7 Steps for Creating a Wildly Successful Landing Page

In the last issue of Brilliance!, I shared how using content like white papers, special reports and case studies can be an effective way to build a list of potential corporate clients interested in buying your services.

However, once you’ve created your content, you then need to develop an effective landing page that will allow you to capture your prospects’ contact information in exchange for giving them access to your valuable information. Here’s how.

Grab ‘em with a catchy headline and sub-headline. Research shows that the headline and sub-headline are not only what visitors to your site will read first — but those will also be the only things your prospects read if they are not immediatelyhooked.There are two key things you need to keep in mind about effective headlines and sub-headlines. First, you want to use your clients’ words in your marketing. Think: What kinds of words, phrases and expressions do theyuse to describe the problem your services (or in this case, content) solve? If they complain of “feeling overwhelmed” say that. Don’t say “soaring to your greatest potential.”
The other thing to remember is that your headline and sub-headline need to directly relate to the original promise you made in the ad copy that drove people to your landing page in the first place. Research from the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) found that when the “hook” that’s used to get people to go to your landing page (e.g. something you said on your Facebook page) doesn’t match up with the actual offer on that landing page, your prospects will be annoyed and click away.

Eliminate all choices but one. Your landing page shouldn’t be like a holiday buffet with lots of things to choose from. There is only ONE goal of a landing page: to get your ideal clients to sign up for your information. As much as you may be tempted to highlight all the great information on your main website, any distractions will hurt your conversion rates. Period.
Use video. Sorry, folks. But the jury is in on this one. If you want more sign ups then you must add a short video to your landing page. Don’t worry; it doesn’t have to be perfect. And not only will video keep prospects on your page longer, but it will also help you establish trust with people who’ve never heard of you before.
Flaunt your credibility. Speaking of trust… Typically visitors to a landing page aren’t there very long. Therefore you don’t have much time to build a relationship. However, what you can do is validate your expertise by tapping into the goodwill already established by other trusted sources in the marketplace. For example, you can include things like:
Logos from media sources that have mentioned you or your company
Logos or seals from organizations through which you have an accreditation or certification
Logos or images of awards you’ve received
Written testimonials from actual clients
Create a sense of urgency. Have you ever noticed you get more done when you’re under a deadline? By creating this same sense of urgency in your prospects, you’ll motivate them to take action now. Not put it off until “later,” which may never come. You can do this by limiting your offer with either time or quantity (ex. only 500 copies available for fr.ee). (Bonus tip: Including a “count down” timer on your landing page will put added emphasis on the deadline.)
Collect only the amount of information you really need. The more information you ask for from prospective clients, the fewer sign ups you’ll get. Still, you need to take into account your long-term marketing plans. There’s no question that contacting people through BOTH e-mail and snail mail can dramatically improve your sales. That’s why I always encourage my clients to at least ask for a mailing address in addition to getting the prospect’s full name and email.
Use big buttons that say “Click Here.” This last one may sound like a no brainer. But tests from professional marketing organizations have found that these two words in particular convert the highest number of prospects. Also be sure that your “Click Here” button is big, bold and easy to find.
Bonus Tip: Even with all these key pieces in place, it’s critically important that you continuously test and refine your landing page to drive your conversion rates higher and higher. Just remember to only test ONE thing at any one time. Otherwise you won’t know exactly why your page is performing… better or worse!