T1: | CTA and Value Prop | 15.2% | 49.4% | 95.3% |
This experiment has a required sample size of 335 in order to be valid. Since the experiment had a total sample size of 684, and the level of confidence is above 95% the experiment results are valid.
Flux Metrics Affected
The Flux Metrics analyze the three primary metrics that affect revenue (traffic, conversion rate, and average gift). This experiment produced the following results:
0% increase in traffic
× 49.4% increase in conversion rate
× 62.9% increase in average gift
143.5% increase in revenue
Key Learnings
We had arrived at the original copy through a series of prior experiments. As a result, we were relatively confident that it adequately communicated the value proposition of The Heritage Foundation, but by simply adding an additional paragraph that reinforced that message and asking them to make a gift, we were able to not only get more donors to give, but give even more generously. The treatment increased donor conversion by 49%.
Additionally, we saw an increase in average gift by 62.9%. While the average gift lift had not yet statistically validated by the time the test was shut off, the approaching validity seems to indicate that we would be experiencing a combined lift to revenue of 143.5%.
This experiment reinforced the importance of increasing the force of the value proposition by reminding people of what their gift will do and always having a call-to-action in the copy.