Last week I mentioned that I'm not a huge fan of the Squeeze Page method. I owe that comment some clarification, and I have a confession...
First, the confession: I ordered the Starter Package from Opportunity that includes 8 squeeze page packages - complete with professionally designed pages, PDF reports to give away, and pre-written email follow-up series (see image to the left). Each package targets a different niche, of course.
A Squeeze Page is basically a mini-site or a one-page website designed to compel visitors to sign up for your mailing list. This is done by "dangling a carrot" or offering them something for free - a free report, for example.
They request your freebie by entering their name and email address in the form, which allows you to build a targeted email list that you can follow up with on that topic - with tips, resources, offers, etc.
I had said that I'm not a huge fan of Squeeze Pages. This is a successful method of course, it's just not my personal preference. I went on to outline what I generally do instead - but I do owe that some clarification. I dont dismiss the list-building aspect of Affiliate Marketing, and in fact I have an email list for every niche affiliate site that I create...
In case you're not familiar with a Squeeze Page, here is an example: Easy Unique Content. This is actually a pre-sales page designed to build a notification list. I often create these while I am developing a product or report to build a mailing list of people who are interested in being notified about that product. A better example would be Small Reports Fortune by Jimmy D. Brown. You can of course learn more about Squeeze Pages at Wikipedia too: What is a Squeeze Page?
Example: The Squeeze Page
This marketing technique works particularly well when you are promoting informational products. To give an example, let's say that you want to promote an info-product that teaches people how to learn Spanish, as an affiliate. You could interview a local spanish teacher or a known expert on the topic, creating your own info-product.
You would then set up a Squeeze Page offering that interview or product for free. When your visitors sign up to receive the freebie, they are added to your mailing list - and so this method allows you to build a targeted email list of people specifically interested in information on that topic.
Example: The Follow-Up
Ideally your first few emails to this targeted list would get them engaged with you. You start out by following up on the product they downloaded - your product. People download things on the internet all the time and don't always open them. You want to make sure they consume your product. This is the first step in building a relationship with that person.
Ask them if they received the product. Give them the download link again. Mention something specific within the product, using a page number or other reference point, that most people found particularly interesting. This will pique their interest and encourage them to open the file if they haven't already.
In your next email you might offer a poll. You could ask them why they are interested in learning Spanish, what their plans are, etc. Make sure you give them an incentive to participate. Offer to share the results, or to cover the points in an upcoming interview that you'll also share with them for free.
Continue engaging your subscribers on this level before you start promoting products to them. Follow up again with a thank you note, and give them one last chance to participate if they haven't already. Next find a great article, blog post or forum thread that would be of interest to your readers and send them the link. It doesn't have to be on your site - just send them a resource you know they'll enjoy.
This type of follow-up will condition your subscribers to open your emails when they arrive, and keep them engaged (ie clicking) - which is exactly what you want.
If you would like in-depth training on this method see Mini-Site Profits by Michael Rasmussen. This is a FREE online video training series and you can get an outline of the series here: Minisite Profits Video Summary
Clarification: Why I'm not a huge fan...
The Squeeze Page method is very successful, especially if you use the outline above. The reason I said that I am not a huge fan of this method is because it is generally taught as creating a one-page mini site which you promote via pay-per-click advertising such as Google Adwords.
My preferred method of generating traffic is SEO, or Search Engine Optimization - meaning I create pages that rank well in the major search engines and get a lot of free traffic from very specific searches.
This is much easier than maintaining pay-per-click campaigns, which makes for more of a Passive Income model.
You'll be hard pressed to get very much free search engine traffic with a one-page site. Search engines like content, and there is very little content involved with the Squeeze Page method. I don't like to suggest this method to "newbies" because there is a steeper learning curve to Google Adwords, the art of split testing and increasing conversions, etc.
It is also very hard to get quality links to a Squeeze Page. Links bring traffic, and links bring good search engine rankings, but even with an incredibly good offer it's hard to get people (bloggers, other webmasters, etc) to link to this type of page without incentive.
See my post on Thin Affiliate Sites. It could get very frustrating trying to get around things like Quality Score on Google Adwords and the lack of search traffic if you're just working with the Squeeze Page alone as your only marketing strategy.
Solution
The solution to these issues, and to using a Squeeze Page successfully, is to create a larger website around your topic. Each of your pages would then point to the Squeeze Page as the call-to-action, encouraging your visitors to view the the page and request your free offer. You could also create content that links back to your Squeeze Page on 3rd party sites like Blogger, Squidoo, Hub Pages, etc.
These content pages could get links more easily, and search engine rankings of course, which would funnel traffic into your Squeeze Page.
Squeeze Pages for Promoting Physical Products
Another reason I am not a huge fan of the Squeeze Page method is because it lends itself best to informational products, and I often like to promote physical products as an affiliate. The goal of the Squeeze Page is to "squeeze" an email address out of your visitor before you send them to the merchants website - or to any other page on your own website.
If someone is searching Google for "elvis bobblehead" they most likely want to view and buy Elvis bobbleheads. As an affiliate I create a page that features Elvis bobbleheads and then link directly to the website where they can buy them online - using my affiliate link, of course.
Imagine how annoyed you would be if you were searching for a specific Elvis bobblehead and you kept clicking through to Squeeze Pages that wouldn't let you view the products without subscribing first. (No worries - Google wouldn't let that happen 😉 )
That said, if you had an affiliate site for Elvis collectibles then you might offer a mailing list for Elvis Fans. You could place your opt-in box on every page of your affiliate site, and also create a dedicated Squeeze Page that offers a fun free report of Elvis trivia or an exclusive interview with someone that knew Elvis personally...
The Squeeze Page Mistake
A lot of people make the mistake of creating a Squeeze Page, and immediately trying to promote a product on the backend. This method is not a means of making direct sales, it is a method of building a targeted mailing list. And so the focus should be on building that list, and building a relationship with those readers.
The promotions and conversions and sales and all that good stuff you're sold with the Squeeze page method... come only after you have achieved this. Period.
Put a lot of thought into your process when creating a Squeeze Page to promote affiliate programs. You want to start by getting into the mind of your ideal subscriber - what are they searching for, what can you offer them, how can you continue to add value to that offer and build trust with that person, what would most likely make them open emails from you?
You have to step back from the "I want to make money online" mindset, and really get into the process of serving your market.
The good news is that much of this "relationship-building" can be set up as an automated system using an autoresponder. You simply create a series of follow-up messages like I outlined in the follow-up example above and load those messages into your autoresponder. When your visitor requests the free offer they will automatically receive the series starting with the first message.
If you tried to do it newsletter-style, or write and send the messages manually, someone who subscribes 6 months from now would miss all of your initial messages and it would be like walking in on an event that is already half over. Using an autoresponder allows you to automate your profit model, and gives each individual subscriber the exact same experience.
You'll need Aweber, which is the mailing list manager that most of us use. It allows you to set up unlimited mailing lists (for unlimited niche affiliate sites) which you can use to set up newsletters, autoresponders, etc. You can start with a free trial.
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I hope this clarifies my original comments on Squeeze Pages, and helps you to make the decision on which method you'll use to promote affiliate programs. There are a lot of options, and a lot of ways to really make this work for you. Done right, the Squeeze Page method can be very successful in practically any niche.
As I mentioned, I just bought 8 pre-designed Squeeze Page packages myself when I signed up for Opportunity. If you signed up but passed on that offer, I believe John is going to make it available again (watch your email). If you haven't signed up yet, you'll find that offer right after you do. Give it serious consideration - it's a really good deal.
You'll also get specific training on how to upload the files, set up your autoresponder series in Aweber, etc - they are adding step by step training videos specifically for using this package.
One of the things I really liked about Opportunity (which is an Affiliate Marketing training center) is the way John Reese teaches "the combination method" for making affiliate sales. Meaning a combination of Direct Sales and Squeeze Page methods - using both content and email marketing together. This is the method I prefer to use myself.
Even though I'm not a huge fan of Squeeze Pages, I really couldn't pass up the deal on the Starter Package. When you use the Squeeze Page method you need the free product to give away, you need a quality web page with visual appeal and nice cover graphics, you have to write the entire follow-up email series, etc.
It can be a lot of work, or cost you quite a bit upfront to hire designers and writers if you outsource it all.
The Starter Package was only $197. That breaks down to less than $25 each for 8 ready-to-use Squeeze Page sites, including the products & email series. If you've ever tried doing all of the work yourself, figuring out how to create decent graphics and write compelling sales copy, or paid to have just ONE created start to finish... then you already know what an incredible deal this is 😉 .
My goal is to take each of these Squeeze Page packages and expand on them in my own unique way. To develop affiliate sites or blogs around the topic to go along with the Squeeze Page (ie the combination of methods). I'll be using these as case studies within my private brainstorming group. Membership to that group will be open again soon - I'll keep you posted on that as well.
Best,
p.s. The 8 niches targeted in the Opportunity Starter Package are: career, cooking, dating, fashion, real estate, internet marketing, stock trading and weight loss. Even if you only decided to worked ONE of those niches, you can't beat the deal on the Squeeze Page package + all the affiliate training you would need to be incredibly successful in that niche with your new site.
This is hands down the best 'opportunity' to get an affiliate site up & running with hands-on step-by-step help - all in one spot - that I can recommend. Period.
Watch this 10-minute Video for all the details
About Lynn Terry
I have to take great issue with you on this part Lynn
Huge mistake not to immeadiatly monetise the list building process, and not doing do so can, and often does severely limit your success with email marketing. I would really love to debate this with you 🙂
"The Squeeze Page Mistake
A lot of people make the mistake of creating a Squeeze Page, and immediately trying to promote a product on the backend. This method is not a means of making direct sales, it is a method of building a targeted mailing list. And so the focus should be on building that list, and building a relationship with those readers."
I tend to agree with Lynn here, I think the goal she (and I) are looking for is relationship building, while no doubt you will make sales with a sales pitch right after the squeeze page, you may have turned off others so that now they see you as just trying to make a quick buck. If that is what you are in it for then that's fine. If you are looking to build a long term relationship with the customer, try it Lynn's way. For example you may get 10% uptake on your offer, but turn off 50% of the list, who now do not trust you as much, resulting in fewer sales in the long term. Once your market trusts you, those long term sales could also be for bigger ticket items, making you more money in the long run.
I'd agree that making a poor value and clearly money-grabbing offer immediately after signup may well alienate some of the list - perhaps even 50%!
However, a genuinely good-value relevant offer ("Would you like 2 apple pies for $1 instead of paying .75c for one?" is the oft-used trivial example,) is doing the customer a favour - indeed they might be angered if they subsequently discovered you that *didn't* make them such an offer if it were available!
I believe this mental shift is the subject of the new Launch Tree product.
A debate sounds fun 😀 I'd love to hear an example of your process - using the Squeeze Page method to make direct sales.
As with most things, your method depends on your target market and your overall strategy. The only real way to know what will work best with any one product, or any one keyword phrase even, is to split test...
Tigue
I tried i both ways, i have been doing this for 10 years, the last 5 full time. and everytime the list is way more responsive if you set your list building up to be directly monetised.
Robert
PS: I am in IM i dont do niche marketing, so i wont comment on that but i bet its no different...
Never disagree with a Lady, especially one who is doing as well as Lynn is 😉
Robert does have a point, and I am hoping he'll elaborate a bit. I should have been more clear on my own point actually. The mistake I've seen is that people will have the subscribe form redirect the new subscriber directly to a ClickBank sales page via affiliate link. THIS is what I dont like.
I see a bit of need for distinction for newbies here. A squeeze page usually bears a remarkable resemblance to what I suppose would be called a single-item sales page. I'm referring to the page you are directed to when you wish to purchase any product from ClickBank, for example. They are both tall, thin pages with copy focused on a single purpose and only one link out. With a squeeze page the out link the email opt-in. With the sales page, it is a purchase link. Other than that, the pages tend to look pretty much the same. I assume squeeze pages are used primarily in affiliate marketing and the sales page version by the end seller. The biggest difference must be in how the traffic gets there.
True, they are both "mini-sites" or one-pagers. The sales page has long sales copy, where the Squeeze Page generally has short sales copy - and mainly above the fold. Both are meant to have zero outgoing links or distractions with ONE main call-to-action.
Traffic is the same either way - generally PPC or referral traffic, as search engines dont tend to rank one-page sites very well.
I think Lynn is right when selling to a market other than Internet Marketers. But when an irresistible OTO is made to the IM croud, I can see why it could be both very profitable AND a good relationship builder - depending on how good your OTO is.
Like Lynn says, it really depends on the market you are targeting.
Great post 🙂
A short question:
Would it be better to have a simple html mini-site or a blog?
Thanks,
Daryl
I prefer to have a combination of both. You can use the blog (or content pages, period) to drive traffic to the squeeze page. I mentioned in the original post that I bought the Squeeze Page starter package from John Reese - and I am planning to use the AffiliateTheme by Unique Blog Designs to flesh it out into a larger site.
If you're interested in the AffiliateTheme I have a promo code that will save you 15% (just used it myself): http://www.affiliatetheme.net/737.html Promo code: 053ECD8882
Thanks, I'll take a look 🙂
What is your experience SEO-wise, are mini-sites better for content or is a blog platform (WordPress installed on its own domain) better?
I seems a mini-site would be simpler to SEO than a blog (setting nofollow links, managing the menu bar for the site etc.), but google seems to like blogs, so what would be better?
Thanks again,
Daryl
Actually a blog is pretty well optimized on it's own - so long as you use keyword phrases in the titles and get quality inbound links. It's not that much different, certainly not easier or harder in my opinion, than a static HTML based website.
That said, the more content on your domain - whether its a blog or website - the better your chances for getting a good flow of free search engine traffic. It gives you more opportunity to target longtail keyword phrases, achieve more top 10 rankings (each page of your site/blog ranking for it's own keyword phrase equals more exposure), more internal links, etc.
Hey Lynn,
Sorry to have to write this on the forum, but you have not answered my email for two weeks. I am paying $20 a month for access to the elite members area and have never been able to log in. I think I've been pay now for a bout 6 months. That is patient enough I believe. I just paid the last installment two days ago and will block you from Pay from here on unless you address this.
I really had hoped one of my last three emails to you would have prompted you to get on top of this. I don't think I am being unfair. I've paid you about $80 so far and have never once had access to the site.
Thanks,
Nick.
Hey Nick,
I'm glad you messaged me here - I just found two emails from you dated less than a week ago (nothing in the 2 week range) that were apparently filtered out. Thanks for the heads up!
Since I am in the process of completely restructuring my membership option, I just sent you a full refund. I'll keep you posted as to when the new option becomes available so you can get full access through the automated system 😉
Thanks again!
Thanks for the great information here.
This is always a good stop.
Thanks again
David
I have to admit that I've been reluctant to go the squeeze page route myself. My thing about creating a list is that I often wonder just what the heck I'd sell after my first product. That, plus I don't really want to have to go the Adwords route as far as promotion goes.
So, I'm a little like you, Lynn. I actually create full websites, with at least 20 pages, monetize them, then let them see if they can earn me some cash. It's slower, but at least I know I can always add more content to them, and hopefully I've picked topics that people will come back over and over for.
You're still building lists on your niche sites though, right? I do, and it's definitely something you want to implement no matter what your site model.
Actually, no I'm not. As I said, I don't know what I'd offer, and I'm not sure how to do it with the types of sites I've created. Could I share a site with you as an example? It's not the one associated with my name here.
Absolutely - I'd be happy to take a look and share any ideas that come to mind for monetizing a mailing list.
Cool; here you go: http://www.medicalbillinganswers.com/
Who knows, could turn into an interesting case study. lol
Thanks Mitch - I'll check it out and may use it in an upcoming post! 🙂
Great; I known there's no guarantee, but if you do I'll be looking forward to it.
When you get a minute, Google "Article Marketing" (without quotes) see ArticleMarketingDomination.com ? Not a squeeze page, but it is a one-page site (sales page.) Google will rank a one-page site with no problem... I do it all the time. I make a few sales every day like clockwork from that SERP (Article Marketing,) which also turn into leads, of course.
For the longest time I had the same thoughts, but anymore I really think it's about 95% off page and 5% on page with Google.
My 5 Dollar Formula is a single page squeeze page that generates about 200 leads every week like clockwork as well.
Anyway, just thought I would share my experience. I always like reading your stuff, Lynn. Keep up the good work. 🙂
Thank you Josh - Great to see you here 😀
I see your page at #2 for that term on this end. Nice work! I agree with you that the weight is on quality & quantity of inbound links - when it comes to Google. No doubt about it.
It's fairly easy to achieve those rankings, mainly with quality link-building. I say easy, but depending on the keyword phrase it can take a serious amount of work & time to achieve.
Your page, for example, shows over 16,500 inbound links in Yahoo Site Explorer. There are also a few internal pages that link back to that main page.
While link-building IS easy, particularly for veterans like us that know what we're doing in competitive markets, or with competitive phrases, I generally teach "long tail methods" to people who are newer to online marketing. Content plus long-tail targeting sees faster results in the beginning, especially with a new domain and a new marketer.
Great example! Thanks for bringing it up for discussion! 😉
True statements. It all depends on the business model(s) you adopt. I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents and you make some good points. Thanks for the reply.
I agree that you cannot implement a solid strategy exclusively through squeeze pages. However, as you noted, they can be excellent call-to-action pages both organically and through PPC. These squeeze pages can also be used in social media contexts to point specific traffic. With that strategy and good tracking you can especially compliment your overall SEO strategy by measuring success on these pages and then implementing successful keywords in your larger site.
One of my biggest concerns is the coming "spam association" of these pages. Seemingly, as you have indicated this strategy of "give a little to get a little" has been adopted wholesale by the community of internet marketers. While it is certainly "working" I am curious how long it will take for people to simply associate these pages with a form of spam.
The paradigm of blogging was that "I give freely, you subscribe if you like," and in the end I think that model prevails. If you focus on building a content rich site with plenty of excellent content (freely given) AND you offer the readers multiple methods to "raise their hands" (i.e. email newsletter sub, rss to email, rss feeds, twitter feeds, txt message notification, etc.) then you will build a community around the site and not a one hit wonder.
Good points Jeremy! 😉
My thought is not only how long before this is associated with spam, but how long before someone comes along and builds a bigger website with much more content, and also does some good link building.
@ IM Devil - I don't know, but I'll take all of the sales and leads in the mean time 🙂
Would not be too complicated to build a blog with content, just to make sure 😉
First time here Lynn! Love the topic! I may add a little spin to this and people are going to think I'm nuts. I've been experimenting with "Landing Pages w/no-opt-in form just a direct link" as opposed to traditional "Squeeze Pages". This is why I said people may think I'm nuts. Bear with me though I do have squeeze pages that work awesome after all we do have to build the relationships, but my own curiosity got the best of me.
I just started to do this like within the last month or so. I want to find out if people are more attracted to a page where they aren't required to give up their email address right away. If they become a customer or purchase a product etc. They could be provided with the opportunity to subscribe after for a newsletter or blog feed or whatever.
So far I've found that it all depends on where you are promoting either type of page. I guess like there is a time and place for everything. One type works better in one place while the other type works better in another place, and in some cases they'll both do well in the same place.
Maybe I have too much curiosity and maybe its a new subject for you to post about Lynn, 🙂 but I'd sure like to hear what anyone has to say!
Thanks Chad, and thanks for the connect on Facebook!
I dont think you're nuts at all. I am constantly reminding people that what works in one niche wont necessarily work as well in another. You have to split test in your own market, and with your own keyword phrases, to know what is going to bring the best results. Period.
It would be interesting to see a case study from you on this. If you choose to publish one, let us know!
Wow, great information, I've been wondering for so long how do I create a squeeze page for physical product. All affiliate marketers keep saying the importance of building a list, and their samples are always websites that sell informational product. I'm doing physical products review using blog style, I feel like you can read my mind when I read your story about "elvis bobblehead" 😀
I guess I can use opt-in box on my sidebar, but this lead me to another question what is the difference between using opt-in box vs feedburner subscription ? I can just share great news or related info/tips through the blog right? And people who do subscribe to my blog feed can get all this information.
What do you think Lynn?
Thanks
Hi Sky,
I use Aweber instead for a few different reasons: 1) you can back up your list anytime (you own it!). 2) You can customize the entire process including confirmation page & email, and add in special offers in that process. And 3) they have a blog broadcast feature but you can also email the list directly with subscriber-only specials, etc.
So what is the best squeeze page software to get started