Is a Pop Up Ad Ever a Good Idea?
The infamous and annoying pop up ad. You thought this debate was over years ago didn’t you. They told you pop ups were bad and evil and that you must never use them for fear of being shunned. Well, for the most part they certainly can be all of those things. But there are times when a pop up ad can be a successful marketing strategy.
I call it the ‘responsible use of a pop up’. Based on a specific user behavior at a specific time displayed only once per user lifetime (or until they clean their cookies and revisit). It includes your traditional pop ups (the ones that browsers will block if settings are on) and slide-ins (these do not trigger a new window and so are not blocked nearly as much).
Identify your most highly exited or bounced page on your web site. Create a pop up ad with a save creative (your best attempt at keeping a visitor from leaving your site without finishing the conversion process). Your last chance offer to keep them from leaving the site. Then program it so the pop up ad only displays if the user types in a new URL in the address bar and hits go. Or clicks the X in the top right corner of their browser to close the tab or window. Any other behavior does not trigger the pop up.
I employed this marketing strategy for New Hampshire based catalog retailer Duncraft Catalog on a page identified as a high bounce page. (a bounce means a user visited the page and exited without going any deeper into the site). I created an ad with a count down timer and an offer of a free window feeder ($2.00 cost to make). It triggered if a user clicked the X or typed in a new address to visit. The ad converted 55% of those who clicked on it! Conversion rates like these are the holy grail of marketing and proved the system worked and at minimal cost to the bottom line!
Read after the break for some additional applications:
Example 1. An eCommerce web site might place the pop up ad at the point in checkout that receives the most abandons. (usually the shipping charge page) . Create an ad for half-off or flat rate shipping that displays when the user attempts to abandon the shipping page.
Example 2. A non commerce site may place the pop up on a lead page or funnel to keep an interested party from abandoning the form submission process. Find something of value you might offer or at least attempt to get an email or contact opt in.
Example 3. If you are sending out a marketing campaign tied to a landing page you might employ the pop up on that landing page to attempt to reduce the number of visitors trying to leave without accomplishing the desired goal.
Put this online marketing strategy into action and let me know how it worked for you.
