Generating organic interest is a major focus in digital marketing today. But unless you are funnelling that interest into slick landing pages, you aren't going to get the results you need to stay competitive. One of the biggest mistakes that companies make when marketing online is directing all their traffic to a homepage. A landing page is specially designed to create leads, which will give your company a much higher chance of connecting with users that convert.
When you direct all your traffic to a generic homepage with tonnes of options, many users have no idea what to do. If you are using content marketing and SEO to generate organic leads, then you have to make sure those clicks land on a page that matches up with the subject that got the user to your site.
Today, using landing pages is necessary so that you can take full advantage of all the organic leads you have worked so hard to attract. (Landing pages are also used extensively in PPC campaigns, but in this article we will be concentrating primarily on how they are used as part of an organic lead generation strategy).
Create Interest
For most companies, the website homepage is a busy place by necessity. There has to be navigation and interesting content featured prominently. But this isn't what you want your new leads to see at first, for the simple reason that it offers way too many options. Most people look for very specific things online, especially if they are using specialised (long tail) keywords in a search engine. This means that you have to connect with them quickly, by presenting interesting content that makes them want to know more.
Be Personal
Landing pages are all about making a lead give you their information, with something valuable offered in return. What you do to accomplish this is up to you. Many companies offer webinars or eBooks, but for some businesses a free consultation or discount can be effective. Because a lead is following a specific advert or link, you can be reasonably sure of what they are interested in.
For example: if you have a website for a pet services business, and you are offering a special offer on dog grooming, you want the link to take potential customers to a landing page that will help them book a pet grooming session at a special rate. The landing page should offer them all the information they need about the special grooming offer, and get their information and desired appointment time at the very least. Having the page set up to take card payments would also be an advantage. There should be no other work to do, and very limited navigation options.
Simple Connections
Most people who use the internet aren't going to work hard to buy your product, or connect to your company. You have to make the interaction as easy as possible. This is where landing pages shine. They also give you a chance to create positive associations with you company, while getting contact information from an interested potential client.
People like to be offered something for free, especially if it is going to appeal to their interests. When you direct all your inbound traffic to a generic homepage, people are going to have to hunt down what they are interested in. Your company risks losing their attention, with the possibility that they will just navigate away to a page that is easier to understand.
Leads That Convert
Landing pages also offer you a perfect way to analyse what works when it comes to your marketing strategy. Tracking your site traffic will help you see what is getting interest and how many users click through to the goal you have created. If you dump all your traffic onto your homepage, you won't be getting much out of what modern online analytics can offer you.
A/B testing is a powerful tool that will help you see how to best spend your budget, so that you don't waste money on creating content that yields nothing. AdWords gives you the perfect way to isolate keywords that can get you interested clients. But if you don't use those keywords to generate landing pages that connect with your potential lead, you are ignoring a large advantage that the AdWords application offers you.
Master Marketing
Landing pages give you an effective way to boost lead generation, with more conversions than ever before. Some companies ignore the use of landing pages because of the time it takes to create them, or aren't familiar with how to use analysis to boost the effectiveness of their online marketing strategy.
There are many ways to implement lading pages, and working with a digital agency like JDR to tweak your online presence will make sure your marketing budget is well spent. Platforms like Hubspot can help you to create solid landing pages, with tools that allow you to implement a testing programme for your website. Get in touch to discuss your options and find out how we can help you.
