Episode 229: What’s Working Mid-2025, Part 4, Conversion Rate Optimization with John Grimshaw

Episode Description

In this episode of the summer series, Smart Marketer CMO John Grimshaw breaks down one of the most overlooked growth levers in digital marketing: conversion rate optimization. Whether you're optimizing headlines, simplifying your landing pages, or bundling smarter offers, these case studies from Boom, Pretty Farm Girl, and SafeSleeve show you exactly what’s working right now.

“Bringing more money in when you drive a sale is the easiest way to grow the business.” – John Grimshaw

This episode is packed with actionable takeaways and real client wins, including major lifts in AOV and conversion rates across three different brands.

You Will Learn:

• How Boom nearly doubled AOV by changing their front-end offer

• Why simplified landing pages outperformed complex ones

• How Pretty Farm Girl increased conversions with a simple nav change

• What a headline test can teach you about your customer

• The power of “cardification” for homepage usability

• How SafeSleeve boosted conversions with small, smart tweaks

• Where to start testing when you want a meaningful CRO win

Links & Resources:

• Smart Marketer – smartmarketer.com

• Smart Marketer Summer Sale – smartmarketer.com/summer

• Apply for AppLovin Beta – applovin.com/beta-application?cg_code=C658

• Omnisend – smartmarketer.com/omnisend
  (Use coupon code “SMART” for 50% off your first 3 months)

• John Grimshaw – LinkedIn

• Boom by Cindy Joseph – boombycindyjoseph.com

• Pretty Farm Girl – prettyfarmgirl.com

• SafeSleeve – safesleevecases.com

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro, Wrapping up the Summer Series
02:18 – Why John Lives in CRO
03:47 – CRO Accelerator and Summer Sale
06:16 – Case Study 1: Boom – Boosting AOV with a Bundled Trio Offer
09:50 – Why AOV Is Your Best Lever
11:20 – Case Study 2: Pretty Farm Girl – Simpler Pages, Higher Conversions
14:29 – Boosting Trust with Badges and Callouts
16:01 – Case Study 3: SafeSleeve – Headline and Homepage Wins
18:20 – Headline Tips: Benefit Beats Question
20:28 – What Is Cardification?
21:54 – Make Buttons Feel Clickable
22:44 – Where to Start with CRO
24:14 – Make a Hypothesis Before You Test
24:54 – Final Thoughts and Strategy

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