We have already mentioned at the blog what a landing page is and how you can use it to promote your language school. Today we’ll tell you what it takes to build a good landing page, one that can enhance the sales of the offer of your language school.
- Define precisely the business goals you want to attain
A landing page differs from a website of a language school in that it’s not aimed to build a brand, inform about how extensive the offer is, or impress with wealth of information. A landing page is designed to sell a specific offer, e.g. a business English course. If I know what I want to sell then the entire design of the page must be subordinated to this purpose. That’s why the purpose underlying creation of the landing page needs to be very precisely defined. As an example, if the academic year has just begun and you want to offer courses to students, make your offer and the dedicated landing page precisely match the profile of this group.
- Less is more
Each unnecessary link, each redundant graphic element, or additional password divert Internet users’ attention, distract them and enhance the risk that the deal will not be made. The “less is more” principle definitely applies in the case of landing pages. As few unnecessary elements as possible, the shortest possible form and the simplest way to make the deal – this is a recipe for an effective landing page. If it seems to you that the page is too short and provides too few pieces of information – check out what else you can leave out. Informing at the landing page about other offers is road leading straight to failure
- Use the language of benefits
Landing page is not about describing many details of the offer but about using the language of benefits by referring to emotions and demonstrating the benefits the course participants will derive from taking advantage of the offer. Instead of describing in detail the textbooks you use during a given course or bios of course instructors, show what course participants will gain – e.g. „80% of the graduates of our course passed FCE exam during first attempt”. Do not use a continuous text – bullet points or listing of major features or benefits, work best at a landing page.
- The header is the key to success
The better, shorter and more interesting the header is, the greater becomes the chance to sell the offer. E-marketing experts claim that a perfect header should be limited to six works, be concise, stand out against the competition, and contain: a number, an adjective, keywords, justification and promise. Sounds complicated? Of course and that’s why writing a good header is art and it cannot be done in five minutes. The longer you work on a header and the better you write it, the faster customers will understand the offer.
- Stand out (or die!)
There are many language schools in the marketplace. Most offers are similar. You must somehow stand out. „Classes only with native speakers” or „Textbooks included in the price” or „3 DVD films in original language version included in the price”. We can multiply examples and specific solutions will depend on the given local market – a free parking place can be a value for students in a big city. It is important to place at the landing page the information why the offer of the given school is unique and better than others.
- Call to action
Indicate what has to be done to take advantage of the offer. E.g. place a large „BUY NOW” or „BOOK A PLACE” button. Call to action (CTA) should be clear and brief. „Add the course to the cart” is an example of poor CTA. Do not use various calls to action at a single landing page, e.g. „subscribe to the newsletter” at the top of the page, and „buy a course now” below. Encourage people to take action – a good landing page is one which makes a visit end in striking a deal.
- Don’t speak on your own; let others speak
When you try to bring customers around to your offer, do not focus on what you think about it. Let your customers speak – show opinions of satisfied course participants who will say what it gave to them. Remember that we live in the 21st century and it is very easy to verify whether a given person does exist, so do not insert the opinion of one „John Smith „, but ask real students to provide opinions. If those are real persons and you provide a link to their Facebook or LinkedIn accounts, your page will be highly credible.