In developing a landing page for an online marketing campaign, there are five key questions that you need to ask (and answer) in order to design conversion friendly landing pages:

1. Where did the traffic come from?

This one is key. You’ll definitely want to craft two different landing pages for two different channels. Think about the difference in intent between these two visitors:

Clicked a Display Ad — This visitor responded to an advertisement on a website they were visiting. While you have some idea about their interests based on where you placed your ad, you have limited visibility as to who they are or what they want. Additionally, by clicking on your ad they’re showing a degree of interest in your ad’s creative, but your offering may or may not be something they have a pressing and active need for. The lesson here is to be sure to qualify with your display creative (explain who you are and what you’re offering as best you can) and to be sure that your landing page copy speaks specifically to that offer.
Clicked on a Highly Specific PPC Ad — This visitor has a specific need or intent; you want to be sure to speak to the pain point or question revealed by their search query in creating your landing page copy.

2. What did the last place look like?

In the event that you're launching an Email, display, TV, or print campaign, be sure to maintain consistency between the creative and the landing page. If your display ad used your company logo and colors, your landing page should too. If the colors in your magazine ad are subtle and understated, make sure you do the same on the page you send those readers to. This gives people an instant sense that they're in the right place, and makes them more likely to follow through with the action they intended to take in clicking your ad or typing in the URL you gave them.

3. What was the visitor promised?

What did your campaign say the visitor would get? Was it a white paper? If so, be sure to deliver that offer front and center. This seems intuitive but often landing page designs get cluttered with stock offers, too much emphasis on company logos or the navigation from the rest of your site: your goal here is to get the visitor to the offer he or she expressed interest in as soon as possible.

4. What do they expect?

This is a sort of amalgamation of the last two questions. One of the most important things you can do in designing a landing page is to get into the visitor's head. What are the visitor's expectations? What is the environment that they came from? What expectations did your ad create? What is their typical expectation with this type of offer?

5. How can you get them to take action?

This, of course, is the most important question. Sometimes designing the most aesthetically appealing landing page isn't the most conversion-oriented option, and you may have to sacrifice form for function. Using tools like ClickTale, Crazy Egg, and others you can test, monitor and find out which landing page layouts are working (and which ones aren't).

By listening to and trying to think like your visitors and potential customers, you'll start to ask and answer the right questions, which lead to better converting landing page design.

Tom Demers is the Director of Marketing for WordStream, a software manufacturer offering Keyword Management solutions for pay-per click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO). Tom is a frequent contributor to the WordStream blog where he discusses subjects like creating landing pages that work for both PPC and SEO.

Labels: display ad conversion, landing page design, online marketing campaign

Amstel Light kicked off their One Dam Good Bier campaign by taking adult consumers on tour to "Amstel's Amsterdam" to experience a progressive twist on the art, nightlife, music and magic from the city in which it is brewed.

Each aspect of the campaign portrays the unhampered and cool culture of "Amstel's Amsterdam," including a redesigned and viewer engaging web site, off the hook new packaging, new outdoor and print ads and a
sweepstakes that gives adult consumers the opportunity to win a trip to Amsterdam.

"We witnessed an incredible reaction to the launch of One Dam Good Bier last year as consumers made the connection between Amstel Light and Amsterdam," said Kheri Holland Tillman, vice president of marketing, Amstel Light. "The brand saw a dramatic shift in consumption as a result of One Dam Good Bier. Now, we're taking the campaign to the next level by offering memorable experiences that speak to the diverse culture and fun of Amsterdam while reinforcing Amstel Light's heritage and brewing tradition. Amstel's Amsterdam is all about enjoying One Dam Good Bier and having One Dam Good Time."


I had the pleasure of witnessing the power of this seamlessly on-target and very tight campaign first hand last week at a club in Boston. Amstel culled the strength of their entire campaign into one room. Even the band and DJ (Shiny Toy Guns and DJ Clinton Sparks) matched the campaign’s theme. Talk about having a consistent brand!

Kudos to Amstel for practicing what I preach everyday: Have a consistent brand - a theme, and use the theme in various modalities. In addition to a damn good party with a custom t-shirt, Amstel is applying their consistent campaign theme thusly:

Packaging

This summer, Amstel Light is launching new bottle graphics and new packaging that embodies the brand's roots and tradition by emphasizing that a "taste of Amsterdam is brewed in every bottle." The package
creative features images of the Amstel River and canals running through the cobblestone streets of Amsterdam, as well as a synopsis of the beer's connection to the city. The new packaging will be showcased on 6- and 12-packs. While the bottle shape and appearance remain the same, the design of the label now highlights the word "Amsterdam."

Web

Amstel Light's Web site has been redesigned to give adult consumers a chance to actually step inside "Amstel's Amsterdam." By hopping on a virtual bike and riding through the streets of Amsterdam, site visitors will have the opportunity to explore Amstel Light's take on the city's unique traditions and culture. Users will enjoy their own progressive experiences as they interact with "Amstel's Amsterdam" in unexpected ways, such as learning an authentic Dutch Roar (a traditional Dutch rallying cry), creating music by moving the mouse over a series of Amstel Light "bottles" and downloading their favorite Amsterdam-themed
art.

Advertising Campaign

The Richards Group created the brand's new print and outdoor advertising campaign by using powerful and emotional images of Amsterdam to illustrate the fun energy and spirit of Amstel Light's connection to the city. The ads feature both the picturesque imagery and the festive atmosphere that have become synonymous with the city of Amsterdam, such as scenic views of the canals and groups of revelers enjoying the nightlife.

The Amstel campaign and my party night will serve as a great example for how to use a brand/message consistently. Please add your favorite example of a consistent brand message campaign (party or not).

Labels: boston branding, boston event, shiny toy guns

In front of a crowd of about 180 Boston area professionals, Mark Wallace, VP of Social Media, Environmental Data Resources, used examples from commonground, his successful online community to prove that the ROI of an online community can be measured.

Metropolis Creative organized “Realize the ROI of a Social Media Community”, a live social media networking event at FELT Boston on June 30, 2009, to illustrate how an online community can be created, measured and used successfully to build a brand/message. “The Metropolis philosophy of approaching web and design projects from a brand building perspective mindful of target audience i.e. community was a great fit for this event...” said Michael Flint, Metropolis Founder. Additionally, Derek Showerman, Director of Social Media, Authority Domains co-sponsored the event and offered a complimentary social media assessment to all attendees.

Here is the entire slide presentation, including Mark Wallace’s 5 ROI and Reporting Tips:

The topic of social media ROI brings a general disagreement among many social media experts and upper level corporate managers. David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR and World Wide Rave, stands out from the crowd and writes “We’ve been trained that everything gets measured down to a sales lead. If that’s how you measure social media, then forget it.” But a good amount of bloggers frequently post that ROI is either tough to do or not relevant.

How are you addressing the ROI of a social media community?

Join the LinkedIn discussion here.

Labels: Authority Domains, commonground, Enviornmental Data Resources, ROI Social Media, Social Media Community