Sales Pages and Landing Pages: What’s The Difference?
Alright, it’s time to tackle the marketing myth on one of the most commonly asked questions I get as a copywriter…. “What’s the difference between sales pages and landing pages?” If you’ve ever found yourself wondering the same thing, trust me, you’re not alone.
Today, I’m pulling back the curtain on this easily-confused duo, so grab a cup of coffee (or a cup of tea if that’s your jam), and get cozy. We’re about to dive deep into all things sales and landing pages and eliminate the confusion once and for all. Ready? Let’s get started!
Understanding the Purpose of a Sales Page
At the risk of stating the obvious, the purpose of a sales page is… to make sales. Typically, it’s a page designed specifically to sell your online course, product, or membership. Technically speaking, a sales page is a specific type of landing page, but I think it’s much easier to understand if we separate them out completely, so that’s how I’ll break it down for you here.
The basic concept is that a sales page is a web page that is specifically designed to grab the attention of potential customers, present a compelling offer, and ultimately guide them toward taking a specific action, like making a purchase or signing up for a membership.
The main goal of a sales page is to engage your target audience, communicate the value of your product or service, and convince them to take the desired action (aka buy the thing). If you’re not sure where to start on creating a sales page, or you want to see how yours stacks up, make sure to grab my free sales page guide to help you through the process!
Grabbing Attention and Engaging Potential Customers
Sales pages are crafted to captivate visitors from the moment they land on the page. With attention-grabbing headlines, persuasive storytelling, and engaging visuals, sales pages aim to draw potential customers in and keep them hooked throughout their journey on the page.
The main thing you want readers to do is read through the page and take action. You do NOT want them getting distracted, clicking on other posts or sections of your website, or leaving the page. That’s why sales page best practices include removing the header, email opt-ins, and any pop-ups from the sales page. Make sure to check out this post all about headlines to learn even more about how to grab your reader’s attention in an engaging, authentic way.
Presenting a Compelling Offer and Showcasing Benefits
Once you have their attention, the next step is to present your compelling offer in a way that clearly communicates the benefits and value your product or service brings to their lives. By highlighting the unique selling points and demonstrating how your offering can solve their problems or make a real difference in their lives, you create a persuasive case for taking action WITHOUT being spammy or “too salesy.”
One of the best ways to do this is by showing your audience specific examples rather than just telling them how great your offer is. To see this in action, check out my sales page for the Creative Copy Club membership.
Encouraging a Specific Call to Action
The ultimate goal of a sales page is to convert visitors into customers. That’s why you need to make sure you incorporate strong calls-to-action (CTAs) throughout the page. You want to sprinkle buy buttons throughout the page so that people who do want to buy your product and don’t necessarily want to read your whole sales page can easily do so.
A great way to encourage action authentically is to use varying kinds of button copy (the words on your buttons). So instead of just saying “subscribe” or “buy now,” try using copy that says things like “Hand it over!” or “I need this!” This is going to grab your visitors’ attention and get them excited about their decision to make a purchase from you.
Exploring the Power of Landing Pages
One of the key differences between sales pages and landing pages is that while a sales page is optimized to make sales, a landing page is optimized toward a specific conversion goal, like getting people on your email list by having them sign up for a free resource, a challenge, or a waitlist. There are many different types of landing pages… an opt-in page or a lead capture page are examples of landing pages that you’ve probably seen before.
Here are other examples of different types of landing pages:
- Lead Generation Landing Page: Designed to capture leads by offering valuable content, such as e-books, guides, webinars, or newsletters, in exchange for contact information.
- Click-Through Landing Page: Intended to warm up visitors and pre-sell them before leading them to the main product or service page for conversion.
- Product Launch Landing Page: Specifically designed to create buzz and excitement around a new product or service before its official launch.
- Coming Soon Landing Page: Used to inform visitors about an upcoming product, service, or website launch and allow them to subscribe for updates.
- Webinar Registration Landing Page: Aimed at getting attendees to register for a webinar by highlighting its benefits and key details.
- App Download Landing Page: Encourages users to download a mobile app and showcases its features and benefits.
- Event Registration Landing Page: Used to collect registrations and RSVPs for events, conferences, or workshops.
- Thank You Landing Page: Displays a thank-you message or confirmation after a visitor has completed a specific action, such as a purchase or form submission.
- Free Trial Landing Page: Encourages visitors to sign up for a free trial of a product or service to experience its value before committing to a purchase.
- Squeeze Page: Designed to collect email addresses from visitors quickly, often by offering a free resource or access to exclusive content.
- 404 Error Landing Page: Customized page that displays when a visitor tries to access a non-existent or broken link, guiding them back to relevant content or offering a way to contact support.
- Social Media Landing Page: Tailored pages for specific social media campaigns or advertisements, providing a seamless and relevant experience for visitors coming from social platforms (think of sites like Linktree, TapBio, Campsite, Milkshake, etc. I make my own on my website instead of using a third-party service. You can see my example here.).
Landing pages also help build brand awareness and can further establish authority for your online presence. You can also optimize your landing pages for search engines to increase discoverability, whereas you typically don’t worry about that with a sales page because, typically, organic search traffic isn’t a big driver of sales (selling to a “cold” audience is always much more difficult, but that’s a topic for another post!).
Creating Focused Entry Points for Your Target Audience
Landing pages serve as entry points to your sales funnel, providing a seamless and targeted experience for your audience. Landing pages are designed to address the specific needs and interests of your target audience. By aligning your landing page with a particular marketing campaign, you can create a tailored experience that speaks directly to the pain points and desires of your potential customers, increasing the chances of conversion.
At its core, the home page on your website is technically a landing page as well. It’s where people “land” when they discover your online business, and it’s a place where you can show what you’re all about and guide them to take the next step with you.
Generating Leads and Capturing Contact Information
One of the primary objectives of a landing page is lead generation. By offering valuable resources, exclusive content, or helpful offers, you can encourage visitors to provide their email addresses in exchange for this valuable resource. That way, you can continue to connect with them and nurture the relationship inside their inbox going forward.
Nurturing Relationships and Guiding Visitors Toward Conversion
Landing pages are effective tools for building relationships with potential customers. By providing relevant and valuable information, showcasing the benefits of your product or service, and maintaining a clear focus on the conversion goal, you can nurture trust and confidence, ultimately increasing the likelihood of conversion.
As an entrepreneur, understanding the differences and unique benefits of sales pages and landing pages will help you make an informed decision on which approach aligns best with your specific goals and target audience. Knowing your target audience is absolutely key for crafting copy that connects and converts. If you’re not sure how to do that, make sure to join my free Facebook group, Creative Copywriting for Entrepreneurs, where we talk about this all the time!
Crafting Effective Sales Pages
Writing persuasive and compelling sales pages is a skill that can significantly impact your conversion rates when done well. But one of the biggest hang-ups entrepreneurs face when crafting sales pages is worrying about sounding too pushy or “salesy.”
You won’t have to worry about that anymore when you infuse the convert principles of the Connect + Convert™ Framework. In this section, we’ll explore the key components of a sales page, and how to weave these elements in to make your copy pop without sounding like a used-car salesman.
Key Components of a Sales Page
Your sales page is your product’s time to shine. You spent tons of time working on it, right? And you know it’s going to help your audience. Now, it’s your job to show them how by providing in-depth information, building trust, and making a persuasive (but not pushy) case for your product or service. Let’s explore the essential components that contribute to an effective sales page.
Attention-Grabbing Headline and Engaging Introduction
The headline is the first impression your sales page makes on potential customers. Craft attention-grabbing headlines and subheadings that pique curiosity and encourage readers to keep scrolling.
Follow it with an engaging introduction that captivates their interest and sets the tone for the rest of the page. Don’t forget, the role of every line of copy is to get people to read the next line… and the headline starts it all off!
Pro Tip: Don’t write the headline first, write it last! It will be much easier to write once you’ve already gotten in the flow of writing your sales page and really honing in on your messaging.
Presenting the Transformation and Benefits
Clearly communicate how your product or service can transform the lives of your customers. Highlight the specific benefits they can expect to receive and how it addresses their pain points. Use examples and storytelling as often as you can to really show your audience the transformation and not just tell them about it (think specific over vague!).
Show them how their lives can be improved, whether it’s through saving time, increasing productivity, achieving success, or overcoming obstacles. Make the transformation tangible and desirable.
You also want to highlight the value they will gain and how their lives will be improved, but above all, be HONEST about it! We don’t ever want people buying from us from a place of fear. Instead, we want to empower them to make the decision that feels best for them.
Be sure to also showcase the solutions your product or service provides. Clearly communicate the benefits and advantages it offers and how it addresses the pain points and challenges your audience faces. Highlight the unique selling points and emphasize why your offering is the best choice.
Overcoming Objections and Building Trust
Address common objections or concerns your potential customers may have. Anticipate their doubts and fears and provide reassuring answers that alleviate their hesitations. Incorporate testimonials, case studies, or social proof to build trust and credibility. This helps potential customers trust your offering and boosts their confidence in making a purchase.
Highlight the value your product or service brings. Clearly communicate the advantages it offers over alternatives and explain why it’s worth the investment. Emphasize the return on investment and the long-term benefits they can enjoy by choosing your offering.
Strong Call-to-Action and Urgency
Guide your readers towards taking the desired action with a strong and clear call-to-action. Use action-oriented language like “I’m in!” or “Sign me up!”. Reinforce the benefits and value they will receive by taking that specific action in your copy as well.
Crafting an effective sales page requires a combination of compelling storytelling, clear benefits, and persuasive language. By incorporating the principles of the Connect + Convert™ Framework, you can create sales pages that truly connect with your audience and drive conversions.
And to make the entire sales page process easier, be sure to grab my free sales page guide to help you lay out the entire page to maximize conversions and help to shape your copy.
Here’s an example of my favorite sales page I’ve written so far:
The Creative Copy Club Membership: https://andreafrey.co/membership
Designing Impactful Landing Pages
Landing pages play a crucial role in capturing leads, guiding visitors toward specific conversion goals, and nurturing relationships with your audience. In this section, we’ll explore the key elements of a high-converting landing page and how to align them with the connect principles of the Connect + Convert™ Framework.
Elements of a High-Converting Landing Page
To design a landing page that effectively captures leads and encourages conversions, you’ll need to make sure you have the following key elements:
Clear and Concise Headline with a Strong Value Proposition
Your landing page’s headline should be clear, concise, and captivating. It should immediately communicate the value proposition and capture the attention of your target audience. Clearly state what they will gain or achieve by taking the desired action. ICYMI, check out this post on headlines to really hone this skill.
Brief Introduction and Relevance to Target Audience
Provide a brief introduction to whatever it is you’re wanting them to sign up for that clearly shows them why it’s relevant and valuable. Clearly communicate how the thing you are telling them about will address their specific needs or pain points. Use language that speaks directly to their desires and motivations without being predatory, but rather encouraging.
Be sure to write in a personable and conversational tone throughout your landing page copy. Speak directly to your target audience as if you were having a casual chat over coffee. Use everyday language, avoid jargon, and be relatable to build a genuine connection.
Highlighting the Specific Goal and Benefits
Clearly outline the specific goal or desired outcome for the action you want them to take. This could be signing up for a freebie, downloading an e-book, or registering for a workshop, for example. Highlight exactly how signing up will benefit them using as specific language as you can.
Call-to-Action for a Specific Action
Include a clear and prominent call-to-action (CTA) that prompts visitors to take the desired action. Use action-oriented language that conveys a sense of urgency and encourages them to act now. Make sure the CTA button stands out visually and is easily clickable.
Infuse your copy with encouragement and positivity to motivate action. Use persuasive language to instill confidence and excitement, inspiring them to seize the opportunity without ever making them feel bad about themselves or act out of fear.
Trust Indicators and Testimonials (If Possible)
If you have these, you can display them to help your audience feel more confident in their decision to move forward with whatever you’re asking them to sign up for. You can display logos of reputable partners or clients, showcase any relevant certifications or awards, or include testimonials from satisfied customers.
These elements build credibility and trust to help increase conversion, but if you don’t have them, just leave this part out for now and add them in later. It’s more important to get your landing page out into the world than it is to wait for testimonials!
Optimized Form and Contact Information
If your landing page includes a form for lead capture, keep it simple and concise. Only ask for the essential information you need (like first name and email address… unless you really need their last name and phone number, don’t ask!). Make the form user-friendly and optimize it for easy completion.
Embracing Authenticity and Rejecting Pushy Tactics
Stay true to your brand voice and maintain authenticity in your messaging. Avoid resorting to pushy or aggressive sales tactics. Instead, focus on providing genuine value and building trust. Make it clear that your intention is to help and support them, not pressure them into a decision. (I know I’ve said this already, but trust me, it’s THAT important!)
Here’s an example of one of my landing pages:
The Connect + Convert™ Framework: https://andreafrey.co/connect/
By incorporating these elements and principles into your landing pages, you can create a compelling and persuasive user experience that builds connections while also driving conversions (usually in the form of sign-ups).
Choosing the Right Page for Your Business
Choosing between sales pages and landing pages depends on your specific business goals and the nature of your product or service.
My super simple rule of thumb is this: if you’re selling something… sales page. If you’re offering something for free (i.e. a workshop, a lead magnet, an eBook, a training video, etc) where you just need their contact info… landing page.
Don’t overthink this! It really is that simple.
Conclusion: Connecting, Converting, and #Winning
Whew, we’ve covered a lot in this post! I hope by this point you feel comfortable spotting the differences between a sales page and a landing page and have a strong sense of when to use one over the other.
No matter which page you’re writing, always remember that writing copy that converts is not about being pushy or salesy. It’s about making genuine connections, understanding your audience, and providing valuable solutions.
By following the principles of the Connect + Convert™ Framework and embracing authenticity, you can write copy that truly resonates with your target audience and drives the success of your business. And the best part? When you do things this way, you won’t have to worry about sounding too pushy or salesy, no matter what you’re writing.
To your success,
Andrea
