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The importance of a good landing page

  • 05 April 2018
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After you worked hard enticing people to click on your social media links, what do they see? Is the page bland and boring? Or does it draw the visitor to keep reading? The visitor has already expressed curiosity about your offering by clicking on the link. The landing page plays a critical role in converting those curious visitors to leads. So, what aspects of a landing page are important for converting visitors? There are five essential elements for an effective landing page: a unique selling proposition, details of benefits, social proof, images/video, and a call to action.

The Unique Selling Proposition

A well-developed landing page tells the story of what makes your product or service better than the competition. The selling proposition should include a main punchline, supporting headline, reinforcing statement, and a closing argument. One example is Dominos, “You get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less or it’s free.” The main punchline clearly states exactly what Domino’s Pizza does for its customers. Like Domino’s, keep it short and simple.

Because the main headline can only say so much, the supporting headline extends the message. Create it with a consistent message as an extension of the original message. As viewers scroll through your page, the section titles and content need to reinforce the selling proposition. Think of the reinforcement statement as a second headline that keeps the uniqueness of your product at the top of the visitor’s mind during the reading experience. A reinforcement statement is another opportunity to persuade the visitor that they should purchase your offering.

Benefits Details

Here is your opportunity to hash out the specific benefits and features of your offering. This section explains exactly what the end user should expect from using your product or service. What pain point does your product solve? What uses does your product have? What will the visitor lose by not purchasing your product? It is easy to slip up and communicate these answers from your company’s point of view. Always think about it from the consumer’s point of view. Keep this section to a brief, bullet-point list.

Social Proof

It is easy to list the benefits of a product in text, but potential customers want, and need, to know how it will impact them. The power of real life user experience reinforces that your product provides real benefits to users. Social media posts and positive client statements both show satisfaction with your product and how it has impacted a client. To use testimonials effectively, they must include details, data, and images of the person reviewing your product. Generalities and anonymous comments do not suffice.

Images and Videos

While the landing page should contain detailed explanation of your product, it should not be a textbook. Images and videos make your landing page pop. If selling a product, you must have a photo or video of it on the page. If selling a service, include a video or photo that communicates its value. Always ensure your images and video are large and high-quality. The brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, so make the most of media.

Call to Action

The visitor now knows everything important about your product, do not let them leave! Now is your opportunity to convert your visitor to a lead. For someone to purchase your offering, they need to have a contact point. Whether it is a customer service pop up, a list of contacts, or a live chat, the customer needs someone to speak to. The point of contact also lends some credibility to your site so that consumers do not believe your company is fake.

In addition, your landing page should include a way to get visitors’ information. An ineffective way to obtain visitor information is having the simple, “click here” or “submit” buttons. Instead, include some form of benefit the visitor has from submitting their information. Examples include a free eBook, coupons, or free consultation. This is your chance to solidify a lead, do not miss your opportunity!

Example: MailChimp

This screenshot is MailChimp’s landing page for their new landing page builder (hint: Mail Chimp doesn’t sell sandwiches)! The landing page is a great example of what a full landing page should look like. In the top portion, MailChimp includes three of the key elements. Their pretend unique selling proposition has a main headline and a supporting headline that describes their delicious sandwich better. The call to action is very prominent on the page, enticing more clicks. Also, they give a tasty picture of their delicious sandwich, showing exactly what the customer would get. Further down the page, they include the benefits and features of the sandwich highlighting its crumb structure, freshness, and plate inclusion. Then they provide social proof of someone actually enjoying their sandwich, offering credibility to their sandwich making abilities. At the bottom of the page, they offer a video and a link to learn more about the product, keeping viewers engaged as they scroll through the page.

There are two more aspects that make this landing page great. The first is that it does not really give you anywhere else to go, except to learn more about the product. Making it hard to leave the page forces means viewers are more likely to learn more about your product and potentially turn into a strong lead. Secondly, they made their page funny! Not only does the page inform you on their product, it keeps viewers engaged and happy. Your page does not need to be funny, but it needs to be unique and keep viewers on your page.

What is the point?

By enhancing your landing page, you will convert a higher percentage of visitors into high-quality leads. Instead of directing visitors to your business home page, a landing page provides all relevant information which increases your lead capture rate. Also, landing pages offer you important information on visitors. You will be able to find which prospects are most engaged, their demographics, and which marketing efforts are most effective. With these five elements in your landing page, your business can get useful information on prospects and increase your lead capture rate.