Landing Pages, Squeeze Pages webforms etc!!

Let’s start with some definitions: A landing page is a standalone page designed to encourage a visitor to take a specific action. I don’t hear the term squeeze page as much anymore although the term was coined as its purpose was to “squeeze” out an email address from a visitor. Most landing pages have the goal of exchanging something of value, the lead magnet, in exchange for contact information. Webforms can be used for the same purpose on your website.

Conversion is the goal

The point of a landing page is to convert a passive visitor into an active participant so the whole design needs to encourage our visitors to click on a Call To Action (CTA) button.

Your landing page is there as a first point of contact or as a means of moving from one stage in the sales pipeline to another, you are converting a lead into a prospect, and then a prospect into a hot prospect!

Firstly, consider a problem or problems that your ideal client wants and needs to be solved? This, at least in part, should be what your lead magnet can help them achieve. Lead magnets are a topic on their own but generally whether it’s an eBook, video or a sign up to your mailing list, it’s the value to your ideal client that you are selling. It will solve a particular problem for your target market and your target market only. As with all types of marketing you need to understand your client profile and so keep messages simple direct and very clear as to how that addresses their problems.

What makes a good Landing page

• Brevity is important. Get your value proposition over in your headline. Make it clear what they are going to get and what they need to do. Shorter copy landing pages get more conversions.

 “ Longer copy can work especially if the offer is to prospects that have already signed up to your list.  You may add more details, testimonials, or case studies.  Make sure you add more than one CTAs since some visitors may be happy to click after the headline and main points so don’t make them scroll to the end”

•  Make sure the information you’re collecting is the minimum necessary. Particularly with the first landing page a lead comes across you should really only need to collect a first name and an email. Consider whether extra fields are necessary. If you are offering a simple and easy to use lead magnet such as a graphic organiser, infographic, or short eBook then just an email and first name would be best. Then, if you are offering them something more involved and of more value you can request further information. For example, a Free review, a printed guide, or video mini course and then you can ask for more information. If the initial lead magnet was valuable they are ready to part with more information and move along the journey of becoming a client. You are building a more comprehensive profile of your prospects and can target the communication more effectively
• The Call To Action needs to be really clear and this is where not having too much copy pays off. You really want all visitors to just click on the call-to-action so anything superfluous just takes attention away. So be very cautious of adding things such as follow me on social media or links to your website that can distract from this one purpose. It’s also important that the colour of the Call To Action button stands out. Use words such as Get, View, Enjoy or Activate. These are more powerful than words like Submit, Start, Pay. The first group suggest something is going to come their way whilst the second group suggest they need to do something.

“This is the advantage of a standalone landing page as opposed to using a form on your website, no menus, headers or footers that can lead your prospect astray”

• Images that attract your buyer avatar, what kind of things would work? Real people are more effective than stock images. If you have a product it’s worth investing in some good images.
• Colours, going with your brand colours and ensuring there is a consistency with your website is a good starting point. Make sure that the key element, particularly the CTA button, stands out
• Whitespace can help visitors through your page and guide them to the right places. Unused spaces improves readability and makes them more likely to take the right action.
• Why not try video? Adding a short video clip has been shown to improve conversion so it’s well worth trying. Keep it short and make sure it is marketing your lead magnet only.

Common landing page mistakes

If you have landing in place and you’re not getting the results you expecting consider some of the following:

• Does it grab the attention immediately, it takes people seconds to make a judgement so does it make it really clear in the first couple of seconds what it is you’re offering, who you’re offering it to and why they should take action?
• How long does loading take? Same as above, unless the page is loading quickly then people move on. So check that your landing page is loading,you can use Google pagespeed insights which is free.
• Too many fonts. You can use two fonts that work well together but anymore and it starts looking too complicated and people won’t take the time to read.
• Your page is not optimised for mobile. As mobile device use increases, many of your clients will access this way so make sure you have all your pages mobile optimised
• The benefit is not clear. The first thing you should notice is the value your lead is getting from taking action. If that’s not immediately clear from your headline then you’re missing out.

What happens next?

Once clicked your lead is taken to a thank you page. There are two things that are worth doing beyond saying thanks;

1. As you will be following up with an email you should take some steps to ensure it’s delivered to the inbox. Let them know an email is on the way and to look out for it in case it goes to the spam or promotions folder. Ask that they mark it as “not spam” and also ask them to add your address to their contact list. You can include instructions to whitelist your domain. All these things improve the deliverability of your emails.
2. This is the first opportunity for an upsell. Since they have shown interest in solving a particular problem why not give them the chance to book an appointment. They have taken the first step so are more likely to take the next one.

Measuring Success

Measuring the success of your landing page can be as complex or simple as you wish. You can measure bounce rates, click-through rates, traffic per device, conversion rates, and cost per lead. At a basic level, how many leads come in through a particular landing page and how many of those convert to clients? It’s also valuable to do some A/B testing. Once you have a landing page live, create a copy with one adaptation such as a change to the:

• Headline
• Copy length
• Colour
• Image
• Video or not

Then compare the results. Small changes can have a big impact and over time as your landing page evolves each percentage point increase will add up to significant revenue gains.

Conclusion

So a little effort with landing pages can have a big impact on your bottom line. These are the gateway to your offerings as well as staging posts along the customer journey. If you’d like to find out how landing pages can help with your business why not book an SLCM session, via this landing page! https://slcm.leff.business