Every growing business needs a landing page: a page dedicated to converting prospects and leading them down your marketing funnel. Whether it’s more product sales or increased email subscribers, landing pages are a must.
And while landing pages come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the essential features remain the same. To get started with yours, read on to discover how to create a landing page that converts in just five easy steps.
Create a headline that hooks
The most important part of your landing page is your headline. Big and bold, it should hook your customers and compel them to read further.
While the perfect headline is a hard concept to pin down, it’s good practice to have them offer something that benefits your customers. Discount codes, downloadable content, or free samples are a few examples that work wonders in tempting customers to click.
Your landing page headline differs to that of your blog post or email marketing. Customers will usually arrive on your landing page from a social ad or call-to-action (CTA) from an email or social post.
Consequently, your headline needs to link back to that original source. For example, if someone clicked on a Facebook ad expecting to receive a downloadable ebook, your headline should make reference to that.
This is known as message match, and failure to achieve this will increase your bounce rate and lose you customers.
Craft a call-to-action that compels
Just as important as your headline is your call-to-action. This is essentially an imperative that literally tells your visitors what they need to do — even customers need a little guidance from time to time…
The CTA you choose depends on your landing page goal. If you want visitors to sign up to an email newsletter, a simple ‘Sign Up Now’ will suffice. To reduce friction, make sure they need to provide as little information as possible — pre-populate the form if possible.
And if you’re selling a product using a presale page, create a CTA that entices them to click through to your product page. A good tactic is adding an incentive into your CTA, for example: “Click Here To Receive Your Free Sample”.
Your CTA can make or break your landing page. Be clear and concise with what you want your customers to do, and leave no room for doubt. If your visitors are even the slightest bit wary, you’ll lose them.
Use social proof to hammer it home
Social proof is one of the easiest way to increase conversions from your landing page. The independent, genuine testimonials of satisfied customers are a powerful factor in swaying shoppers, so social proof is a must for your landing page.
Glowing reviews of your brand, product, or service are more trustworthy to your prospects than branded marketing by virtue of their independence. Create a Google My Business listing to let satisfied customers leave reviews with ease — it’s free and easy to do, so it’s a no-brainer.
Real reviews from real customers pack a powerful punch. Boost their efficacy by including real customer names, photos (with consent), and even video testimonials.
But effective social proof doesn’t end with positive reviews. Highlight your high social following, or include a running total of customers served. And where applicable, include the names of notable clients who use your product or service.
For a social proof quick fix, create a competition for your satisfied customers to submit photos of themselves using your product on Instagram. The winner gets a freebie, and you get reams of user-generated content that makes for powerful social proof — it’s a win-win.
Write copy that convinces rather than sells
Your landing page is all about one thing: getting your prospect to convert. But just because your potential customer clicked through to your landing page willingly, it doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to convert.
If your visitor encounters a barrage of sales copy upon arriving on your landing page, they’re going to be put off. So rather than hard-selling your product, showcase your brand instead — let your human side shine through in your copy.
Adopt a friendly, informal tone and address your customer on a personal level. Yes, you still need to convince your prospects to convert, but you should do so as a human rather than a business.
For instance, rather than simply listing your product features, highlight the benefits they provide your customers. Expound upon the values your brand embodies, and create a product story that places your prospect at the centre.
Customers today are savvy to the hard sell. But by creating a landing page with personality, you can drive conversions with certainty.
Build trust to entice your customers
Convincing your prospects to convert is a delicate process. They won’t be yours automatically — you need to win them over. Trust signals are a key element in this, and are always worth including.
For starters, make your privacy policy clear. Customers often enter their personal information on landing pages (email address, full name, and so on), and this reassures them that you won’t misuse their valuable data.
Your prospects might also provide their bank details on your landing page. Highlight your security certification with a brand logo, and provide clickable links that direct customers to your security provider page should they require extra assurance.
It’s also worth including endorsements from recognised sources, such as industry publications or press sources. Additionally, you might list industry organisations that you belong to, again with clickable links to an authorisation page for verification.
Creating a landing page that converts doesn’t need to be complex. Follow the five simple steps above, and you’ll craft a page that hooks visitors with a headline, convinces with social proof, and compels with a CTA. Don’t be afraid to fine-tune it either — test and test again to find the elements that work for you, and you’ll have a landing page that drives conversions time and again.
Guest Post by Kayleigh Alexandra // Content writer for Micro Startups
“Micro Startups is your online destination for everything startup. We’re dedicated to spreading the word about hard-working solopreneurs and SMEs making waves in the business world. Visit the blog for your latest dose of startup, entrepreneur, and charity insights from top experts around the globe @getmicrostarted.”
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