We spend a lot of time talking about Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) and landing page optimizations. Landing pages should be extremely relevant to the ad. There should be congruency between the ad’s call-to-action and the page’s call-to-action. Buttons should be a complimentary color! PPC specific landing pages are a must! Less is more! These items are important and can drastically improve conversion rate.
Landing pages can make or destroy a PPC account, which is true for Facebook as well. Facebook landing pages for ads are just as important, if not more, than AdWords or Bing.
Before people grab pitchforks and begin to aggressively disagree, let me explain. When searching on Bing or Google, I am looking for something specific. I want to buy shoes or look for hotel deals. These are specific thoughts that show intent. Facebook is a display campaign on a social media platform. There is no intent beyond exploring their virtual community. Our ads take them away from their fun.
The only way to battle this huge disadvantage is through where we send them. To create one singular harmonious experience from ad to landing page is one way to combat the Facebook user remembering that we are distracting them from their original intent. Below I’ve listed ideal landing page experiences for Facebook users.
The Company Facebook Page
The easiest way to create a singular experience for users is to keep them on Facebook. Using the company Facebook page as the landing page is a creative way to never truly remove them from Facebook, while still achieving our advertising goals. We have to be able to achieve our advertising goals from the company page. If the goals have to be achieved on a website, we are creating a longer, more complicated journey from ad to goal completion.
Candy Crush Soda is an application that is played on Facebook. Sending us to their Facebook page is obvious when the goal is for us to “Play Now on Facebook”.
Candy Crush Soda’s use of their Facebook page is an obvious choice for their landing page. However, This type of page also makes sense for brand awareness, likes and local businesses as well. Events and promotions can be advertised on their Facebook page. This strategy is ideal when the desired conversion has to be achieved offline and in-person. If the company page is updated frequently, using a Facebook page as a landing page is the ultimate harmonious experience for the Facebook user.
The Facebook Friendly Page
The Facebook friendly page is a landing page on the advertiser’s domain that references the fact that the user has just arrived from Facebook. Though it is a traditional landing page that removes the Facebook user from the interface, it tries to keep the relationship singular. Promotions, special deals and coupon codes, specific for Facebook visitors, are examples. Others include offering incentives for liking a Facebook page through raffles or one time discounts.
The Facebook friendly page openly acknowledges that the visitor is from Facebook, but gives incentive to stay on the landing page to fill out the form for special promotions or like a Facebook page.
The Congruent Page
The congruent Facebook landing page is when the trip from ad to landing page feels harmonious. This is what I like to call the obvious landing page. Whatever our ads offer should directly match what the landing page is trying to sell. The following is a fantastic example of the congruent landing page:
If I am being offered, “Separates 25% Off”, I want to see exactly that. I land on the page and there it is: 25% off!
To create a harmonious experience, we don’t want to remind the user that they had been distracted from their original purpose. Call-to-actions and headlines should directly match with our ads. This is going to create one total synchronized experience to fully distract the Facebook user from their original intent.
Final Notes
People love to talk about landing pages. As a result, there is a ton of information out there about best practices. These three are definitely not the only options for Facebook landing pages, but they demonstrate the intent behind choosing specific landing pages for Facebook campaigns that create one harmonious experience.
