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Every month, Performance Marketing gives you insight into how to take advantage of the latest developments and how changes in the marketplace may affect your online marketing initiatives. Produced by the experts at LSF Interactive, each issue delivers the knowledge and experience of the premier performance marketing agency.
Facebook Landing Pages: Dos and Don'ts
Dear Readers,
Welcome to Performance Marketing, the monthly newsletter for online marketers looking for results.
At LSF Interactive we help clients at all stages of the marketing process -- from building brands to rolling out search campaigns to social media marketing.
A number of our clients are advertising on Facebook, which we recommend for the right brands. But there seems to be some confusion about the landing pages for these ads ... should advertisers take Facebook users to their fan page, their website or another type of landing page? And if you take them to the fan page ... what tab?
Whether or not you are advertising on Facebook - or thinking about doing so - read on for dos and don'ts of landing pages.
All the Best,
Daniel Laury
Founder, President and CEO
LSF Interactive
Facebook Landing Pages: Dos and Don'ts
Recently it seems that landing pages have become the probiotics of online marketing. Some would have you believe if you're not focusing all your marketing efforts on optimizing your landing pages that you're wasting your ad dollars.
Like most good ideas that get overblown, there's an element of truth mixed in with all the hype. There is no doubt that a well-done landing page can help you engage, convert, and acquire customers.
But beware the cult of the landing page that puts undue emphasis on this one format, instead of treating it as one of many pieces of the marketing puzzle.
This is especially true on Facebook, where your presence has many facets beyond a display ad. With frequent posts, comments, fan interactions, promotions, video, and more you can create a cohesive and unique experience for your prospects and customers.
Here are helpful dos and don'ts for more effective landing pages in the world of social media.
Don't short-change your visitors. A recent Facebook ad for Groupon, a daily coupon service, simply takes respondents to a page asking for their email address. With little copy and no headline to orient readers, the company has lost a valuable opportunity to promote the breadth and value of its service by assuming the ad has already closed the sale.
Do lead visitors down a path. A Shop Around Tours ad takes respondents to the Italian shopping guide's home page. Multiple headlines, photos and links, not to mention the site's navigation, give visitors ample opportunities to wander away without a clear path. Users should be no more than two clicks away from conversion.
Don't rush for the close. Because you have anywhere from two to five seconds to grab your visitors' attention when they reach your landing page, many marketers believe they should put their call to action at the top of the page, before readers get distracted. But asking for info before visitors have had a chance to figure out if they're in the right place or read your offer is a sure way to turn them off and increases the chances they will bail from your page.
Do gather info sparingly. Yes, you want to capitalize on a visitor's presence on your page and use this chance to wrest as much information as possible from them. But nothing turns someone away faster than tying your market research goals onto your campaign goals. Always ask for as little info as possible from visitors, if any. Keep all landing page forms short, requesting only the information you need.
Don't cram. Sometimes more isn't better. And for most products it is extremely challenging to summarize their features and benefits into one page. But the last thing you want is for a visitor, who may already be on the fence about you, to have to sift through a lot to find what's relevant to them. Sears' recent Black Friday Sweepstakes ad does a fantastic job of clearly presenting the offer, with only two links: Learn More and Shop Now.
Do match your page with the rest of your brand. In addition to "message match" that connects what a visitor sees with the promise of your ad, you want visitors to feel the power of your brand as they would in any other format.
Don't underestimate maintenance. Yes, compared to other formats, landing pages can be launched relatively easily and quickly. But while one page may be easy to manage, many campaigns call for niche-specific variations on that one page, which can easily lead to broken links or outdated content. Good software and processes can make this manageable, but the size of the task should not be underestimated.
Do fan your brand. Take advantage of all that advertising on Facebook has to offer. Social ads, virtual gifts, polls, events, and fan ads can help you connect with your audience -- and all their friends.
Don't try this at home. While the barriers to entry are low, launching a successful social media campaign requires strategy, contacts, tools and experience, not to mention integration with other elements of marketing. Let an experienced agency help you navigate and leverage these opportunities.
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