Raise of hands out there – how many of you have been suckered into picking up that candy bar as you check out at the grocery store. Strategically placed right where you are standing, impatiently waiting for your turn to pay and get home. After winding through the maze of tile and florescent lights you figure you’ve burned a few calories anyway, right? If you aren’t raising your hand, you are lying and you should be ashamed of yourself….
This phenomenon isn’t a mistake, it’s part of an intricately planned process that places that yummy snickers bar right within reach after you’ve been subjected to a series of experiences that make you more likely to purchase the candy.
Think about it:
- The candy bar wasn’t on your grocery list for the week.
- You didn’t walk into the store thinking, “Oh, can’t wait to get that candy bar at checkout!”
- You didn’t pick up the candy bar in the aisle dedicated to sinful sweets.
- You’ve just spent around an hour weaving around the store, perhaps banging carts a few times and are probably a bit less patient than when you walked in (and a bit more tired and cranky).
- You have completed a successful shop and you deserve a reward, right?
You see, the process is just as important as the destination in marketing. Without all of the elements listed above, you’d be much less likely to pick up that yummy number at the last minute. This is the same concept that is employed with squeeze pages for online marketing campaigns. It usually goes something like this: You see an online advertisement for something, usually a report, for example a free makeover consultation at your salon. This advertisement can be placed on a community website, on Facebook or even placed within your Google Adwords campaigns. The key here is to place the advertisement where your target audience is most likely to be online and also where they will be in the correct mindset for signing up for your offer. Think about setting up the grocery store example above – where will people be most likely be when their guard is down or they are seeking the type of service you are offering?
When the advertisement piques the interest of a viewer, they click on the advertisement and they come to a special landing page, called a squeeze page, where the viewer is pushed to sign-up. This is the equivalent to the check-out aisle, where you are in the right place and right time to consider picking up that packet of M&Ms.
A successful squeeze page will have a few important elements to be successful:
- Be informative and specific – you are asking for them to give you information or sign up for something so you need to make them comfortable in doing so using only one page.
- Have a compelling offer – typically this is a free offer of some sort, most likely a teaser service or a discount coupon.
- Remove clutter – you have only one objective on this page and that’s to get them to signup so don’t distract them with sub-offers or other links, etc. Just give them enough information to persuade them and not too much to consider.
- Have your sign-up form, or link prominently displayed – this is typically done on the upper right-hand corner of the page. You want them to submit their information on that page without leaving the experience.
Squeeze away!
Author Bio: Valorie Reavis
Social Marketer, foodie, closet geekA marketing professional who has focused primarily on the hair and beauty business for of the past decade, Valorie now runs linkup marketing, a digital marketing agency for the hair and beauty professional. Valorie works to engage clients in the marketing process and help them successfully engage with their clients and community. Energetic and passionate about the industry, Valorie focuses on blending traditional and digital media in order to bring salons closer to their clients.
