Squeeze Pages – A Simple Yet Powerful Marketing Strategy

Never underestimate the potential of a good squeeze page. It is a powerful, effective element for improving sales.

So what is a squeeze page?  

Wikipedia describes it best when they say:

    "Squeeze pages are landing pages created to solicit opt-in email addresses from prospective subscribers".

And that's exactly what it is, a way for you to build your opt-in mailing list. 

You email opt-in list does 4 things for you:

- Builds your reputation as an authority in your market.
– Builds trust and relationships with potential customers
– Brings your readers back to your website on a regular basis
– Allows you to promote your products and services to a highly targeted market

But you may be thinking, isn't email becoming less effective online?

In a word "No".  Email is still an effective form of online promotion.  Those that abuse it or use it improperly are the ones that find it ineffective. 

Effective use of email marketing includes using techniques such as double opt-in permission.  This means before you can begin sending emails the subscriber must first check their email and click on a confirmation link.  This allows the subscriber to be doubly sure they want to opt-in. It goes a long way in making sure you have an interested list but it also cuts down on the spam complaints. 

It's also important to develop a relationship with your viewers by offering quality information and providing creative sales promotions.  Using your email list as strictly a tool for making sales without any consideration for the individuals behind it is setting yourself up for failure. 

I also want to point out that most internet surfers rarely buy on their first visit to your site. That's because they are surfing, scoping out the territory.  They need proof and confidence that you not only have what they need, you are a trusted merchant.

All these things will speak volumes about how effective you are at email marketing.

Savvy internet marketers also know that without an email list, most people visiting your site will simply leave, never to return …those are potential sales you're not likely to recapture.

What makes a great squeeze page?

A good squeeze page contains many of the things an effective sales page has, a headline, bullets, copy and testimonials, but is typically shorter and more to the point. 

The objective of your squeeze page is to grab the attention of your reader then offer something of value that is free in exchange for their email address. 

Your offer could be a free e-course, e-book, coupon code or 'how to' guide. Whatever it is you offer, it must be something your target market would consider a fair trade for their email address. 

Of course you should also know your target market well enough to know exactly what they would find useful.  Presenting an offer that your market has no interest in won’t do much for getting their attention, much less the sign-up.

How to Create your Squeeze Page

Your Offer
Before creating your squeeze page, start by finding a quality free offer. Since you are relying on your offer to be an incentive for sign-up, it not only needs to have value, it should also be unique. Your visitors aren't going to get excited about offering

them the same old re-hashed stuff they see everywhere.  Therefore get excited about what you have for them, make them feel it's something unique and exciting.

Try giving your offer an angle, for example, there's a lot of free information flying around about how to dominate Google

Adwords.  Instead of offering more of what's already out there, why not offer something that is better than Adwords. Use the angle:

 "Who needs Adwords? I've found a better way to promote my site, and it's cheaper!"

- Use the 'Keep It Simple' Method
Give your squeeze page a simple, clean design.  Keep color to a minimum, use lots of white space and strive to keep your visitors eyes focused in one direction, the fewer distractions the better. 

- Use a powerful Headline
Only about 20% of readers will read your entire page, the other 80% will just read the headline, so your headline is an important part of how successful your page is.  I don't like headlines that tease, instead create a headline that conveys a clear complete message.  Use keyword phrases that speak to the reader and be clear about what you are offering.  

- Use bullet points that clearly outline the benefits. 
Use 3-4 bullet points that outline the benefits of your free offer.  These are not features; these are items that will clearly state how your free offer will improve your reader’s life or business.

-Keep your opt-in form above the page fold
Don't make your subscribers look for the opt-in box. Keep it so they can see it without scrolling down the page.  If they don't see it before the fold, they are likely to click off the page.

- Always display under the opt-in box a privacy statement that links to your privacy page. 
Your privacy page should clearly state that you will never sell, distribute or share email addresses.  This will give your subscriber the confidence they need to entrust you with their email address.  

- Your Signature
I like the personalization your handwritten signature gives.  It adds an element of friendship and trust.  Directly beneath your signature include your typed name and your website address directly beneath that.

So what happens to the email addresses you collect?

They will be stored in an email autoresponder.  Using an email autoresponder allows you to automate the opt-in process.  The beauty of this is you do all the work initially and it runs on autopilot.   Once you begin to accumulate email addresses you can periodically promote to your list with follow up messages that you previously compose and send out on a schedule through your autoresponder. You can also broadcast emails. It's an easy way for you to communicate with of list of 10 or a list of 10,000.

Of course sending emails that blatantly promotes your 'stuff' or fails to provide value to your subscribers will produce opt-outs in an alarming rate, not to mention you could potentially be labeled a spammer.  Take care of your email subscribers; show them you are focused on their needs by offering useful information and helpful advice.  

A well thought out squeeze page will recruit email subscribers legitimately and effectively.  If you already use a squeeze page but your opt-in rate could be better, consider making improvements on your page.  With just a few simple changes you could increase your opt-in rate by 50% or more.

Increase your squeeze page conversions for
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Related posts:

1. 6 Email Marketing Tips that Build Trusted Relationships
2. Create Your Own Targeted Email List
3. 6 Hot Tips I Use to Build My Email List – For Free!
4. Email Branding Strategies for Emails That Stand Out

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