To Squeeze or Not To Squeeze? Where Does Your Paid Traffic Go?
Now, I thought about this for a while and after some fluctuating states of confusion, I came up with this:
Landing Pages:
I love them. I am a long standing customer with Lead Pages where I keep all my landing pages, lead boxes (downloads of which there are many) which all connect to various email lists in Mail Chimp - I am a busy person!
Currently I have around 8 landing pages, all working 24 hours a day, feeding traffic into automated email lists of one type or another which trigger a series of highly educational (cough cough) emails and some promotions sneaked in here and there.
BUT, do I send my ad traffic to a landing page? No.
Why not?
Because, I take a breath, think as a customer instead of a money grabbing affiliate marketer and say to myself, would I want to be pushed onto a very obvious sell sell sell landing page? Nope.
So I direct them to a blog post and THEN I direct them to a landing page for a download and should they want to feel the need to get their hard earned credit card out, they can do so knowing that some really highly valuable download is already worming its way to their inbox.
THEN, they are more likely to love me for the blog post they've just read, the download they've got out of me so they are more likely to be in the mood for a bit of a shop...
Do you agree?
OR, have you come up with an even better solution to where traffic should go after they've clicked on an ad?
In the news: Some Surprising Behaviour Of The Masses!
Incidentally (love that word) I heard a discussion on LBC 97.3 last night that most people would rather scroll PAST the ads to get to an organic search result and click on that!
ALSO! I heard that if people see an ad from a company or business they have had a bad experience with, they will spam click on the ad because they know the business is having to pay for it!!!
Food for thought!
Recent Comments
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I agree that a 'pre-sell' is appropriate. (that is the blog content that talks about how they can satisfy their needs by working with me and then sending them to a capture form!
Thanks for some great insights Michelle, and for teaching me about spam clicking! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work (cough cough) to do elsewhere online!
Those are some good insights, Michelle! Thanks for sharing.
Makes me feel better about fact I often approach my marketing like a consumer, which makes me cringe or resist some marketing guru's approach to marketing. I also approach my online consumer shopping like a marketer. I know exactly what the seller is doing, and I can appreciate it or get annoyed by it. If I click on a free offer and have to go through too much effort to get what I want, e.g., several click throughs, a long read on a slick sale's page or view a lengthy video I can't fast forward through, have to take a survey, or give up too much private info, I'll abandon it.
I recently read a blog post about something the trainer was calling a "Segway Page," which sounds like a similar concept. Once the consumer clicks on the link, instead of going to a sale's landing page, it's a nicer, shorter page that thanks them for subscribing and contains link to instant download. It may also contain an offer for further info, product, with call to action, that then takes them to a landing page. I like the idea of the blog post because it's more personal and provides customized, personalized info, which is much more friendly. It also takes them to your website, where they may spend some time reading other posts or offers.
Then, again, there are different types of consumers, some who respond better to the hard, in-your-face sell, and others who are more responsive to the softer, more subtle sell. Guess that's why we need metrics and to track.
Hi Michelle, I have to be honest and say..Guilty on both counts my lord :) What about you..have you ever clicked on an ad link knowing full well that it'll cost the company a few pence?
mmm. honestly? No - i don't think I have ever considered what the cost would be when I have clicked on an ad! But what startled me was the fact that some people click on the ads dozens of times of the businesses they don't like!!
Yes..I must admit that is a wee bit naughty. The only time I have done it was when (like your post mentioned) when a certain company really inconvenienced me and sold me substandard goods and refused to refund. When I searched Google for them, there website was listed both organically and as a paid listing for the keywords I had searched. So rather than click on there organic link (which wouldn't cost them anything) I chose instead to click on the paid link. Incidentally (I love that word also) I may have clicked more than once..but less than 10 :) Anyhow Google's software is supposed to recognise this kind of "click rage" behaviour and not bill the customer for it.
Thanks much for this, Michelle. It REALLY hits home for me. I'm in the process of designing my first funnel. That was why I came to WA 3 months ago, and I've a tough niche to work with my funnel, so I need this kind of advice.
My impressions match your advice, too. I respond far better if the promise made is fulfilled and value is delivered before they hit me up for a paid purchase. I really believe in this approach, especially for my B2B scientific niche.
My question is, how do you get these visitors from your blog post to a squeeze page? Popups are powerful, but they are a double edged sword...
haha! I'm pleased that you liked it! It's given me sleepless nights I will admit! I can't stand pop ups myself yet if I look at all seven of my sites, they all have them! I guess I try not to make them intrusive and only have them jump up at people if they scroll down 30% of the page.
That way I think they aren't so in your face.
The problem I have is that I have a landing page link at the end of each post thats probably too subtle. So people tend to miss it - that's what i tell myself anyway!
Le me know how you get on with your funnel - I would love to see if I can learn anything...
Absolutely, Michelle - learn and teach and share... That's the model here and I'm convinced it's a great one. You seem very experienced, though - not sure how much you will learn from the experiments and minor advances of a newbie like me, but I'm happy to share.
If I can find a good example of someone who does it effectively, I would prefer to build compelling text links into my content in order to get folks to the squeeze page. If the offer is strong enough, it seems like mentioning it in the copy with a link (in as off-hand and casual a way possible, LOL) should do the job.
OTOH, if that Popup 30% into the post doesn't make them bounce, it's probably a good choice. Any metrics on visitors leaving when presented with your pop-up?
I like the way you've put that - sounds like political hairdressing... ;) I shall make a note of it :)
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Yes I agree and great advice. Blog post to landing page! The potential customer will get a better experience.