Going fishing? You are if you’re setting up a B2C landing page. The goal of a B2C is to create instant conversions that make sales. How do you get consumers to land on your page, click your links, and fall in love with your product? Learn about these four B2C design concepts before publishing your page.
Call to Action
Your landing page should feature a blatantly obvious call to action, or CTA. A CTA is a direct, no-nonsense message to consumers such as “Call now!” or “Click to find out more!” Before you decide how to word your CTA, it’s important to understand the psychology behind CTAs.
When a web surfer takes in cursory visual data, that information only makes it as far as the language decoding and interpretation areas of his or her brain. Your marketing information needs to sink deeper than that. You’ve got to motivate your readers to feel the need for your product at a visceral level. But how?
Different CTAs offer different things. Some offer perks, like a coupon or discount. Some offer a free trial to make customers feel like they’re getting something for nothing. Some stimulate consumer confidence by offering a zero-risk, “no money down” opportunity. Others hint that consumers could avoid a loss by enjoying a benefit; for example, many people worry about risks associated with online shopping.
Here are three features shared by almost all compelling CTAs:
- A no-obligation statement that reduces consumer perception of risk.
- Encouragement to jump in “right away” rather than waiting.
- A command for consumers to do something physical – like clicking a CTA button –  that immediately connects them with the business.
Link Tracking Via Google Analytics
Google offers webmasters some fabulous, not to mention free, tools that monitor traffic and help pinpoint conversions. One simple thing you can do to measure the effectiveness of your campaign is attach tracking code to your URL. Simply go to Google Analytics URL Builder to attach special codes to your URL; Google’s instructions will guide you through this process step by step.
How does URL code help you monitor conversions? Imagine you’re selling an exercise video called “Get Skinny Now”, and you place ads for your video in Gossip Magazine and Business Street Journal. Your link at the gossip mag would transfer to Google Analytics as “GetSkinnyNow.com/GossipMagazine,” but your link at the business journal would transfer as “GetSkinnyNow.com/BusinessStreetJournal.” This differentiation would help Google Analytics figure out whether more of your customers are gossip readers or business readers.
Compelling Testimonials
Have you heard of the bandwagon effect? It’s a behavioral phenomenon that runs rampant in junior high, when kids strive to copy one another in an attempt to be popular. But junior high isn’t the only place we see this herd mentality. It happens in the adult world, too. Hence, the testimonial. Customers that are shopping securely on their mobile devices want to truly feel that they are shopping in the right place, so offering compelling testimonials from past customers will help to skew conversions in your favor.
If you can get a compelling print or video testimony from a happy customer, you’re likely to entice others simply by virtue of the bandwagon effect. Whether consumers need your product or not, they’ll see that at least one other person loves it, and that will – theoretically – sway them. Some people are impervious to the bandwagon effect, of course, but many aren’t as immune as they think. Think about iPhones. A lot of people own one simply because a friend couldn’t stop talking about how great Apple products are.
Deictic Gaze Theory
The Deictic Gaze Theory is a simple psychological phenomenon and an effective advertising tool. If you want to call viewers’ attention to something on their computer screen, like your CTA or contact information, point an arrow at it. If you prefer not to use an arrow, you could depict a person “gazing” at your CTA or contact information. Human instinct beckons us to follow the gazes of others. If someone stares at something, you’re likely to stare, too; it’s just in your nature.
Your B2C page is your first, and perhaps only, shot at luring potential customers. Don’t throw your line into the water haphazardly; bait your hook properly, cast carefully, and get ready to reel in some keepers.
