9 rules effective “coming soon” pages follow

A lot of people have the misconception that they have to have a complete website in order to start building leads and actively promoting their business. The truth is, you can generate a lot of buzz about your client’s business and their website, with an effective coming soon page.

What goes into an effective coming soon page? With the right mix of elements, you can have a powerful method for jump starting the success of your client’s website, even while you are in the middle of building it.

1. Use a countdown timer (and make sure it’s accurate)

Letting visitors know that you have a set launch date builds anticipation for your client’s website launch. It also lets them know how far off they are from launch. Keeping their audience in the loop is important if you truly want a successful launch for your client.

2. Collect email addresses

Life is hectic, and especially online, we are constantly being bombarded with information, news, media, email subscriptions, and so much more. People forget things easily. If you set up a coming soon page for your client, be sure to have an email collection form, so you can send an email once the website is ready. You’d be surprised at how many people will show up after a simple email. This initial burst of traffic can make the difference between your client’s site being a success or a total flop.

3. Pre-sell their products or courses

If your client has an established audience prior to launching the site, you can use the coming soon page as a way to offer a presale or early adoption discount on their product or online course. There have been many cases where the additional revenue generated was used to finish a product or course quicker, or improve its quality. It’s important to note that in order for this to work, they should have established trust with their audience prior to attempting this.

4. Promote their social media accounts

Not only can you build their email list, but you can also build their social following using a coming soon page. You can make it a game to give visitors an incentive to follow your client on Twitter or like their Facebook page. You can do things like offer a free e-book in exchange for a follow, or you could host a giveaway, using social promotion as an entry.

5. Make sure the coming soon page reflects their brand

You can help their business build recognition early by instilling their brand throughout the page. Prominently display their logo, and design the page to reflect the personality of their brand. The coming soon page should reflect what their website is about.

6. Use simple, but concise text

Their coming soon page isn’t the place to get too wordy, but it’s a good idea to mention why visitors would want to follow them, or subscribe to an email announcement of their launch. A good example would be if they were a marketing company and their site provided free marketing materials to small businesses. They might say “Launching soon, Company XYZ: Providing Premium quality Marketing Materials to Small Business For Free, Along with free tips and Strategy guides.” Right under that would be a great place to put an email opt-in form.

7. Optimize their opt-in form

A lot of times, it’s not what you say but how you say it. This is especially true with online marketing. Instead of using the normal terminology, like “sign up” or “join now” you can switch things up to make them more inviting:

a. ‘Get access to 10,000 free marketing tips.’

Make it sound like it is a privilege to be a part of what they’re doing. Making it sound like it will benefit them makes them not want to miss out on what your client is doing.

b. ‘Join 23,000 other marketing professionals.’

Make it about inclusion. If they’re a marketing professional, they will feel the need to be a part of this, as a way of validating their own identity.

c. ‘Find out the marketing secrets real experts will never tell you.’

This is another way of making it about inclusion. It piques curiosity and generates a lot of interest. People never want to miss out on information, especially that everyone else will get to know.

8. Video is more engaging: use it when you can!

This is especially true if they’re launching their website centered around a product, service or course. A simple video showcasing their product or service, testimonials, and any other type of persuasive proof can help generate a buzz around their site before it is even built. Accompany this with the tips above, like using their coming soon page to pre-sell their products or services, and they’ll be generating revenue before their site is even finished.

Their video can also be a great way to introduce their new audience to them or their team. You can show brief interviews of each team member. Each person can give a brief bio about themselves and their special skills that they will bring to the table. It can also be a sneak preview of the types of products and services that they will be providing.

9. Provide something enticing or interesting at launch

If they use their coming soon page to gather email addresses and build a buzz around their site before it is launched, when they’re ready to launch they should do something special. Put together a valuable piece of information, a freebie, or something of value that will entice visitors to come back to their site. Then, use a well-designed email blast to everyone who signed up, letting them know they’ll get something nice for coming back to see the newly launched site—all most people need is a little incentive.

Conclusion

Your client’s new website’s coming soon page doesn’t have to be a stagnant, static page. Don’t think of their coming soon page as a placeholder, but more like a buzz-generating marketing tool that prepares their audience for the great things that are about to come from your client and their business. It’s a great way to get their audience excited about what they are doing, without being overly salesy.

James George

James George is a Professional Web & Graphic Designer. He owns Design Crawl, a site for graphic designers featuring free vector graphics and templates. He also owns G Squared Studios, which handles web design in Knoxville.