Landing Pages are the building block behind generating leads on your website. If you’re not using landing pages you’re losing business…period! Too many businesses redirect their social media, search traffic, and email generated leads to their homepage or contact page. This is the equivalent of burning money.
Without even knowing it, when a visitor is brought to your website they want to be told where to go or what to do. The great thing about this is you have all the power to point them in the right direction.
What are landing pages and why are they important to your business?
What is a landing page you ask? A landing page is a web page that allows you to capture a potential clients information through a lead form. The reason why this technique is so powerful is because the goal is to eventually have the reader opt-in to your sales funnel through some sort of an offer. This inbound marketing tactic is a great way to provide value to your customers and spark curiosity in your potential clients. Remember, they are here because they want to be.
What makes up a well designed landing page?
There are a few key elements that make up a well designed landing page.
First off, a landing page should have an engaging title showcasing what you are offering. Whether it’s a valuable free report or a trial demo of your product, a visitor should clearly know what it is you’re offering within milliseconds of visiting your landing page.
Second, a brief description of what the offer is. Let the reader know how they are going to benefit from your offer. Your reader is asking themselves “what sort of value am I receiving by filling out this form?” If what you’re offering is enticing enough they will be more than happy to give up their email address or required information to gain access to the content. So be sure the content in the body of the landing page is to the point and clear. You can even use typography techniques to bring important information to the front. I.e. bolding key text and using blockquote techniques.
Thirdly, a well designed or eye catching photo should be present on the page. Something that relates to the offer is definitely a plus. Remember the phrase “A picture’s worth a thousand words?”… that also applies here in online marketing.
The Last & most important element in creating an effective landing page is the call-to-action or CTA. So you have their attention…now what are you going to do with it? You want the reader to opt-in by filling out the web form which should be linked to some sort of a CRM (customer relationship management) or email marketing software allowing you to keep track of who has shown interest in your offer. Here’s the kicker…the most important part about the call-to-action element of your landing page is to ONLY have one. We want the reader to engage with your offer and fill out the form. We don’t want other distractions on the page such as menu items, banner ads, and/or other offers, etc. Keep the landing page clean & provide one CTA.
Remember that these key points are critical when it comes to creating a great landing page, but also remember that the layout is just as important. Design the page to be clear and to the point. It should be easy for the reader to look at the page and understand what it is you want them to do. I.e the viewers should understand the offer, the value, and the action they need to take.
Conclusion and additional points
This is just a basic overview of the power of landing pages and how they can help you engage your audience and test what is working and what isn’t. Remember that we live in a world where social media plays an integral part in how we communicate. So it might not be a bad idea to have some sort of a social media sharing option allowing readers to tell others about your offer.
Oh ya, one more thing before we go. Be sure to have some sort of an analytics component attached to your offer cycle. Remember you should ALWAYS be testing and tracking what you do as this data is crucial when it comes to knowing what your target audience is interested in. Testing allows you to streamline great marketing strategies and techniques for the future.
