Lately I have been working on some lead capture pages for a website called The Sponsoring System. While this website is not really a small business website per se, I thought that the lessons small businesses could learn from a brief walk-through of the lead capture pages might be beneficial since the same essential concepts apply for any website which is trying to convert visitors into customers.

A lead capture page, for those who are unfamiliar with the term, is a page that is specifically designed to compel a visitor to connect with the business in some way. Traditionally, this has been done through email but now days it is also done through social media.

The process is simple. Create a page on your website which gives away something of value related to your business in some way. The most common way of doing this with small business is for them to offer either something for free or something at a discounted price in exchange for the visitor’s email address. Once a business has made this type of connection with a person, it can continue to build the relationship with the person as well as introduce them to new products, services, events, etc. that the prospect may find valuable or helpful.

This process of connecting with potential customers through capturing their information in some way is generally referred to as “list building.” This type of list is extremely valuable because it represents a group of people who have already shown interest in what the business offers and have made themselves available for extremely cost effective marketing strategies.

In fact, according to the Direct Marketing Association a few years ago, email marketing had a whopping 54% return on investment, more than any other type of internet marketing. This is why we work to help small businesses implement local email marketing systems in their companies.

Here is an example of one of the lead capture pages on The Sponsoring System website called How To Get More MLM Prospects

Irregardless of how you feel about network marketing, there are some very valuable things we should note about this page that apply equally to capturing leads for small businesses.

  1. Lack of distraction – as you can see, there is virtually nowhere for the visitor to navigate to on this website. Of course this exact model will not work for every business but the principle stays the same. The more options people have, the less likely they are to make a decision. If the goal is to get them to connect with you buy giving you their name and email address, then that should be the most obvious thing on the page and all other aspects of the page should be designed in a way to minimize distractions
  2. Attention Getting – You’ll notice that the two most prominent things on this page are 1) the title and 2) the huge button that says “Instant Access.” A quick glance at the page simply tells them what the offer is what to do to get it. The title is designed (being almost too big and at the top) to attract the visitor’s eyes to it. The same is true of the button. This type of effect can also be gained in through the use of underlines and/or bolding as well.
  3. Lastly, note the verbiage that is used. Words life “free,” “instant,” “quick,” “easy,” etc. are words that help people understand they don’t have to jump through a bunch of hoops to get to what you are offering. In a small business, for example, this could be difference between saying something such as “Sign up for a free appetizer on your next visit” to “Sign up and immediately receive a coupon for a Free appetizer.” You’ll notice the subtle shift in communicating what the customer gets right now as opposed to sometime in the future.

Hopefully, this post helps you understand the importance and the anatomy of a lead capture page. If you are would like help designing a lead capture system for you business and/or website, please contact us today for a free quote!