This Week’s Friday Fifteen Minute Pitch Post: Landing Hard
By Tom Chandler on Mar 23, 2007 in Fifteen Minutes
The Friday Fifteen Minute Pitch Post is one of my favorite ideas — investing 15 minutes each week pitching a new project to an existing client — but I’m realizing Fridays might be a little too hectic.
Next week, this could become the Thursday Fifteen Minute Pitch Post.
I write, I learn.
Today’s Pitch
Today’s pitch project is no mystery to online marketers, but a lot of medium sized businesses overlook this effective tactic.
It’s the Landing Page.
Let’s say a prospect responds to a Google ad, or perhaps a banner ad you wrote for a client.
Landing pages allow you to carry on the dialog you started in the ad, and better market your offer.
It’s far more effective than simply shuffling prospects to the company Web site.
It’s a well-known tactic, but one overlooked by — I’m just going to say it — a surprising number of mid-sized company marketing departments (and a few large ones too).
The pitch itself? Easy. Consider something like:
“You’re investing your precious budget developing these leads — so don’t waste a single prospect. A landing page between our banner ads and the company Web site would allow us to continue the dialog we started with the prospect.”
“Plus, we can market the offer from a stronger position. Not only will we see a higher conversion rate, but we’ll gather prospect data in greater depth.”
Working on a response-generating project, but the client’s overlooking the landing page?
Don’t let ‘em. Add value to the relationship by helping to improve their bottom line.
Keep writing, Tom Chandler.
[tags]marketing, copywriting, fifteen minute pitch, landing page[/tags]
This is one area where the ebook sellers, et al., have it figured out moreso than more traditional companies. As they love to say, “The money is in the list.”
Capturing leads and info with a good landing page not only serves the function of continuing the ad-initiated dialog immediately, it also allows for a long-term conversation via email.
I know there are people out there who believe email marketing is on its last legs, but a company with a good double opt-in list and quality follow-up emails can make a killing in virtually any niche.
This pitch is a multi-dimensional winner… It’s good for the client in the short run, it’s good for them in the long run, it keeps the copywriter busy working on a landing page and it sets him/her up for a subsequent Friday (or Thursday) pitch re: writing an ongoing series of emails.
Good stuff!
Carson
Carson | Mar 23, 2007 | Reply
Carson: Great points. I don’t recommend e-mail to my clients for prospecting, but have always emphasized the concept that their customer/prospect list might be their organization’s single most valuable asset.
I get a lot of shocked looks.
You’re right about these things being winners. Even if the client says no to a pitch, you’ve already demonstrated a grasp of marketing beyond that of your average word jockey, adding value to the relationship and setting yourself apart from the herd.
And stay tuned for next week’s Fifteen Minute Pitch Post. Interesting e-content idea for a very traditional 150 year-old company. You’re at least partly to blame…
Tom Chandler | Mar 24, 2007 | Reply