Do you ever envy those folks with hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers, massive numbers of Facebook “Likes,” or floods of blog traffic you can only dream about?
Well, don’t envy them until you’re absolutely sure they actually have a successful business, not just a hefty Klout score.
Unfortunately, building a massive online presence doesn’t magically translate into business. But the happy flip side is — you don’t need to have a zillion social media fans in order to have a successful business, either.
Today we’re going to talk about how to translate attention (which is fleeting on the web, as we know) into paying customers.
Let’s get it started.
First, let’s look at what a landing page is and what it does for your business.
Landing pages turn attention into action
A landing page is a web page designed to focus the attention of your audience member, get her thinking about the right things, and convince her to take action.
Some actions might be:
- To make a purchase
- To sign up for your email list
- To register to vote
- To sign up for a volunteer activity
- To sign a petition
- To make a donation
It doesn’t really matter what action you want that audience member to take. The landing page is the right tool to get it done.
That means you minimize distractions, pull out all your copywriting skills, and do everything you can to persuade this person to take the action you desire.
Attention on the web is scattered
We’ve all been there — we’re going to seriously focus on something we find on the web … and when we look up 45 minutes later, somehow we’ve just spent all that time reading chocolate cake recipes on Pinterest.
The web is a highly distracting place, and that’s not good for your audience when it comes time for them to focus on what you have to offer.
That’s why landing pages are primarily an attention focusing device. They take a sort-of-paying-attention prospect and dial up her attention level.
That’s why, incidentally, landing pages typically don’t have sidebars, navigation, or links to anything other than the desired action. Once you have your prospect’s attention focused, the last thing you want to do is send her ping-ponging around the web again.
Landing pages use your best persuasion skills
Anything and everything you know about copywriting will go into your landing pages. As you build your skills, your landing pages will only get better.
Some important elements of your landing page include:
- A compelling headline to draw readers in
- A thorough discussion of benefits (what your product does for your customer) and features
- Enticing fascinations that build curiosity and desire for what you’re selling (even if it’s free, like your email autoresponder)
- A clear call to action that lets people know exactly what to do next
- Some great testimonials, if you have them, to show your expertise and credibility
P.S.
For a much more complete view of landing pages than we can cover here, remember to download your ebook on Landing Pages: How to Turn Traffic into Money from the My Copyblogger library. It’s free with your membership!