Cecilia Barella, a Definition 6 Account Coordinator, recently discussed an article she read on Marketing Sherpa...

Landing page rules typically say that ad-response forms should be as short as possible and require the least amount of information because extra clicks lower conversions. But what was found is that if you create a process that’s user-friendly and that’s tailored to the customer, they’re actually willing to provide you more information. One example of a company using web search engine optimization is Continental Warranty, an insurance company.  The article says they went from using a one page- one step process to a three page process. Using better real time analytics tools incorporated on their advertising they were able to serve their customer tailored landing pages. 

Cecilia focused on a few key points in the article:

1. Before users get to a landing page you can capture the following information:
- Search keywords that drove them to click on an ad and land on the page
- Time of day they arrived
- Day of the week
- Web browser they were running
  
 
2. Determine the first step’s creative: Keywords show what customers are really interested in, so you know which questions to ask on the first page or which creative and graphics to use. (Make the content relevant to the search that got them there.) Time of day and day of the week can dictate how much information you can serve on your landing page, if it is during the weekend, the user might have more time and be more interested in reading detailed content. Second Step creative will be based on the information provided on the first form and third form is optional.  

3. It is important to keep testing the landing pages, this is where your interactive media agency can make a big difference.  Continental Warranty uses a system that automatically tests landing pages based on different user profiles. Pages that are not performing are removed from the rotation; high-performers are used more frequently. They are also constantly pushing new pages or tweaking existing pages based on targeted consumer information that they gather.

Cecilia's concluding thoughts were that search and website integration of both content and creative can enhance the customer experience.  By investing in your online campaign you can not only improve customer experience but also increase ROI and company revenue.
 
The full article can be viewed at: http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=30758&pop=no#