When the most successful online and email marketing companies all have similar designs to their landing pages, you might think only a fool would try something different. Surely these companies must have tested all sorts of variations over the years.
The logic of that argument might seem irrefutable. After all, they have invested thousands of pounds or dollars, well out of our range, in design, layout, typeface, colours and content. But they have a weakness, and one that we can, and perhaps should, exploit.
These companies will have thousands of customers a day bringing up a particular landing page. The range of people will be vast and they can only define them in coarse terms. A popular book must, almost by definition, appeal to a broad range of tastes.
We can refine our design to suit a much more definable group, the particular likes and dislikes of which can be ascertained by testing. The only problem we have is what to try out.
Let’s start with a broad copy of one from a massive companies selling books and electronics. Notably, the landing pages are identical whether accessed via a search, marketing email or other route.
The bit above the fold is a sophisticated example of minimalism but there is little that is personal and there is nothing specific to a hesitant customer to encourage them to click the Buy Now button on the right. The tone is cool and business-like.
How about something more chatty? You will know their name if they are on your email marketing lists, so use it. ‘Hi, Kevin, congratulations, you’ve chosen the most popular [whatever]’. You’ve told them they’ve chosen it and praised how discerning they are.
Instead of repeating the star rating, pick a quote from an endorsement from someone similar to them. ‘We loved the peace and quiet of the location’ if that’s what they go for.
Is black good for a heading? I don’t know, and neither will you unless you check. The same goes for size of image and its location.
Test every little aspect. Don’t trust the giants. They only solve their own problems.
