What action do we want the user to take?

One page. One user goal. The first step to crafting a Landing Page is to define the conversion goal. Here are some examples:

• Request a quote

• Make an enquiry

• Book a free consultation

• Download a Lead Magnet

• Book an appointment

• Buy a product / service

• etc.

Develop compelling direct response copy

The job of the copy is to: 1. Signal to the user that they are in the right place, 2. Convince them to take action.

Letting people know they are in the right place is simple enough. It’s done by ensuring message-matching.

Where message-matching is about 10% of the Landing Page, the other 90% is dedicated to convincing the user to take the action we want.

Use the following formula to predict conversion: C = M + V + I - F - A

Conversion = User Motivation + Value Proposition + Incentives - Friction - Anxiety

Page structure that answers users’ objections

A large part of the work is understanding the state of mind of the user. How much information needed to convince the user depends on a few factors:

• Relationship: visitors already have an established relationship with you? If so, there’s trust there, so less persuasion is needed. However, if you’re driving cold PPC traffic to the page, then you’ll need to do more to convey credibility and build trust.

• Complexity: how complex is the offer? Consider a Landing Page for a free quote for house painting vs. a Landing Page selling enterprise software. The level of information, explanation, and convincing required is completely different.

• Commitment: If you’re asking for a big commitment (i.e. pay $97 for an initial consultation), you’ll need to do more to convey the Value and reduce Anxiety. Compare that to a Landing Page to download a free guide, and the ‘ask’ is a lot less.

Design to get the copy (messages) read

Any time the page structure makes it difficult for users to digest the message, it increases the Friction and Anxiety, hurting overall conversion:

• Large headlines and sub-headlines for each section (or screen) of the Landing Page that convey the core benefits or message

• Use short, punchy copy

• Use bullets where possible

• Make the Landing Page easy to scan and still understand the message

• Use Call to Action buttons in each page section

• Use Call To Values (button copy that stresses benefits) on the page, until you are at the point that the user is convinced to take action

• Large buttons with contrasting colour to the rest of the page

• Use professional (limit stock images), positive images that support the points in the copy

• Use people to convey the emotion you want the visitor to feel

• Use people looking at the CTA buttons that you want users to click on

• Use diagrams that show process

• Use different background colours to separate page sections (making it easier for the user to follow along with the questions they have in mind above)

• Follow the branding guidelines so that the Landing Page looks and feels like part of the brand

You can never use too many proof elements

While it’s important to stress the benefits and WIIFM aspect of the product or service (including secondary benefits about how the primary benefits make customers’ lives even better), today’s consumers have a powerful BS-meter.

We use these tools to build trust:

1. 3rd Party Verifications

2. Associations

3. Awards Won

4. Before and After Results

5. Case Studies

6. Celebrity Endorsements

7. Certifications

8. Charts and Graphs

9. Client List

10. Comparisons with other Services / Products / Competitors

11. Contact Information (prominent in the header)

12. Credible Photos

13. Demonstrations

14. Team Photos

15. Guarantees or Warranties

16. Tell the Story of the Company

17. Infographics and Visualisations

18. Logical Arguments

19. Product Reviews

20. Media Exposure

21. Quote from an Authority

22. Reasons Why

23. Research Findings

24. Scientific Studies

25. Social Media Proof

26. Social Proof & Testimonials

27. Specialisation

28. Specificity (exact language, pricing, etc.)

29. Test Data

30. Testimonials

31. Trust Seals

32. Unique Mechanisms (what makes the service unique)

33. Valuable Content

Feature Calls to Actions prominently

The Call to Action, is asking the user to take action and complete the conversion goal. The entire page structure, copy and design should be geared around driving this behaviour. Every Landing Page needs:

• Clear Call to Action buttons above the fold

• Call to Actions through the page at each major section

Connect forms to your marketing platforms

Landing Pages don’t work in isolation. They are used conjunction with a number of marketing systems to deliver a digital campaign. The technology, user flow, and data requirements for your Landing Page will depend on the campaign objectives.

• The Landing Page Platform, we recommend the following (as they all feature easy integrations with the leading CRMs and email platforms):

  • Instapage

  • Unbounce

  • Leadpages

  • Click Funnels

• CRM or email platform, we recommend the following:

  • Email Platforms

    • Mailchimp

    • Campaign Monitor

    • Get Response

    • Constant Contact

  • CRMs

    • Active Campaign (our recommended CRM & marketing automation platform)

    • Infusionsoft

    • Salesforce

    • Agile CRM

    • Zoho CRM

Use the Thank You page to develop the relationship

One of the most under rated digital marketing assets. The humble Thank You page. Think about what happens when you sign-up to download an eBook, guide, tool, checklist or any other Lead Magnet. If you’re anything like us, you download the Lead Magnet to a Dropbox folder, then never read it again.

However, your Landing Page offer will be different with a carefully crafted Thank You page.

Setup Google Analytics conversion tracking

All landing page conversions must be tracked in Google Analytics to ensure you have a single source of truth for your conversion data. It’s also recommended to setup Call Tracking to monitor calls off Landing Pages. We recommend a 3rd party tracking solution to capture not just Click to Calls, but anytime a user phones your number.

Run through our 46-point conversion checklist

Each Landing Page is checked against our 46-point conversion checklist to make sure we’ve captured every persuasive element that we can.

Roll out tests for continual improvement

We continue monitor performance as we go live. Our goals to continuously improve the performance of your Landing Pages and customer acquisition funnel.