Pipsqueak Media

Whether you operate an E-commerce business, provide online courses or offer holidays abroad, managing your digital presence is essential for achieving your goals. A key aspect of that is organising and designing winning landing pages.

But what is a landing page, and how can you make it sell?

What is a landing page?

A question that I’m often asked is ‘What is a landing page?’ So, this article is an effort on my side to put this matter to bed once and for all. Simply put, if you’re running an email marketing or PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising campaign, a landing page is the first page a visitor lands on after clicking an assigned link.

Why you should use landing pages?

A landing page is different from a web page. Where web pages encourage visitors to explore your website, landing pages are focused and subject-specific. Landing pages are designed with a singular goal and contain call-to-actions (CTAs) encouraging a specific action. As such, through persuasion, landing pages entice prospects toward the point of purchase (PoS) and convert them into paying customers.

So, if you offer different products, services, or events, you should use landing pages to make categorical distinctions. For example, if you’re an online furniture store selling beds, wardrobes and cabinets, create landing pages for each category featuring a clear path to purchase.

Or if you’re a mortgage provider, you could create a landing page outlining the benefits of a mortgage which features an on-page form for requesting a call back from a sales representative.

As such, landing pages are also referred to as lead capture, single property, static or destination pages.

How are landing pages constructed?

When designing and writing a landing page, you need to be clear about the purpose of the page and your intended goal. Although landing page design can vary in terms of goals, length and desired outcomes, there are traits that all successful landing pages embody. Here are 5 essential elements your landing page needs.

1. Unique Selling Point

You need to understand and project your Unique Selling Point (USP). So, what exactly is it about your business or offering that’s going to drive sales? What makes customers choose you over your competitors?

Your landing pages need to communicate immediately to visitors, clearly and succinctly, why your offering is superior. For this aspect alone, carefully consider how you use these 4 elements:

• Main Headline

When accessing your landing page the first thing visitors will read is your page’s main headline. It’s vital that it very clearly sets out what visitors stand to acquire from your product or service. The challenge, however, is that headlines must be short and direct, but punchy too.

• Supporting Headline:

Given that headlines need to be short and get straight to the point, you may not be able to say everything that you want from the outset. But this is where writing a supporting headline can help. Even so, shorter tends to better in generating results.

When constructing a Supporting Headline, there are two approaches that you can use. The supporting headline may function as a direct continuation of your main headline or as a persuasive string of text conveying additional relevant information and value.

• Reinforcing Statement:

If you’re using a long-form landing page structure, inserting in the middle of the page a reinforcing statement might be a prudent decision. A reinforcing statement serves as a way of reminding visitors about your unique selling point.

So, when writing a reinforcing statement, consider what visitors know at each stage of their reading in opposed to when they first landed. Therefore, it needs to bring something new to their attention rather than repeating an already addressed point. What other ways can you persuade visitors that your USP offers meaningful benefits to create further hype?

• Closing Statement:

Again, if using a long-from landing page format, you may choose to include a closing statement. A closing statement offers visitors one last opportunity to convert by reminding them of the validity of your unique selling proposition. To help make this statement count, convey a sense of urgency or reinforce why your offering is superior. Remember, no one wants to miss out on a great offer, so use this to your advantage.

• 2. Hero Image or background video

When visitors arrive at your landing page perceptions make all the difference between whether they stay or bounce. As well as persuasive text, landing page aesthetics need to be visually appealing and on brand. However, your hero image or background video must also show the context of its use.

A great example of a landing page hero shot that uses visual language to persuade and sell comes from Samsung. Though the use of text in the supporting headline is minimal, it complements the sci-fi-esque imagery to express a powerful sense of technological advancement that will revolutionise the home TV experience.

To reinforce this message and establish trust, the hero shot also features review badges from various consumer review sites, elevating the perceived quality of Samsung’s offering. Furthermore, the landing page contains a clear call-to-action giving visitors the option to ‘Buy Now’. Though a common CTA, it nevertheless conveys the intended purpose of the page – sell more LED TVs.

3. Benefits of your services or products

As well as appealing main and supporting headlines, your landing page needs persuasive copy that resonates with your audience’s needs and expectations. The key to success is writing copy that clearly lays out and describes specific benefits and features. You also need to use a tone of voice that’s appropriate for your brand which your audience can relate.

Great copy that persuades and generates trust sounds more akin to a conversation which offers tangible value to readers. For example:

• “The lightest Brompton ever made.” – Brompton Bikes

• “Can’t wait for that pint of Half Baked? We feel you. Order from one of our instant delivery partners and get your ice cream delivered within minutes.” – Ben & Jerry’s

4. Social Proof

Adding social proofs to your landing page is an excellent way of reinforcing messaging, establishing trust, and influencing your audience’s decision making. As your audience continues reading your landing page it should feel like you’re stripping away any obstacles to them deciding to make a purchase – social proofs being a vital means of achieving this.

Social proof can take many forms:

1. Direct quotes from past customers
2. Case studies showcasing examples of product, service or customer service excellence.
3. Video interviews with past customers, senior employees, or C-suite executives.
4. Logos of well-known partnering companies
5. Review scores from sites like Trustpilot, Yelp, or Techradar.

Used appropriately, Social proof is one of the most powerful tools for influencing purchase intentions and driving sales.

5. Call-to-Action (CTA)

Finally, your landing page needs to contain at least one call-to-action that allows visitors to perform a specific action, like make a purchase or register their interest. Your landing page needs to be focused on achieving a single conversational goal, and a Call-to-Action is a button or on-page form that allows visitors to convert.

Depending on the type of landing page, you may want to add more than one CTA. For a long-form landing page discussing a specific product or service you may have up to 3 CTA’s – one located in your hero image, one in the middle and another at the end.

On the other hand, an e-commerce landing page for birthday cakes may feature a range of products to order from. As such, this type of landing page will likely contain many CTAs with each product (cake) displayed having its own dedicated ‘Buy Now’ button.

Consequently, CTAs are one of the most important aspects of any landing page. So, to help you achieve optimal results, here are a few tips for maximising the effectiveness of your call-to-actions:

1. Use conversational CTAs that let visitors know what they’ll be getting from their clicks. Avoid bland button text like ‘Click Here’ or ‘SUBMIT’, instead use ‘START YOUR FREE TRIAL’.
2. If using an on-page CTA form, keep it short and include a privacy statement to reassure visitors about how their data will be used and to comply with GDPR regulations.
3. Before committing to a specific type of CTA remember to perform A/B Testing. Even the smallest of differences have a significant impact on conversion rates.

Need help creating a landing page that converts visitors into paying customers?

Developed and optimised around a singular conversion goal, landing pages are a powerful tool for generating sales, community development and attracting prospects. But the key to success is a landing page that speaks and resonates with your audience, appealing directly to their needs, wants and expectations.

Sure, achieving a landing page that delivers can be challenging. But, if you need help acquiring a landing page that gives you the edge over your competition, then why not give Pipsqueak Media a try? Contact Pipsqueak Media today for a FREE quotation.