Psychology Based Copywriting Tricks for Your Landing Page

Landing page success is attributed to many factors, most involving a psychological approach to the copy and design. As a seasoned web professional, I can tell you that without a bit of understanding of how the human mind works, you will have a hard time creating engaging copy. Here are some of the tricks that I have found to be the most valuable in creating a quality landing page.

The Power of 3, 5, & 7

When I first found out that the human brain is best as processing information in parts, I started applying this to landing pages, email campaigns, and essays that I wrote. Seven is the magic number, and the typical mind best absorbs copy that is broken into sections. Anything more than 9 becomes more difficult. This works in segmenting copy as well as lists and headlines (i.e. “7 Ways to Make Sure Your Head is in the RIght Place”).

Information broken down in this way gets more engagement because it is easier to process. Make it easier on your readers and keep information to nine parts or less. You can save any additional necessary information for another page. You also might be interested in Writing Evergreen Content – for more copy-writing tips.

Color Psychology

A reader’s mind is going to process colors in very specific ways. It can, in some cases vary, but colors seem to have specific emotional appeal, and serve various functions by association. For example, red is known to stimulate a sense of urgency. Also, contrasting colors provide ease of readability. So, when writing out your landing page text, research color psychology and integrate a bit of design theory. Proper utilization of color will provide a world of difference to your page’s engagement level.

Emotions that Sell

There is a range of emotions that sells, some positive and some negative. One thing I can tell you is that even though negative feelings, due to something about the message you’re delivering, can convert to sales, partnered with poor UX or frustration about some aspect of your business or website do not. A negative plus a negative is never a good sum in copywriting for landing pages. If you’re working on a site that still needs some improvement design-wise, only use positive emotional triggers.

Some of the most widely used emotions to trigger in sales are shame, pride, envy, altruism, fear, and greed. Apple has let the reader know that by buying their new iPhone 6S, he or she will be able to “do things that were never possible before,” triggering pride. Learning ways to flip these feeling switches with your words is going to pay off in the long run. Study up on this topic including paying attention to how you feel when reading other landing pages

You also need to read “Writers take note: Principles of Design“.

Your LPO Strategy

As with all elements of business, you should have a Landing Page Optimization (LPO) strategy. This should include your business and website objectives, market research, and an official plan for implementing your ideas to generate conversions. The trick here is in the market research portion. Once you know your target market, you should get as deep into their minds as you can. Find out what your customers want, then deliver it.

Magic happens when companies conduct market research. A great example of this is what REI is doing right now with their #optoutside campaign. They have been listening to their anti-consumerist customers complain about the chaos of Black Friday sales. Rather than offer them bargains again this year, they are closing the doors for the day and asking readers to join them (in spirit of course) outside. This is working as the campaign, that is simple and ingenious, is going viral. We have yet to see what happens to their profits, but it’s likely that they will increase, all because this co-op decided to conduct thorough market research and deliver what the customer wanted.

Like other strategies, you should leave room for analysis and improvement. Include dates (monthly, quarterly, yearly, etc.) for analyzing your success and making adjustments to the plan based on your insights. If you are working with a team, make sure everyone is briefed on each version of the plan as it is developed.

Take the discussion further by checking our Modern Landing Page examples.

Conclusion

By implementing the power of 3, 5, and 7, color theory, emotional triggers, and giving your customers what they’re asking for, you should see strides in the engagement on your landing pages. The psychology based tricks sell because they provide real value and ease to your readers. Trying these maneuvers for yourself and share your thoughts in the comments.

Finally, consider your actions after you’ve published your pages (writing is not enough).