In today’s market, it is increasingly difficult to capture someone’s interest.
People are constantly bombarded with advertisements begging for emails but reluctant to hand that information out because they don’t want to be added to yet another newsletter group that will fill their already overly crowded inboxes with junk every day.
Squeeze pages are finding it harder to get conversions.
Attention! Attention!
Attention spans are shorter and our lives are dictated by constant scrolling and search engine hits every five minutes.
We scroll through social media like Instagram feeds, Facebook walls, and even Google searches.
We give each piece of data a fraction of a second to catch our attention before moving on to something else. This means a dynamic squeeze page is crucial. It has to immediately capture attention.
The Internet has made it easy to find any piece of information you might need just by a quick Google search.
This means that simply offering a piece of information in exchange for an email is no longer going to win your conversion. A modern squeeze page must offer more.
We understand the struggle and have learned how to adapt. This guide will help you learn everything you need to know to make a successful, high conversion squeeze page that works.
What Is a Squeeze Page?
Now, if you’re just starting your business or searched ways to maximize marketing campaigns to gain more traffic and how to convert traffic to leads, you may be asking yourself what a squeeze page is.
That’s okay. It’s a strange marketing term.
Just like you have probably heard the terms drag and drop, search query, content, drop-down menu, and landing page URL, you probably know exactly what it is but just didn’t realize it had an official name.
Definition
A squeeze page is a website’s landing page design that is specifically crafted to convert your web traffic into leads. Its sole purpose is to get some basic contact information.
Have you ever seen a page on a website with ad copy that introduces you to a topic and promises to tell you more or give you a free ebook in exchange for your email address?
Well, that landing page experience is a squeeze page.
We call it this because it squeezes contact information out of someone who clicks through to your site.
How to Create a Dynamic Squeeze Page
There’s an art to a great squeeze page.
You want to be engaging enough to capture their attention but evasive enough to leave them wanting more. You also want this to be a bit more forceful without being aggressive.
This is a “bottom line” page—take the offer and give us your email or move along so we can invest time in someone who will be an easier sales lead.
Finding that balance can be pretty difficult, especially in today’s goldfish market of three-second attention spans where adorable animals and 12 other pages are all fighting for our attention.
There are a few key steps to follow to make sure you have the best possible chance at generating tons of warm leads.
Step One: Targeted Marketing – Know Your Audience
Squeeze pages are sales tools.
It is vital that you treat them with equal importance to your press kits and personal sales generations.
Internet Advantage
The great thing about the Internet is that you no longer need to cast a wide net to generate potential leads.
Search engines will bring the traffic straight to your squeeze page. No more cold calls are necessary.
This means that people coming through your site are already interested in your product. You don’t need to waste energy explaining more broad concepts. Be focused and specific. Use your squeeze page with intention.
Target Acquired
Know your audience.
Sure, with the Internet, you’re always likely to get some random leads from who knows where, but more than likely you are targeting a specific audience that is the most likely to buy into your product.
Use your squeeze page to speak directly to them and don’t waste energy on anyone else.
Ask yourself who your target audience is.
Who is buying your product?
What are their values and goals?
Which of their specific needs does your product fulfill?
What are their interests? Are they more likely to respond to professionalism or a bit of whimsy and fun?
Once you’ve determined your target audience and how your product will be specifically marketed, you can move to the next step in building a perfect squeeze page.
Step Two: Lead Magnets – Give Them an Offer They Can’t Refuse
In order to convert squeeze page traffic into contacts, you must offer something.
Asking for email addresses simply doesn’t work anymore.
People are flooded with this request and tired of their inboxes being flooded with hundreds of unwanted mass emails every day. They need to know that it’s worth the trouble to give their information to you.
Building Value
There are a lot of different options here.
The key is to build value. Remember that the offer has to be irresistible for an effective squeeze page. Don’t let them leave without filling out their contact information!
Let’s take a look at the three most common giveaways:
- eBooks:These are sales tools designed to feel like great information.They are usually 75–100 pages long and conversational in tone. Offer something valuable but lead them toward your product as the final solution.They’re a great option for a lot of products and markets.
- Whitepapers:These are research driven tools that usually include a great deal of research.They tend to ask a specific question and prove that your product as the best answer.A lot of business and science industry professionals use these as sales tools, especially because they cite specific research studies.
- Videos or Webinars:These allow people to feel as though they are directly connected to the celebrity face of the company.They’re more interactive in nature and many of them lead to an end product of live classes with human interaction.
Think outside the Box
Deciding what to offer on your squeeze page can be pretty overwhelming.
The common forms are standard and effective when done right, but they are also fading quickly because people are recognizing them for what they are: sales tools that only offer partial solutions while funneling you towards an end goal of a sale.
That’s why you need to think a little outside the box.
Ask Yourself the Following:
- What makes sense for my audience?Think about their age, the way they do business, common tools of their trade, and their attention span. Do they have time for papers and eBooks, or would a podcast be easier for their on the go lifestyle?
- What problem can I solve?The squeeze page giveaway is ultimately a way to introduce them to your company. Be specific. Just make sure you don’t solve a problem so well it eliminates their need for your product entirely.
- Is it quick?It’s vital that this is quick, or they will lose interest before they ever get to your sales pitch. Your problem should offer a very quick win for them. Find a way to help them easily achieve a small goal in a short period of time. It should also be quick to read and understand. If it’s an eBook or white paper, break it up into small, easy-to-digest doses.
- Have I proved myself?The goal of this product is to quickly prove to the new contact that you are the best person to help them. Establish yourself as an expert or authority. Providing a quick victory will show your leads that you can help them with some of their more difficult to attain goals and needs.
In the end, your squeeze page should offer something that showcases your unique value proposition in a fun and engaging way.
Types of Lead Magnets
- Useful:This category offers something practical and useful.It includes checklists, planners, toolkits, templates, apps, printables (great for creative industries—attractive list templates, calendars, and more), journal and headline prompts, writing inspiration, and other various products that offer immediate, branded use.
- Educational:These items are meant to teach a specific topic that is directly related to your industry and product.When used correctly, these will solidify you as an expert in your field. These include eBooks, gated content, guides, tutorials, reports, podcasts, webinars, event tickets, mind maps, and more.
- Entertaining:These are fantastic hooks for our very excitable marketplace.Cute animal posts and interactive personality quizzes dominate the Internet.These leads will couch your pitch in entertainment. Quizzes make great entertaining leads because you can specify the topic to your field and mention some products. Other entertaining leads include comics, mobile app games, wallpapers, meme collections, and more.
- Community Building:This is a growing area of lead generation.This concept is awesome because when it’s employed properly it will keep people interested in your products and interacting with your brands by introducing them to a group of people who have similar goals as them.They can feed off of that energy and stay motivated. These include challenges (with daily or weekly goals and webinars) and Facebook groups for people in your challenge or industry.
Knowing who your audience is and how you plan to solve their specific needs with your products can help you decide which of these lead magnets is right for your squeeze page.
Just make sure you are compelling or you won’t have their attention long enough to convert them!
Step Three: Headlines – Set the Bait and Reel in the Clicks
The most important part of your squeeze page is a great headline.
This is the first thing people see. When you only get a few seconds to keep traffic from disappearing, the headline is important.
Admit it. You’ve been suckered in by a great piece of click bait. That headline left you dying to know the end of the story, so you follow through to the article.
Your headline is your squeeze page click bait. Make it count.
It should be exciting and informative. To maximize your headline, you must ask how your target market connects with your giveaway. The best headlines are all exceptionally clear. They quickly inform your viewers of the benefits of your offer.
“Yes” Question
A great way to do this is with a “Yes” question.
Ask a question that they will always answer with yes to associate positive responses with your product. “Do you want an engaging squeeze page with a high conversion rate?”
YES! “
Are you ready to generate thousands of hot sales leads per month?”
YES!
“Are you ready to take your business to the next level?”
Yes, yes, yes!!
Make sure that you can offer what you deliver.
Don’t promise specific numbers or exact results unless you know you can make it happen for them. If you offer a large number, follow it up with “It is possible.”
KISS Marketing
An old school sales rule applies here as well.
You want your headline to be that exciting moment at the start of the most romantic KISS of their life.
Keep It Simple…Ask the question in the smallest number of words necessary and don’t make it something they have to think about for even a second.
The headline is looking for an automatic, knee jerk response in a positive direction. This keeps them engaged and allows you another moment of their time.
Finally, your headline should maintain balance.
If it’s all excitement and no information, you can’t ground the visitor.
They’ll lose interest very quickly when you switch to information-based copy. If it’s all information without any hype, they will lose interest before they even make it to the copy.
Step Four: Video Engagement and Image – A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words
A key aspect of all squeeze pages is a clean layout.
The pages tend to have very minimal amounts of copy. They’ve got a large headline, a form, and…a video.
Instead of getting bogged down in the copy that will take time to read and can’t be consumed while doing other things, change it up!
Videos have a huge impact on attention span.
They're flashy and eye-catching, so they will draw a user in for longer periods of time. Because they engage multiple senses, they also hold interest longer than plain text or still images. Use this to your advantage.
Timing is Everything
Videos should be around three to seven minutes long.
They need to be long enough to contain more information than it would be worth simply writing out but short enough to keep people watching. These should be of high quality.
Scripts should be witty and engaging but not over the top or phony. Actors should be personable and relatable, not awkward or unnatural. Don't let them sniff it out as a direct sales tactic until after you have their email.
If you can’t create a high quality, engaging video, then don’t.
As long as your page is clean, you’ll be okay with an image instead. Choose an image that directly supports the thing you’re offering while being easy to immediately understand.
Your image should catch their attention, be relatable, direct people to your giveaway, and reflect your viewers’ goals. Add a logo to build immediate brand recognition.
Advice for Copy – Don’t Mistake This for a Normal Site
Once you’ve finished your headline and found the right image, the follow up is important.
We will cover some specifics in the next few steps, but here are some general guidelines to follow when it comes to finishing up your squeeze page.
Best Practices
Create a sense of urgency. Keeping your visitors isn’t easy—especially if they smell a sales pitch.
If you can immediately create a sense of urgency, they won’t want to leave.
It will feel like they have to engage with you to solve their urgent problem. It also helps them feel that they can’t wait until later.
When someone decides to come back later, you’ve lost that traffic forever. Make them feel like they just can’t wait.
Answer quickly. Who are you? What are you offering? Why does it matter?
You should answer this as quickly as possible. Don’t think it needs to be done with words, either. That takes time. Use your imagery to help.
Avoid Mistakes
Don’t forget that this is all about them.
They didn’t click through because they are about you or your needs. They want to know what you can do for them.
They found you because they needed something and a search told them you could provide.
Don’t be egocentric.
Again, these people don’t care about you.
You want to position yourself as an expert organically, by earning their trust.
Listing off your achievements just makes you sound like a pompous jerk. No one likes those people. Bye, Felicia.
You’re not God.
You cannot be all things to all people.
Don’t try.
It doesn’t matter how many emails you get if 99% of them are not your target market. They’ll lose interest long before buying your product and you’ll end up with a huge list of cold leads that dump you straight into the spam folder.
Remember who your target market is and focus on personalizing the squeeze page to focus on them specifically enough that they feel like you’re talking directly to them and asking how you could possibly know so much about their needs!
Don’t be boring.
This is almost as bad as being an egomaniac.
No one likes to listen to a monotonous snooze fest. Find ways to stay relevant.
This can be accomplished with action words, conversational tone, and getting to your point quickly. If you’re funny, that doesn’t hurt. Just don’t go overboard on the dad jokes.
Step Five: Call to Action – It’s Go Time!
This step is exactly what it sounds like.
All squeeze pages are built to generate leads.
To get there, you do eventually have to ask for their contact information.
This is done with your call to action. The more compelling this call is, the more conversions you will get.
This is the last instruction to your reader before you part ways.
Make it count, and you will see each other again in the future.
This works a lot like social interaction. If you’re a great blend of smooth and sincere you might just get that phone number you’ve been angling for all night.
If you’ve built a great squeeze page, your traffic hasn’t had to scroll down much if at all.
Because of this, you only get one shot at your call to action. Tell them what to do quickly and make it easy to do it.
At this point, you've kept their interest for a reasonable amount of time.
They'll be pretty likely to respond well as long as your call to action is logical and doesn't take too much effort.
Relate this to your page. This is crucial.
Your call to action should motivate them to take the next step toward attaining whatever “yes” question your headline asked. Send a clear message about how they will benefit.
Follow Through
You must immediately deliver upon your promise.
This will continue the good rapport you have built.
Think of this as just like any other interaction. If you’ve spoken with someone on the phone and promised to send a file or email, you usually do that while you have that person on the line.
This is no different. Keep them on the line.
Conclusion
By now, you should be an expert on making an excellent squeeze page that will result in high conversion rates.
Here are some quick highlights for you to review.
- Know your target audience
- Offer a squeeze page giveaway in exchange for contact information
- Create a targeted headline that makes them say yes
- Use an engaging picture of video
- Don’t be boring or egocentric—focus on their needs
- Create urgency
- Call to action—get that email!
Got question? Need more squeeze page tips? I’m here to help, so just hit me up and let’s chat!