Ever wonder how to convert your web visitors into paying customers? Congratulations, you’re at the right place. I know by experience, driving traffic is a skill, but converting them into hard cash is quite another. Read this article to learn 10 rock solid elements to turn your landing page into a converting machine that boosts your business.
Your cookie content might attract a lot of eyeballs, but traffic does not equal solid cash! For that, you still need to ask for the money the right way and get it. Sounds harsh? It’s the cold bone fact.
Fortunately, a lot of marketers have tested tons of landing pages to come up with 10 rock solid elements to improve your conversion. Here they are:
#1 Establish your IDENTITY
People only do business with people they know, like and trust. Make sure you add all elements on your landing page to be trustworthy. Think about your personal name, brand name, logo and your profile photo. Make sure it’s the best head shot you can get. Smile and look people in the eye.
#2 Create a killer Landing Page HEADLINE
Killer headlines make or break your content. Don’t confuse this with your “call to action”. Your headline explains to your visitor what value you have to offer.
Some interesting statistics by copyblogger: on average, 8 out of 10 people will read your headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest. The secret to killer headlines: study headlines, crafted by the pros.
#3 Build Trust by Repetition
The web offers a lot of magic solutions to laser target the person that needs what you have. It all comes down to the “zero moment of truth”. That first moment someone sees your tweet, Facebook status update, YouTube video, Google+ post, or Google ad. If you succeed to earn a person’s attention in this zero moment of truth, make sure you don’t lose it again! The magic word here: consistency. Simple advice: repeat on your landing page what got them to click in the first place: build trust by repetition.
#4 Present an OFFER they can’t resist
Congratulations. So, you got this person’s attention. They clicked on your link and landed on your landing page. I expect you did your homework. You know what the itch is and how to satisfy it. Time for your offer! Make sure it’s clear.
Be warned: the confused mind always says no! Offer them a crystal clear solution to their problem. Reinforce what got them to click in the first place. Put together an offer they can’t resist.
Offer a very attractive simple-to-understand package: something they want, not what they need.
Tip: solve a pressing problem. Something that bothers them today and not tomorrow. To learn more on killer offers, study “58 killer offers“.
#5 Create a Landing Page with skimmable BODY COPY
People’s attention spans are short! Offer body copy that is scannable and skimmable, so people can get really to the core points as they need them.
Use bullet points to make your content accessible. Fill your symmetric lines with key benefits. Tell them what they get, not what it does. To give you an example: this vacuum cleaner has a 1000 Watt engine. So what! Key benefit: gives you the cleanest house possible and prevents suffering from dust mite allergy. Aha, where can I get it?
#6 Improve Your Landing Page with high quality IMAGERY
The imagery on your landing page is critical. Choose high quality images. Tap into emotions. A lot of our decisions are driven by our subconscious mind. To know what works, you should run some A/B tests. Vary the imagery and learn what works best for your particular offer.
#7 Make your CALL TO ACTION stand out
Your call to action is not the same as your offer! Your call to action falls down to 3 things: a link, a button or an opt in form.
Make your call to action stand out clear, so people know what to do next. Your offer and call to action should have some proximity, they should be somewhere near each other.
Give them a reason to act today. Add an urgency element. Choose between a bonus or use scarcity: only room for 10 people or ends in 2 days, or a special price if they act now.
#8 Generate social proof with TESTIMONIALS
The social web has accelerated word-of-mouth promotion. Social proof has always been very effective, but now it’s more visible than ever. Facebook likes and Twitter retweets show that you might have something valuable to offer.
Think about using a testimonial headline. Example (the next example includes 3 affiliate links): Darren Rowse -full time blogger and owner of Problogger.com- uses the Genesis framework for his website. If you offer this software as an affiliate, the next headline will get you some extra clicks:
Discover why Darren Rowse entrusts his million dollar business only to the Genesis Framework.
#9 Apply TRUST marks on Your landing page
Suppose your headline, body content and testimonials got your landing page visitors excited. Next thing you need is them to pull out their credit card or pay pall password to transfer some digital hard cash to your bank account.
Improve your conversion with adding trusted seals, security icons and stuff like that. Think about the little lock to tell them they can pay via a secure connection or a 100% money back guarantee. Show them little indicators of trust, like card icons from Visa, MasterCard or Amex.
Add some links to build more trust. Lead them to the about section that tells them more about you or a FAQ with the top ten questions you get about your offer.
#10 Finish with your Landing Page FOOTER
The finishing touch should be in your footer. Use your footer to show them ways to contact you. Your footer should have your address and phone number.
Add these 10 rock solid elements to your landing page to transform it into a money-making machine. And follow this golden marketing rule: always test the results. To learn more about A/B tests visit Anne Holland’s Which Test Won? Create multiple landing pages that cater to a laser targeted niche audience. Tweak and refine until you get the right mix of targeted traffic to the right landing pages. Ready to go for 2013!
Please leave your reaction or question in the comment box below.
About Juan FelixJuan Felix is the owner of Felix Relationship Marketing. His company offers smart marketing strategies, guided by creative ideas and measurable results.
His company focuses on how to use social media like Facebook, Twitter, G+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest to build solid relations on the social web - share valuable content -create word of mouth - generate leads and grow your revenue.
Juan works as the senior editor and contributing author of Nieuwe Media Gids. An online magazine to support Dutch entrepreneurs and marketers with new media marketing.
Juan also works as Mari Smith's Chief Facebook Moderator.
