By the time an email lands in a potential customer's inbox, you've done a lot of work. Getting them to sign up or register interest, cultivating and calculating the perfect introductory or promotional deal, as well as designing a stunningly enticing message filled with excellent copy and clever wordplay.
But why, then, aren't they converting into a sale?
The answer is simple. You're falling at the very last hurdle; the landing page. This guide outlines some quick fixes and important tips to make sure that when customers come to your site from an email, it's worth all of the effort, time and money you've put into getting them there.
The is incredibly important. More often than not, we go to websites and aren't really sure why we're there. Am I here to purchase the product? Or sign up to an email about it? Am I here to learn about a new service, or download a trial? Each landing page should have a specific, tangible call to action. Tell the customer what you want them to do, by when, and how they can do it.
Why should the customer buy this product from you? Why should they buy it now? Give your reader a reason to perform your call to action. More often than not, the best reason is that it will save them money against buying it elsewhere, so discounts and offers are always a good option.
Giving customers a discount code within the email, then linking them to the site to use it, will give them an exclusive feeling, as if they're getting something no one else has.
A landing page should link to the primary CTA and not much else. You should include some key information (the operative word being 'key') on the page so that the customer understands the unique selling points (USPs) of your service or product, but don't go overboard.
There's nothing worse than opening an email on your phone and clicking the link, only to be taken to a desktop version of the site that's completely unoptimised for mobile, leaving you unable to navigate or complete the CTA. Make sure that your website is reactive and caters to mobile, tablet and desktop users of any dimension.
The layout and style should also directly relate to and complement your overall company branding. Your conversion rates will thank you!
There are many tools that will install small tracking codes on your site so that you can monitor the conversion rates from different email campaigns. This will help you understand what's working and what campaigns could do with a rethink, which leads us to our next point...
Always trust your data to tell you what is or isn't performing to standard, and be willing to change and experiment until you get that right mix. It's always better to react quickly, halting under performing campaigns and replacing them with (potentially) more successful ones.