By John Brackett, the founder of Smash Balloon, the world’s leading social media feed plug-ins for WordPress.
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Coming soon pages are valuable tools that entrepreneurs can use to build their brand before they are ready to start selling. These pages are commonly used when someone plans to open a new business or significantly upgrade their existing online store.
The idea behind a coming soon page is simple: to build hype around your value proposition. You want as many people as possible to know that you have a new product or service coming out. The more people eagerly awaiting launch day, the better chance you’ll have of making a profit.
There are a few clever ways you can get more value from your coming soon page. Today, I want to share several strategies you can use to increase awareness, engagement and sales with your pre-sell page.
Let’s dive in!
Set Expectations
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The number one way you can add value to your coming soon page is by setting expectations. We’ve all visited a site that was close to launching yet had a very basic landing page. Surprises are nice, but you can’t expect visitors to want to stick around if you don’t talk about your product, and more importantly, how you can help your target audience reach their goals or crush pain points.
Imagine landing on a coming soon page only to see the company’s name and not much else. You’d likely say, “I don’t know who these people are or why I should care,” and move on with your day. You don’t want to put your visitors in this position.
I suggest giving people a little more information about your upcoming release. In other words, tell them why they should stick around for launch day and buy your product or service. I like including a bullet list of benefits that go over the key functions of our product and how each feature benefits our audience. You’ll also want to let your audience know what separates you from competitors in the same space.
Ask Visitors To Subscribe To Your Email List
Now that you’ve established your value proposition and set expectations, it’s time to start gathering leads. The pre-sale phase is the absolute best time to start growing your email list. If you manage to impress visitors with an exciting product and enough information to keep them engaged, you’ll begin to see more subscribers join your list.
I suggest including a simple contact form on your coming soon page. You can ask users to subscribe to get updates and exclusive promotions as you approach launch day. There are other ways you can incentivize first-time visitors to subscribe. In the past, my team and I have offered a value-packed lead magnet in exchange for signing up to a list. Similarly, you could ask all of your visitors to subscribe so they can join you for a live launch party, which you can host on social media or your actual website.
You can also use this opportunity to ask new subscribers to give you feedback. For instance, include an optional question on your signup form that encourages visitors to tell you what features they would like to see once your product or service goes live. This information can help you make informed decisions about your design and marketing process while helping generate new leads for your business.
Build Your Social Presence
Next, let’s talk about how you can use your coming soon page to build your social presence. This tip is handy if you’re launching a brand new business and want to build traction and brand awareness.
The social media channels you decide to promote will depend on your specific marketing strategy. In my experience, Facebook and YouTube are two of the best platforms out there for enhancing awareness and engagement.
Simply include clickable buttons that lead to your social media profile from your coming soon page. As visitors click-through and follow your account, they can start engaging with your brand and get updates leading up to launch day.
I’m a fan of putting out limited-time promotions and behind-the-scenes to our social media audience before a big release. This strategy will help you build excitement and get people primed to buy your product on day one.
Include A Countdown Timer
Have you ever made a split-second buying decision because you were afraid you would miss out on an offer? If so, you’re not alone. Fear of missing out (FOMO) marketing is a powerful strategy that most business owners and marketers use once their site goes live.
Essentially, this strategy involves getting visitors to make a quick decision when engaging with your company. If you’ve ever bought a product during a 24-hour flash sale, you likely experienced FOMO.
You can easily add FOMO to your coming soon page by including a countdown timer. When new visitors discover your business, they can see exactly when your site will go live.
I like using some of the previously mentioned tips with a countdown timer to see rapid growth. For instance, you could include your email subscription box below your countdown timer with text that says, “Subscribe NOW to secure your day one deals!”
There are plenty of ways you can use countdown timers to get more subscribers, followers and engagement. The key is to have a deep understanding of your target audience. Once you understand which offers will encourage visitors to take action, you can include them with a timer on your coming soon page.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are ample opportunities to grow your business from your coming soon page. The tips presented here will help you build rapport with new visitors, secure new leads and successfully launch your new product or service.
