How to Make a Great First Impression On Your Landing Page: 7 Tips to Try

Did you know that it only takes a tenth of a second to make a first impression on your landing page?

In other words, when you meet someone for the first time, you need to be on your game from the very beginning. This includes being aware of everything from the words you choose to the body language you convey.

Whether you’re meeting new connections, team members, potential employers, or customers, I’ve put together a list of tips designed to help you put your best foot forward and make a killer first impression. It is the same way to work on your landing page.

7 Tips for Making a Great First Impression

1) Pay attention to your body language and posture.

Effective body language goes beyond simply standing up straight and having a firm handshake — although those things are definitely important, too. When you’re meeting someone for the first time, keep an open posture (don’t tightly cross your arms or legs), lean in when you talk, and don’t be afraid to take up some space at the table. These nonverbal cues can make a powerful subconscious impact, so be aware of your body language and posture during meetings in general, but particularly initial pitches or interviews.

What behaviors should you aim to avoid? It’s smart to refrain from tapping, touching your face too often, placing objects in front of yourself, blinking excessively, and sitting or standing too close to others (respect the bubble, people). (Read this post to learn more about body language.)

The body language and posture in your landing page is the images you get for your articles or the banners in your home page. These nonverbal cues can make a powerful subconscious impact, so be aware of your banners and images you pick for your landing pages. They are the key facts to leave your visitors the first impression.

2) Modulate your pitch and tone of voice.

A high-pitched tone of voice can make you seem childish or nervous — especially if you tend to “uptalk” or use a rising inflection at the end of your sentences. In fact, it has been shown that people perceive those who have a rising intonation as less knowledgeable, no matter what they are actually saying.

Not sure if you’re guilty of this? Try practicing your presentations or simply reading aloud into an audio app with playback. You’d be surprised at how different you sound to others versus in your own head.

The pitch and tone of voice in your landing page is the call to action words like “great discount 30% BUT ENDS TODAY”, and count down numbers to create urgency as well. 

3) Choose your words wisely.

Words matter even more than you think. Positive and persuasive words and phrases will often open doors and make people feel comfortable in your presence, which can ultimately make them more willing to work with you.

For instance, let’s take a look at many marketers’ favorite show: Mad Men. Some of Don Draper’s best pitches (e.g., Carousel & Lucky Strike) were full of positive language. That said, positive language doesn’t need to be cheesy or new-agey as Draper illustrates. Instead, positive language can be used to uplift your audience by simply being clear and simple.

Some websites make it too difficult to find their offers, burying them below the fold or on interior pages. This is a great example of ease of use from Dropbox. When you arrive to their home page you have two obvious choices  watch a demo or download the software. 

4) Make eye contact.

Turn off your phone (or at least mute it), turn off email and instant message alerts on your computer, don’t doodle, and most importantly, focus on the person or people you are speaking with. It’s hard to get to know someone when you’re looking down at a screen, so make an effort to make some eye contact with everyone in the room.

However, keep in mind that eye contact can also backfire, according to a study by the University of British Columbia. If people aren’t already persuaded or inclined to be on your side, they may focus more on your mouth or any presentation materials you’re showcasing instead of your eyes, making attempts at eye contact a challenge.

People want to be sure that they’re subscribing to or buying from the best. They don’t want to waste their hard earned time or money. And how are your prospects going to believe that you’re the best if you don’t TELL THEM? Yes, your testimonials will give you credibility from other sources, but you also need to project your expertise and value. LinkedIn does a great job on its home page of promoting itself and its members. The top left position of your landing page is the key point for your potential users to build the trust with your site. That will be the first eye contact for them to move one step further  on your great site. 

5) Know your audience.

Do your research. If your meeting is planned in advance, you should know plenty about the person or business that you’re meeting with before you arrive. This might mean that you Google the people you’ll be meeting with, the company founders/co-founders, their history, their competition, their main products, and any other relevant info before you walk into the room.

Depending upon your audience, the loud numbers and flashy videos may deter your prospects rather than bring them into the fold. When you know your customer persona  how they think, what motivates them, how they buy  you can tailor your site to be welcoming and a subtle invitation to learn more with a click.

6) Don’t try to be someone you’re not.

When you’re meeting someone for the first time, don’t try to be someone you’re not. If you don’t know the answer to something they ask, don’t fake it.  The ability to lean in to your weaknesses shows that you are self-aware.

However, be sure not to over emphasize your shortcomings. It might be seem shockingly simple, but avoiding the “report card problem” or highlighting weaknesses and how you might fix them could cause you to only showcase the negatives, or at least make them the biggest part of your overall impression. While you don’t want to hide any weaknesses (people will likely figure it out anyways), you do want to be honest and move on to the good stuff — especially at the beginning of a business relationship.

If you want to persuade your clients to buy your stuff on your site. You have to be the first person to love it and then you can sell it. I believe you won’t highlight your weaknesses of of your products at every conner of your content. Instead, you pretty much show off every aspect of them like other merchants  do on line.  But you have to be very honest to let your clients to know about your products attributes and instructions. Your clients might get some problems when they use your products without knowing these ahead.

7) Don’t forget to follow up.

After an initial meeting, don’t forget to follow up by sending any necessary information — notes, presentation docs, next steps, and so on — or sending a thank you note.

These small gestures will help prove that you’re on the ball, and that you’re making them a priority, rather than just another task to check off your to-do list.

Sending out updated information after a meeting can also be a way to get a second chance at a first impression. How so? It helps to show another side of you or your business — perhaps a more responsible side.

Set the newsletter on the bottom of each of your articles/products and in your landing page as well. Your potential customers will leave their email to subscribe your products/articles. So keep in mind to follow up with them by sending weekly newsletter to keep contact with them and finally convert they to be your real customers and regular customers.

Don’t let a negative first impression get in the way of your ability to get to know someone. Follow these seven tips to ensure that the first time you meet with someone won’t be the last. The same as your sites.

How to Make a Great First Impression On Your Landing Page: 7 Tips to Try