It is no exaggeration to say that a good, and we’ll come to what it meant by good, landing page design is the keystone of email marketing. So what do I mean by landing page?
For the purposes of this article, a landing page is a special page on your website where people who click onto a link in a marketing email, advert or other place are taken. It has the sole purpose of converting the visitor to a completion. In forcing buyers onto the one landing page, potential customers will be faced with a page dedicated to encouraging completion.
The free email marketing templates will contain the basics of a landing page but how it is populated is entirely down to you. You job is to pick the specific content for it.
1/ Keep it simple
Distractions distract. Anything not performing some function with regards completion must be deleted. It is common to remove the navigation menu. It makes for a more straightforward design and layout. It might upset a few who want to navigate from that page, but most will know how to click ‘back’ and there’s the advantage that they will return to the page that encouraged them to click through.
2/ A clear message
If you want subscribers to a webinar then say this early on, preferably in the headline, so that visitors know why they are there.
3/ Barely enough text
The visitor has already shown interest in your product so don’t just repeat the details on the marketing email or whatever route they came. You’ve already told them all they need to know.
4/ An image they can ignore
Saving your best image for the landing page is a bad idea. The picture should merely reinforce whatever response you are after. Make it slightly different but don’t surprise by including another feature.
5/ Startling is bad
Your design is the background to the message to complete. Make it a stripped down version of the page they came via.
6/ Free email marketing templates are good
Use the landing pages supplied. They will have been designed by experts. Don’t be surprised if the template is bland. Bland is also good.
7/ Study the landing pages of other companies
A successful competitor will have good landing pages. You will find an example of simple design and clear message. See how little text they need and what makes an image good without being distracting.
8/ Don’t copy the design of others
Firstly, there’s copyright. Secondly, they will be honed for the people on their email marketing lists. Yours will be different, perhaps subtly, but that’s what we are about.
9/ Obvious calls to action
Ensure customers have a click through to completion early on in the page. Make them bright, cheerful but not overwhelming. Remember that the landing page is there to convince not overwhelm.
10/ Test and test again
You will have a landing page for every product so lots of opportunities to measure those little differences that mean so much. The first essential is to discover if 1-9 above are applicable to you. The only certainty is 10.
