7 Tips for Perfecting Your Online Event Landing Page

Online events are virtual gatherings that can be attended by people from all over the world. They can range from webinars to virtual conferences and question-and-answer sessions with industry experts.

They are also valuable marketing tools that can be used to establish your company as an industry authority and generate quality leads in the process.

Even better, you can repurpose the content of your online events and reach new audiences across different channels.

But just creating an online event and expecting people to convert is a mistake. Between work and other responsibilities, people are increasingly busy. Just finding an hour of free time is a struggle for most.

So how can you convince them to take time out of their packed schedules to attend your online event? How can you get them to eagerly register?

The answer is with a landing page.

What is an online event landing page?

A landing page is a standalone page that’s designed with one primary goal — selling a product, capturing emails, increasing trial signups, etc. It’s the page that visitors “land” on after clicking an email link or on paid ads on Google or Facebook.

The landing page here is designed to get visitors to try their software for free. Visitors can scroll down the page to learn more about the product or view their pricing plans.

An online event landing page, on the other hand, is designed specifically to get your visitors to register for your event or pre-purchase tickets in advance.

The goal here is to drive attendance.

But you can’t simply slap up a landing page and call it a day. There are a few best practices to follow if you want to convince your visitors to sign up for your online event.

Let’s take a look at these in more detail.

1. Implement a fresh, trend-forward design

You have just 15 seconds to capture your visitors’ attention. Fail to do so and you’ll have lost a potential attendee.

This is why web design is so important. A well-designed page can leave visitors with a positive impression of your brand. In contrast, a cluttered landing page with an outdated design will likely affect your signup rates.

Web design can mean the difference between a visitor staying on your page to learn more about your event or clicking the back button.

According to Website Setup, one of the biggest current design trends is dark-mode themed websites and landing pages.

Look through these web design trends for inspiration and take note of any that stand out.

But what if you don’t have any design experience? Not to worry. You can always use a template to create your event website.

Using a template means you don’t have to create a landing page entirely from scratch, which saves you a ton of time. Simply use the drag-and-drop features to get the exact look you want.

2. Craft a compelling offer

Time is a valuable resource. Even if your online event is free, you’re still asking attendees to give up time in their busy schedules to attend.

Motivate visitors to sign up by crafting a compelling, unique offer.

Why should they attend your online event? What can they expect to learn or gain? The most effective landing pages are those that focus on their audience’s needs. They effectively answer the question that visitors ultimately want to know, “What’s in it for me?”

Your offer should be clear and straightforward. Avoid using any jargon or confusing language in your copy.

Visitors have a much better understanding of not only what the eSummit is, but also why they should attend. Without a clear and compelling offer, visitors likely wouldn’t be interested in attending.

Think about the unique value proposition of your event. Communicate that in your headline as it’s the first thing that visitors see when landing on a new page.

3. Include all relevant details

Imagine this: You receive an invitation to a highly anticipated event. In fact, you’ve been eagerly waiting all year. Your excitement is palpable.

But the event lacks key details. So then you have to find a way to contact the organizers to find out those details.

Don’t let this happen.

Make sure to include all the details about your online event on your landing page, including (but not limited to) the following:

•Time, date location

•Main purpose and value proposition (why people should attend)

•Speakers, presenters, sponsors

•News bulletin curated specifically for the event

•Social proof – quotes, video testimonials from previous attendees

•Past event recordings / snippets to entice attendees

•Pricing transparency

•Live-chat support

For added convenience, you can even include an “Add to Calendar” link to your page. Then visitors can click the link to add your event to their schedule.

Visitors shouldn’t have to dig around to find out key details about your online event. Most simply won’t go through the trouble.

4. Add a clear call to action

The best landing pages have one thing in common — a strong call to action.

A call to action, or CTA, is perhaps the most important of a landing page. It’s a prompt that encourages visitors to take action.

In this case, you want visitors to sign up to your online event or purchase tickets. But you need to make that clear on your landing page instead of leaving it up to them.

The CTA button is more likely to be noticed on this page because it stands out.

Avoid using “Click Here” as your button copy as it’s a rather generic statement. Instead, use an actionable copy like “Grab a Virtual 2020 ticket now!” as it tells visitors exactly what you want them to do.

The more specific and relevant your CTA is, the better.

To take it one step further, Moz also adds a secondary CTA for those not ready to convert on a full ticket purchase just yet:

This allows them to capture leads and convert them down the line via email campaigns.

5. Keep important elements above the fold

“Above the fold” refers to content that’s visible in a web browser when a page loads. It’s what users immediately see on their screens without scrolling down.

Why is this important?

Because users spend 57% of their time on a page above the fold:

That means you should keep all the important elements of your online event landing page — like your value proposition and CTA — above the fold.

Putting that information below the fold means your visitors may not see it. But don’t try to cram everything on one screen though. Too much clutter can overwhelm your visitors and cause them to bounce.

With key details like the topic (ecommerce and omnichannel retail), location, date, agenda, and attendee list, users can get all the information needed without ever scrolling.

6. Showcase your event team

One of the biggest selling points of an online event is expertise.

Users looking to attend online events are usually looking for one simple thing: knowledgeable teachers and leaders that can help them solve a problem.

This means expertise and credentials become even more important.

On your landing page, directly showcase who is hosting, speaking, and presenting at your event.

Each speaker is listed with their current job title and if users are interested, entire speaker profiles with more detailed information.

Want to compel users to attend your online event? Showcase value in your presenters and what they can bring to the table.

7. Experiment with your landing page

A single change to your landing page’s layout or headline can lead to more signups. But you won’t know unless you test and measure your results.

Perform A/B tests with your landing page. This is the process of creating a variation of a landing page and comparing the results after a marketing campaign.

If you want to test different headlines, you can run an A/B test to see which offer compels more of your visitors to act. You can also test other aspects of your landing page like the layout, CTA, forms, and even colors.

Only test one thing at a time though. If you change too many elements, you’ll have a hard time figuring out what worked and what didn’t.

Run cheap impression campaigns on LinkedIn and see which drives more engagement, then test again!

Final Thoughts

Online events are powerful marketing tools that can distinguish your business from the competition. You can also use them to generate quality leads that you can nurture through your sales funnel.

Best of all, attendees don’t have to go out of their way to attend an online event. All they need is a computer and an internet connection.

But you still need to convince them that your event is worth attending. The best way to do that is with a well-designed landing page.

Follow the tips laid out here to craft an effective online event landing page. Craft a compelling offer and add a clear call to action to motivate your visitors to act.

Most importantly, always measure your results and don’t be afraid to experiment. You can apply what you learn to landing pages you create for future events.

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