The Case for Landing Pages
The following is a quick case study designed to highlight the impact of landing pages and the purpose they serve in the digital marketing ecosystem.
The Challenge: I was introduced to a golf product company whose recent direct to consumer efforts had fallen short of expectation, resulting in a bad marketing investment. Bad marketing investment = no return. The client was confused, disappointed, disenchanted and skeptical of all aspects of this campaign - their product, their process, and the marketing channels.
Time in Business: 1-2 years
Product Price Point: $70 -$160 range
Previous Marketing Investments: Golf TV Advertising, Paid Sponsors, Facebook/Instagram Advertising, Google Advertising, Email Marketing
Results: Limited engagement, financial loss on all marketing investments.
In all cases of advertising, the client pointed marketing efforts to either product pages or the home page of their website.
The Solution: After a thorough review of the client's website [stunning in design], marketing materials and messaging, I determined that the product needed a clear path that connected to the consumer with succinct messaging. I would test this new approach with a targeted email marketing campaign.
Step 1: Landing Page Development
I created a product-specific landing page that leveraged video, improved messaging, credibility factors and concise call to action messages.
Step 2: Email Marketing Development
I crafted an HTML email to sync with the messaging and design elements of the landing page. This email message was brief but impactful with a mix of product imagery and a supportive value proposition.
Step 3: The Test - Email Marketing
I segmented a targeted audience of golf consumers from our expansive email marketing database of over 1 million consumers. This target audience had responded to offers within the same product category within the last 6 months. We created a very small test audience to run this program through.
The Results:
Landing Page Analytics: A click through landing page yielded an overall conversion rate of 14%. The "CLICK" was reserved only for interested buyers with the CTA being purchase specific [e.g. Order Now]. The only missing information was the price - which was purposefully withheld until the visitor was directed to the purchase page.
Purchase Engagement: Through the use of the landing page, I was able to increase the overall conversion rate from 1.34% to 3.8%, resulting in an increase in overall conversion improvement of 183.58%.
Key Takeaways: By using a dedicated and refined landing page I was able to control the information a prospective customer was reviewing. I used specific call to action messaging that would elicit two responses; 1) click to purchase or 2) click to determine pricing.
My landing page consisted of simplified messaging anchored by the key value proposition of the product. This created a focused and informed lead to the shopping cart. The only decision the website visitor had to make was, 'is this product worth the investment'. The 3.8% conversion was a win!
The marketing test ended up creating a positive return on investment for the client, and provided some valuable tools for future marketing success.
Here are just a few valuable takeaways:
The client now has a functional sales landing page to use for TV, Advertising and Email Marketing
The landing page generated verifiable data that can be used to structure future, price-positioned offers to improve conversion.
The landing page delivered sales in multiple product categories which helped to identify potential upsell products.
The landing page proves that the website and product pages are inferior destinations to send paid advertising and marketing to - this helps the client to make wiser marketing investments.
This test created a baseline for quality traffic and conversion and can be improved upon to help grow sales and increase profitability.
There's a lot more to unpack from the test campaign but I'll leave you with the high points. A landing page can be the missing link to unlocking revenue for your product.
Please feel free to contact me directly if you want to learn how a landing page strategy can grow your sales and improve your profitability.
Ed Sanchez
President | Golf Pulp Media
888.344.9915
