Build Landing Pages That Convert With These Simple Tips

One of the best ways to grow your email list and generate qualified leads for your business is to create content that appeals to a particular audience but isn’t readily available to them. The intent is not to shut them out, but to cultivate an engaged audience willing to exchange something valuable to them, like their name and email address, for something your business feels is equally as valuable, great content that will benefit the reader in some way. One of the best ways to capture that information is through a landing page. When positioned properly, these intake forms can be the start of a fruitful relationship that leads to sales for your company down the road.

 

What is a Landing Page?

A landing page is a stand-alone web page that includes a form to gather information about your audience. Data fields may include name and email address, but can have additional fields like business name, number of employees, and more. The number and type of fields used are up to you as is the call to action (CTA). The CTA is the action you’d like the recipient of the landing page to do, i.e., sign up for a webinar, download an e-book, or register for an event, to name a few. Check out this example of a landing page for a Facebook eBook:

 

Do you really need a Landing Page?  If so…how many?

Landing pages have become a common and essential online marketing tool for most businesses with the sole purpose of driving traffic to a location and generating leads easily and cost-efficiently. Landing pages give you a means to collect contact information from your audience as well as track behavioral patterns like the types of content they engage with. Inside of a marketing automation campaign, for example, this data becomes invaluable to the sales process as the tracked engagement helps you identify which leads are qualified and those that are not. That means you spend more time on people likely to purchase, and less on those who will not.

But how many landing pages do you need?  A HubSpot report suggests that companies see a 55% increase in leads when increasing their number of landing pages from 10 to 15, but that may not be attainable or necessary for some small businesses. It’s always best to do what you can handle rather than stumble over initiatives too big for your plate. You can grow into more, but master one landing page first if bandwidth is an issue.

 

Landing Page Key Components

Although there is no exact science to creating an effective landing page, there are some key components every page should have to improve your engagement rate. Below are just a few of the top elements suggested by Kissmetrics in their infographic the Anatomy of a Perfect Landing Page:

• A Clear Call to Action

Your landing page call to action must be clear and is imperative that it leads the visitor to the “next steps.”  It must also be tied to the overall message and end-goal of your campaign to eliminate any confusion.

 

• Clear and Concise Headlines

Keep the copy of your landing page clear, concise, and persuasive.  Every word and sentence on your page must have a purpose that engages your visitor and entices them to keep reading and act.

 

• Keep It Above the Fold

Make sure your call-to-action button is located near the top of your landing page. This makes it easier for your visitor to respond to your “CTR” without having to scan the entire landing page.

 

What do you need to remember about landing pages?

Landing pages, when used as part of a lead generation marketing strategy, are an amazing source of potential leads to help you grow your business. But watch out for common pitfalls. On your form, resist the temptation to ask too many questions. Only ask for information vital to accomplishing the goal of your page and overall strategy, and be sensitive to what you make required. Remember, generating leads and the subsequent nurturing of those leads is all about the long game. With each touchpoint, you’ll learn more about your audience, so there’s no need to be overly aggressive upfront and risk losing the relationship. Getting name and email only at first is a great start!

The number one reason businesses don’t use landing pages is lack of support and resources to build and maintain them. But, there are numerous websites, templates, and resources available to help. And you can always reach out to us for support!