Three Sure-Fire Steps every Search Marketer should take in Landing Page Optimisation - Step 2 Gain Permission and take the Visitor to the Next Desired Action
July 26, 2007
Once you have an idea of the type of visitor persona (step 1) that will be landing on your site/page, you will then be in a good shape to decide what action you would like for them to take next and more importantly ensuring their needs are sufficiently satisfied.
The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself Peter Drucker
This makes a lot of sense and follows on well, although for online marketing I think this quote needs to incorporate a well planned landing page to provide that extra nudge closer to the final goal 
Let's start by looking at the 5 actions that can be caused by a landing page (Seth Godin):
- Get a visitor to click (to go to another page, on your site or someone else’s)
- Get a visitor to buy
- Get a visitor to give permission for you to follow up (by email, phone, etc.). This includes registration of course.
- Get a visitor to tell a friend
- (and the more subtle) Get a visitor to learn something, which could even include posting a comment or giving you some sort of feedback
Ultimately you may want your visitor to do all 5, however your landing page as Seth describes should be optimised ideally for one and no more than two "“ otherwise things can start to become a little overwhelming and lack a clear call to action for the next desired step.
Optimisation of a stepping stone or path to conversion approach can often provide a preferred solution. It's important to define the desired conversion or better still, the conversion path to the desired end goal.
Fulfilling the Visitors' Needs & Your Own Marketing Goals
This requires not only a strong understanding for your visitors' persona, but also an appreciation of the stage in the buying process that the visitor/prospect is in.
If for example, a visitor is at the second stage of the buying process and is searching for information "“ then doesn't it make sense to provide this information and not a hard selling product page? Of course it does!
On top of this it can be a matter of seconds before your once curious visitor starts to get a little anxious and looks towards the back button "“ this is why it is particularly important to portray the page as being relevant, creditable and trustworthy:
Ensure Relevancy
- The headline is perhaps the single most important part in ensuring relevancy and should reiterate the copy from the campaign source creative, whether it's from a PPC ad, an email ad or sometimes even the description in an SEO listing. From the research in step1, this should match their needs and the message should be continued in the body of the landing page.
Ensure Credibility & Trust
- Is your company believable in its promise? Are there any obvious contradictions? Does it appear your site is deliberating hiding or making information hard to obtain? Is your company legitimate? Examples of factors that can reduce the buyer's trust anxieties are testimonials/case studies, assurances, guarantees, awards and credentials.
- The contact and about-us pages are important too. The about-us page provides a great opportunity to install trust and sell what you are all about. Make sure that both pages are prominent and well written.
Once your visitor sticks around for a while, it's time to think about using your negotiation and persuasive skills to progress them on to the next stage.
Negotiation
- Focusing on the benefits and not features of the products or services is a marketing classic, although so often forgotten. The title should offer a compelling benefit and/or promise and be backed up with a short opening paragraph.
- Provide prospects with a feeling of relief by answering their biggest question, reservation, objection or misunderstanding early on.
- List your Unique Selling Propositions (USPs) "“ what makes your product/service stand out from the crowd?
- Unleash the power of emotion by connecting with prospects - it is often said that the fear of loss is greater than the desire for gain. Fear and jealousy are powerful emotions that can express a real feeling of loss or to have missed out on an opportunity. If the use of fear and jealousy are a bit much for you, there are plenty more to explore.
Guide Visitors to the Next Stage
- A Clear call to action "“ e.g. an obvious big 'buy now' button or registration graphic should be shown above the fold.
- Provide a careful balance of persuasive information and a lack of distractions. Distractions should decrease as the sales funnel deepens towards the end goal.
- Ensure the best chance of getting your message read; landing pages should be scannable, with short sentences, engaging sub-headings and a modern look and feel that are also integrated with compelling images.
Of course, the buying process stage plays a big role in the exact implementation "“ and perhaps the most important step of all is to assume nothing and test everything:
Step 3: Test, Measure, Refine & Improve (arriving soon)
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