The Basics of a Beautiful Event Landing Page

When it comes to marketing your event, presentation is everything. Online, your marketing materials need to fight against a thousand distractions, and there is only one way to do that — by being as eye-catching as possible. So, good-looking promotional materials are not only the key to putting your best foot forward but also help you make waves and become known to new audiences. From the images and graphics you use to the fonts and colors, to the copy itself — each design aspect can have a big impact on how your event is seen and how likely someone is to buy tickets for it. While these choices have dramatic ramifications on all aspects of your marketing materials, it’s especially true of your event’s landing page. But the truth is, focusing on developing a well-converting landing page is easy to forget about, especially in all the hubbub, or if it’s your first time holding your event. Yet, when it comes to selling tickets it is a big component of what will entice potential attendees to join. While the rest of your marketing will allow people to find your event, simply knowing that it exists isn’t reason enough for people to join — they need incentive. And that’s where your landing page comes in. A good landing page spells out the benefits of your event, it highlights key features and speakers and can provide potential attendees answers to all their questions quickly, without having to click away in order to find them. This may seem like a tall order, but never fear, in today's post we’ll be breaking down the ins and outs of event landing pages so you can make one that converts well, on your first go.

The Lay Out

If the people who land on your page aren’t able to find the information they want quickly, or aren’t able to see how to buy tickets, they will simply move on. While understanding page layout can be a bit of a science, using eye-catching colors, clean images, and a lot of white space are the first steps. Remember, less is always more. So if you find yourself considering another image or section, feel free to skip it if it doesn’t add tangible value. Secondly, as Vertical Response points out, “Your landing page will set your readers’ expectations for the event. As the copy explicitly communicates the “what,” “where” and “why” of the occasion, the design establishes the tone. So if you want to entice your audience and get them excited about what’s to come, make sure that your landing page is visually appealing.

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Copy

After the physical design of your landing page, the second most important element of your landing page is the copy. Unfortunately, this can also be one of the most overwhelming parts for a lot of people. It can be hard to know what to say about your event, so, a good rule of thumb is to stick to the benefits your attendees receive by coming to your event. For example, you can ask yourself “What is the end goal my event will help attendees achieve? What will they learn? Or who will they be able to meet/network with?” Then make sure to highlight these points within the copy. Next, do your research. Get really clear on who your event is for, and what questions they have that might be keeping them from attending your event. Then answers all of these questions with an FAQ section or through detailed descriptions. Finally, look at other events within a similar industry and see what specifics they address to their potential attendees. You can learn a lot about the type of information to include by keeping an eye on other people in the industry.

The Call-to-Action

Another vitally important part of any landing page is a clear call-to-action or button. If a potential attendee can’t find where to buy tickets, they’ll move on so it’s important to do what you can to make them as noticeable as possible. As Lander points out, “Your CTA should be clear and persuasive. It should show urgency. It should also target your audience.” Likewise, one call-to-action button simply won't cut it. Depending on the length of your landing page, you should feel free to include at least a few of them so that people don’t have to search far and wide for where to buy. Lastly, make sure your call-to-action button is ultra noticeable by making them in an on-brand, but dramatic color that catches your reader’s eye.

Mobile-Optimization

One often missed aspect of building beautiful landing pages is making sure they will look good. Making sure your landing page is mobile-optimized is key. Formstack states that over half of all web traffic is on mobile devices, so if you’re hoping to convert over half your site visitors — optimization is a must. This is even more important if you’re running marketing campaigns to mobile users, as you would with Facebook or Instagram ads. In this case, you want to make as seamless an experience from the ad to the landing page as possible. So make sure your potential buyers don’t abruptly arrive at a landing page that is clunky or hard to navigate on a phone.

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Use Video

Finally, incorporating video is a quick and easy way to make any landing page look beautiful. The best part about using videos is that it can help potential attendees establish clear expectations and see that your event is right for them. Here are a couple video ideas you can put on your landing page:

• A recap video from previous years’ events
• Interviews with speakers or sponsors
• A video of you sharing your mission statement

Don’t feel limited to just one of these options, so long as your video is shot by a professional and looks clean, video works just as well if not better than pictures.

Closing thoughts

Your event’s landing page is the first opportunity new or potential audience members have to see your event and get a feel for what it will be like. Therefore, it’s imperative that you make sure it sets the right tone and looks beautiful. Your landing page has the potential to do some of the heavy-lifting and sell tickets for you, so there is a lot to be gained by spending a little time and effort to create one that appeals to your ideal customer.