If you’ve done web marketing for a while, you’re probably familiar with landing pages. These are hidden mini-home pages, designed specifically to push campaign respondents to take the final step and buy from you. If a good email campaign can get a .5% to 2% response, a campaign combined with a strong landing page can double or triple that response rate. If you aren’t familiar with the landing page idea, let me tell you more about it.

Created specifically to make a sale

Landing pages are actually different from normal web pages. Why? They assume the prospect is already interested in your business. A landing page is there to present your final call-to-action in the strongest possible way. It assumes you’ve already introduced yourself, made your pitch and are ready for the customer to close.

Why is this important?

With a landing page, you have one last opportunity to entice your reader, one final chance to offer your best incentive, and you’re free from the size and space limitations of email or social media marketing.

So, what are the five most important things a landing page needs to be successful?

Use a visual to illustrate their problem, or the solution to it. Find a big stock image, a photo or an illustration, that shows either the problem or the solution. Write a compelling headline that complements it. You have a whole web page, so make it big.

Use charts or graphics to make your points. If a line graph illustrates success with your business, make one and incorporate it into the page. If you can get a designer to create a cool infographic, spend the money, and reuse it in other campaigns.

Write your most compelling copy, and try not to be funny or too subtle. This is the close, remember, not the pitch. State the problem, empathize with the reader, and prove you can solve it if they act now.

Offer a gift, premium, complimentary service or other offer to seal the deal. Got free informational videos? Give ‘em away if readers commit now. Write a short white paper about the industry and how you can help people, and give it away. Offer a free consultation. Heck, give away a $10 Starbuck’s card if they buy your product.

One offer, one product. When a prospect gets to a landing page, they’ve already decided to see what you’ve got to give them. You can’t think, well, they can buy my product, OR they can call me for information, OR they can sign up for my mailing list. You might like it if any of these things happen, but choice is the enemy of quick decision-making, and you want your prospect to take action. Pick the most likely customer choice, based on your offer, and present that. And don’t bother with a “sign up for our emails” form. Being on your list is how they got here. If you want a sign-up, make sure it’s for a paid product subscription.

Create a strong landing page for your next promotion

Spending a bit of time and energy on creating a custom campaign landing page is a really cost-effective way to improve your business. Naturally, I’d love to help you with ideas on strategy, production, and putting your campaigns to work. Call me (TODAY!) at (310) 391-5275, or email me, eric@coincidentideas.com, to talk more about how landing pages are the perfect addition to your marketing toolkit.

For more tips and techniques on web marketing, social media, email campaigns and more, read our regular posts at www.coincidentides.com/blog.