The most successful sales people use storytelling to effectively communicate the value of their products or services. Rather than making cold calls and running through a scripted pitch about all of the great things their product or service can do, they have learned that asking meaningful questions that shine a light on a problem or concern (that the prospect may not even know they have) is the most impactful way to create interest and maybe even urgency.
So what does this have to do with the concept of using storytelling to build landing pages that sell? We’ll get there.
To get us thinking about things in a slightly more familiar way, let’s imagine that you’re at an active networking event, and someone asks, “What do you do?” For many, the instinct is to say your name, share your job title, use a little smart-sounding industry jargon and do your best to impress. The problem is, nobody in the room really cares about you. They care about themselves and they care about the ways you may be of value to them as a part of their network.
Now imagine instead, you share your name, where you work, and then show genuine interest in them. You ask questions with authenticity, diving deeper into who they are and what they’re trying to accomplish in their professional lives. Then you deftly begin weaving in information (the heart of great storytelling) about what you do in a way that helps them almost see themselves as the hero overcoming their biggest challenges…with your help.
This is not just idle chit-chat; it’s a skill. Storytelling breathes life into what might otherwise be dry facts about you and your business. It connects on a human level because we’re wired to connect stories, and we’re wired to connect with people—the best sales people have learned how to merge those two priorities.
Landing pages that sell have been built with the same concepts in mind. Let’s dig in.
Table Of Contents:
- The Three-step Story Telling Framework For Landing Pages that Sell
- Step One: Build Your Narrative Around “The Problem”
- Step Two: Present Your Solution (“With A [Your Solution], you do B [Action], and C happens [Desired Outcome].”
- Step Three: Invite Engagement (“Is that something you’d like to learn more about?”)
- FAQs in Relation to Crafting Landing Pages that Sell
- Wrapping Up
The Three-step Story Telling Framework For Landing Pages that Sell
We all know dry facts and figures don’t exactly light up most people’s eyes at a party. So why bore potential customers with them? A great business narrative does more than just share what you do; it paints an emotional picture. When done right, stories let others walk in your customers’ shoes—feeling their pain points melt away thanks to your solution.
Step One: Build Your Narrative Around “The Problem”
To begin mapping your narrative effectively, landing pages that sell start where every good story does—with the problem. That snag everyone hits but haven’t figured how to completely untangle. Perhaps, they’ve figured out some type of lacking “work-around”, but they haven’t been able to truly solve the problem…until now.
Building your landing page strategy around the “problem” has become the foundation for great marketing; 69% of successful marketers use storytelling strategically.
Next up in landing pages that sell, is art of presenting your hero—your product—as the knight in shining armor swooping in to fix things fast, without bogging down clients with tech jargon or complex processes.
Identifying the Problem (“You know when…”)
The first step in the storytelling process build common ground with the potential customer. To do that, we establish the status quo by telling them something about themselves that rings true. This can be a simple declaration (“Managing a Restaurant is Hard”) or a more thoughtful question (“How much time do you waste doing payroll?”). In either case, we use this step to establish that we can related to something that is unique to the target customer.
When it comes to driving a return on your digital marketing budget, the first few seconds a visitor spends on your landing page are critical. Landing pages that sell use these first moments that you have to find a way to forge an immediate connection. There’s no better way to do this than by tapping into a universal truth in marketing: empathy. At its core, empathy is about understanding and addressing your audience’s pain points.
Clickup.com Landing Page
Landing Pages that Sell Identify The Problem Quickly
Before a potential customer cares about your solution, they need to feel understood. By identifying and articulating a core problem, you’re not just grabbing their attention; you’re building rapport. This approach shifts the focus from selling a product or service to solving a customer’s issue. It’s a subtle, yet powerful distinction.
Crafting the Problem Statement
It’s impossible to craft an impactful problem statement without having a deep understanding of your target audience. What challenges do they face? What frustrates them about current solutions in the market? What are they doing to “work around” the problems they have right now? In what ways are these workarounds lacking? This knowledge isn’t just about demographics, it’s about getting into the mindset of your potential customers. There are many tactics to learn more about your audience. To start, you might check out SaaSQL’s article that covers 7 Powerful Customer Research Techniques.
Once you’ve honed in on a specific problem, articulate it in a way that resonates. This could be a question or a statement that encapsulates their struggle. For example, for a productivity app, you might start with, “Frustrated by endless to-do lists that never seem to get done?” This immediately signals to your visitor that you understand their struggle. Other examples of problem statements:
“It’s frustrating when pain stops you from making progress. It feels like a constant setback.”
“With so many demands for your time, managing finances can be stressful.”
“In the restaurant industry, over 20% of owners struggle with efficient payroll management.”
In each case, crafting an impactful problem statement acknowledges the concerns that guides the target customer to websites like yours.
The Power of Using Questions as a Problem Statement
Statements are great, but the right question can evoke an emotional response, prompting the visitor to think, “Yes, that’s exactly how I feel!” This moment of connection is pivotal. It’s not just about stating the problem; it’s about guiding the reader to state the problem themselves, which will always elicits a stronger emotional reaction.
Easyknock.com Landing Page
The right question in your problem statement is much more than a mere collection of words; it’s a strategic tool that engages the visitor’s mind and emotions. The effectiveness of this question hinges on its ability to resonate deeply with your audience. It should be relevant, relatable, and reflective of a common experience or pain point.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if the clothes you buy online always fit?”
“Why are healthy foods so much more expensive than junk food?”
“How do you ensure work-life balance when working from home?”
“Do you often find yourself spending weekends buried in paperwork instead of enjoying time with family?”
This initial engagement is crucial because it sets the tone for the rest of the landing page. It’s your opening act, leading the visitor on a journey where they see themselves in the narrative you’re about to unfold. The problem statement shouldn’t be a dead-end; it should be an inviting path leading to the solution you offer.
BambooHR Landing Page
Evoking an Emotional Response
This technique not only highlights the core issue (your’e trying to illuminate) but it also invites the reader to dive deeper into their own experiences. In this way it fosters a more profound connection with the subject. In a world where attention is fleeting, fragmented and information is abundant, the ability to shift from “pitching” or even teaching, to focus on language that engages emotionally through well-posed questions is an important skill. When a visitor reads this question, it should strike a chord, making them feel as though you’re speaking directly to them. For instance, if your product is a financial planning tool, asking, “Overwhelmed by the complexity of managing your finances?” can instantly connect with an individual struggling with financial organization.
Creating a Sense of Urgency
A well-crafted question also subtly creates a sense of urgency. It highlights the problem in a way that makes the visitor feel the need for a solution now. This urgency is not about pressure; it’s about highlighting the immediacy of their problem and, consequently, the need for your solution.
SAP Concur Landing Page
Encouraging Self-Reflection
A powerful question encourages self-reflection. It should make your visitors pause and think about their situation, recognizing the problem in their own lives. This moment of introspection is crucial – it’s where the visitor transitions from a passive reader to an active participant in the narrative you’re weaving.
Landing pages that sell turn passive readers into active participants. They paves the way for a more meaningful and impactful exchange of ideas. Ultimately, they put you and your target customer on the same side of the equation, turning your landing page message into a shared experience.
Across every industry, problem statement questions are at the center of landing pages that sell.
Real World Examples of Problem Identification
Let’s talk shop with some real-world examples. There was once company that made the most in-demand phones for business professionals. They loved it. They flocked to it. On June 28th of 2007 they would have said they couldn’t live without it. When Apple announced the iPhone would be released on June 29th, Blackberry scoffed: “nobody’s going to be interested in a phone that doesn’t have a keyboard.”
Of course, we know how it all played out. Apple articulated a series of problems that consumers didn’t even realize they had. They asked questions that consumers had silently been asking themselves. In the end, Blackberry was wrong. People were more than happy to exchange a keyboard to have the myriad problems the iPhone solved.
In another instance, consider how Airbnb flipped the script on travel accommodation woes through storytelling about belonging anywhere—not merely booking rooms but creating homes away from home around the globe (Airbnb’s mission statement). By illuminating not only physical discomforts of staying in cold hotels, but also emotional ones—like feeling alien in new places—they connected deeply with travelers’ desires for authentic experiences.
Facilitating a Smooth Transition to the Solution
Lastly, the question should smoothly transition the visitor to your solution. It’s the bridge between acknowledging the problem and introducing your product or service as the solution. The question, therefore, should not only highlight the problem but also set the stage for the resolution that you are about to present.
Key Takeaway:
When building landing pages that sell, think of your customers’ problems like sealed bottles they can’t open—show them you understand and offer a solution. Just as Airbnb transformed travel with stories of belonging, your business should turn customer frustrations into tales of triumph.
Step Two: Present Your Solution (“With A [Your Solution], you do B [Action], and C happens [Desired Outcome].”
Once the problem has been identified and the visitor’s attention captured, the next pivotal step in creating a landing page that sells, is to present your solution. This is where the narrative shifts from empathizing with the problem to offering a tangible resolution. In other words, it’s time to introduce your product or service as the hero of the story. This should be done in a manner that’s both clear and appealing. The introduction of your solution should feel like a natural progression from the problem, seamlessly bridging the gap between the visitor’s needs and what you offer.
Explaining How It Works (The Action)
Transparency is key in explaining how your solution works. Landing pages that sell avoid jargon or overly technical language. The goal here is to make it easy for your audience to understand how your product / service will improve their lives. An example: if your solution is a project management tool, explain how it simplifies task delegation and enhances team collaboration. It’s about showing the visitor how your solution supports their lives, in a practical, user-friendly manner.
Flexe Logistics Landing Page
Highlighting the Desired Outcome
The most important aspect of presenting your solution is illustrating the desired outcome or benefit. It’s not just that your audience are buying a product or service, they’re investing in an experience or result. For these reasons, it’s critical to focus on the transformation or improvement that your solution will provide. For example, instead of simply stating that your software manages finances, emphasize how it specifically addresses their core concerns. “We help bring peace of mind by automating budget tracking and reducing financial errors.”
You want customers nodding along thinking, “Yes! That’s exactly what I need.” Start by breaking down complex ideas into bite-sized morsels people can easily digest. Let me tell you about SaaSQL – through a combination of A.I. technology and expert campaign execution, we help businesses spend a lot less on marketing.” Ultimately, there may be a time and place to explain our technology, or the way we “expertly execute” campaigns, but first we need to help our target customers envision a future outcome that doesn’t require a masters in marketing.
Benefits Over Features
World-class sales people learned a long time ago that “features tell, but benefits sell”. The same rule is in play when it comes to crafting landing pages that sell.
While it’s important to incorporating the features of your product or service (as supporting elements), the primary focus should be on the benefits. People are more interested in what the product can do for them rather than its specifications. For example, if you’re selling an advanced vacuum cleaner, rather than just listing its technical features, highlight how it makes cleaning effortless and enhances the living environment.
Using Compelling Visuals and Testimonials
Support your solution with compelling visuals and testimonials. Visual aids like infographics or videos can help explain complex solutions in an easily digestible format. You might incorporate “before and after” photos for a skin-care product, or an explainer video for an education app. Testimonials and success stories provide social proof, demonstrating the effectiveness of your solution in real-world scenarios.
You might include a quote from a satisfied customer who explains how your time-management tool helped them to achieve a better work-life balance, or a short video clip from a business owner discussing how your digital marketing service increased their online sales.
Design Pickle Case Study
An evolution of simple testimonials, and some of the most powerful elements of landing pages that sell, are case studies. Here you might present a detailed overview of a company that used your software to streamline their operations, complete with statistics, like increased efficiency percentages or time saved. While the specific example can vary from industry to industry, the format is generally pretty consistent: “How the customer was getting along with out us”, “What we did to help them”, and “How their life changed after we helped.” This is where the statistics we previously decided to forego can really shine. Why? Here, your performance data is humanized, it’s relatable. Most importantly, it has a real purpose.
Step Three: Invite Engagement (“Is that something you’d like to learn more about?”)
Landing Pages that sell application: End the presentation of your solution with a strong, clear Call to Action (CTA). The CTA should encourage the visitor to take the next step, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a trial, or contacting your team for more information.
The CTA should be prominent and aligned with the solution presented, reinforcing the action you want the visitor to take.Instead of a generic “Buy Now” or “Sign Up,” your CTA should reinforce the problems you’ve articulated and the solutions you’ve illuminated, encouraging engagement based on the complete story you’ve told. For instance, “Ready to simplify your life? Learn more about our solution today!” This step should provoke curiosity and nudge visitors towards taking the next step, whether it’s subscribing, purchasing, or contacting you for more information.
Examples of Powerful CTAs in Landing Pages That Sell
Example for a Fitness App:
Problem: “Tired of complicated diet plans and ineffective workouts?”
Solution: “With our EasyFit App, select your goals and get a personalized plan that adjusts to your progress, ensuring effective results.”
CTA: “Want a fitness journey that adapts to you? Discover your path to success now!”
Example for an Online Course Platform:
Problem: “Overwhelmed by the sheer number of irrelevant courses in your field?”
Solution: “Our platform CuratedLearn offers courses tailored to your career goals, taught by industry experts, enhancing your skills efficiently.”
CTA: “Ready for focused learning? Explore courses tailored for you today.”
Your CTA is the the clear moment in which you’re asking for action on your landing page. It should be crafted with as much care as everything else you’ve produced. Ultimately, you should ensure that it is clear and compelling and effectively guides the visitor towards your desired action. Remember in the end, the CTA is where the success of your landing page is measured, so treat it like the vital element of your digital marketing strategy that it is.
Key Takeaway:
Think about your CTAs as the concluding chapter to the story you’ve been telling your prospective customer. Landing pages that sell use “Learn More” or “Sign Up” buttons as the last chance to reinforce the value of their solutions.
FAQs in Relation to Crafting Landing Pages that Sell
What are the 3 Steps in the Storytelling Framework for Landing Pages that Sell?
Step 1: Build your narrative around “the problem”. Step 2: Present your Solution. Step 3: Invite engagement.
How do you weave a powerful story within your landing page?
Landing pages that sell thrive by shining a light on something your target customer may not even be considering can be fixed. The most powerful problem statements begin with an educated question.
How can I learn more about my target customer?
There are many free and paid resources that can tell you more about your target customer. SaaSQL has several resources available in our Research & Reading section.
Wrapping Up
Remember, weaving effective storytelling into your landing page is about more than pitching your product or service. It’s a comprehensive method that focuses on helping your target customer sell themselves. Your narrative enables them to recognize their own needs, while establishing your brand as a welcome solution that will make their lives better. It’s about connecting at a truly human level.
At it’s core, creating landing pages that sell is about empathy…with a dash of technique. In the end, it means that your request to engage isn’t really a sales pitch at all. It’s an invitation to partner in problem solving. It’s something you’ll find your target customer is far more likely to do.
*To learn more about other low cost marketing tactics, click the link.
