editorial

Landing Page Framework: Things You Need to Have to Attract Your Potential Book Buyer

Irene Watson

Last week's editorial," Why I Won't Buy Your Book!" created a lot interest and questions.  Many authors were wanting to know more about creating an effective landing page so here goes:

1.  Brand.  Usually this is your logo or your author photo. The potential buyer/visitor needs to be able to identify you. The logo or photo isn't going to make the sale but it does establish credibility and the first mental image.

2.  USP (Unique Selling Proposition.) This is a simple statement about your book. It needs to clear and concise yet tells the potential reader your uniqueness.  It answers this question, "Why should I read your book and not another one?" Think relevancy.

3.  Headline. This needs to strengthen your uniqueness and be persuasive enough to peak interest in your potential reader.  This is sometimes confused with the tag line.  These are two different things.

4.  Offer. This is a clear and concise offer of your book to the potential reader. Often this is the title of the book, including the sub-title.

5.  Description.  This is your hook to the potential readers.  You must convince the potential readers why they should read your book rather than one of the hundreds of thousands of others they could choose from.  List your key features. Think unique and relevant.  Be sure it's formatted for all types of readers - this could be text, bullets, or a combination.

6.  Image.  This is your book cover.  We've often been told not to judge the book by its cover but readers do.  Does your book cover reflect the genre or content of your book?

7.  Call to Action.  You know what this means!  Yes, this is where the potential reader will buy the book.  One important thing to remember is not to give the buyers too many steps or they will go away. Your call to action could be in a form of buttons, hyperlinks, or forms.  As well, the call to action should stand out in some way so it's best to contrast with images or color.

8.  Credibility.  The potential readers need to know you are an expert in the field or you know what you are writing about. As well, you can use testimonials/reviews and media mentions. These should be placed close to the call to action.

9.  Links to More Information.  Remember last week I said you need to have reason for the potential reader to stay on your site?  Well, this is it.  Give the visitors reason to stay on your site - find out more about you, your other books, your credibility. 

10.  Support Elements.  These are part of the template and include things like copyright notice and contact information.  These don't make the sale or persuade the potential reader, but it shows you are a real person. Be sure these items are on every page.

Take a look at your landing page, and then scout around the Internet and look at other author sites, specifically authors in the same category/genre as your book. 

Does yours stand out? It certainly needs to.   I want to hear your comments. Please tell me here.

Video - What's a Landing Page?

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