Landing pages aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Like websites, they’re evolving.
Landing pages are digital first impressions.
They serve as an effective tool to introduce your brand to your perfect customer and drive up conversion. So it’s important to get the ‘ask’ just right.
Unlike websites which are typically leveraged to showcase the birdseye view of your entire business, landing pages can drive your perfect customer’s attention to one specific thing – a free resource or giveaway, aligned with your signature offer(s).
Gone are the days of pop-ups invading your screen with a shabby one-liner – Lose 10 lbs in 10 Days Without Exercising – followed by 2 empty input fields asking you for your name and email. Your email will become part of a list database for future potential sales, and an alternative communication platform to social media.
Now in 2023, and more people are wary of getting spammed by mailing lists that are hard to unsubscribe from. And I wouldn’t blame them, a lot of the emails are too long, too sales-y, too…ugh.
The problem is twofold:
→ emails don’t read as if they’re talking to an actual human, and
→ the sheer volume of marketing emails received in a day (over 100+ work emails) is overwhelming!
So a landing page must first off deliver some real value before asking for an email exchange.
Standard buzz words:
A landing page or squeeze page is the page where a potential customer can enter their name and email in exchange for a free deliverable. It’s a squeeze to get these details from people who haven’t interacted with your business before. So in order to access the free deliverable, they must enter their info.
An optin page is another name for a landing page and specifically refers to the input fields. Once a potential customer has opted-in, their details are stored as part of your mailing list for future communications.
A lead magnet is the free deliverable that is usually an instant download or link once the email transaction has been exchanged. Lead magnets are easily consumable and tangible.
The point? Up-and-coming businesses, solopreneurs, service-based coaches MUST earn their perfect customer’s trust in a way that makes them feel good before they shell out their email.
Landing pages are the gateway to your offer suite.
Landing pages have evolved to become micro funnels (a very short version of a sales funnel that identifies a specific product or service as a solution to a single problem).
Once you’ve earned a little trust or intrique *street cred* from your potentially perfect customer, it’s up to you to have them stay in your ecosystem of business genius. You can introduce them to your other free or paid offers and continue to deliver value. This means, that after they’ve opted in to your mailing list, you’re able to do a lot of cool things:
- Deliver and communicate real value in an uncertain economic climate with your expertise
- Showcase what makes you, your product, or service absolutely unique
- Entertain your reader with relatable stories as teaching nuggets
- Increase sales over time as you develop your brand position and earned their trust
- Gather info and important metrics about who is interested in what you’re giving away
This long term goal to target your perfect customer will take a bit of time to nurture, so your landing page(s) must hit a sweet spot from day one.
Key design and copy elements of high-convertaing landing page.
Trending now, businesses are building out novel landing pages that actually take you on an ‘experience’. They’re easy to understand, formatted for skimming down the page, and most evident is the brand ‘feel’ through visual attraction (word combos, fonts, and images).
Here are some key elements your landing page needs to have:
1. Compelling Copy that drives an action (filling out the optin form). When readers are presented with a specific problem and the solution is presented in an easily understandable way, the bar for objections is lower.
2. Photo (or video gif). Leading with human imagery next to the optin form will boost conversion rates.
3. A headline BENEFIT. Make it splash! Add your personality here.
4. Short summary (of benefits and reassurances). This can be a short list, or photo tile layout.
5. Optin form. You can still add some finishing touches – a single statement above or below – that make the reader feel good about giving you their info.
6. Download button. NO FLUFF. “Download instantly” or “check your Inbox” are standard examples.
7. Use of white space for maximum readability. Clearly separating content sections and headline fonts from the description areas make it easy to retain your reader’s attention longer. A page that is too cluttered or has fonts that are difficult to read will convert slower.
8. Stylize your page. Contrasting backgrounds, icons, or moving pictures (cinemagraphs) are scroll-stopping tools to visually connect the reader to your content.
Let’s get tech-y. Here are a few tools to start designing your landing page.
Email marketing platforms offer a landing page/website builder with easy-to-use visual drag-and-drop editors or build-from-scratch option, plus basic analytics if using the free version of the software. Funnel builders and website platforms offer the most customizations capabilities. If you’re just getting started, take advantage of the free or trial version of these web/mobile apps. They’re enough to help you build your audience and at the same time, get you familiar with leveraging your brand. Here are my top 5:
WordPress + Divi builder + Siteground is my favorite combo, it’s the most customizable tool and simple once you’re comfortable with the dashboard menus. For design and functionality, this offers the most range of options. The learning curve with these apps was moderate, thanks to the incredible 24/7 tech support tools. Build your landing pages, funnels, and websites from templates or design from scratch.
Go High Level (or any company that whitelabels this software) They have it all, funnel/website builder, email platform, campaign manager, workflows and automations and more, all in one ecosystem. This is great for a larger subscriber list with multiple offers.
ActiveCampaign, MailChimp, or MailerLite. Easy to build from simple templates which are great for inspiration and quick publishing. These platforms have less design options for customization, but they offer a whole host of other valuable tools that can help the backend of your business.
Canva. Customize your images, get template ideas, access high-definition images and video. Build your visual brand and brand messaging (now offering Magic Write AI copywriting tool) with EASE for free or upgrade your tools access with their paid Pro version…..It’s worth. every. penny.
>> Check out the sidebar banners for these apps. These are affiliate links and I do get a referral commission. Know that I wouldn’t recommend something I haven’t tested and successfully leveraged in my own business. <<
How to make your landing page stand out—
Landing pages are easy to find wherever you see an ad creative. (For example, if you’re using a free version of yahoo mail, they popup as ad creatives leading to a landing page on the sidebar next to your Inbox feed.) Ad creatives dominate your social media newsfeeds and most lead to a landing page/optin to a free tutorial, download, or webinar. Other ads lead directly to a sales funnel that features a paid product/service. A number of landing pages can also be found in a person’s bio or about sections on social media.
Here are more tweaks to make your landing page functional and memorable above your competitors:
1. Split test. Build 2 landing pages for the same product, but include one variation. For example, 1 with a picture, 1 without. 1 headline, another a different headline. You can test different headlines, images, or copy.
2. Include a summary bar on the very top of the page to stop someone from scrolling. Summary bars are usually a bright or contrasting color to the 1 or 2 sentence summary of the landing page.
3. High quality images that your potential customer can relate to. Visual connections are just as important as your copy.
4. Make sure your content leads them to exactly what they’re downloading. It should be an easy download or give them instant access as soon as they enter their name and email.
5. Stylize your success message. Little details matter. So instead of a generic thank you message, you can take the opportunity to make your potential customer feel good about giving their info. Ex: “Nailed it! Your pdf guide to high-converting design tips is on its way to your Inbox so you can implement them in your pages today.”
Where to post your landing page link?
You can post this link wherever you see fit – in an email conversation, in your socials under your ‘bio’, in a Facebook post, IG post, reels?… practically anywhere!
Focusing on one main social media platform is ideal to build up a following, but there are other audiences on other platforms. You can streamline your social media strategy with ease using a single post. Stay posted for my next blog!
Remember that content or copy is the main focus of your landing page. The layout and wireframe help your reader connect to your words visually. I’ve made it a habit to unsub from mailing lists when the content does not suit me. My Inbox shouldn’t overwhelm me (it used to have over 20K+ unread emails from years of neglect), so I value and actually read emails that are quality-crafted, informative, entertaining, and relatable.
Now that you know what elements go into a conversion-primed landing page, download my free templates for some inspo!
>> FREE DOWNLOAD <<
