First of all, can I thank you for the great feedback following my previous email? It is so lovely to hear that you all share my excitement about this topic, and it was so useful to hear about your challenges. Hopefully, I can help!
As I said in the last email, I see this as an opportunity not just to create better landing pages, but also establish you as a trusted expert in the eyes of your stakeholders.
But how do we practically do this? Well, through my years of experience combined with the research I did for my latest book Click! I have identified four techniques that lead to compelling landing pages, while also redefining how your stakeholders see you.
These are:
- Engaging with copy creation.
- Applying psychology to design.
- Validating a landing page with testing.
- Optimising the pre and post landing page experience.
Let’s look at how these techniques help.
Engaging With Copy Creation
One of the biggest problems people tend to have around the creation of landing pages is the copy. The content of your landing page will be the primary factor in determining if the page converts and yet often we are reliant on others to deliver it.
Unfortunately, all too often you either do not get it early enough, or the quality is terrible! Design and content are so interlinked when it comes to landing pages that this will utterly undermine the success of the page.
The solution to this problem is to become more actively engaged in content creation for landing pages. When I wireframe the first version of a landing page, I always write an initial draft of the copy.
I then work collaboratively with stakeholders to refine this copy. However, by producing the initial draft, I set the direction for a better landing page, while also increasing my value in the eyes of stakeholders.
Applying Psychology to Design
Another common problem area is getting the design of a landing page right. There are typically two factors at play here. First, you need to ensure the design engenders the right feelings in users, while also drawing their attention to critical content and calls to action. Second, we need to convince stakeholders that the design approach we have produced is the right one.
Things are further complicated by the fact that many of us design intuitively and so have a hard time articulating why our approach is right. It just feels right.
The answer to these challenges is to develop a better grasp of the psychology of design. Not only will this lead to more effective designs, but it will also make you better at articulating why they are better. For example, you probably instinctively know that a simple design will convert better, but being able to talk about cognitive load with stakeholders will help reassure them about your expertise.
Validating a Landing Page With Testing
It will come as no surprise that testing is an intrinsic part of creating a compelling landing page. It is also an excellent way of validating your approach in the minds of stakeholders.
However, when people think about testing landing pages, they often think about A/B testing, which can only happen once the page has been launched. What about getting your landing page to that point in the first place? How do you validate the look and feel? How do you know users will see the content elements you need them to see?
Testing before launch is as essential as post-launch A/B testing, especially when it comes to winning over stakeholders. Also, although post-launch A/B testing is critical, it relies on a certain level of traffic that not all sites have.
We need to build in a robust process of testing during the design and copy creation phases too.
Optimising the Pre and Post Landing Page Experience
Finally, it is essential to note that landing pages do not exist in isolation. Many landing pages fail to convert because the wrong type of people are being driven to them. Even the right kind of people will not act if they have not been appropriately primed before arriving.
Also, even if the landing page succeeds in encouraging a user to take action, what happens then? There are usually are more steps involved in the user converting.
We must pay as much attention to what happens before and after the landing page, as we do to the landing page itself. If we do not, then all too often the landing page (and by extension you) are blamed for shortcomings elsewhere.
The Devil Is in the Detail
So there you go, those are the four techniques I use for ensuring an effective landing page, while also increasing my credibility in the eyes of stakeholders.
Of course, the devil is in the detail. How exactly do you write compelling copy? What is the psychology behind an effective design? How can you test a landing page before launch, and what do you need to do to improve the pre/post landing page experience?
Addressing these questions is the topic of our next email. But in the meantime, I would be interested in hearing about any other techniques that you adopt or the challenges you face when dealing with stakeholders.
Talk to you soon.
