What is a landing page?
According to HubSpot, a landing page’s “purpose is to encourage you to convert to a lead or customer. ” There are several kinds of landing pages, but regardless the goal is always the same — generate more leads. Or, in the case of your nonprofit organization, engage more donors.
Landing pages contain lead forms that trade donors their contact information for something of value. For example, when you click on a link in an email or on social media then “land” on a page asking you to fill out a form in exchange for something of value — how their donation makes an impact. So be sure to explain how their donation will help. Does the donor get anything out of it? How, exactly, does your organization use the contribution to support the cause? What results have you seen in recent years?
Why can’t I use my homepage or another page on my website?
A landing page cuts out all the distractions by eliminating the navigation and competing links. It focuses the visitors’ attention to the call to action in front of them and increases the chances of converting them into a lead and thus more donations for your nonprofit.
How to get the most out of your landing page?
Here are some tried and true best practices to keep in mind when creating your next landing page for your nonprofit.
Create a Strong Headline.
“For every ten people that visit your landing page, at least seven of them will bounce off the page,” according to HubSpot. So start by addressing the problem you are solving in the headline. What does your nonprofit do? A strong headline will communicate clearly what your offer’s value is at first glance and what’s in it for them, and how they can make a difference. Make it personal and work in a “you” statement into the headline whenever possible such as “The world’s animals need your help now.”
Communicate Feelings Visually
Yes, you should always include an image, and it should be relevant to your audience and communicate. How will your donor feel after contributing? Will they feel proud, hopeful, content, or grateful?
Tell a Story
Compelling copy is where you sell the action you want them to take. Don’t get too clever with the copy here or beat around the bush. It’s best to be direct and clear about what action you want them to take. To make them feel engaged, use “you” or “your.”
Do you have a recent story of someone whom your charity has impacted? Get a testimonial to connect the dots for your donors how their donation has impacted lives for the better.
Put the Form Above the Fold
This tip is an easy one. Put the form at the top and before the scroll. It makes it easy to find and accessible. You don’t want your donor searching for the donation form and then to bounce. As soon as they hit the page, it should be clear how to donate. You could even design your page so that the form scrolls as they move down the page. We like the design and layout of this Charity Water landing page.
Create A Clear Call-to-Action
Your CTA, as it’s commonly referred to, is the most critical element on your landing page. Make it stand out by contrasting the color to the background and giving it some white space and breathing room to boot. And be direct and clear about what action you want your donor to take. For example, use an action verb like “download” when creating a CTA for a white paper. Or “Change a Life” or “Take Action” to inspire them to donate now.
Remove All the Navigation
Removing all the navigation makes it a no-brainer and allows your donor to focus solely on the mission at hand. Also, remove any competing links, such as internal links to other pages on your website. Instead, you can put these on your thank you page as a resource for the following steps to take or links to blog posts your lead might find helpful. (For more on thank you pages, see below.)
Go Mobile
In other words, make your page responsive. Landing pages should look good on a phone, tablet, or computer to give your user the best viewing experience. Think of how many donations you’ll miss if your viewer can’t access it on their phone.
Optimize for Search Engines
You’ll most likely be promoting your landing page through ads, emails, social media, and other channels. However, it’s still essential to optimize with targeted keywords for organic search and paid campaigns. Why? When someone does an organic search for your keyword, you want them to find your page, and if you’re running paid ads, those words should live on your landing page too.
Don’t Forget to Say Thank You!
It’s time to do like your momma told you and mind your manners. On your thank you page, you can:
- Deliver the content in your offer (such as a download)
- Share relevant content, such as blog posts
- Or say a plain old thank you
On that note, thanks for reading our blog post! If you have any questions, please give us a holler. We’d love to chat with you about any landing page projects you have coming up.