What happens if you craft the perfect YouTube ad, build rock-solid campaigns and then send shoppers to a lousy landing page? You lose.
It’s no secret that I love YouTube ads. If you listen to our podcast (eCommerce Evolution) then you know I talk about YouTube ads all the time. I love dissecting winning video creatives. The art and science of grabbing attention, creating desire, overcoming objections and driving action is endlessly fascinating to me. I also like the nerdy side of YouTube ads. The math behind campaign optimization and media buying is super interesting (to me anyway). But, here’s the thing. You can have the best YouTube ad campaigns in the world, but if your landing page stinks....you’re sunk.
While I’m not a landing page expert by trade, I have observed enough to know what works and what doesn’t. On any given day I’m looking at dozens of campaigns that spend as much as $6,000 to $10,000 per day each on YouTube. I can say with certainty that the strength of your landing page is a major factor in hitting your goals with YouTube ads.
Here are 5 things to keep in mind for your YouTube ad landing page (or nearly any landing page you’re sending traffic to for that matter). Even subtle improvements in conversion rates from your landing pages can have a profound impact on your ad campaigns.
Congruent
The first question someone asks when they land on a page is “am I in the right place?” The last thing you want to create is a disconnect between your YouTube ad and the landing page you send someone to. This may sound so simple that you want to overlook it. Don’t. Having a congruent color scheme, clear logo placement and using the same language on the landing page that you used in the video is super important.
Take this YouTube ad and landing page combo we run for BOOM! By Cindy Joseph. The ad promises the viewer 5 Makeup Tips for older women. The headline on the landing page is “5 Makeup Tips for Older Women” plus some of the stars of our YT ads are visible in the header image on the lander.
As one of the largest spenders on YouTube ads, Grammarly aslo does this well. See how the look and feel of their ads clearly lines up with the Grammarly landing page.
Clear value proposition
What makes your product stand out? Why is it different or better than your competitors? What’s the one thing you want me to know above all else about your product? Whatever that is, lead with it. Your headline needs to clearly and succinctly communicate your value proposition. All of the examples I reference here do a fantastic job of this.
Compelling
The role of the headline on your landing page is to entice the visitor to stay on the page and look further. Your headline should promise a strong enough benefit to cause a shopper to stop and give your product some strong consideration.
Other than the headline, the most important part of your landing page is product photography and videos. We strongly suggest images that show the product from all angles and mimic an in-store shopping experience as much as possible.
Next, you need strong bullet points and copy. The job of your bullet points and sales copy is to answer questions, create desire, and overcome objections.
In some cases you’ll need graphics and diagrams.
This page for Alana Mitchell’s Micro Dissolvable Roller does a great job of demonstrating the product through video, and highlighting key features and benefits through bullet points, graphics and pictures.
Convincing
Even if your headline is strong, your bullet points are compelling and your product images are nearly perfect - shoppers still might still remain on the fence. Why? Proof. Shoppers need some level of proof that what you’re saying is true. Something could be compelling, but not convincing. If your claims and promises sound appealing, but not believable shoppers will still abandon the page.
What kind of proof are we looking for here?
- Product reviews
- Demonstrations
- Before and After photos
- Media endorsements
I love this page from FIXD app. The headline is strong, “Meet the Car Repair Sensor That’s Saving People $1,000s.” Not only is that clear and compelling, but they back it up with some strong social proof. The 10,000 5-Star reviews and “Over 2 Million Sold” is pretty convincing proof that this product is legit.
Confidence
Are you giving people confidence that they are making the right purchase decision? Also, are you giving shoppers the assurance that, if your product isn’t a good fit, you’ll return it, replace it or refund it with no hassle?
Here are two great landing page examples that really give confidence. The first is Madison Reed. Madison Reed offers at home hair coloring kits. Getting hair color right is no small feat. It’s something most people take very seriously. Most ladies get their hair colored in a salon by a professional, so attempting to buy hair color at home can feel risky and intimidating. Enter the color quiz. This quick online quiz takes you through a process that leads to your ideal color– just like a professional hair colorist would do in a salon.
Or, take Room Dividers Now. I love the way their landing page shows clearly how their dividers work, how to install them and how to measure your space to choose the perfect divider. Just a few minutes on their page and you feel armed and equipped to make a great purchase.
So what about your landing pages? How are they executing on these 5 core elements? Just small improvements can lead to conversion rate increases that can totally impact your ad performance.
Want to learn more about great landing pages for eCommerce? Watch the replay of our recent virtual event - YouTube Ads for eCommerce: the Winning Formula for Scale. Kurt Elster, host of the Unofficial Shopify Podcast gives a great talk on effective landing pages.
.png)
.png)
