Often business owners unknowingly leave good potential customers turned away at their front door!
No business person would consciously make this mistake because new prospects who come calling on your business are the whole reason for your marketing and advertising campaigns.
But the way you greet and welcome your prospects could be turning some folks away from your efforts even before you realize it.
Most folks who are in business on the Internet and who own web sites have heard of "squeeze pages" or "landing pages." They are the initial spot where prospects "land" or arrive when they come calling.
These pages are shown to convert prospects into targeted potential customers because they have a sole function: to get the viewer to give his/her contact information so they can be called upon by the business.
These are the prospects who visit your site and offer to be marketed to because they believe the business has something of interest to them.
Usually their personal email address and name are offered up in exchange for some free and valuable information the business has promised.
The squeeze page system that is set up to greet prospects is critically important because if folks are repelled or turned away at this point, most likely the business will never see them again.
What good does marketing and advertising do if the prospects that are "driven" to your site don't feel comfortable about seeing what you have to offer? If they feel like "unwelcome guests" they will quickly click away and seek out your competitors.
Understand that it is very important that your initial squeeze or landing page performs its purpose well - otherwise - you are going to lose a portion of your business unnecessarily.
What many web site owners don't realize is that there are different types of squeeze pages to be used in different situations. You must come to know and understand that you are using the right kind of welcome for the prospects you are after depending upon the purpose you have.
Here is a brief review of the squeeze pages that you could offer:
1. The index page or home page of your web site. This is the typical "default" squeeze page that most business owners employ simply because they don't know that there may be a more effective "contact" gathering mechanism that could be used. Often home pages are not squeeze pages at all. If there is a sign-up form of any type it might be hidden away someplace where it is never seen. Some sites don't even offer a contact form.
In a few cases the owner might plan the web site home page to be the landing page of this site simply because that is where the owner intends to send his new prospects so that they can see what is being offered by the business. It could be that the site is set up to be a single direct sales page for a product such as an affiliate sales or review site that is intended not to collect contact information but rather it's sole purpose is to presell a prospect then direct him on through an affiliate link.
2. Content pages. Some websites will greet customers with a squeeze page designed to be an advertisement for the content included on the inside of the web site. The idea is to entice the prospect to join the site in order to be able to get to the content based only on a list or table of contents that is offered on the landing page. Sometimes very short descriptions are offered to help the prospect understand why he should joint the site.
3. Identifying keywords are promoted. Some marketers design the squeeze page around their top targeted keywords that are used in marketing the site to the search engines. This approach is an attempt to push the site to the top of the SERPs (search engine results pages) so that traffic will be increased to the landing page. As prospects arrive, they will quickly see whether they are at a site that is very targeted to what they are seeking or not.
4. Pay or leave. That's maybe an unfair description of this type of squeeze page, but it gives you a quick idea of what we're talking about. No doubt you've come across this type of squeeze before. You are greeted with simple "teaser" copy and the option to pay to read the full version or not. If you pay you get access to the site - if you don't, there is no other option available to you except to leave. This type of landing page is typically not high converting, but it is direct and it does differentiate or screen the prospects into "buyers vs. everyone else." Some web business owners like this "you're in or you're out" directness.
5. Catalog of products. As the name implies, some web site owners choose to greet customers with a catalog of all the products that are at the site for sale. It is a quick and direct exposure of the prospect to the options of products that they will find. Owners employing this strategy are most likely to be successful with it if they marketing of specific products has brought the prospect to the front door looking to buy one of the owner's goods. Catalog sites are very popular for a number of reasons ... maybe the most important being that the site owner can promote his main web site without worrying about keeping track of dozens or even hundreds of single product sales sites.
6. Private or secret code entry. One of the unique strategies of Internet marketing is for the product owner to offer his prospects a private invitation to his product site. It could be a "members only" site or a "by invitation only" offer but the strategy is the same: to give prospects a key to the front door that others don't have. The prospect sees the offer as enticing because he is getting exclusive or privileged treatment. He has an access code or the combination to the safe and he is urged to get in while he can. Scarcity and exclusiveness are the "hooks" that will grab this prospect.
7. Try now and pay later. This type of squeeze page entices the prospect by giving him a benefit right now without having to use his credit card. This approach has been widespread and very popular of late, especially by those promoting high ticket courses, seminars, coaching and mentoring programs, continuity offers, etc. The usual squeeze is that you sign up or join today for nothing (or maybe a small fee to cover shipping) and try out the product for 30 days (or whatever time frame is chosen by the owner) and you will only be billed in the future if you choose to extend or stay as a member.
The enticement to the prospect is that he can test the product for the trial period for no or very little cost to see if he likes it. If he chooses to leave, he can always do that without difficulty. This is seen as a low risk commitment.
The owner, on the other hand, hopes that the prospect with like the product so much that he stays as a member long enough to be billed, or he hopes that the prospect forgets about the offer and is billed anyway automatically when the trial period is up. [ Side note: I have talked to membership site owners who bill customers monthly for years who say the customers never come back to the site. Some people must not ever inspect their credit card charges or they figure they'll get to the site sometime in the near future but never do. ]
8. Name or fame squeeze. In some cases, the web site owner is a famous personality, is known for his/her expertise, or already has a niche following for some reason. It makes sense to base the landing page on the web site owner's name since traffic to the site is based on searchers looking to find the individual by name. Examples of this type of squeeze would be people looking for Tony Robbins, Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, etc.
The celebrity may not be a household name like the examples given, but could instead be someone that has an already established Internet presence. In the Internet Marketing niche it could be a name like Jay Abraham, Dan Kennedy, Frank Kern, or Yanik Silver. These people have firmly planted their names in the minds of prospects. They all sell products or services, but in most instances, prospects couldn't name the things they offer. They are found by people searching on their names.
9. Book or article listing pages. These are squeeze pages that feature listings of the content of articles, blog posts, books, tips, or other content that has been produced by the owner. The content could be found in niche directories, other people's sites, magazines, ezines, syndicated feeds, or elsewhere. The idea is to present the prospect with a smorgasbord of choices that were authored by the site owner as the entry point so that the prospect can see what the author has to offer.
10. Tool site or web app. On occasion, the web site owner might choose to employ some kind of free and useful tool or application on his site. The tool could be anything but it is the main drawing card of his marketing. The idea is to draw prospects to the site by offering the use of some tool. Once at the site there are other things of interest there (hopefully related closely to the tool that is offered). The tool or application could be something like a free keyword generator, a free drawing tool, a free application for your iPod, some web site utility, a game you can play on the site, etc.
Often this type of approach is used in conjunction with Adwords or other types of advertising (like banners or affiliate links) where the owner generates revenue by getting site visitors to click on links offered on the page. The tool is the hook that draws in the visitor while the push to click on a link is the money-making approach employed by the site owner.
Regardless of the type of squeeze page employed, you need to understand the purpose for your landing page and what you are trying to accomplish. These welcome pages are all about leading your visitors into taking some kind of specific action. The action could be giving contact information, purchasing a product, clicking an affiliate link, or taking a trial offer.
The next time you design a welcome page, spend some time and effort in thinking about what you want your visitor to do after they land at your site.
