Posted by Gareth Cutter on 17th November 2008 to
Best Practice For those of you who've had trouble creating conversion-driving landing pages in the past, the Email Experience Council (EEC) has come to the rescue with an informative and educational 'Landing Page' check-list
The landing page is the most critical stage in email marketing: it's where the attentive audience of prospects collects, eager to read you pitch how the product / service you offer will satisfy all their needs and solve all their problems.
As the check-list makes clear, there is nothing intrinsically challenging about creating an attractive, motivational landing page: it's simply a matter of following established best practices. You can have a sneak-peek at some of this content on the Exec's blog where co-chairs Lisa Harmon and Megan Walsh have laid it out clearly in bullet-points. Of particular interest are the sections on writing sign-up forms and other CTAs (Calls-to-Action) where the importance of pitching a strong CTA not once but at every opportune moment is driven home.
Depending on your existing approach to landing pages, the advice that's given here might sound like a big overhaul, but by remembering one basic point about the landing page, you should see a considerable improvement in the number of conversions it generates.
Remind the prospect repeatedly what they stand to gain from using your product and/or service. Write it in benefit-led, customer focused copy. It's all a case of knowing why a prospect would open the email and click-through to the landing page in the first place. For instance, if you offer a courier service, it's because you provide a client with confidence in their package's safe and timely delivery, or if you sell furniture, it's because your settees are the most comfortable, ideal to stretch out on and relax after a stress-filled day.
Remember: if you lose prospects at this stage, all the hard work you've put into targeting the email addresses, writing catchy subject lines and informative, curiosity-piquing emails will be undone. On the other hand, if you can demonstrate a consistent awareness of the customer's needs, from the subject line right to the landing page, you'll see a definite increase in the amount of traffic coming your way.
