Zenbu
Case Study
How I helped a social analytics brand relaunch their website with clearer, conversion-optimized copy.
"Being really flexible, honest and straightforward, makes it a breeze working with Annie. We are looking forward to working with Annie again and consider her an important ‘member’ of our team."
Steffen Bilde
Founder, Zenbu
Zenbu helps companies like Toyota measure their social media efforts
But their old website wasn’t telling that story (or effectively selling their product, for that matter).
So in 2018, Zenbu reached out to me to help them clarify their messaging and convert more clients.
But like a lot of my clients, they thought a beautiful design would solve all of their problems.
However, upon reviewing their updated designs, it was clear to me (and soon to them) that their design alone wasn’t going to help them explain what they do for clients and why their clients should pay for it.
OVERVIEW
So before we could even think about copy, we had to take a step back and put ourselves in their customer’s shoes.
Take a peek at their old homepage
Research & Strategy
STEP 1
Luckily for Zenbu, I used to be a social media analyst.
This meant that…
(1) I was 50% of their ideal customer base (analysts at advertising agencies)
(2) I knew a hell of a lot about social media reporting — from how it works to the pain points of those who are actually pulling the numbers.
I walked the team through a strategy workshop where we discussed, in detail, things like…
- Who are your customers?
- Where are they coming from?
- What do they care about?
- What stops them from buying?
- What drives them to buy?
- And more!
Once we were both on the same page in terms of who we were targeting and what the messages needed to be, I took their current design and started chopping it up
Copywriting
STEP 2
Because Zenbu had already been working with a designer to come up with a new aesthetic (a step I don’t recommend until we’ve worked together), I had to ‘Frankenstein’ the layout by cutting bits and pieces, moving them around, then stitching them back together with words.
In some places, the design worked as it was, but I still had to change the messaging.
For the designs that no longer worked, I had to not only change the messaging (and hierarchy), but I had to figure out which existing designs we could use in their places.
And while the copy would be unique, the page structure had to be flexible enough to be used across all of the topics — which was a challenge when each topic is completely different.
But with a little strategic thinking, I was able to come up with a foundational structure that incorporated a classic copywriting formula (PAS or “Problem, Agitation, Solution), social proof, desirable outcomes, a money-back guarantee, and more.
"When we finally realized that conversions do not happen solely on the basis of fancy web design, we were very fortunate to find Annie."
“Her professional approach to building converting website copy based on target audiences and proven psychological models helped create a red thread through our website for the first time ever.
An additional bonus was that Annie happen to knew our domain quite well, which increased the quality even more. Being really flexible, honest and straightforward, makes it a breeze working with Annie. We are looking forward to working with Annie again and consider her an important ‘member’ of our team.”
Steffen Bilde
Founder, Zenbu
RESULTS
Zenbu now gets more clients with a clearer, conversion-optimized website
While the old site was unclear and uninspiring, the new site was exactly the opposite with:
- Clearer copy that actually explains what the product does and WHY you should pay for it
- A cohesive explanation of the tools and how they work together
- Persuasive success stories from big-name clients
- Specific language that appeals to both of their audiences: brand owners and agencies
- Head over to Zenbu’s site to see for yourself!
