"I need a landing page for my product/e-course/service, stat" - This is a sentence I hear at least on a daily basis, even excluding all the social media posts asking for landing page development or design recommendations, and of course those linking to landing pages.
Yes, landing pages are important (you can say that again). However, before you invest time and money in building, designing and promoting landing pages, here are some question worth asking - and even more so, answering.
Why do I need a landing page if I already have a website?
At Paz Agency, there aren't many things we love as much as a full branding project, which of course includes a well-plotted website built according to the brand's new and shiny visual strategy, which then serves as an amazing marketing tool. Still, when we are promoting a specific product (anything from an investment property to an online makeup training) our goal is sales, not marketing. It's key that we don't confuse our customers with too many messages and options.
This is exactly where landing pages come in: It's the page where a customer "lands" after having been exposed to our product via an effective campaign, with the goal of understanding what it's all about and making a single, focused action. A well-built landing page can produce a conversion rate of 40-50%! This, as opposed to most landing pages, which convert on a rate of a mere 4-5%... A tiny difference, right? So let's see how we do it well.
The message serves the goal
A well thought-out landing page has a singular goal - which must be defined before we start planning. Do we want to generate leads? Promote a book? Sell a service? The entire page has to be cohesive and consistently lead to a strong and clear call to action (or "CTA" for short) that the customer can easily follow. Remember, customers probably have some knowledge of the topic that brought them here. Chances are they got here via a campaign or a social media post, and are now looking to learn just enough to understand whether the product is a good fit for them, what they need to know about it and how they can complete the purchase - or "action".
That's why every single word and pixel must serve these goals without piling on superfluous details, while providing enough information to create an interaction. Every piece of information, needs to sufficiently answer the question "why do you want me to know this?" Otherwise, it doesn't justify the space on a landing page - and would be a better fit for other marketing tools.
A strong CTA
The entire landing page is built around the call to action. This is why there's no place for unnecessary text or design in a way that might take away or dim the power of the call to action. Design must always serve the message, and not vice versa!
A few tips for an effective CTA:
Keep message length to 2-3 words
Add words like "now", "today" etc to create a sense of urgency
The CTA button design has to stand out. Stir away from multiple buttons, links and social media buttons - they will only distract your customer and take them away from the action you wish they'd complete
Do your best to guide your customer to a quick and easy action that can be completed online, like making a purchase or leaving their details so you can contact them. If we've worked so hard on refining the and promoting the landing page, only to ask the customer to make a phone call - we are at risk for losing the opportunity because the customer is busy, at a noisy place or just doesn't feel like making a call. In case it's an industry in which deals traditionally happen by phone, make sure to collect the customer's details so you have the control, or at least track phone calls made through the page. Sounds complicated? No worries. We're happy to take care of this for you.
A/B testing: It's 2020 and it's easier than ever to test multiple calls to action and see which performs better. Make sure you're working with a vendor who lives and breathes data!
Why choose a digital agency, objectively :)
Now that you've learned (almost) everything you can know about landing pages, it's time to understand who you can work with and how to start. I highly recommend working with an experienced digital agency, which will leave you time to do what you do (and enjoy) best. So how do you choose a great agency that will build you an amazing (and converting) landing page? Here are a few tried and true tips:
Choose an agency that eats, lives and breathes performance marketing - design and web development are important but can't lead the process, otherwise you'll be left with a gorgeous landing page that doesn't bring sales
Choose an agency that can serve you across platforms - after you build the landing page, you'll need to promote it online, and even before that, you'll need a strong strategy. Why work with 3 different vendors when you can go for a one stop shop?
Choose an agency that has relevant experience and deeply gets your customers - how they think, feel, and most importantly - make purchasing decisions
Remember: Marketing is a process. Like any collaboration, building a landing page isn't just "plug and play". Choose people you trust and communicate well with so you can work together, have a health back-and-forth, measure results and grow together.
Now that you have a thesis in landing pages and probably dreams and plans to match, I invite you to check out our portfolio and be in touch. Good luck!