I learned to make squeeze pages that bring about high conversion rates the hard way, but it doesn’t have to be the same for you.
I’m pretty sure you’re tired of opening up tabs and scrolling through endless pages of articles that promised to bring you luck but none has so far.
I feel your pain and misery and so I promise to deliver to you only the best of my knowledge and help you cross this rocky road to triumph.
All you have to do is read this step-by-step guide to creating your own squeeze page and bask in the success that it’s bound to bring.
So here we go…
What is a squeeze page?
Before I dive in to explaining how you build one, are you sure you know what a squeeze page and what purpose it serves?
Let’s clear out the basics.
Squeeze pages are like any other landing page, except that they are created with the very intent to extract information about visitors such as their names and email addresses [at the very least] by opting-in to an email that promises to provide more information or deals.
The objective here is to direct as much traffic as possible to your squeeze page and gather leads [collect email addresses] to build a list and ultimately convert them to boost your business.
That’s about it.
It’s pretty straightforward right?
While it sounds about as simple as your ABC’s, it gets complicated when you have to create one from scratch.
But don’t worry. That’s precisely what I’m here for.
There are 3 basic steps; if you execute perfectly; and by the end of which you will have a sparkling new and effective squeeze page.
Let’s begin.
- CHOOSE YOUR SQUEEZE PAGE TOPIC
The existence of your squeeze page has to have an objective and your business motive is to decide that for you.
At this early stage you have to sit down and evaluate your target audience.
I know you probably get this a lot, but before you actually begin to hate me, try and get this.
If you haven’t gotten at least a vague idea as to whom you are trying to sell your product to then you can easily whip up a profile that allows you to play pretend.
There are several service providers online who allow you to create a customer profile.
This is especially beneficiary if you’re lost or clueless as to where you could begin.
The reason I’m emphasizing so much on a customer profile is because you’ve got to create a squeeze page topic and this brings us back to where we started from.
If you now know who you are expecting to opt-in for the email subscriptions, then it will be much easier for you to create a focused topic and consequently a title for your page.
The topic you create has to be of great value because your visitors have landed on your page seeking the truth solution to their problem.
And if you can’t provide them with information that they’ve come desperately seeking then there’s no reason to think that they’re going to sit there and opt-in.
Remember, you’re asking for people’s email addresses and that’s one of the most prized possessions a person’s got and so they’re not easily going to part with it.
The only way they’ll hand it over to you is if you promise to deliver something you possess and they seek.
- CREATE YOUR SQUEEZE PAGE
a. Headline
In case you don’t already know, you have only 8 seconds of an average person’s attention to impress them.
If you fail, they hit the ‘x’ button and close your tab.
Time’s out!
The only thing that you can feed your visitor’s in just about 8 seconds is a well-constructed, informative headline that sums up your topic.
So how do you make a headline that’s sure to work out for you?
Here’s how…
Once you know what your potential customer wants you’ve got to use that as bait to make them sign up.
For instance, take a look at this headline:
‘9 Things Scientists Didn’t Find When They Were Searching For Tiny Lobsters Off The Coast Of Australia’
Doesn’t this topic instantly make you think what is it that the scientists didn’t find?
This is called an information gap.
The information gap theory is triggered in people when they realize that there’s gap between what they know and what they want to know.
Now it is in your hands to create a headline for your topic that’s bound to drive people crazy until they open your page and read what it is that you’re talking about.
Often you may not be able to incorporate the information gap in to your headline. In that case a shorter headline with a tag or a sub-heading usually does the trick.
While what the scientists didn’t find during their excavation might be relevant to people studying marine biology or something along that line, it may not be relevant to you trying to get readers for your blog.
b. Call-To-Action
What visitors often need most is a clear, benefit-oriented call to action.
You have to give people a loud shout out asking them to sign up, opt-in or share your page.
Then again, don’t be over bearing. That is probably the worst way to go about a CTA.
Ever remember seeing pop-up ads that ask you to sign-up but have no visible ‘x’ button in case you don’t want to opt-in?
Yeah, I thought so. Never be like them.
In case you’re unsure as to how to go about optimizing your opt-in form, then read up here.
CTAs include asking your visitors to share what they’ve just read on the social networking sites.
There are two ways to go about doing this.
One, you could ask your visitors to share by adding a line in a font smaller than that of the text placed in an optimum place. This is usually added towards the end of the text and in that case the chances of a person missing it is less.
The second and more popular way of asking people to share is by simply adding the social networking site icons to the side of your page where they are visible.
This is a better idea because it allows your visitors to simply share with one click.
And it goes without saying that these signs usually have a number along with them that tells your visitors how many times they have already been shared on which site.
Just the numbers here tell you how this site is particularly popular.
Numbers like these increase trust and reliability as well.
[If you’re wondering how you can get your 3 digit likes and shares then read on till step 3].c. Video
A video is not exactly mandatory, but it can help you drive a point home without forcing your visitors to read a bunch of text.
Well-placed videos can be charming.
Although statistics say that videos longer than 30 seconds experience a significant drop in visitors, the case isn’t same if you’ve got material that’s informative.
If you’re incorporating a video in your squeeze page then here’s something you can do:
Instead of having a sub-heading for your article, just drop a line or two about how there’s a video below that’s got more related things. Go ahead and use the information gap in naming the video and watch how people ogle at your video.
Then again, just because your video’s got information doesn’t mean you go on prolonging it.
An ideal squeeze page video would be of 3 to 10 minutes being interactive.
Here’s another suggestion.
Since the whole objective of the squeeze page is to get more email opt-ins, you would want to try Wistia Turnstile, that allows you to add a pop-up half way through your video that’ll suggest your viewers to sign-up for the rest of the video.
This is what it looks like,
Source: Back Linko
Although I’m not the biggest fan of obstructive pop-ups, especially those that won’t let me move on without signing, Brian Dean of Back Linko says that he’s enjoyed a 29% increase in converts by using the Turnstile.
So it definitely can’t hurt.
d. Comments
Well, that’s pretty much what goes into creating a squeeze page in terms of layout and format.
But there’s one thing that’s still missing and that’s a comments section.
It’s true that your squeeze page isn’t a regular landing page that’s there to stand on its own but rather to simply collect names and email addresses, you might want to leave a comments option.
That way people know that you’re actually there to help them and not just dish out content.
Also always try and follow up your visitor’s comments with a response. It doesn’t have to be detailed answers; it can just be encouraging replies.
- ADVERTISE YOUR SQUEEZE PAGE
If you’ve managed to finish step 1 and step 2, you’re probably feeling exhilarated.
Well, congratulations because you truly have accomplished a massive feat.
But your task here is not yet done.
You’ve got a focused and narrowed down topic, you’ve created a flawless landing page but the final step is still pending.
So here is the final step to my promised 3 step guide to an optimized squeeze page.
You have to tell the world that you’re here!
A little too dramatic for your taste?
Sorry, I’ll get to the point.
And the point is that you have to broadcast yourself to as many people as you can, via as many channels as you have access to.
Emails
The first most obvious channel ought to be through email.
Let your already-existing subscribers know that you have a custom-made squeeze page and that they ought to check it out.
All you have to do is send in a mail that tells your subscribers that you’ve got new stuff that you want to show around.
Share it on the social media
The best way to get on the net is to use your existing accounts in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and all the other sites to tell your followers about the newbie.
Don’t always expect people to share your content, at least most definitely not when you’re a beginner.
Add a sidebar banner
Make your squeeze page available for those who have just arrived at your site as well.
Add a sidebar banner to your page that hosts the link to the squeeze page so that your visitors know what else you’ve got to offer.
Both will do the same work so it’s up to you decide which looks better on your page. Or you could simply list your squeeze page with links that refer to other works done or tabs of your site.
Conclusion
Nothing should come second to increasing your conversion rates and this is something that people often forget.
Generating leads is a great thing to be investing in, but it’ll be of no use if you can’t convert the incoming traffic.
So before I sign off I’d like to tell you that there’s no doubt that your squeeze page is most definitely your highway to high conversion rates if executed properly.
Oh! And I hope I’ve delivered on my promise of letting you on my 3 step to successful squeeze pages.
Do leave a message below telling me how this has helped you.
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