By VP, Maria Burnham Nelson
The first question a client usually asks is "How do I get more leads/sales from my website?" Although there are many proven internet promotion techniques, one simple tactic for improving website conversion is to develop landing pages.
What are landing page? Let’s start by what landing pages are not. Landing pages are NOT your home page. Instead, it is the page that appears when a user clicks on an advertisement or a search engine result link and typically contains content that is a logical extension of the advertisement or link. So, now that you know WHAT a landing page is, follow these 10 steps to use this internet promotion technique for improving website conversion.
1. Define your message and your audience.
What's the offer? Who's interested? Why are they interested, and why should they take further action? Once you've answered these questions, gear your copy and creative around one simple goal. Example: To get a newsletter signup; to sell more of Product A. Don't lose focus and try to put everything your company does or sells in one page.
2. Define conversion
What exactly IS conversion? A conversion is when a user to your site completes your desired action. For example, at Amazon.com, a conversion would be a book sale. For other sites, a conversion may be a newsletter signup or a completed lead form. Once you know how you're defining a conversion, the next step is getting users to complete your desired action. One of the best internet promotion techniques for improving website conversion is to create a landing page.
3. Build landing pages
What are landing pages? As we mentioned earlier, a landing page is a page on your site (NOT the home page) where the user arrives after clicking on your marketing creative (banner advertisements, Pay Per Click Search, email blasts, etc.). A landing page is one page focused on a one idea and begins where the creative leaves off. A banner ad or interesting email campaign piqued the user’s interest, now the landing page must close the deal.
4. Use continuity between your creative and landing pages.
What makes the best landing pages? Landing pages are not one size fits all. If you're banner ad is about a particular product, carry that message and creative elements to the landing page. If your email blast is soliciting newsletter signups, gear your internet promotion techniques on the landing page toward that message.
5. Eliminate navigation.
Users should be "funneled" through with no distractions. If your goal is to have them sign up for a newsletter, that's ALL they should be able to do from this page. Don’t confuse the user with too many choices.
6. Offer a UVP (Unique Value Proposition).
A UVP is an internet promotion technique that allows you to get important information from your users in order to remarket to them. You want the users’ personal information (email, phone, etc.) so give them something in exchange. Example "Sign up for our diabetes newsletter and get a Free Diabetic Recipe ebook!" - Or "Free shipping with the purchase of $50 or more!" You get the info or the sale by improving website conversion, they get something they need or want. Everyone's a winner.
7. Keep it short and sweet.
Don't have more than one message or UVP per page. Use the "don't make me think" principle -- tell the user with your content and creative EXACTLY what you want them to do and only ask for basic information on landing page (first name, last name, email address, newsletter opt-out). Use the next page in the sales funnel to capture more sensitive information such as personal questions or credit card. If the user gets to the second page and is turned off by having to pay or provide information, at least you've used this internet promotion technique to capture his or her email address for remarketing purposes.
8. Create a clear "call to action"
The "call to action" (buy now! sign up today!) should be in the lower right and "above the fold" so, as users read left to right, top to bottom it's the last thing they see on the page. This is one of the single most important internet promotion techniques to use in improving website conversion.
9. Measure results.
Use a web analytics program such as Web Trends or Omniture to measure your campaign results. A free, robust system for analyzing your marketing results is Google Analytics. All of these programs allow you to track your visitors’ behavior and define goals and metrics.
10. Test, test, test.
Test creative. Test headlines. Test body copy. Keep tweaking to find ways to inch up conversion. Be careful not to test too many elements at once. Do an A/B test on one element, say the headline, and see which performs better. Then, take the winning page and do another A/B test on, say the main graphic. Repeat as often as possible. A landing page is never "finished" and is a constant evolution.
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