Chances are good that you’ve heard marketing companies throw the term “landing page” around a lot in recent years. While many of us may be familiar with the concept, what should a landing page really be? In digital marketing, a landing page is a standalone web page created specifically for a marketing/advertising campaign. It’s where a visitor “lands” after they click on a digital ad such as a link in an email, a social media post, a PPC ad, or other.
Unlike web pages, which typically have several goals and encourage exploration, landing pages are designed with a SINGLE focus or goal, known as a call to action, or CTA for short.
It is this SINGLE FOCUS that makes landing pages one of the best ways to get customers to convert (aka buy, or sign up, or enroll, etc).
Let’s say you’re scrolling through your Facebook feed, and you see an ad for a free hand dipped milkshake. You click on the ad and the home page of a burger chain’s website comes up. Chances are you are busy, and the prospect of a free shake isn’t enough to make you want to dig further into the site to figure out when the offer is valid, where the closest location is to you, what flavors are available, etc. What if instead that ad click took you to a special webpage with mouthwatering photos of shakes, details on how to get the free shake, a list of locations where the offer is available and a list of the flavor possibilities. Chances that you’ll take advantage of the offer increase exponentially.
Define your audience then craft your offer.
One of the beauties of landing pages is that you can create several, different ones to speak to different customers. Let’s say you are utilizing digital marketing agency services to sell a new iPhone case. It’s important to take the time to understand who your different customers are and what motivates them.
Be sure the messaging and imagery speaks specifically to whichever market you are reaching out to. When people don’t see themselves reflected in a brand, they don’t use it.
Millennials are looking for meaning and authenticity in the brands they consume. Generation X is looking for practical uses and value. Baby Boomers are looking for great deal, and value face-to-face interaction even over digital platforms. Convey these differences by using inclusive messaging, imagery and style.
Some of the more common ways to engage prospects
What are some of the best ways to realize more conversions from a landing page? The most effective landing pages ask for a specific action from the viewer, including:
Make a purchase
Call, chat or email you
Subscribe to a newsletter or product updates
Register for an event
Download a free e-book
While making a purchase may be the most obvious desired outcome, it’s important to note that the purpose of a landing page could also be to generate leads, survey customers or gauge interest.
Merely leading prospects to a website page can result in too many distractions, which can eliminate or delay the desired goal. It’s the strict singular focus that makes landing pages so effective.
Free is an effective way to attract attention to your landing page.
Everybody likes free stuff! Whether it’s a milkshake, an event ticket, a free e-book or white paper download, a marketing study, or a BOGO coupon… feel free to throw the word “free” around to increase your conversion rate. Free product trials, webinar enrollments, or app downloads are popular giveaways on landing pages for all types of products and services.
6 Quick Tips
As you go to create your landing page, here are 6 items to check to create highly converting landing pages:
Define and refine the purpose of the page and what action you want visitors to take
Lighter is better! Landing pages are meant to be quick visits, with a specific goal. Clutter and tons of images don’t align with this.
Make CTA 100% Clear! What you want a visitor to do (buy, sign up for something, etc) should be apparent within the first couple of seconds of arriving
Videos Convert! They are visual, stimulating and get a message across very quickly.
Brag a Little. Handpick reviews from Google and social media to illustrate what others think of your brand
Measure & Tweak. There is no perfect recipe for the right landing page. Setup your page and then utilize tools and strategies such as A/B testing, heat map technology, and Google Analytics to see how guests interact with the page.
If you’d like to leverage landing pages to attract more prospects, St. Petersburg-based Thompson Marketing Partners (TMP) can help. TMP is a digital marketing agency that has helped business of all types and sizes expand and refine their online presences through proven marketing strategies. We offer a full range of digital marketing agency services and are experts in developing and executing strategic digital marketing solutions that help clients reach their online marketing goals. To learn more, visit http://www.thompsonmarketingpartners.com.