We all have the same question
Every person I know who is involved in rolling out new products or services always has the same question. It's one you ask. It's one I ask. And unfortunately, it's not like the movie Field of Dreams.
If we build it, we have no idea if they'll come.
So we're left with the question: Is anyone interested in my new _________?
Isn't that what you ask? I know I do. And what's worse is that it happens less at the start. At the start, I'm confident. I know it's the right product. But as we get closer to showing it to a few people, my insides start squirming. What if I've missed the mark?
Is anyone interested?
I don't know if you still do focus groups – the kind where you're hiding on the other side of mirrored glass. I haven't done that in years. But I remember them. And I don't know if they were ever perfect, but they sure were nerve-wracking.
Is the price too high (no one ever says it's too low)? Is it missing something? Is the feedback going to highlight something I won't want to hear?
Landing Pages can Help
Thankfully, today we have some solutions that can quickly and easily allow us to gauge interest. It comes in the form of something called a landing page. A specific page, with few distractions, that we bring targeted visitors to, and the show them an offer.
Call it an offer page, a sales page, a landing page, or anything you want. It's purpose is the same: to see how many people read (or watch) what you have to say, and then take the action you'd like them to.
Sometimes it's simply a “coming soon” page that asks for your email so you can be notified.
Sometimes it's an order form, where you can give it your credit card info and place an order.
Sometimes it's in-between. But it's always a great way to evaluate how people responded.
Today's Options
While I'll be posting a deeper comparison soon, what I wanted to do today is show you a series of resources that will help you create landing pages without having to learn to code.
The point of using these options is that they'll allow you to test your market and see if you're getting the traction and conversion you want. Recently, I used a sales page to test initial interest in an upcoming eBook, collecting pre-orders.
WordPress Options
Premise – a complete plugin solution that gives you the freedom to add code if you want, or none at all. It also goes further by helping you optimize your copy, as well as giving you graphics to use that helps things look great. It even lets you create membership sites. $165
MaxInbound – another great plugin that makes it really easy to assemble your offer page. Just about anything you can create in OptimizePress, you can create with this plugin, but as a plugin (meaning the rest of your site can have it's own theme). $49
WordPress Landing Pages – a relatively new plugin that is incredibly easy to use and offers fantastic analytics, especially when you consider it's price. Yes, they've gone and lost their minds. It's free.
There are other options out there, like OptimizePress, which are powerful, no question. It offers similar features to Premise at a slightly cheaper rate ($97). But it takes over your site – unlike any of the plugins above. For that reason, I recommend the others.
Hosted Options
Now, what if you don't have a web site or don't want to put your offer page on your existing site? You do have options. There's no reason you have to install WordPress just to test your landing pages. So here are three great non-WordPress options.
- Unbounce – the leader of the pack, with great resources
- LeadPages – one of the easiest to use, with constant innovation
- Kickoff Labs – pretty awesome solution starting at FREE
Conclusion
If you want to know if your product or service is interesting to anyone, create a quick landing page and invite people to check it out. Integrate some analytics and you'll be able to see what kind of conversion you're getting.
Want more than that? A deep dive into exactly how to do it? A comparison of the WordPress plugins so you know which one is right for you? Let me know in the comments below.