| If you're paying for click-through's from Google or | | | | It seems odd that we have to put out so much effort |
| another search engine, you want to make sure your | | | | just to give something away - but we do. The only |
| investment provides a return. You do that with a | | | | difference is that you can usually make your pitch |
| landing page. | | | | relatively brief. The key is to have a good giveaway. If |
| Searchers click-through to your page because your ad | | | | the searcher really wants it, you don't have to say as |
| captures their attention and creates interest. Your | | | | much. |
| landing page now needs to build on that interest, turn it | | | | That's especially true when you've featured the |
| into desire and, ultimately, get action. | | | | giveaway item in your pay-per-click ad. You can |
| To be effective, your landing page needs to work like | | | | usually just... |
| a sales letter. It needs to be designed around a very | | | | -- Confirm in your headline that the searcher has |
| clear objective - the action you want - and it needs to | | | | arrived at the right place to claim their prize |
| employ all the motivating and persuasive tools | | | | -- Prove it's worth having with a benefit-heavy bullet list |
| necessary to get the job done. | | | | -- Explain briefly that their email address is required |
| Whether it actually is a sales letter depends... | | | | because of your delivery method |
| YOUR GOAL GUIDES THE APPROACH | | | | -- Present an easy to use form for them to input their |
| You have to clearly define what it is that you want the | | | | email address. |
| visitor to do. The format you use to achieve that | | | | You can ask for anything on your form, but most |
| varies depending on the objective. Even though | | | | marketers restrict the required blanks to capturing an |
| dozens of variations exist, there are really only two | | | | email address and a name. The more you ask, the |
| objectives . You're trying to get the visitor to either... | | | | more you have to sell why you need it. |
| -- Give you their email and possibly other information | | | | The actual email form is most often linked to an |
| for your mailing list, or | | | | autoresponder service these days. You use the |
| -- Buy | | | | autoresponder service to handle your follow up and |
| If you want them to buy, then throw all the logs on the | | | | ultimately sell the prospect who's just been added to |
| fire. Put a long-form sales letter on your landing page | | | | your mailing list. |
| that they just cannot resist. Be sure it uses an appeal | | | | FINAL WORD |
| that matches up to what the visitor was originally | | | | To see a good example of a landing page, check out |
| searching for. That will increase your chances of | | | | master marketer, David DeAngelo's minisite: You may |
| making a sale. | | | | even want to sign up and get on his email list to see |
| But don't expect a high rate of conversion -- even if | | | | the kind of email marketing campaign he conducts. |
| your letter is strong enough to bend steel. Research | | | | It's a mistake to pay for traffic and then send it to a |
| keeps telling us that almost no one buys immediately | | | | generic home page. Create a landing page that sells |
| when they're shopping online. | | | | exactly what you offered in your ad. |
| Conventional wisdom says a prospect has to see | | | | And if you really want to reach the heights of Internet |
| your message at least seven times! | | | | Marketing achievement, focus on building your e-mailing |
| The reason you won't often sell straight off the landing | | | | list. Like the (richest) guru's say, "the money is in the |
| page goes back to the very reason the visitor got | | | | list!" |
| there in the first place -- the search engines. When a | | | | Copywriter and Designer, Ronald A. Murphy is an |
| visitor arrives from a search, it's just too easy to back | | | | Internet Marketing specialist -- on the net since 1996. |
| up and compare prices, find other sources, and shop | | | | Murphy writes mini-site sales letters, landing pages and |
| around. | | | | order pages, sales emails and autoresponder copy, |
| MOST MARKETERS WANT AN EMAIL ADDRESS | | | | online newsletters and articles for marketing, |
| Which is why so many landing pages just try to collect | | | | joint-venture proposals, web site content and other |
| email addresses. It's still not EASY, but it's eas-ier. And | | | | marketing focused materials. |
| actually, it leads to more sales in the long run. | | | | One of just a handful of talented web professionals |
| The tried and true approach is to offer a free | | | | who can deliver both copy and design, Murphy offers |
| "something" in return for signing up for the e-mailing list. | | | | clients unique advantages of faster turnaround, lower |
| It used to be enough to offer a free subscription to | | | | costs, and easier control because he handles the |
| your newsletter, but that rarely works these days. Too | | | | complete project for them. |
| many newsletters flood the e-waves and few contain | | | | For more information on copywriting and design for |
| any useful information (present newsletter excepted, | | | | Internet Marketing, visit his site at There you can |
| of course). Seachers realize they're just signing up to | | | | subscribe to his newsletter, R A Murphy's Copywriting |
| get a lot of sales pitches. | | | | and Design Tips. You can also read Murphy's Blog on |
| No, you have to offer something more. A book or | | | | Copywriting and Design for Internet and Direct |
| software or an audio or video tutorial -- something with | | | | marketing at |
| real, immediate value. | | | | Copyright 2005 Ronald A Murphy. Permission to |
| And that's what your landing page copy sells. | | | | reproduce this article in any form is freely given so |
| YES, YOU EVEN HAVE TO SELL YOUR FREE | | | | long as the text and this credit stays as is without |
| OFFER | | | | modifications. |