Landing pages are a vital part of selling your coaching program. Your leads indicate interest by clicking on your ad and then are taken to a landing page to learn more about your course. The landing page needs to tell them what to expect from working with you, overcome objections, and sell your coaching program as the answer to their problem. While we could write a book about how to craft a landing page that improves conversion rates, we thought we’d start by telling you common landing page mistakes coaches make that kill conversion rates.
Landing Page Mistake #1 – Too Many CTAs
This is by far the most common landing page mistake we see coaches make. Your landing page only has 1 job, to convert people who click on it into coaching clients. All the links on the landing page should be to the lead capture form. There should be no links elsewhere.
When your landing page sends leads elsewhere, it gives them a chance to get distracted. You want them to focus on reading your landing page and deciding whether or not they want to buy your course. This is part of the reason that landing pages are so long because they need to contain all of the information a lead needs, including a full bio and information on your approach to coaching. It can be tempting to link to pages that explain those things in detail. Don’t do it. Write out this information fresh so that it is tailored to the particular coaching program.
Another reason why this can sometimes happen is because coaches want to offer a freebie or low-cost alternative. This would allow them to still capture the warm lead even if the coaching program is not right for them or is out of their budget. We understand the logic, but that is not the job of your landing page. Instead, you can run a retargeting campaign to show the leads who didn’t purchase your coaching program ads for a relevant template or low-cost product or even a relevant lead magnet.
Landing Page Mistake # 2 – Trying to Sell to Too Many People
Your landing page needs to be laser-focused on one particular type of client and their problems. If your coaching niche is quite wide or if there are a few different reasons why your ideal coaching clients would be interested in your course, consider multiple landing pages. This is what SaaS companies do, some have up to 30 landing pages for one product.
Don’t worry, you don’t need that many for your coaching program. Still, you should segment your audience and create a landing for each audience if you are struggling to create a focused landing page.
For example, we work with coaches in a range of different industries. While there will be some general pain points that all coaches share, there will also be some industry-specific pain points and objections. Our goal as copywriters is to get inside our ideal clients’ heads and use the words they use to describe the problem. So that means that our marketing will be different for business coaches than it would be for fitness coaches.
If we were to create a course, we would identify the different types of coaches that would benefit the most from that course and write a separate landing page for each type of coach. Instead of the coach reading vague copy with qualifiers, they read landing page copy that shows them that we understand the problems they are facing and the impact those problems are having on their business. We can anticipate their needs and their questions and ensure the copy addresses them all.
The more specific and focused your landing page copy is, the more likely it is to convert. Coaching programs are high-ticket items, so it is even more important to your ideal coaching clients that they can see that you understand them and their needs. That increases their confidence that your coaching program will be able to provide them with a solution.
Of course, having multiple landing page increases the cost or time (if you are DIYing your landing page copy), so if you are on a budget, pick one type of client that would most benefit from your coaching program. Make sure they are also in the best place to afford your coaching program. You can always create another landing page for another type of client once you start profiting.
Keep in mind that the content that drives leads to your landing page also needs to be targeted to that particular type of client. (This is especially true for PPC ads, but also for free content). This allows you to get a more accurate picture of conversion so you can make changes.
Landing Page Mistake #3 – Neglecting Above the Fold
Above the fold is a term that comes from newspaper publishers. The theory is that newspapers are displayed folded in stands, so the top half of the front page is what sells papers. Websites and landing pages use the term “above the fold” to describe what a lead sees before they scroll. This is the first buy-in point. Your lead will make a decision whether they will scroll down to read more or whether they will click away and do almost anything else.
Your above the fold needs to express your most compelling benefit in language that speaks to the landing page’s target audience. Do that by identifying your target audience’s largest pain point (what keeps them up at night.) For example, if your target audience want to make more money, your above the fold heading could be “Make £1,000 in 30 days.” You will need to back this figure up with testimonials and mini case studies later in the landing page.
If you coach parents to get their kids into private school then your above the fold heading could be “Get Confirmed Private School Placement by the End of the Year.”
This formula, result + timeframe, is one of the easiest for coaches DIYing their copy and is one of the most compelling. Brainstorm your target audience’s pain points and the results they want. Your above the fold heading should have your ideal coaching clients saying, “I want that.”
Landing Page Mistake #4 – Forgetting Social Proof
Social proof is a major decision-making factor for coaching clients. They want to see what past coaching clients achieved as a result of your course and get further insights into what working with you is like. Even though we know that coaches will only share their positive testimonials, they can still use them to glean information about whether you’re a good fit.
Social proof is often testimonials, but you could also share third-party review rankings, big name clients, and as-seen in forms of social proof. Another powerful tool would be a collective achievement. For example, “Saved £1 million and counting for single mums during coaching.”
Landing Page Mistake #5 – Focusing on Features Not Benefits
You’ve heard this plenty of times before, it’s sales 101. However, here’s a simple formula to help you highlight the benefits in a way that speaks to your ideal coaching clients.
Sit down with your laptop or a notebook and make a list of all the things your ideal coaching client will be able to do after they have finished the coaching program. If it helps, start by writing the prompt “By the end of the coaching program, my clients will be able to…”
Write down everything that comes to mind, even if you don’t think a certain point is all that life-changing.
Then, pick the top 3-6. (Science shows that landing pages work best in multiples of 3 both from a copy and design perspective.) These top 3-6 are the ones that will speak to your ideal coaching clients most because they represent either:
- Solving a problem that is costly in terms of money, stress, or time
- Providing a significant improvement to their life
Next, tweak what you have written on the list to write the headline of that benefit. For example, let’s say you’re a fitness coach and a major benefit of your coaching program is that your clients will have more energy during their day. Dig into the reason why your landing page target audience wants more energy. The resulting headline may be: “Enjoy endless energy to play with your kids after work.” This creates an emotional connection to the benefit because they can see how that benefit will directly improve their life.
Do this for each benefit. Ask yourself why they want to achieve the goal connected to that benefit. Then ask yourself what the lack of that benefit means for their life currently. What is it holding them back from doing?
Under the heading, write 1-2 sentences that explain either:
- The exact results they can expect to see (use percentage improvements or numbers that past clients have achieved.)
- How your coaching program will help them to achieve that. The example we used above might explain: “Get a custom nutrition and fitness plan that lifts your energy and mood throughout the whole day. Have endless energy reserves to dedicate to your life goals and overcome any challenges you face.”
We can help you write a killer landing page (or multiple landing pages) for your coaching program. Our landing page copy packages start at £800 for 1 landing page with bulk pricing available for multiple landing pages. Contact us to discuss how we can help you fill your coaching program with your dream coaching clients.