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THE LEVISON LETTER
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Action Ideas For Better Direct Mail,
E-mail, Web Sites & Advertising
Published by
Ivan Levison, Direct Response Copywriting
September, 2002
Volume: 17 Number: 9
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How to copywrite an effective landing page
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Imagine the following scenario . . . You're a software
publisher who wants to generate leads. So you send an
e-mail to an appropriate list in which you offer a
must-read White Paper loaded with valuable information.
All the reader has to do is download the document from
your Web site. In your e-mail you provide a "hot link"
(a live, linked URL) for them to click on. The link
automatically takes the reader to a specific page on
your Web site.
In the jargon of electronic direct mail this page is
called the "landing page" or "jump page." (In
other
words, it's the Web page you land at, or jump to, from
the e-mail.)
Why is it so important to create a special Web page
for
the e-mail reader to visit? Why can't you simply send
the prospect to your home page and make the offer a
clickable item there?
Well, first of all, if you dump potential customers
onto your home page, they could get lost. They could
have trouble finding your offer and might give up. Or
they might see something else of interest on your site
and click away to that. Hey. You don't want them
randomly browsing your site. You want them to respond
to your specific offer!
The bottom line? When you send the reader to a landing
page, you're in control. Which is where a direct
response writer always wants to be.
Exactly what should you do on your landing page? Keep
reading and I'll share a few ideas with you.
1. Thank the reader for responding. You can begin your
landing page with a brief headline like: "Thanks so
much for responding to the e-mail we recently sent
you!" This maintains continuity of communication. When
they get to the landing page and see this message, they
know they're in the right place and that they're at a
special page created just for them.
2. Capture crucial data. The whole idea of lead
generation is to get people to raise their hands and
indicate some level of interest, however modest. When
they identify themselves, by responding to your offer,
they enter the sales funnel. Then, you begin the job of
converting prospects into buyers. This means that
before they get to download your White Paper, your
demo, or whatever, they must provide some information
about themselves. Beginners think that you should let
people take advantage of the offer without having to
provide the info you're after. Wrong!
3. Don't ask too much of them. Ask for the minimum
information you need. Maybe name, title, company, and
e-mail address. The fact you need to remember is that
the more information you ask for, the more you'll turn
people off. Never ask people, at this stage, when
they're planning to make a purchase or what their
budget is. Way too pushy!
4. Provide a promise of privacy and make your policy
clear. For good reason, prospects are reluctant to give
up personal information. They know all too well that if
they're not careful they may get an e-mail telling them
that they're eligible for a share of a Nigerian
prince's estate. Have a good privacy policy and make it
crystal clear!
5. Keep the copy short. The landing page is not the
place to write a novel. Thank them. Convince them that
their data will be kept private. Thank them again. Let
them click to the download. Get out.
6. Use different landing pages to test different offers
and creative treatments. You can test variables by
sending prospects to unique landing pages. Just measure
the clickthrough rate and you'll find out fast what
works best. E-mail is much underused as a testing
medium.
7. Don't forget to follow up. After people take
advantage of the offer on your landing page, work those
leads! You should have follow-up messages ready to roll
automatically. The whole idea of lead generation is to
capture contact data and then press ahead with e-mail,
postal mail, telemarketing, whatever. Failing to follow
up aggressively is a big (and common) mistake!
The take-away message this month? Creating a great e-
mail is crucial, but so is providing a landing page
that does its job . . . getting the crucial data you
need to begin an ongoing marketing effort.
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How To Get In Touch
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Ivan Levison
Direct Response Copywriting
14 Los Cerros Drive
Greenbrae, CA 94904
Phone: (415) 461-0672
Fax: (415) 461-7738
E-mail: ivan@levison.com
Web Site: http://www.levison.com
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