Landing Pages: The Elevator Pitch of Internet Marketing
The good ol’ elevator pitch has been an important tactic of salespeople probably before elevators were even invented. Taking people hostage in a confined space to listen to your pitch doesn’t seem like the ideal selling situation, but it sure can teach us the value of being clear, to the point, and persuasive. These are exactly the qualities we want to translate into the E-marketing version of the elevator pitch: the landing page. This is the page people see when they click on your Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ad and having an effective page can mean the difference between a bounce and a conversion to sale.
First, the good news: unlike an elevator pitch, people looking at your landing page want to be there. They have searched for a product or service on a search engine, seen your PPC ad and clicked on it because they want what you sell (check out our other articles on PPC to make sure they do click). Now you have only about 3 seconds to show them what your company is all about and why they should consider doing business with you.
The first and most important quality of a successful landing page is that it is dedicated to PPC. Having a PPC ad navigate to the homepage of your website is a big mistake. This is a golden opportunity of having the attention of a potential customer who already shows interest, meaning you need to serve their needs specifically. Also, now that you have their attention, you don’t want to lose it. Make sure your landing page doesn’t have a full navigation bar; you know what you want to tell them and what you want them to do, so don’t give them too many other options.
These are the three questions your landing page needs to answer:
1) Where am I?
2) What can I do here?
3) Why should I do it?
Where am I?
To answer this question, utilize your content carefully. Include what your company does and a value proposition telling readers why they should care. Be clear and concise, possibly utilizing easy to digest bullet points. Remember, this information must be gleaned during your 30 seconds of fame. Use clean pictures to add to the aesthetic value and make sure the page has a logical flow top to bottom, left to right.
What can I do here?
This question is crucial. If you’re selling a product directly on the page, make sure the buying action is prominent. If your aim is to generate leads, a fill-in information form will be the action step. Consider offering something of value in exchange for their information, such as a free trial or white papers. Try to limit any barriers to entry by designing a form that is short, includes a privacy policy to reduce anxiety and excludes a security code that can deter leads. Also, instead of labeling the submittal button with “Submit”, use this as an opportunity to emphasize why they are submitting, such as “Get Your Free Quote”.
Why should I do it?
This question will partly be answered by your value proposition mentioned previously. However, be sure to include third-party endorsers who play a vital role in emphasizing the credibility of your company. Testimonials can go a long way in building trust with the potential client, persuading them to either buy your product or feendl comfortable giving away their information.
You’re On Your Way…
Utilize these tips on your landing page and start expecting higher conversion rates. Webmarketing123 offers landing page optimization to ensure that you have a winning landing page. We employ the techniques described here while drawing from our experience and expertise to take your 3 seconds of fame and turn that visitor into a conversion.