We're marketers and our job
depends entirely on collecting and analyzing data, so let's starts our article
by listing some statistics then we're going to analyze this data.
Did you know that, according to
HubSpot, websites with more than 10 landing pages yield 57% more conversions? And according to Marketing Sherpa, 62%
of B2B companies have six or fewer landing pages in total. In fact, they also
say that 48% of marketers build a new landing page for each marketing campaign.
The power of landing pages is
sadly underestimated, and because of this many of us are leaving a whole load
of opportunity on the table. Whether
you're using landing pages or not, I want to give you 7 elements that the best
landing pages all share. If you're getting started with landing page creation
then this will put you ahead of the curve.
1) Removing navigation.
There's an old concept in direct
response marketing known as "unsupervised thinking", and it applies
directly to our websites. If your audience aren't guided through a process or
need to figure out what to do for themselves then they'll often bounce. To help ease this anxiety, the best
landing pages remove several common website elements from their landing pages
completely. The most common of these is the navigation.
We do this because when we get
our visitor on to our landing pages we want them to take a specific action, not
to be directed elsewhere and get distracted. Landing pages are fairly
middle-of-funnel, and to direct them up the funnel with links to the home or
other pages can harm conversions. Instead,
we want to focus on the key call-to-action we offer them.
Sometimes removing this one
simple element can mean a massive lift in conversions. Take Yuppiechef, for
example, who increased their conversion rate from 3% to 6%; a 100% lift. Or
SparkPage, who managed to change their conversion rate from 9.2% to 17.6% over
a month.
If you're still using the
navigation in your landing pages then this should be the first thing you test.
Removing distractions will surely increase conversions.
2) The hero shot.
Humans are visual creatures, and
when it comes to landing pages it's sometimes hard to illustrate what the user
will be receiving. We need to use a relevant hero shot to fill in the visual
void. With eBooks, whitepapers and other forms of downloadable or streamable
content this can be quite easy. All you need to do is put the cover of the book
or a still from a video on the page and you can turn digital content into
something perceived more tangible.
When offering something like a
quote or a consultation however this can become more difficult. We'll need to
get more creative with how we illustrate the value here. One current trend is
using a photographic background with bold text in front of it. This helps add something
more "real worldly" into the page and solve the lack of visuals.
Whatever you use, if you can
make it relevant and in context with the offer, then you're more likely to
increase conversions.
3) Benefit-driven value
proposition.
Statistics say that when a
visitor lands on your landing page you have about 7 seconds to get their
attention. Realistically these days, that's more like half a second. You need
to grab attention and communicate exactly what your offer is about fast. What is
it that differentiates your business from everyone else, or separates you from
the competition? Your value proposition is what will get attention in the first
instance and compel a visitor to continue their journey on your landing page.
A value proposition can be
displayed as a headline and sub-heading, displayed above the fold and the first
thing that your visitors see when they land. It should be concise, set
expectations and give the "reason why" they should stick around and
care. The headline alone should communicate the benefits to your visitor. It's
the first thing people see, and so you should put a lot of time and effort into
crafting one that will help you gather conversions. Spend time crafting a
headline that explains what the visitor is getting as well as the benefits of
doing so.
4) Test with video.
We've talked about using various
images as a way of illustrating and visualizing the offer, known as the hero
shot, but another way of doing this is to use video. Video allows people to
consume content with very little effort. Thanks to TV, it's a format we've all
become used to, and can really help in reducing friction and increasing
conversions. Many of the best landing pages are using video to communicate
their value propositions and benefits of their offering with great success.
Another benefit is that videos
have been proven to increase the length of time that people stay on your home
page for, which allows your message to sink in deeper. This is because people
find watching video easier than reading content. There's less effort.
You may ask yourself; what
should I put in my video? That all depends on what you're offering. You can
quickly create good quality videos by filming PowerPoint presentations, or by
giving a quick overview of your product. Featuring
your employees or happy clients, direct to camera, can really help to build the
trust factor. People do business with other people, and by creating a
relate-able message through video you can gain credibility far quicker than you
would with copy alone.
If you're going to take video
seriously then you should test different elements to see what your audience
prefers. Try a short and long version of your video to see what inspires
engagement and yields a greater conversion.
You can even use certain
technologies to put a call-to-action straight into your video. Test with where
you place them and how frequently throughout the video. YouTube allows you to
do this right off the bat, not to mention the added SEO benefits.
5) Limiting offers &
calls-to-action.
Remember what we said before
about removing navigation? Distractions hurt conversions, and having more than
one action or offering on the same landing page is the same. It may be tempting to give your
visitors more than one option or offer, but a confused user won't take action.
You need to make the journey through your landing page as linear as possible,
making the only obvious option the one action you've laid out for them.
The format of your
call-to-action is therefore very important. Testing button size, color and the
copy used on them are all things you need to optimize. Using a button color
that contrasts from the rest of your page will help it to stand out. Testing button copy can also help
boost conversions.
6) Social proof.
What someone else says about you
is 100 times more believable about what you say about yourself. You've heard it
a hundred times it's almost a cliché, and that's because it's still true. Yet
when it comes to landing pages this age-old marketing tactic goes out of the
window. We touched upon this
briefly under the section on video, but it gets its own section simply because
of how important and effective it is.
It's important that you get
testimonials right, as around 90% of internet users tend to assume that they're
made up. This issue can be overcome if we gather endorsements that use
specificity. When you see a
testimonial that simply reads "Product X is great and I'm very happy with
what they've done for us", it can appear as if it was made up or that the
person has been paid to give it. However, something such as "Business X
generated 7 figures worth of sales pipeline in 8 weeks for our company" is
much more trustful; it gives specific numbers and time frames on those results.
Including a decent photograph of
the client that has given you the testimonial will help add to your business
credibility. Putting a face to the name really helps because, as we said earlier,
we're visual creatures. Sometimes
getting a testimonial or endorsement from a "celebrity" in your
market can supercharge these efforts, especially when you use exact figures and
time scales. Look at your best clients and find who has the most influence
within your market.
7) The perfect form length.
There are two things you want to
avoid in your landing pages, and they are friction and anxiety. Friction are
the things that make taking an action laborious and slow, often causing a user
to bounce, while anxiety is just that; making your prospect feel anxious about
taking an action. Most of the
time, these two psychological restrictions are found in the same landing page
element: the form.
Too many fields in your form can
cause friction, while asking your users for something such as a phone number at
the wrong time can cause anxiety. This anxiety is usually because they don't
trust you enough yet, and that sensitive information will get into the wrong
hands.
To combat this, you need to make
sure you get the right fields at the right stage of the funnel. For example, if
you're offering something at the top-of-funnel then just asking for a name,
email address and perhaps company name will be best. Middle-of-funnel offers, such as a
demo, call back or quote, will require more details from the prospect. Usually
they are ready enough to hand over these details and are aware that this is
what it takes to take the conversation further, so friction and anxiety will be
lower.
If you're unsure on how many fields
you should be including then test different variations until you get to the
sweet spot. You may be wondering how your sales team is supposed to follow up
on a prospect with such minimal information, and the answer is pretty simple;
they don't. Having a good
nurturing system that uses email and social media channels will help guide
these prospects further down the funnel and eventually provide you with this
information. That's what makes inbound marketing so great.
Conclusion
What I really want you to get
out of this are some ideas that you can begin testing. Maybe you can see some
gaps that can be filled, or things that aren't being done at all. The word "test" is the
operative word here. Nothing we say is absolutely true for all businesses, but
they work tremendously well for us and many other marketers. I encourage you to
do some Google search on any of the above elements; the results will show you
some terrific examples and articles that advocate your opinion.
But you should still test,
because despite our assumptions, that's what will show you what you should or
shouldn't be doing with your landing pages.
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