by Tammy de Leeuw
"The Grouchy Marketing Lady"
I spend a lot of time on the internet. I mean, a LOT of time, and I probably see between 50-100 different websites each day.
Yet I find, much to my surprise, that a great many of these sites (some of them artistic masterpieces) lack a basic mechanism for capturing data.
I mean, after all, isn't the purpose of building a good website, blog, or capture page to entice others into stopping long enough to interact with YOUR company?
That's where a good lead capture page can come in handy If you feel your main website is just to aesthetically pleasing to contemplate an opt-in form, you can always create a capture page that you can link to your main site, or use as a standalone lead generation tool.
9 Capture Page Best Practices
Here are some tips to help you create landing pages that stand out for all the right reasons, and make your prospects WANT to give up their information.1. Develop engaging, personal, relevant, and useful content. In the photo of
www.buffbodsecrets.com, you can see that part of the content comes in the form of a video. In
fact, in these days of diminishing attention spans, short videos with "tips or tricks" or even well-
done testimonials, can be useful. The video should make them want to learn more. "Want to know
the rest of the story? Fill out the form you see on this page and you can get my ___________.
(free report, audio recording, DVD, article, etc.)
2. Including a WRITTEN article can also help. This could be a long form article, like the one you
see on the buffbod page, or it could be a partial article that links back to your website or blog.
3. Put your MOST IMPORTANT content at the top, what some designers call "above the
fold."
If getting them to opt in for your free catalog is the reason for the page, then visitors shouldn't
have to waste time scrolling to the bottom of the page in order to do so.
4. Take advantage of the power of visuals, including charts, photos, and videos.. but resist the
temptation to go overboard and clutter up your page. Simple, clean visuals such as product
previews can actually increase your page's effectiveness, sometimes by as much as 300%.
5. Compelling headlines can stop someone from surfing past your offer. Use them.
6 Impeccable, perfect spelling and grammar.
If you outsource your pages to a foreign country, it's up to you to ensure that things are spelled
correctly, that the grammar is correct, and that sentences requiring subtlety and nuance actually
it. The Grammar Police are watching you!
7. Judicious use of links. Ever see those capture pages and websites where every other word has
been turned into a hyperlink? Don't do that...
8. Visuals need to relate to the content. Don't try and "fool" search engines by putting a sexy
swimsuit model photo on your page selling pet supplies. People get upset when then click on a
a photo that takes them to a completely unrelated page. Even if they DO opt-in, they probably
aren't the kind of prospect for which you were looking.
9. Make sure ALL your graphics, videos, and photos are fully optimized for search.
There is a whole lot of information on how to do this available on the internet. You need to take
time to learn it, even if someone else does your SEO. ANYTHING you can do to help you
get found more easily is worth the effort.
For a GREAT checklist of all the things that make a perfect landing page, check out this article:
http://unbounce.com/landing-pages/checklist/
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