Leadpages v. Shōgun

Welcome to the final week where we will be discussing landing pages! These last few weeks we have shared some ideas of what your landing page should include in order to persuade visitors to act. Hopefully at this point you’re anxious to take all that you’ve learned and begin to capture those customers with your own landing page. But creating a landing page can be difficult and some generic website builders might not offer the features and widgets you want or need. Two websites, Leadpages and Shōgun, simplify the landing page experience, but offer different options depending on your needs. This week we will be comparing these two websites and discussing when they should be used.

As another quick disclaimer, neither of these landing page service sites are sponsors or affiliated with the Hatch Project. We are just giving a brief overview of these two popular landing page service sites.

Leadpages

Leadpages has become a leader as a landing page resource in the marketing world. They’re goal is to help “small businesses connect with an audience, collect leads, and close sales,” the three major purposes of a landing page. This is accomplished through Leadpages’s user friendly, uncomplicated interface. The drag-and-drop page design makes setting up a landing page easy for small business owners. While Leadpages does not offer the ability to create a landing page from scratch, they ask you questions like “What would you like your landing page to do?” and “What are you offering your visitors?” to help you pick out the best layout for your needs. And there are still plenty of opportunities for custom layout design throughout the design process with the various widgets and section settings. 

As we’ve discussed throughout the month, the major function of a landing page is to get information, which is typically collected through forms. The good thing about forms on Leadpages is that they are clear, easy to set up, and easy to integrate with services like MailChimp, so gathering leads is no problem. However, because Leadpages is not associated with any e-commerce site, it gets a little complicated to set up an upsell page or offer product specifications (like t-shirt sizes to close a sale) for landing pages set up to close sales. Leadpages does provide a layout specifically designed to integrate with Shopify, the popular e-commerce platform, but then limits your ability to customize the page.

Shōgun

Shōgun is a web design app built for Shopify. Shōgun’s goal is to “empower users to create unique ecommerce experiences by making it easy to build and optimize online stores,” including landing pages. Like Leadpages, Shōgun has a library of beautiful preset layouts that can be adapted for your brand and product. And if you already have your e-commerce site set up Shopify, you can effortlessly include your site’s header, footer, and details of your featured product into the landing page with Shōgun.

Shōgun also offers complete control over all the design elements of the landing page, allowing for highly customizable designs, buttons, and displays. However, Shōgun provides little to no guidance with how to create an aesthetically pleasing landing page from scratch. The surplus of features and little guidance give the app a steep learning curve for beginners or even those familiar with drag-and-drop page design. It does seem to work easier by editing existing pages, but if you already have a layout in mind, plan for time to get to know the various features and elements that need to be adjusted, including page margins and padding, content dimensions, and forms. Speaking of forms, Shōgun does offer a larger variety of options for a form including dropdowns, checkboxes, and radio buttons. Collecting and integrating this information, though, seems more complicated than with Leadpages. But like we said before, if you put the time and work into learning Shōgun, you will definitely end up with a beautiful landing page.

Which is better?

Ease of use and integration options are just some of the MANY factors that can play into deciding whether Leadpages or Shōgun are better for you and your business. Be sure to also consider cost and the amount of time you have to commit to learning and creating the landing page. Or maybe you could consider outsourcing this task to a designer you trust. 

At the Hatch Project, our goal is to help you begin to consider your options as a small business, so don’t be afraid to comment or message us with questions! Starting next week we will be discussing social media, the essential role it plays in marketing, and how you can use it better.

Exemplary Landing Pages

Last week we talked about some necessary elements to make a landing page effective in addition to good design. But what does a well designed landing page look like? This week we’re sharing three of our favorite landing pages we’ve found in the wild, the ones we’ve stumbled across on our own time and wanted to showcase. We’ll analyze these pages as case studies, discuss why we like them and highlight their strengths - as well as how they could improve.

As a quick disclaimer, none of these pages are sponsors or affiliated with the Hatch Project. We were just genuinely impressed with how well they were able to advertise and persuade on their landing page(s).

Case Study #1: Outdoor Vitals

At the Hatch Project, we actually use the Outdoor Vitals Ultralight Pillow landing page as an example of an effective landing page. 

The greatest strength of this page is how saturated it is with content above the fold. When you pull up the page you immediately understand the brand through the logo, colors, and images used. In the video, Outdoor Vitals CEO & Founder Tayson Wittaker is describing the product to you in order to build trust in the brand and product. The headline also immediately tells you what you’re going to get with this product: “The World’s Most Comfortable, Ultralight and Durable Pillow” FOR FREE. Outdoor Vitals also makes sure their customers can get their free pillow as soon as possible by providing a form above the scroll. While having a form above the scroll isn’t usually recommended, it does help convey a sense of urgency for the product.

For those who are skeptical of the offer of a free pillow, Outdoor Vitals provides a bullet point list of product features. The pillow is also displayed in the environment it is meant to be used in.

And of course, once the landing page has addressed customer concerns, it provides a call to action button which will send you back to the form at the top of the page for purchase.

Outdoor Vitals’s Ultralight Pillow landing page is a great example of content to include above the scroll. The only recommendation we would have would be to make the page itself more interesting through design. Even though they have a lot of images of the product in use, they could get more creative with how they present it within the landing page itself. There are also some significant flaws in the way the page uses color.

Case Study #2: Succulents and Sunshine

The Succulents and Sunshine landing page was actually found by an intern at the Hatch Project while she was researching how to care for her new succulent. In addition to being on top of their SEO game, Succulents and Sunshine excels by offering a unique landing page for whatever questions succulent owners may have about their plants. 

This first landing page is great because, like the Outdoor Vitals page, it starts off with a video of Cassidy, the creator of Succulents and Sunshine. This above the scroll design is obviously more simplistic as it only features the logo, headline, and video. This simplistic design is actually the greatest strength of all of Succulents and Sunshine’s landing pages as it is very attractive to the target audience. 

On this page Cassidy goes on to explain her mission for Succulents and Sunshine with some clear and friendly text and an image of her smiling with her successful succulent garden. Unfortunately, the greatest weakness for the landing page is even though it is pleasantly simple, it does not draw enough attention to the Call to Action, to sign up for the succulent ID cards. The headline may have been intriguing, but it did not share a major benefit of acting on the Call to Action. You might not have even noticed the CTA button because it was a small, indistinct button hiding in the top right corner above the scroll. 

You can see with these other pages, Succulents and Sunshine does a better job of staying simplistic and on-brand while still making the call to action clear by having a form above the scroll. The colors and images all tie together to create a sense of unity and she even included emojis in one of the page’s text to more casually speak with the target audience.

Case Study #3: monday.com

Monday.com’s landing page was found by an intern while she was scrolling through her Facebook feed. Above the scroll features a brief video introduction to what monday.com does and a clear benefit headline. 

A strength of this landing page is the Call to Action button. The button itself is a bright contrast to the background while still fitting within the modern tone and vibrant color palette of the brand. 

Monday.com also includes visuals of the software in use, letting the customers know how easy their service is to use. The copywriting also does a good job of answering any questions by listing features and benefits of the website.

A final strength of the monday.com landing page is the clients list. Landing pages should definitely include testimonials in order to provide evidence for the trustworthiness of the brand. In monday.com’s case, their references are large, recognizable brands and businesses that have “perfected their workflow”. 

The biggest flaw with this landing page is how short it is. While monday.com does a phenomenal job of providing quality content for the landing page, it does not provide enough quantity of content to address any concerns a prospective customer may have. 

Hopefully these notes on landing page layout, design, and content are helpful as you take this important step in setting up your sales funnel! Next week we will wrap up our discussion on landing pages by comparing two popular landing page sites to help you know where to get started.

Intern Spotlight: Priscilla W.

Name: Priscilla W.

School and Major: Advertising at Brigham Young University 

Hometown: Chandler, AZ

Semester and Year of Internship: Spring/Summer 2020

How do you spend your free time?

I read when I can, particularly comic books and graphic novels. I’m a huge Marvel and Disney fan so my YouTube watch history is a lot of that kind of stuff. I’ve also been known to steal my boyfriend’s Nintendo Switch and play Pokemon from time to time.

What You Do/Did:

I was originally approached as a designer for the internship but I have also had opportunities to work on my copywriting and management skills and create social media content.

Favorite Task at The Hatch Project:

My favorite thing I’ve done for the Hatch Project is create a logo for a brand. It was really exciting for me to connect with the client and hear their thoughts and desires for their brand. I loved the challenge of taking a verbal idea and concept and transforming it into something visual. It was exciting to see the client get excited about what I was able to create for them.

What is something cool you have learned during the internship?

As a designer, I learned how important it is to have resources on hand. I have a bookmark on my web browser of sites to look to for inspiration and tutorials which has been immensely helpful as I created content for clients. As an account manager, I learned the importance of collaboration and community. When my bosses gave me a really pressing deadline, rather than saying “Good luck, you’re on your own!” reminded me of the other interns that had the skills for the tasks I needed done. My coworkers were incredibly supportive when I asked for their help and I can say there was no way I would have reached the deadline if it wasn’t for them!

What are you looking forward to?

I’m looking forward to taking what I’ve learned from this internship and applying it into future career opportunities. At the time of this interview I’m excited to get married at the end of the summer! And I’m also really excited for movie theaters to open again. 

Advice to Future Interns:

The greatest piece of advice I could give to future interns would be to communicate! Communicate with your bosses, they're your biggest cheerleaders and they should want to help you succeed. Also communicate with your coworkers and fellow interns when you feel lost or confused. They could be better at translating than you or they could be just as lost as you are and then you have someone to laugh with as you try to figure things out. And be sure to communicate with the clients! Clients really appreciate it when they know you’re listening, so asking some clarifying questions can be a good thing.

Six Essential Landing Page Practices

Last week we talked about what a landing page is and the various reasons they’re essential in digital marketing. But how do we create landing pages that will persuade customers to purchase your product or sign up for your service? This week we will look at six essential landing page points and practices to help you create effective landing pages.

1. “Above the Scroll”

First impressions are everything, especially if this is the first time a customer is seeing your brand. This means you need to put your best foot forward with your landing page, especially with the first section that pops up after the ad. In the industry, we call this “above the fold,” coming from the days of newspapers when advertisers wanted their messages to appear “above the fold” because it would be seen by more people. This principle still applies in the digital age, as you want your message and call to action (CTA) to be “above the scroll” on a mobile device. 

Think about it: The latest statistics say that over half of the people using Facebook are accessing it through their mobile device. This means that if you are advertising on Facebook and Instagram, it is essential to make sure your landing page is optimized for mobile devices. 

Helpful content to include “above the scroll” would be the logo and, if you’re offering a personal service, a headshot. If you have the resources, you could include a video discussing what you’re offering. “Above the scroll” content should create trust and recognition of who is behind the landing page. 

2. Benefiting Headline

In addition to creating trust with logos, headshots, and CTA buttons above the scroll, you also need to include a headline that captures the audience’s attention. On a mobile device, a good headline will be the first thing the user reads and considers about your brand and offer. A good headline lets them know what responding to that call to action would mean for them, what the benefit of taking action would be. “Start Learning Piano NOW!” “Don’t Let Back Pain Get in the Way!” and “Build Team Unity at Great Escape Rooms!” are all great examples of headlines that emphasize the benefit of taking action. Like all good copywriting, make sure the headline speaks well to the audience.

3. Call to Action Button

As we talked about earlier, “above the scroll” is prime real estate, so you want to make sure you don’t waste it. One major recommendation would be to place the CTA button as high on the landing page as possible. Even better, you can make sure the first CTA button appears where your thumb would naturally hover or sit when you’re holding a phone.

Also be sure to have the button stand out from the rest of the page. Most marketers do this by making the button a bright, contrasting color (think of the bright yellow “Add to Cart” buttons on Amazon) and a clear CTA (“Buy Now,” “Get My Discount,” and “Sign Me Up”). Even with a button “above the scroll,” be sure to include another CTA button every two to three scrolls so the customer doesn’t have to scroll to the top when they have decided to act. Make it as easy as possible for the customer to tap and take action!

4. Countdown Timer

Procrastination is a real adversary to digital marketing; Why should I take the offer now when it will probably still be available tomorrow or even next week? As an advertiser you need to create a fire under the customer to encourage them to act. Most landing page services (Leadpages, Shōgun, etc.) provide a countdown widget to help create a sense of urgency for the offer. You should place the countdown timer as high as possible on the landing page, but don’t worry if you can’t fit it “above the scroll”. The timer is meant to motivate those who may be skeptical about the offer to think and act quickly. The timer also encourages customers to sign up for updates about future offers, possibly email exclusive offers if you feel so inclined.

5. Answer Questions

As previously mentioned, customers are more likely to scroll through the landing page when they want more information about your offer before they make a decision. This means that there should be a section of the landing page designated to answer any question that could be asked. You can answer questions by including content like your brand’s story, images and videos of the product or service in use, and reviews and testimonials from current customers. 

Bullet points are also an effective tool for answering questions. They can help add value to your offer by listing what the customer would get in addition to the product like a warranty or 24/7 support. Get creative about what to include in your landing page — Remember, you want to be taking down objections! And don’t forget to include more CTA buttons to remind the customers to act. A good rule of thumb is to have a CTA button every time you take down an objection, or every two to three scrolls.

6. Registration Pop Up Page

When the customer has decided to take action and tap on the CTA button, you need to make it as quick and easy as possible to give them what they want. Most landing page services offer a pop up window section that is perfect for registration forms and capturing information. Whether your landing page is offering a product or service, be sure your registration form collects the three most important pieces of customer information:

• Full Name

• Email Address

• Phone number

These forms can be integrated with services like MailChimp so the information can be automatically sent where you need it. Besides capturing information, the pop up pages don’t have to be too intricate. Be sure it matches the theme of the rest of the landing page so it doesn’t confuse the customers when they pull it up. You can also include a little message reminding the customer of the benefits they receive from this offer. And of course be sure to include your logo to keep things looking professional!

7. BONUS: Upsell Page

You’ve read this far so here’s a little bonus tip! Most landing page services will help you set up a thank you page for when customers fill out the form. BUT this is also a great opportunity for an upsell. Since you’ve already got your customer pumped about your brand, why not encourage them to purchase some related products or services? This is essentially the digital marketing equivalent of asking “Would you like fries with that?” Be sure to give them a yes or no option and Have the same process of telling the customer stories and answering their questions. Once you’ve become real savvy with setting up landing pages, you can set up a secondary or even third upsell page! Ultimately, make sure any upsell page maintains the synergy of the original landing page and keep the customer interested.

Still unsure about what a good landing page should look like? Next week we’ll be sharing our favorite landing pages we’ve found and more tips on how to make your landing pages the best!

Introduction to Landing Pages

What is a Landing Page? 

Chances are you probably have been on a landing page before without realizing it was a landing page. Landing pages are what brands and businesses use to guide traffic from a digital advertisement (think Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) to purchase or sign up for the specific product, service, discount, or membership you’re advertising. Initially, a landing page may seem like an extra unnecessary step in the sales funnel, but landing pages are essential in gathering customer information and increasing opportunities for immediate and future sales.

Why Landing Pages?

Marketing wizard Billy Gene of Billy Gene Marketing Inc. once said “The worst thing you could do is direct traffic to your website.” Why? Billy explains that this is because homepages are typically too overwhelming for the customer. 

Think about it; put yourself in your customer’s shoes: 

You’re scrolling through Instagram when you find an ad for a shirt you love. You imagine all the people you can impress with the shirt and how you’ll wear it for years to come. What’s better, your mom won’t criticize you for such an impulsive buy because the brand is offering you an unbelievable discount! You’ve really won the lottery with this find! But, the ad tells you, you have to act NOW. 

You swiftly tap on the ad and desperately start scrambling for your wallet, regretting that you never set up Google or Apple pay. Your heart begins to race with anticipation as you picture yourself scoring that perfect job, finding true love, and curing cancer all in this life changing shirt. The only thing between you and happiness is a few taps on touch sensitive glass and 16 digits. 

And then, when you look back down at the screen, you notice that the ad has sent you to the brand’s homepage. The brand still seems great, but now you can’t find that shirt you thought, nay, the universe DEMANDED you own amongst the many offers and collections the brand is advertising on their homepage. Wistfully, you solemnly return your credit card to your wallet, gingerly tap the X at the top of the screen, and cheerlessly return to your mundane routine of scrolling through Instagram, never to think of that brand that disappointed you again.

Ok, so maybe that was a really melodramatic example of the online shopping experience. But you get the idea: homepages are overwhelming and ineffective for prospective customers. 

Landing pages, on the other hand, guide customers to where they want to go. They describe the product or service in question, highlighting the various features of it and the brand, and offer exclusive discounts to those who found the page.

In addition to finalizing sales for ready customers, landing pages can also capture information for future customers. As Billy Gene preaches: “The fortune is in the follow up.” In the previous hypothetical example, the customer left the brand’s homepage dissatisfied and without a promise of future contact. In marketing, the rule of thumb is that a customer needs to interact with the brand at least seven times before they'll take action to buy that product or service. And sure, the omnipotent algorithm will probably continue to target your ads towards that customer since they visited your homepage, but now they’re going to need more than seven, very positive interactions in order to feel like making a purchase from your brand.

For this reason, landing pages have a secondary benefit of “capturing” customers that otherwise would have been lost en route. Landing pages generate leads by gathering primary contact information from prospective customers. This information includes:

• Name

• Email

• Phone Number

With this information you can connect with those that were already curious about your brand and continue to lead them through the sales funnel. This continued contact is often done through emails or text messages advertising discounts and offers, leading them to, you guessed it, more landing pages.

How to Create Good Landing Pages?

So how do we, as advertisers, get that information? How do we create a convincing enough landing page to have customers willingly give us their information? Next week we’ll be looking at the best landing page practices to generate leads and move customers through the sales funnel.