The process that goes into B2B sales is much more complicated than that for B2C sellers. This is because multiple decision makers are usually involved, each of whom may have a different emotional driver, which can cause conflict and complications.

The difference in the complexity of B2B versus B2C sales leads one to the conclusion that the related landing pages should also differ. The following elements are important to remember when designing a landing page specifically for a B2B company.

Don’t sell the product, sell the need

Your product is important, no doubt about it. But without the need for that product, it wouldn’t exist in the first place. When writing copy for a B2B landing page, focus on providing for your prospects’ needs, solving their problems and answering their questions. This ultimately comes down to learning what or who your market is. If you understand the market you are selling to, it becomes easier to provide the correct content to convince them to use your product.

Forget the window dressing

In some cases a good-looking page will get you far. When it comes to B2B landing pages, however, you need to keep the design functional. Stick to using directional cues to draw attention to both your main message and call-to-action button. Stay away from design that will hinder the prospect from completing the actions your desire, such as filling in a form. Clarity and order will be much more useful in getting your conversion rate up, rather than pretty or over-the-top pictures.

Focus on benefits, not features

Pages where the copy focuses solely on benefits and not on features convert much better. This is because your prospect has a need to fulfill and they need to know what they can get out of buying your product or using your service to make their life better. Use mostly bullet points to convey your information. While we’re on the subject of copy, only use jargon that relates to your target market and that they will understand.

Reduce barriers

Your prospect should have as few excuses as possible to not take action on your landing page. This means removing hindrances. The best way to do this is to shorten your forms. Only ask for information that is absolutely necessary. Many B2B companies see forms as a way of getting information from a prospect for future business. However, having to reveal too much (potentially) sensitive information too soon to a new company can scare away a prospect. Rather leave getting the rest of the information for later, when you move into your lead-nurturing stage. If at all possible, pre-populate your forms with information to reduce the effort required by the prospect even more.

Add social proof

Having a third-party testify to the effectiveness of your products or the greatness of your service can do wonders for your conversion rate. Utilise ‘short and sweet’ quotes from case studies or testimonials that you (hopefully) already have in your arsenal. Go through your social media accounts and see if you can find any positive feedback about your company from a client. Embed these praising tweets, Facebook comments or whatever else on your landing page, because simply adding the copy in won’t lend you credibility unless the true source is known. You can also add statistics about how many people are currently using your product or something similar to convince prospects to follow in the footsteps of others.

The main elements

If you want to know what to add to your landing pages, here are the most basic elements:

*  A concise, relevant heading
*  Image showing your product being used within the correct context – think about how your audience for that particular landing page would use it
*  Trust elements, like a privacy statement
*  At least one call-to-action button – two is optimal
*  Social sharing buttons
*  Third-party proof such as quotes from case studies or testimonials
*  Benefit statement (preferably in bullet point form)

Here’s to many happy future landings!