When it comes to a landing page, the name says it all. This is the place where conversions are made. A proper landing page allows audiences to complete their journey. Your mission is to get them there so they can land. Because if you don’t, conversions don’t happen.
The landing page is a critical asset of any digital marketing campaign. What does it take to steer viewers in that direction, though?
What is a Landing Page?
A landing page is a stand-alone marketing tool potential leads “land” on when they click a link typically found in an email or ad. Often, the landing page exchanges something of value for the data you collect. For example:
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When the customer clicks the link for the discount, the brand benefits from their data. The carrot on the end of the stick doesn’t have to be a discount; It might be information like an ebook or whitepaper. Maybe the click earns them a free consultation. Whatever will appeal to the target audience.
What Are the Benefits of a Landing Page?
Generating leads for your brand is a necessary part of doing business. A quality landing page can take someone with a bit of interest and turn them into customers. Brands can see a 42 percent increase in click rates and 103 percent in conversions with an effective landing page.
Having a few landing pages connected to your website can drive traffic your way and provide you with valuable contact information.
Landing pages have the potential to:
- Increase conversions
- Help you better understand your target audience
- Grow your email subscriber list and social media followers
- Help you test products or campaign ideas
- Create context for customers wanting to learn more about your brand
- Increase brand presence and value
They are not hard to create and usually pay off when done right.
Different Types of Landing Pages
One of the most challenging things about landing pages is deciding what to offer. By definition, a landing page gifts the person who clicks, but what can you give?
Ebooks
Ebooks or whitepapers are excellent choices, especially for B2B brands. It allows you to satisfy the viewers’ need to learn. Use the landing page to display a lead capture form. Visitors can’t download the ebook if you don’t have their email address.
Sign Up for a Newsletter
A regular newsletter can also satisfy the need to read and learn. You can break down something you already have in a whitepaper or ebook into a series of emails, for example. Or use the newsletter to keep your reader current on industry topics or what is going on with the brand. Then, set up a similar lead capture form to put them on the newsletter subscriber list.
Online Course or Webinar
You can use a landing page to promote a skill-based class or certification tutorial. This is especially effective if you have regular classes and are looking for new students. Choose content that will add value for your target customers and have a way to allow them access to the webinar once they provide their contact info. Make sure it is a private channel and not YouTube. Making them jump through hoops to access something available to anyone is likely to frustrate them.
Events
Landing pages work well for event registrations. You can use the contact form on the landing page to keep them updated on event news. You could even set up several landing pages. For example, you might promote the keynote speakers on them or talk about the panels available.
Free Anything
Anything with the word free in front of it tends to grab attention. It might be a free demo or trial. Maybe you will send a sample of your flagship product or a free mug with your brand name.
Whatever you decide to offer for free, you’ll need contact information to get it to them. Once they fill out the contact form, send them a thank you email with more details.
Membership to Anything
It might be access to a private Facebook group or loyalty club. This is an option with more than one benefit. It also opens up a unique communication tool dedicated to your customers.
App Download
If your brand has an app or is developing one, use a landing page to provide access. They click on the app link, which takes them to the landing page. You collect information from them via the form, then respond with an email that links to a second landing page that allows them to get the app.
Once you decide what style of landing page or pages best suits your need, the next step is to get people to them.
What Are Some Free Ways to Drive Traffic to a Landing Page?
Free is always better. Consider encouraging them to click without putting a dent in your budget.
Use a Call to Action (CTA) on Common Marketing Assets
Start by putting a CTA link on the stuff you already have up. For example, you’ll want one on your website home page or in the header, so it shows up on each page. Put it at the top and make it stand out with a different color and font. Use language that will appeal to someone that visits the website, whether it’s their first time or they come often.
- Sign Up For a Free Consult!
- Get a 10% discount on your next order!
- Find out what our experts think about the economy!
Whatever tagline you use, it should be short and appealing. Then, when they click, they will be taken to a dedicated landing page to get more information.
Other places to put your call to action include your blog home page, social media page, and email signature or header. You already have these marketing tools in place, so put them to use.
Email Marketing
Emails won’t cost you anything, so they are the perfect choice. The hard part about emails is getting your potential lead to open them. Make your offer in the subject line, expand on their benefit inside the email, and provide the link.
Social Media Push
Social media campaigns are some of the best free marketing around. You could do a few weekly posts reminding your followers and their followers about the benefit you are offering on your landing page. You could add a link at the bottom of other posts too.
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You could create a targeted post for VIP followers or as a loyalty benefit.
Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is an often overlooked marketing tool. It gives you a platform to promote a landing page, increases your internet presence, and builds traffic. It also helps establish your brand as an authority in your industry.
Take advantage of free guest blogging sites like Medium. You can also submit guest blogs for consideration to publications and industry websites.
Repurpose Content
Since we are talking about blogs, go back over yours and repurpose any related to your landing page. For example, a medical practice offering a book on managing your blood pressure might go back and repost blogs about blood pressure. An air condition repair company might repurpose blogs about AC maintenance. Tack on a line to entice them to click on a link for the landing page.
Thank You Pages
A thank you page pops up after a viewer completes an action. If they buy something, for example, the page would open the thank them. You can tack on a link to your landing page here or create a new one targeting new or loyal customers.
You might also use a thank you page after someone signs up for a newsletter or completes a survey.
SEO
Make sure your landing page, and every page for that matter, is optimized for search engines. This means it will appear in organic searches and increase the brand’s internet presence.
Other Ways to Drive Traffic to a Landing Page
You can pay to promote your page if the free marketing options are not getting the job done.
Paid Ads
The most obvious solution is a paid ad. Pay-per-click ads mean you only pay if someone clicks. Paid ads have the added benefit of targeting your audience. So, you can create the ad in a way that will most likely get clicks by ensuring the right people see it at the right time.
Sponsored Search Engine Ads
This approach will put a sponsored ad at the top of any search results page related to the topic of your landing page. So if you are promoting free HVAC summer checkups, the ad might appear at the top when someone searches about air conditioners.
Use Influencers
If you have a targeted audience like young adults, then influences are an effective tool. The top celebrity influencers will be expensive, but even mega-influencers might be worth the money. A mega influencer has over one million followers globally. In 2021, the average mega-influencer cost at least $1,200 for an Instagram post and $2,500 for a video.
Lesser-known influencers are more reasonable and practical. If it is someone related to your industry, they might even do it for a free product. If you are promoting a graphic tablet, for example, look for artists that do tutorials on YouTube and ask them to review your product and make the offer on their subscription page.
Once your landing pages are set up, you can measure their effectiveness based on the leads generated. If you are not getting a response, keep adding new ways for people to see the link. It might also be the page design if it still isn’t getting traffic.
Tips for Setting Up a Successful Landing Page
A landing page catches leads. That’s its purpose, but setting one up takes some practice. So here are some tips to get you started:
- Make the page easy to navigate. If you see a high bounce rate on your landing page, it could be that people do not understand it. Make the form front and center on the page and keep them short. Get the least amount of information necessary. Too much, and they will bounce out before finishing the form.
- Add share links to your landing page so visitors can pass on the information to someone else.
- Make the prize for filling out the form worth the effort.
- Keep the information on the page focused. Landing pages are meant to be specific. Set up additional pages if you have more than one thing to give away.
- Don’t make them jump around to get the prize. The landing page and the form should be all they need. If you make them go through several pages, they’ll lose interest. If there is more than one page, make sure the navigation is simple.
- Make sure the track the traffic on the landing page. That will tell you if you need to tweak the page or marketing.
Finally, bring in a professional if you know nothing about landing pages. You could do it without one, but you’ll get a better return if you let someone help. Our landing page experts at Vinci have been doing this for a while. They know what works and what doesn’t. So book your free strategy session today, and let us give you personalized advice on getting a better return on your marketing efforts.
