White Paper Landing Pages decide whether a White Paper will be read or not. In addition, you make it possible to collect contact data of the interested parties in order to follow up later by e-mail or telephone. How do they need to be designed to optimize the conversion rate? You will learn this and much more in this article.
1. There are 2 generally different landing page designs
When it comes to white paper landing pages, there are two generally different page designs that dominate. One of them is the left-right design, the other one is the top-bottom design.
The left-right design has the landing page copy (headline, intro, bullets, call to action…) on the left side – typically making up about 2 thirds or even 3 fourths of the page width, whereas the opt-in form to put into the remaining width into its own column that typically has a distinct background color to make it stand out.
The top-bottom-design has the headline and description at the top, the opt-in-form at the bottom. Generally, the description takes up a bit more space than the opt-in form, but not always.
Now it is important to note that this distinction only applies to browsing on your laptop of course. On mobile devices those pages should (given they are mobile responsive) adjust to a top-bottom design automatically.
If you want to learn which one of the designs was more common, and which one I recommend implementing, be sure to check out the full White Paper Landing Page Study 2017.
2. The 2 most common CTAs are “Submit” and “Download Now”
You might laugh, and most analysts would probably have overlooked this aspect. But as a long-time marketer who knows how much time we really get to convince readers to take the desired step (hint: it is less than you think), I could impossibly omit this nuance.
Therefore, I took note of the Call-to-Action-Buttons being used on the landing pages, whether an opt-in had been required or not. It turns out that most companies – those using opt-in forms – are using the simple “Sending”-functionality button which changes with the browser’s language settings.
Hence, in English it would typically show “Submit”, but when changing the browser language to German, it said “Senden”. The other commonly used CTA-button was the simple and more benefit-oriented “Download Now”.
Which one is better? I don’t know. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to companies’ opt-in statistics and I am pretty sure none of them have split-tested the calls-to-action. And sure, the headline and bullet points (benefit-oriented) may be more important.
Companies using “Submit”- may have done so because it is the default button of any sending-form and they were too busy to change it. Or, rather, they wanted to make clear that contact information is being transmitted to the publisher upon checking the button, adhering to legal clarity to ensure the client is complicit with his information being submitted (a “download now” leaves out that component…).
The “Download Now” CTA, however, is more activating and in my view also “more benefit-oriented”. “What is the benefit?” you might ask. The “download” carries value with it, because it implies something I will get right away and now.
Personally, I prefer the “Download Now” option, but you should test it and pick the conversion-optimizing winner!
3. AIDA is a best-practice formula used in landing page copy.
Most likely you are familiar with the classical AIDA-formula, which lays out the general structure of any ad or marketing copy. To recap, AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.
As old as the formula is, it still holds true today. However, it is only through analyzing the White Paper Landing Pages that I understood how to best apply this formula in that context. Please note that this applies to thought leadership white papers rather than technical/product-specific white papers.
Attention: Headline
Interest: 2 Questions, facts or bold predictions
Desire: 3 benefit-oriented, promising bullet points with concrete figures
Action: Call-to-Action
The most noteworthy one is the bold prediction in the beginning that typically has an all-or-nothing touch to it. Something like
„The blockchain revolution is in full swing. Practically all large corporations are already experimenting with it or plan to do so soon. PWC predicts that the industry will grow by 429% until 2021. But how can you begin to make your company ready for the blockchain revolution?”
This is a mere example that I just made up – including the citation (NOT a fact!). You name the relevant trend, underline it with an external authority (Gardner, HBR, The Big Four, Research Institutes, Think Tanks…) and then use an all-or-nothing frame. Or you end with a question
4. Less than half of companies require an opt-in
Of the 100 companies analyzed, only 47 use white paper landing pages including an opt-in form required before the file can be downloaded.
Frankly, I was surprised. I would have expected at least 2/3 or probably 3/4. After all, companies should be able to follow up with prospects via e-mail or phone…
But maybe companies know better, or they have no well-organized lead generation and follow-up process. It may also be that we are seeing a shift in the marketplace, also in B2B marketing, that shifts from push to pull. Along the lines of Seth Godin’s concept of Permission-Based Marketing, companies have stopped aggressive follow-ups and leave it in the hands of prospects to find and contact them.
While every company has to test and see for themselves, it seems to me that following-up by phone would be necessary, as most white papers are downloaded at the beginning of the sales funnel and only-follow-up creates the contact points required to seal the deal.
But again, truth is in the numbers. Companies should split-test using opt-in and without, or making opt-in optional, and see if there is a decrease in conversion rate or not.
For the full, detailed analysis of the White Paper Landing Page Study 2017, click here to request your download now.
If you would like an experienced white paper author to support you in the creation and effective marketing of your next white paper, contact me now to discuss the next steps.