Friday was the anniversary of Steve Jobs' passing.
Steve was brilliant innovator—who married stunning, user-friendly designs with the latest advancements in technology. He had an innate ability for developing products that consumers wanted, before they even realized it.
Now you're probably thinking: what can Steve teach us about landing pages? The answer is: a lot.
1. Never Stop Innovating
Apple is a powerhouse of innovation, having introduced game changers such as the PowerBook, iMac, iPhone, iPod, and iPad. But innovation doesn't come without risks (the Newton, anyone)? Yet, with great risks come great rewards, and even with some failures along the way, innovation combined with continuous iteration has made Apple one of the most innovative companies in history.
Landing page lesson: To achieve dramatic lifts in your landing page performance, you must innovate. Test completely new experiences, messaging, layouts, campaign goals etc. While new innovations in your conversion program may not always win, if you keep pushing the needle and iterate along the way, you'll achieve game-changing wins like Steve did.
2. Keep it Simple, Focused, and User-Friendly
Apple's products combine beautiful, streamlined designs, with functional, user-friendly features. In fact, Steve credits his calligraphy class at Reed College as the inspiration behind Apple's beautiful typography, graphics, and design. The combination of beauty with smart, user-centric features is the magic that fuels Apple's tremendous appeal.
Landing page lesson: The best landing pages keep the user in mind. They combine 1) a clear, benefit-focused message 2) user-friendly, streamlined design 3) and a strong, obvious call-to-action. But effective landing pages can be beautiful and engaging, too. If you are ready to start innovating, combine the key ingredients of a classic direct response campaign, with a beautiful design like the one below from ion interactive. But make sure to test first. Because depending on your business, goals, and target audience, there is a chance that a page that resembles a BlackBerry Bold may actually outperform a page that takes a cue from the iPhone 5 (strange, I know).
3. Marry Strategy, Design, and Technology
Steve's success at Apple is due not only to the fact that his products are beautiful, but that they are powered by the latest advancements in technology. From the iPhone's touchscreen, to the iPod Nano, to the MacBook Air, Apple's simple, elegant products are powered by impressive, game-changing technology.
Landing page lesson: A nice, well-designed landing page without a testing solution is okay. And a landing page testing and optimization solution without a smart strategy might help you somewhat. But you'll achieve the best results by combining your marketer brilliance with robust technology.
Just like Apple does.
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