Email Campaigns and Landing Pages

The greatest email campaign you have ever put together might get great click through rates, but the key to conversion is the landing page the web user reaches as a result.

The key to good landing pages, whether they are for referral traffic generated by guest posting services or for email subscribers, is quite similar to email campaigns. Like a great subject line and compelling content, a landing page must match up to your email to be successful.

Domain Name

Landing pages are connected to your website, but they are not a part of it. Usually, they are the simple answer to a simple call to action. These calls to action can include:

• Download our Free eBook
• Get a Free Evaluation
• Order Your (blank) Today

The first impression a user gets of this call to action is the domain it leads them to. Whether you use a shortened link or not, your domain name and that of the page will show up right away.

Some businesses use unique domain names for each campaign, something which makes them fairly easy to distinguish and identify. Platforms like Shopify have add-ons that allow you to create these uniquely branded landing pages quickly and easily, provided the domain name you want to use is available.

If you use your standard domain, make sure the landing page name matches the name of your campaign, like yourdomain.com/newsletter subscription. This will prevent confusion on the part of the user.

Subject Line and the Title

Just as it is important to create the perfect subject line in an email campaigns, it is essential that the title of your landing page is just as perfect.

The title should match or at least relate to either the subject of your email or the anchor text you used to link out to it. When the recipient clicks on the link, it should make sense for them to have done so.

One of the most disastrous campaigns a client ever did was when they accidentally linked to the wrong landing page in the body. The download a free eBook campaign led to an order page instead, and subscribers were furious.

Double checking your campaign and landing pages are correct and relevant is essential.

SPAM Words

Just as there are subject lines and email content that will send an email to a SPAM folder really quickly, but these same types of words will get a user to bounce from a landing page just as quickly.

Although the word “free” is sometimes a trigger word, it is fine as long as your landing page offers something truly free. Other words though, will send a recipient running. They include:

• Invoice or bill: if this word is included in a phrase like “Your first order is free. You’ll be billed separately for shipping.” Especially if your email made a promise of something free, this trips a user to flee, especially if you try to gather payment information on that page.
• PayPal or Credit Card: This triggers the same thing as invoice or bill. Never ask for payment details on a landing page unless the call to action was for the user to order something they knew was going to cost them, and that they knew the amount ahead of time.
• Gift if You (Fill in the Blank): This type of conditional promise or offer makes a recipient of your email immediately leary. Remember, people are already naturally suspicious. Don’t make it worse for them.
• Urgent/Limited Time Offer: Use these words carefully. It’s not that you can’t use them at all to create a sense of urgency and exclusivity. However, use them too quickly or too often, and a user will bounce. Again, don’t make them more suspicious.

Remember, you can use these words if you need to, just be sure they are used properly and sparingly.

Tone and Voice

People expect something professional yet familiar. The tone of your landing page needs to be friendly, yet excited. Whether is it vague and inspires curiosity or direct and to the point, your tone and voice should be recognizable as you and your brand.

The same tone that inhabits your emails needs to be present on your landing pages. Customer trust is earned by them getting reliable communication from you. It’s best to have the same person on your team author both the email and the landing page associated with it.

Length

The shorter your landing page, the better. Customers do not need the navigation menus or the prolific verbiage that keeps them on your site. The landing page is simply a way for them to answer the call to action in the email.

This means the page must load quickly, be mobile friendly (either responsive or AMP project enabled), and have a simple format.

Your email campaigns must be carefully crafted, but they will do you no good if you have inferior landing pages. Make sure your domain name and title match with your email call to action. Avoid SPAM words, have a familiar tone and voice, and keep landing pages short and to the point, and your email contacts will turn into converts and customers for life.