What is a landing page and what can it be used for?

Firstly, let’s look at the different scenarios one would use a landing page for.

1. To generate fresh new leads from brand new traffic
2. To get your existing database or new traffic to take some sort of action, i.e.

- Incentive to share “something”
- Enter a competition
- Fill in a survey
- Drive them to your social media platforms
- Send them to an offer
- And more

It depends on where you are in your business cycle and what “digital assets” you have at your disposal to determine which scenario you would use a landing page for. Ultimately you need to determine what your immediate goal is.

How would people find my landing page?

Well if you had an existing database or client list then they would find it through an email marketing campaign, SMS campaign or through your social media platforms, that is if you have funnelled them into your social platforms. If not then I suggest using one of the above scenarios to drive your client base to your social platforms.

Brand new traffic for brand new leads could be generated in one of the following ways:

- Paid traffic through Google Adwords
- Paid traffic through Linkedin
- Paid traffic through promoted tweets on Twitter
- Paid traffic through Facebook ads
- Paid traffic through Native Advertising
- “Free traffic” through SEO
- Partnering with a company in a similar niche using their database for an email campaign
- And more

Why do savvy digital marketers use landing pages to generate leads rather than drive traffic to the main website?

Here are 3 reasons:

Speed – the internet is so fast paced and it’s easy to be overwhelmed. Landing pages hone in on a key message in the shortest possible time.

Distraction – it is easy for us to get distracted online especially on a large website with lots of navigation. Landing pages usually have one or two “call to actions” and no other distractions and places to click to.

Time – although we live in an advanced technology era we need to keep in mind that technology isn't always reliable. Sometimes internet speeds are slow or website servers are down. Landing pages are usually lightweight and load fast. Lastly, we can tailor our message (ad copy) to let the visitor know what to expect on the landing page before they even land on it.

Here are a few “call to action” examples:

- Download our catalogue
- Download our brochure
- Get 50% off Today
- Download these tips
- Get the coupon today
- See our portfolio
- Watch this demo
- Get the free trial now

Well, there you go. I hope these examples of landing page elements are enough of a reason to convince you that landing pages are the way to go especially for lead generation. I will be elaborating on these elements in future articles, but in the interim, if you have any questions then feel free to post the question below or on our facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/onlinemarketingguys.

Here are some of the landing pages we have created:

http://consultant.shzen.co.za/
http://yachtcharteroptions.co.za/holiday/
http://debtreview.co/debtconsolidation
http://office.myofficefurniture.co.za/
http://covetdesign.co.za/Interior-Design/
http://www.mobilecranes.co.za/