Conversion Clinic – Landing Page Essentials
You’ve done the hard work getting HCPs onto your site, but they’re not taking that all-important next step. Sound familiar?
Unfortunately, the journey from lead generation to conversion wasn’t designed to be easy. However, there are some landing page fundamentals that, applied correctly, can give you a better chance of turning that prospect into a customer.
Good news: these tips are as valid in pharma as they are in the B2B world.
Look beyond the homepage
While there is value in directing brand-led campaigns to your homepage, this probably isn’t the ideal destination if you’re looking to direct HCPs to specific content, or raise awareness of your expertise in a particular disease area.
Dedicated landing pages, on the other hand, give you the ability to tailor your message, CTAs and page content to individual products, services or audience segments, while ensuring users don’t need to navigate to another page to enquire or ‘take action’.
Nail your value proposition
Studies show that many users leave a web page within ten seconds, but a strong value proposition can increase this to minutes.
Your value proposition is a single statement at the top of your landing page that communicates the benefits you offer, the problem or needs you solve, and what sets you apart from the competition. In pharma marketing, the ‘problem’ or ‘need’ will typically be treatment for a disease, but it could also be information on a specific condition.
A great value proposition should be the first thing that users see when landing on your page, sitting front and centre above the fold and creating an emotional connection with customers. What will your treatment mean for them? Answering this succinctly at the top of your landing page is the first step to successful conversion.
“Studies show that many users leave a web page within ten seconds, but a strong value proposition can increase this to minutes.”
Lead with trust signals
Trust signals are just as important in pharma as they are in the consumer world. Just like any customer, not only do HCPs want proof that your treatment ‘does what it says on tin’, they also want the assurance that your brand is reputable, respected and recommended.
Including data points, testimonials or accreditations above the fold is a great way of building trust with a customer as soon as they arrive on your landing page. Scattering these trust signals throughout the rest of the page will simply reinforce the claims you are making about your treatment and its benefits, both to HCPs and patients.
Make taking action easy
CTAs are critical to every landing page. Whatever form they take, they’re the doorway to conversion, so make them visible.
A great landing page will naturally direct people’s eye towards a CTA, whether through positioning, colour choice, or indeed both. In addition, the hierarchy and visual flow of your page should naturally funnel people to the place where they can take action.
Making this ‘action’ clear in the CTA copy – e.g. ‘Request a call’ – will minimise confusion and maximise your chances of conversion. Think ‘active’, not ‘passive’: is there an obvious output of clicking that button or completing that form?
Consider secondary CTAs
It’s easy to focus on the conversion, but it’s worth remembering that some users could still be in the ‘consideration’ phase and won’t be ready to commit just yet. That’s where secondary CTAs can come in handy.
Rather than hitting users with a number of hard CTAs, consider offering some alternative conversion actions, such as the ability to download an e-book or register for a webinar. This will add value for a prospective customer and keep your brand front of mind when they reach the purchase stage of the conversion funnel.
Data consent capture is critical here. By giving customers an option to provide their contact details, you’ll be able to reach out to them again in the future. However, to avoid falling foul of GDPR, you’ll need to explicitly state how their data will be used and give them the option to opt out.
Make it seamless
Customers expect a seamless experience from the very first time they encounter your brand, whether online or offline. If the way you portray yourself on your landing page is unrecognisable from a display ad, social post or email, HCPs will lose faith and be less likely to engage, let alone convert.
Consider the imagery you are using on ads and whether it’s consistent with your destination page. The same applies to your messaging: the last thing you want to do is mislead customers in any way, even if it’s accidental.
Users also expect a smooth experience across all devices. People shouldn’t have to zoom in to read your content on a smartphone, so make sure your page is responsive. The harder you make it for customers, the harder it will be to convert.
“People shouldn’t have to zoom in to read your content on a smartphone, so make sure your page is responsive.”
Highlight what matters to customers
If you know your customers inside out, you should know exactly what they’ll want to read when landing on your page. Some may want reassurance that you understand their needs, while others will crave data about a specific disease or the efficacy of your treatment.
Where your landing page has been guided by search intent, consider subtle ways of highlighting the terms that prospects have been searching for. Whether it’s bolding up your body copy or including key terms in headers, draw users’ attention to the things that matter most to them.
“The hierarchy and visual flow of your page should naturally funnel people to the place where they can take action.
Don’t forget to test
A landing page is just the beginning. Once you’ve started gathering data on performance, you should test different elements on the page to understand how they resonate with your audience and ultimately impact conversion.
Hopefully these tips will stand you in good stead for future campaigns, or inspire you to revisit your existing landing pages. However, please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like to discuss your digital needs further.