Storified Guide: What is a Storified Landing Page?
As you already know, storytelling in online marketing is imperative; well, you know it for sure if you ever took a peek at the rest of our storified content. The storifyme team will always advise you to give your all when it comes to the “visual narrative” department. No matter how big or small, local or global your businesses or brand is,the audiences respond well to well thought out visual web stories.
However, there’s no sense in sharing your storified article if no one’s going to see it, right? You have to catch people’s attention, whether it’s through paid storified ad campaigns, word of mouth, or exceptional organic search results… You have to get them curious and willing to click and come to you, and once they do “push the button” - your story begins; ideally with a fantastic storified landing page!
What Is the Role of a Storified Landing Page?
First and foremost, a landing page is what people encounter when they click on a link from an external source (online marketing campaign, email, post on FB, etc). In an ideal world, this corner of the internet is designed with one goal in mind - to turn an interested visitor into a future lead or a potential customer.
Simple enough, right? Well, not exactly. For starters:
No, Homepage Is Not a Good Landing Page
Homepage can be a landing page, but the chances of it being effective are slim. Why?
That is because any good landing page exists for CONVERSION only. The homepage has other purposes besides conversions. It serves as a site central navigation point and general brand presentation. Other web pages encourage exploration, while storified landing pages have one single focus and that is to make conversions happen.
If you want to notice growth, you better make a unique, specific landing page that will exist separately from the rest of your website, where it will receive web traffic and convert away without all the unnecessary distractions.
Wait, Why Is "Converting" So Important? And What Is It?
As your resident storified guides through the world wide web wilderness, we’re here to explain the holy grail of internet marketing. In case you’re not fluid in online-marketing-ish, the term “conversion” is used for the action you want your visitor to complete upon visiting your site: Do you want them to call you or make a purchase at your storified microstore? To fill out a form to register for a newsletter, webinar, or some event?
If they do what the page asks them to, it’s a success. You have a conversion on your hands! Depending what exactly is your goal, the type of your storified landing pages may differ:
Types of Landing Pages
Once you start paying attention, you’ll notice that not all landing pages can be neatly divided; generally speaking, you'll find two kinds of these "conversion machines": Lead generation and clickthrough landing pages:
- Lead gen or lead capture have collection data as their main goal. You’ll recognize those by little or big forms that visitors have to fill out to sign up or get something in return
- ClickThroughs transfer you straight to the place where the magic happens, whether that’s a sale or subscription. There’s no form to submit
Basic Elements of Landing Pages
Opinions on what exactly constitutes a landing page vary, but generally they’ll include the exchange of information of some kind (visitors give you their email, you give them ebooks in return, for example). If the layout and the design are fitting, the first thing you’ll notice when you "land" is an eye-catching headline. These few punchy words tend to sum up the promise of the storified ad campaign or whatever else that led you there.
Sometimes you’ll find a rundown of benefits that further explain the offer under or near the headline. Some marketers like to include “social proof” in the form of testimonials and recommendations too, but that’s not always the case. On the other hand, what you’ll *always* find on any landing page is a CTA: Call to action
CTA: Call To Action
CTA is a line that persuades visitors to finish the action desired. It presents the offer in a clear, concise, and convincing way. A good rule of thumb is to limit one CTA per landing page so if you have multiple offers or promotions - create a special landing page for everyone, that will yield the best results. If you present more than one choice per landing page, it can get confusing.
What Visual Appeal Adds to Your Landing Page?
Everything! Visuals are the key, remember?
“Above the fold” you’ll usually notice the “hero shot”, an image that literally or symbolically represents the offer made. In all honesty, that’s probably the first thing that people will notice when they land, and it can make or break the first impression you make on a visitor. So, make sure it’s relevant, alluring, and high quality. Adding videos wherever you see it’s necessary is also a good idea.
Humans are visual creatures, so you must pick good visuals for your whole online presence, not just landing pages. Try to stay away from bland stock photos or videos, do your research, see what your target audience finds appealing, test it out, monitor results, and modify if necessary. Rinse and repeat until you find your unique style and expression that converts!
Should I Storify My Landing Pages?
Only if you want them to work.
Landing pages are crucial, and they should be one of the key points of your storified ad campaign strategy. When done correctly - they can boost your revenue, and that’s why you have to make them beautiful, impactful, and as profitable as possible.
Besides, landing pages work best when they are a cohesive part of your product storytelling strategy. That’s why it’s best to work with people who are experienced internet marketers and storytellers and know all the tips and tricks of the trade and will happily share them with you.
Storify your landing pages with Storifyme!