25 July 2008

Landing Page : The Marketing Gimmiks

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Being in the Internet marketing field makes me intensely critical of discontent Web sites. It’s truly amazing how few companies do it right. It is fairly easy to type something into Google and land at the appropriate product page in the natural results.
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For example, I was recently searching houseboat vacation in India, so I typed it into Google. Out of the top 5 search results, only one of them actually took me to a page with houseboat Vacation on them. That one site was keralatourism It provided ample information about travel desk, where to stay etc. Even the new microweb strategy plays an important role in whole marketing campaign.
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When I develop a marketing campaign intended to take someone to a Web page, I create a unique page designed especially for that campaign. This landing page is a stand-alone page to which I send my customers that drives them to action. It targets specific audiences and leads them directly to a sale, or when necessary, directs them deeper into my site.
It’s not rocket science. It’s not even brain surgery. It’s a simple customer acquisition engine.
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Getting Them There !!
Various marketing methods such as search engine optimization, banner ads, promotions, direct mail, email, television and print advertising should not lead customers to your home page. Oftentimes home pages have too many options and no clear path to follow.
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A landing page is a more effective marketing tool than a regular Web page because it is specifically designed to highlight one or a few products or services. It is typically more focused than other Web pages. At their simplest level, landing pages provide limited information with two options: “buy now” or “learn more.”
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The Call to Action !!
The singular purpose of a landing page is to make someone do something.The primary call to action is to buy now (or sign up, or whatever you decide leads to “conversion”).

The secondary action to learn more is slightly less noticeable, but is still highlighted somehow on the page. This streamlines the conversion process, allowing those customers who are ready to buy to act and providing those customers who need more information with the resources they want.
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The buy now link leads customers to the acquisition page, whether that is a shopping cart or a registration page. The learn more link goes to the individual product page where customers can read about a specific product. This page then has a buy now link to the acquisition page.
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An effective landing page may have two options, but the calls to action all eventually lead to the same place: the acquisition page. Landing pages are all about customer acquisition.
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Navigation !!
Landing pages are unique in that they are merely means to an end and therefore do not have to follow the same constructs of a company Web site. While it follows usability best practices to have global navigation for your site on every page, the landing page can survive without it. If it confuses the customer and detracts from those calls to action, it’s better to leave it off. Whatever you choose to do, make sure the navigation is clear and simple.
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Landing Page Guidelines !!
When building a landing page, certain guidelines should be followed to make it as effective as possible.
1. Your landing page should graphically match your advertising campaign.Create your landing page to reflect the look and feel of your banner ad, direct mail piece or television commercial. Don’t concern yourself as much with branding the landing page to match the company. They’ll see your corporate brand when they land at the real Web site. (ex. The American Express Traveller cheque ad campaign )
2. The action you advertise should be available on the landing page.If your advertisement is all about saving 20% on your product, make sure the landing page provides the means to do that. Don’t send customers on a wild goose chase to perform an action. Get it right up front on that first landing page so conversion is as easy as possible.
3. Show only the product(s) you’re advertising.This is a tricky one. While you may want to include related products on a landing page, it’s best to stick to the bare minimum. Otherwise, you give your customer too many options, making it harder for them to make that snap decision.
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Customer acquisition on the Web requires simplicity and easy maneuvering. When it comes to Internet marketing, you need to predict what your customers want and then give it to them in as few steps as possible. Whether you’re running a direct mail promotion or pay-per-click campaign, a custom landing page is vital to maintain a sense of consistency and ease.