It happens time and again; a business launches a winning ad campaign, gets ready to sit back and wait for the leads roll in . . . but only hears cricket. The ad budget is realistic, the audience is correct and the creative is brilliant. So, what happened?
A common mistake is that ad strategies leave the landing page as an afterthought instead of making it the focus. It can be easy to get people to click, but the real magic happens once they act on your website. Here are a few tips for creating a landing page set up for success.
Asking for what you need: Collecting information is important, but a delicate balance needs to be achieved. If you ask for too much information upfront, potential customers could get cold feet and leave. Consider where this audience segment is in the sales funnel to decide how much they are comfortable sharing.
Eliminate bounces: Attention spans are short, which means you should limit the number of opportunities someone has to bounce off your page. For example, removing image links to homepages can be a subtle but effective way to keep people scrolling, reading and converting.
Address pain points: Before you start talking about how wonderful your business is, pump the brakes for a second and put the focus back on the customer. Think about their pain points, and what problem you can solve for them. Provide an immediate value proposition that they clearly states WIIFT (what’s in it for them).
Consistent branding: Is there a consistent experience from your ad to your landing page? If people are drawn to your ad, whether they were already familiar with you or not, but then arrive at a landing page where nothing resonates, odds are you will lose them. Be sure every touchpoint in the customer journey is consistent.
Clear call to action: What are you trying to get someone to do once they arrive at your page? It’s crucial to tell website visitors exactly what they need to do and how to do it. Some examples of this are “call now,” “get offer” or “schedule now.” Attaching a sense of urgency can be beneficial but be sure you’re not asking too much, or someone might decide to think about it later, only to never return.
Reduce the number of actions: The more you ask someone to do, the less likely they are to convert. Map out the steps your lead has to take to achieve the page’s desired outcome and try to minimize them. Even asking someone to click a button to display a form can reduce conversions.
Track conversions: Once you nail all of the landing page best practices, now it’s time to let the leads roll in. Be sure you’re tracking where leads are coming from, so you can mimic the successful results for the next campaign.
If your team has questions about an upcoming ad campaign you’re launching, we’re here to help. Get a free one-hour brainstorm session at ellingtondigital.com.