HOW TO: Create a Landing Page Design Concept in 10 Minutes

It’s 4 days until the busiest week of the corporate calendar and your company is in the throws of a last-minute marketing campaign to attract new customers. Tension is high and management is prickly and nervous.

The campaign goal is to gain 500 new customers by offering a 20% iPhone discount coupon during the upcoming week.

And the meeting starts in 10 minutes…

Your first responsibility is to spend 30 seconds panicking, 20 seconds doubting your ability and 10 seconds sprinting back to your desk to find a napkin and a pen.

After wasting that first precious minute, you now have 9 minutes left, which makes my job 10% more difficult. Nonetheless, I’m here to save your rear-end. So put down your coffee, take your paper & a pen and sit down in a quiet room as we pull off something remarkable.

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The 10-Minute Landing Page Design Process

Quickly follow these 7 steps, using your gut instinct to make any critical decisions. Remember, any copy you dream up for the campaign can be revisited after consultation with the team/boss/client. At this point your goal is to construct a landing page template that tells a coherent story and is designed (in structural terms) to lead your customers to the watering hole.

1. State the primary offer in terms of the benefit to your customer

For example: “Get 20% of a new iPhone when you buy before October 16th”

2. Write a secondary line of copy to describe how they get it

“Register to receive a coupon you can print out and take to the Apple Store or use online. ”

3. Define the “hero shot” to be used

Choose from and describe: a photo, illustration, diagram, graphic, chart or series of steps that will represent the primary image for the page.

4. Write 5 simple bullet points that describe the offer

List the important characteristics covering a mix of benefits and features. Enhance the time sensitive urgency if relevant (it is in this case).

• Access the internet anywhere with the fastest iPhone ever (benefit)
• Built-in video camera (feature)
• Voice control (feature)
• Never get lost in a new city with the GPS and Compass (benefit)
• Now 20% cheaper, for one week only (urgency)

5. Write a Call to Action (CTA) that maintains the momentum of your headline

Keep it punchy and accurate: “Register for your iPhone discount coupon”

6. Do a napkin wireframe sketch

Quickly sketch out your concept in a simple wireframe on anything you have to write on. Include a footnote that says:

** This concept was produced in under 10 minutes and will become infinitely more awesome when our designers get their hands on it.

7. Prepare your elevator pitch

Write a 30-second description of everything you just accomplished in steps 1-6. It will impress the pants off anyone you discuss the campaign with. Oh, and do it in 30 seconds.

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The Campaign Meeting

Think, if you will, of the scene at the end of Staying Alive, where the girl asks John Travolta what he’s going to do next (having delivered the performance of his life only moments ago).

His answer? “I’m going to strut…”

Melodrama? Perhaps…
But 10 minutes ago all you had was a silly coupon idea.

By following the Unbounce 7-Step Landing Page Design Program, you will be able to create a framework for any landing page concept that will stand up to scrutiny. Using a structural blueprint promotes consistency and can add substance to the briefs you hand over to your designers.

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Future Uses of the 7-Step Program

This is but one example of how to fly by the seat of your pants in splendid fashion. There are many other scenarios that will present themselves throughout your work day that you can utilize to plan your next landing page, including:

• While commuting: Make use of that time on the bus or train. Caveat: don’t design and drive.
• In the bathroom: Gents, we know you take a magazine with you – try smuggling a paper and pen inside your issue of Fast Company next time. Ladies, I’m not sure if you consider working on the toilet a viable option, but it’s worth a try.
• In the bar: It shouldn’t be a complete surprise that a little alcohol can rub your creative glands the right way. If you’re going to try this, just remember the cardinal rule: Write Drunk… Edit Sober.

Here’s to being awesome.

Cheers,

– Oli Gardner

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