When a prospective client uses the internet to search for a product, he or she usually types a keyword or a phrase into a search engine and uses the results to find what he or she desires. If your ad is among those listings, you therefore have a much better shot at having prospective clients visit your website to find out what information you have, and what you are offering.
However, just because they have found your site, doesn’t mean that he or she will buy from you. It depends on if you have taken the right steps to persuade them to shop with you. To convince visitors to buy something, one of the most effective steps that you can take is to create a landing page which is designed specifically to encourage them to click the “buy now” button that you have made available.
Landing pages have been found, today more than ever before, to be among the most effective sell tactics on websites. Even if you don’t manage to sell anything, your landing page can also encourage visitors to sign up for a free newsletter that will be compelling and frequently remind them of your company, and what your company is selling. This way, when they do want to make the purchase, your company will be the natural option for shopping.
In fact landing pages are considered to be among the most vital stages that, when missed, can lead to the largest percentage of lost potential sales. After all, one of the most important part of your marketing strategy is to send targeted traffic directly to the part of your site where they can buy. Therefore, landing pages are the direct solution to that need. To make your landing page most effective, there are a few important steps that you can take:
1. Don’t send your visitors to your homepage. This may sound strange, since your homepage is really the hub for the rest of the pages on your website. However, though it may seem like the natural place to start visiting your website, it has not been designed to create the sense of urgency to “act now” and make the purchase. It has only been designed to move the visitor around the rest of the website. Without immediately creating that sense of urgency, you immediately lose a good deal of the potential that you had to start with.
2. Build a sense of trust. This should start as soon as possible on your landing page. Though the main purpose of the landing page is to encourage a purchase from your visitor, you need to show them that they are not being rash by acting right away. By building trust, you give them a sense of security with the decision to make the purchase. This can come in the form of a guarantee or warranty. This will allow them to make the decision right away, knowing that if they have made the wrong choice, there is an “out”, and they aren’t stuck with their mistake.
3. Ask for a purchase. Be direct with your visitors and use your landing page to ask flat out for the purchase. However, this doesn’t mean that you need to make a hard sell that pushes visitors away. Instead, use the right techniques, that primarily include these three:
• Use strong action words
• Minimize navigational options
• Place all of your strategic selling information at eye level, before the place where the visitor will need to scroll down to see it.
4. Remember the basics of making a sale. These same basics of selling have been known for over a hundred years and haven’t really changed much. They are tried and true, and work even with the internet to apply them. They include the understanding of why people choose to buy from you. These are:
• That it is a logical decision
• That they trust your company
• That they have a desire or a need for your product.
With these steps, and the right landing page, you’ll have everything you need to convince your visitors to not only use your site for its information and content, but to make their purchase, and to do it right away. You’ll convince visitors that the time is now for buying your product, and that they can feel safe in making a decision right away.
Copyright 2006 Mark Nenadic