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Over time, short "postcard" emails have emerged as the most effective format for generating clickthroughs. These typically include an image of the publication or product, a bold statement of the offer, a call to action, and graphic design that engages the eye.
Given the limited space in a postcard email, it falls on the landing page to do the heavy lifting to get the prospect to accept your offer.
Unfortunately, most landing pages I've seen are basically order forms. While you shouldn't overload your landing page with text and graphics, you should use it to move your prospect from uncertainty to action. In other words, to sell.
Here are my Best Practices for landing pages. These have worked consistently for me.
Learn about my Email Best Practices here
The Top of the Page
1. Closely connect the landing page to the email in look and feel. Think of the landing page as a continuation of the email. For example, lead the landing page with a headline or Johnson box that echoes the email.
2. Restate the offer immediately. The offer should be in a headline at the top of the page.
3. Make sure there's a call-to-action at the top of the page.
4. Place a reference to the order entry fields above the fold if there's any chance the reader won't see it.
The Body
5. Short or long copy? It depends on what type of publication you're selling. My magazine promotions have been successful with 200-300 words of selling copy. On the other hand, health and investment newsletters and products find that 2,000 - 3,000 word "long letter" landing pages are most successful.
6. Place the offer language as close to the upper left as possible. This section is one of the first thing the eye sees. Here's an example of a two-column landing page with the offer language at the top left:
7. Use bullets when describing the product. Bullet points get more attention from the skimming online reader.
And here's an example of a three-column landing page with the offer language in the upper middle column and the order fields in the far-right column:
8. Make your graphics into image maps that link to the order form, whether it's lower on the same page or on another page.
9. You probably don't need video and other bells and whistles. I believe magazine landing pages should be simple and direct. But you can always test.
10. As a rule, use one or two columns. For a two column layout, I use the left column for the offer language. The right column is a good place to promote the premium, if there is one. Here's an example of a two-column landing page where the right column sells the premium:
The Order Form (aka Order Entry Fields)
13. Make the order form as simple and short as possible. The longer the order form, the more time people have to second-guess their initial decision to act. One B-to-B publication found that just removing a request for the prospect's title yielded almost a 30% bump in completion rates. (ref: MarketingSherpa Marketing Wisdom 2008)
14. Try making the entry fields yellow. Yellow is a well-known action color. I've used yellow fields whenever possible. One research report found that using yellow fields improved conversion rate by 37%.
15. To keep people moving through the form, use different color backgrounds for different types of information. People grow impatient filling out online forms. By using gradated colors, each section "seems" smaller, thereby affording the reader a sense of quick completion of that section. Here's an example:
16. Include a VeriSign or other credibility-building logos near the action button.
The Call-to-Action Button
17. Make sure the action button is large and attention-getting. Its larger size acts as an imperative. And use warm colors like red, green or orange. According to Marketing Sherpa, red buttons usually score best.
18. Be more creative than "Submit." A button that describes the requested action is the most persuasive. For example, "Activate My Free Trial" or "I accept!"
19. Give privacy and spam assurances if you're asking for an email address.
Search Engine Optimization
20. Consider optimizing your landing page for search. Keeping the landing page on the web for a period of time after the initial email blast can be a source of new subscriptions. So you should include
