B2B Landing Page Basics

Call them landing pages, gateways, verticals—whatever—we’ve written on this topic extensively—and even built a landing page about landing pages (meta, right?). However, similar to businesses we help everyday, we’re a little too close to this subject and tend to glaze over the fundamentals. So, we’re taking a step back and going over some introductory landing page tactics aimed at targeting businesses, rather than direct to consumers.

What is a B2B landing page?

It’s true to say that the last few years has brought an incredible level of change to the B2B marketplace. In particular, it’s important to understand how building B2B business leads have evolved. What used to be a traditional offline process is now something that occurs online the majority of the time. This is how B2B companies search for businesses that they want to work with. Like everyone else, their search will often begin with a search engine.

There are two forms of lead generation that you should be aware of when working in the B2B industry. These are content marketing and conversion offers. This all begins with selecting a target audience that a company is aiming to sell to. Once a target audience has been selected, a content marketing strategy will be put in place. This content will include a call to action which will link to a landing page.

The landing page is the last thing a lead will see before they are converted and guided to becoming customer who will pay for a product or service. A landing page is essentially an online ad. It will provide more information for the offer that is being pushed towards a potential new lead or target consumer. The ad will answer the issue that a customer has and entice them to buy, leading to a conversion. If a landing page isn’t getting conversions, it’s not working effectively and is completely useless.

B2B vs B2C landing pages

There are various similarities between a B2B landing page and one that is used by a B2C company. For instance, both want to attract leads and are designed to establish a conversion. To do this, both will have targeted content as well as a secure site and a high-quality layout. It is here that the similarities end because the content that is actually on the landing page is very different.

The majority of B2B landing pages won’t focus on the product but rather the brand itself and mind leadership. Essentially, it’s the digital equivalent of asking a client out to lunch, shaking hands and building the groundwork for a solid relationship. It’s true to say that the B2B cycle for conversions is also different. Landing pages don’t have to be used to push a specific product or purchase. Instead, they need to get the contact ready for a future conversion at a later time.

How to optimize your B2B landing page

There are a few ways that you can optimize a landing page for better B2B conversions. For instance, you can start by thinking about the title or headline. This should relate directly to the original pitch that caused the contact to click on the initial call to action. If you don’t do this, you might lose the contact because they will no longer think the page is relevant to them. That’s why there should be a unique landing page for each type of ad that you have online. For instance, you might have landing pages for each individual region. But it’s not enough to just show them that the message is relevant to them.

You have to prove the validity and you can do this by adding facts, figures, statistics. This should be clear information that a contact can essentially take to the bank, rather than false promises. You should also identify your business as a leader in the industry. This can be accomplished with a range of different wording from “number one seller” to “top business in…”

Ultimately, you have to make sure that you are showing them why they should care. You need to prove to them that this pitch is personally interesting and good for them, no one else. Once you have done this, you then need to show them what to do next and make sure you maintain their interest with actionable content. This could be downloading a white paper or an e-book.

Remember you will only have about three seconds to convert your lead. Make it count by hitting them hard with the headline and using eye-catching, interesting imagery.

If you are still having issues with getting conversions, look into A-B testing. With A-B testing, it’s possible to run two versions of the same landing page and change a small detail in one. Everything else should be the same. By doing this, you can see whether that seemingly insignificant detail might be impacting conversions and you could be surprised. Studies show anything from a picture to the color of a graphic can be enough to put off a contact from converting.