Although landing pages are a great internet marketing tool for converting website visitors into leads and eventually customers, they don’t play the game solo. They are part of a team and it is the team that makes the best landing pages THE.BEST.
Just as a quarterback can’t win a game by himself, neither can the best landing pages.
They need a team of supporters around them. Key support players on the best landing pages team are:
- Buyer personas
- Buying process
- Offer
- CTA
- Thank you page
Let's break down their roles:
Team member #1: Buyer Personas
First things first. Your internet marketing department (even if that is only you) needs to understand your company’s buyer persona: who you are marketing to. (Just a side note: If you say ‘everyone,’ then you might want to consider a free 30 minute consultation at Half a Bubble Out. We understand the importance of the need to understand your ideal buyer and we can help you!)
Basically you need to understand who you are speaking to, who you want to attract and who your visitors are and what attracts them. It could be their needs, their interests, their personality, their job position, how they take in information or a variety of other factors that need to be considered and detailed out. This type of information creates a fictional “persona” that is actually a good representation of your company’s prospective customers.
When you understand who you are speaking to, then you can create the best landing pages for those personas and attract more visitors who will be your ideal customers.
If you haven’t developed buyer personas or need to revisit the ones you have already, this is a great resource from HubSpot’s blog.
Team Member # 2: Buying Process
The second support team member is the buying process. When you understand the stages in the buying process for your industry, you can better match your landing pages with specific stages in the process. Example: Are your visitors performing research or have they moved to establishing their buying criteria (and checking you out in the process)? Are they evaluating vendors (and you are in the mix) or are they ready to buy now? Understanding the different stages and designing your landing pages to address the different stages will change the effectiveness of the landing page.
Source: www.demandmetric.com
Because you are addressing the specific buying process stage, you are more likely to convert more visitors to leads and then you will be known to have the best landing pages in your industry.
Team Member # 3: The Offer
This is a big one! If you are offering something that really resonates with a visitor and it matches their persona and buying stage, you might just score a lead! What you choose to offer needs to meet the visitor’s needs, answer their questions, or solve their problem.
This could be a check list to stay organized, an Ebook full of helpful information, a webinar that will educate or train, or a product or service they can purchase. It could even be a sign-up for a newsletter or a free consultation. The best landing pages, offer something valuable and relevant, because remember this Internet Marketing Tip: Content is King!
Team Member #4: Call-To-Action Button
The Call-To-Action button is the “CTA” that you display to get visitors to take an action and move to your landing page. CTA’s can be text or an image that is hyperlinked, but it needs to be more than that to be on the team with the best landing pages. Your CTA needs to be a reflection of its namesake. The text or image needs to CALL your visitor to take an ACTION.
Use verbs in your text or on your image. Words like GET, DOWNLOAD, BUY, CLICK HERE--notice they are all action words, not passive, not just a title or a noun like “The Best Ebook Ever.” That’s nice and all, and even makes me curious, but it doesn’t call me to ACTION. So make sure your CTAs are not only eye catching and placed well on the page, but take a second look because the best landing pages have a CTA that Calls a visitor to ACTION! Check out this blog for more tips to Increase Website Conversions: Give ‘em a Call to Action!
Team Member #5: Thank You Page
Last, but not least, you have the thank you page. Sounds nice and sweet and polite and… even a tad boring. NOT AT ALL! This is where the best landing pages are followed up with more than they can offer. Remember, your landing pages need to be clear of any navigation, extra links, and other offers- the best landing pages include just content and a form.
But the thank you page, oh the possibilities! You should thank your visitor for taking the time to fill out the form, give them their offer, and then you can also include recent blog post links, website navigation, social media links…this is the next step in deepening your relationship with your new lead. Make the most of it.
Pick your team to be the best!
As you can see, the best landing pages don’t convert new leads alone. They are part of an internet marketing support team that gives structure and flow and follow through. With a team comprised of Buyer Personas, the Buying Process, Offers, CTA’s, and Thank You Pages, supporting your Landing Pages, you will be able to build a strong team and create the best landing pages to convert your website visitors into leads. Now, go play the game!
