Every business professional wants to know how to generate more prospects, clients or customers. We already know that a company website is a must-have. We know that an active social media presence is beneficial. But we often overlook one of the most effective lead-generation tools: the landing page.
A landing page is a stand-alone web page customized with a single marketing message and a single call to action.
If you’re promoting an upcoming event, your landing page will detail the event and ask users to register. If you’re seeking volunteers to participate in a research study, your landing page will outline the criteria and ask prospects to fill out a form indicating their interest. If you’re launching a product, your landing page will highlight the product’s benefits and invite people to sign up for a free sample.
People “land” on landing pages when following a link from an advertisement, search result or social media update or by clicking a link in an email.
There are two main types of landing pages: click-through and lead-generation. A click-through page helps the user make an informed decision about a service, product or offer. It encourages the user to click to a registration or shopping cart page.
A lead-generation page offers an incentive in exchange for a prospect’s name and email address. Incentives include a free consultation, ebook or white paper download; a free trial or sample; a contest entry; a discount code or a conference or webinar registration.
Before designing your landing page, determine the page’s goal. Decide whether you will best achieve that goal via a click-through or lead-generation page. You’ll want to optimize the design for viewing on desktop, tablet and mobile devices. The page should be short and clutter-free, with plenty of breathing room surrounding the page elements so the call-to-action and form stand out.
The landing page’s headline must be short, punchy and include a strong action verb. A subhead in smaller type can provide additional details. The dominant visual should be an original image or video specific to your offer. The text must answer two questions: “What is it?” and “Why should I care?” Every element on the page must convince readers that your offer will fulfill their needs and desires.
Testimonials, particularly blurbs from big-name customers or mentions in prominent media outlets, can encourage skeptical users to take action. In addition to written or video testimonials, your landing page can include partner or sponsor logos, “trust badges” such as “BBB Accredited Business” and social proof such as online reviews, embedded tweets and Facebook likes.
The single most important element on a landing page is the call-to-action (CTA). It asks users to do one thing — to either click a button or fill out a form. Typical CTA phrases include “Get started,” “Enter now,” “Download your free ebook” or “Get deals.”
Isolate the form visually from the other elements on the page so users can’t miss it. Keep in mind that the more information you ask for on the form, the lower your conversion rate will be. So require only the information you absolutely need from the user.
Finally, test your landing page. In particular, test the form’s size, shape and button color. Most landing page creation tools allow you to test multiple versions of your page so you can identify which version performs best.
Create new landing pages whenever you have a new offer. Chances are, you’ll reel in enthusiastic new customers.
Laura Christianson owns Blogging Bistro (bloggingbistro.com), a Snohomish-based company that specializes in custom website creation, social media marketing and content writing. Contact her at 425-244-4242 or laura@bloggingbistro.com.
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