Tuesday, August 07, 2007
LANDING PAGE BEST PRACTICES
First impressions are everything, or so the saying goes. This applies to your landing pages - the first page that a web visitor reaches when they reach your website. We refer to these webpages as landing pages, because all of your web visitors are not necessarily driven your homepage. Online traffic is driven to landing pages from a variety of online marketing sources, including online advertising (text ads, banner ads), email campaigns, search engine optimized press releases, and online articles. You would typically not link to a landing pages from your main website.
There are several things you can do to improve the performance of your landing pages, which are arguably some of the most important pages on your website. I've outlined a list of "landing page best practices" below:
Be Direct
Your landing pages cannot be all things to all people. Online marketing best practices have shown that you need to drive web traffic to web pages that best speak directly to the visitors interests. Make sure that you drive the right traffic to the right landing pages. If a web visitor clicks on a link for a specific product or service, your landing page should speak directly about that product or service. Don't beat around the bush - you know that the visitor is interested in (why else would they be on that page?).
Details Details Details
This may be your only opportunity to sell your goods and services. So make sure that you put your best foot forward. Make sure that you include plenty of detail in your copy. If you are selling goods online, make sure to include several large photos of your product.
Create A Sales Funnel
Remember that the goal of your landing page is to get a conversion. What that conversion is depends on your marketing strategy. It can be a request for more information, or even an online sale.
To achieve that conversion, think of how your landing pages are going to participate in that sales funnel. Think about how you are going to convert your web visitor. Use several "call to actions", such as inquiry forms and online chats, to get that web visitor to the next step.
Pre Populate The Forms
One great technique for helping a web visitor convert is to complete the form for them. Pre-populating inquiry forms and online checkout pages are a great way to increase online conversion. If you are sending out an email newsletter, you can pass the recipients email address in every link that they click on within the newsletter, and then use that information to pre-populate an inquiry form. If you are driving traffic to your landing page from an online advertising campaigns (such as a pay per click campaign), you can pass through product information and pre-populate an order form.
Be creative. Use whatever information you can, even past purchase information, to create a custom user experience. Design your landing pages to change based upon user behavior and profile - these are known as dynamic landing pages.
Cut Out Distractions
In your attempt to convert online visitors, remember that external links can be a distraction. You want to keep your web visitors focused on the goal. As much as possible, minimize links that take the visitor away from your landing page. Don't link to a return policy - state it at the bottom of your landing page. And don't link to another website from your landing page!
Be Viral
Each web visitor has the power to exponentially increase the exposure of your products and services. So make it easy for them to do so. Give them access to online viral marketing tools, such as "tell a friend" forms. Make these forms easy to use, and you'll be rewarded handsomely!
Ask Questions!
If you have additional questions about landing page best practices, contact us at
Epic Innovations.
Digital Marketing by Epic Innovations
Labels: dynamic landing pages, landing pages, online marketing, online marketing best practices
Saturday, June 17, 2006
DRAFT
Digital Marketing by Epic Innovations
The Internet has the amazing power to lift up an individual and allow their voice to be heard around the world. This can be a powerful force behind your company, as well as a powerful force against it. Many of our clients are concerned about controlling online comments from individuals and small groups of people. You’d be surprised how quickly negative comments can find their way to the top of a search engine query on your company name. Our clients also want to know how they can best take advantage of positive comments. For our curious current and future clients, we’ve outlined the steps below:
1. Reality Check: Recognize that your company does not live in a marketing vacuum. That you must embrace an honest two way conversation with your customers, and you must address their concerns promptly and effectively. It is your responsibility to initiate the conversation.
2. Develop a communications strategy. Epic Innovations can help you develop a low cost system that utilizes existing resources to exponentially increase your positive online presence.
3. Communicate loud, and often. Once you’ve developed an online communications strategy, you should use if weekly – if not daily – to promote your company.
4. Give your advocates the tools to positively promote your company.
5. Listen In. Develop an ongoing program for learning what is being said about your company online before it gets out of control. Epic Innovations can help you track ‘the online buzz’ about your company, so that you’ll know what is being said about your company in real time!
6. Act Now. Be proactive! Don’t wait for a problem to occur. Get this plan in action today.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Digital Marketing by Epic Innovations
Jack in the Box hits MySpace
In an extremely clever move, the clever folks as Jack in the Box have created a MySpace page for Mr. Box himself. The clever parody of MySpace users shows Mr. Box’s MySpace page with candid photos taken in styles familiar to many MySpace users, such as the “single arm self portrait shot”. Mr. Box currently has 90,046 MySpace friends, and this number is climbing exponentially.
Many of Mr. Box’s MySpace friends are Jack in the Box fans, some simply want to join in on the parody of MySpace.
By using MySpace, Jack in the Box has created a non-email based method for communicating with a fan base. Because MySpace is entirely permission based (the customer opts in to the program voluntarily), Jack in the Box can easily and effectively communicate with potential customers without having to worry about complications surrounding email marketing, such as managing opt out lists, enforcing CanSpam laws, etc.
It would not be difficult for Jack in the Box to create a MySpace hack allowing them to target specific demographics with specific offers. It should be noted that a MySpace user’s demographic information is only as good as the accuracy of their profile.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Digital Marketing by Epic Innovations
Claria – formerly known as Gator - is attempting to merge customer buying patterns and behavior with customer specific products and services.
Among other techniques, Claria is offering customers the ability to create their own web portals, where they will receive custom content based upon their surfing and shopping provide. The central question remains – will consumers allow a former suspected spyware company to track their movements online?
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Digital Marketing by Epic Innovations
With more and more people spending their entertainment hours online (instead of in front of the television), consumer product companies need to embrace and fully integrate online marketing initiatives.
Yet tracking online marketing success for offline products has always been a challenge. How do you know if your online marketing efforts are driving customers into your brick and mortar locations and converting to sales? There are several methods to achieve a higher level of tracking within your existing systems.
Coupons: Online coupons printed with tracking bar codes are an effective way to associate online behavior with offline activity. Within the barcode can be embedded not only the product and coupon information, but also web metrics information that led the consumer to the coupon, including web metric information such as the website from which they came to the site, the pages which they viewed on the site, and more.
Member program tracking: many stores, such as Vons.com, are allowing shoppers to purchase goods online for either pick up or delivery. Tying these systems to the member program is a great way to identify the buying habits of your customers.
Contact Epic Innovations for more tips on this …
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Digital Marketing by Epic Innovations
There has been a lot of talk recently about MicroSoft’s entry into the Internet security business. For quite a few years, Internet security companies have been making a lot of money helping to protect against problems arising from security holes in the MicroSoft operating system and software. The rapid proliferation of spyware over the past several years has provided these companies with a whole new set of customers.
MicroSoft recently released their free anti spyware product. They have also announced the beta release of OneCare and the upcoming release of their new operating system MicroSoft Vista - which some security experts claim will end spyware as we know it.
MicroSoft OneCare will provide daily updates, backups, an advanced application firewall, and will tune your PC for optimal performance, all for the annual cost of $50 for three personal computer licenses.
MicroSoft’s announcement to enter into the already crowded Internet security space is a warning to every Internet security company : re-invent or die. If the past is any sort of gauge, MicroSoft’s is going to make a very competitive market just that much more competitive. MicroSoft will be in unique position to bundle their product with the operating system.
Symantec is already making moves to address this, with their new product Genesis. Among other things, Genesis will include protections against identity fraud and online fraud. Online identity theft is quickly becoming the next spyware epidemic.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
DRAFT
Digital Marketing by Epic Innovations
Affiliate marketing best practices
Digital Marketing by Epic Innovations
Affiliate marketing best practices
