When you’re beginning in online marketing or starting a virtual business, there’s a whole new set of terms and jargon to pick up that’s akin to learning a new language. While it can be confusing at first, and there is overlap in many of the phrases used, these two often get misunderstood: sales pages vs landing pages. Throw in the fact that a “funnel” can be talking about a webpage or a sales strategy and you might be feeling really lost, but don’t worry! 

Here at Social Fox Marketing we’re on a mission to simplify marketing and cut the intimidation factor way down when learning how to support and grow your online business. So let’s go ahead and set the record straight when it comes to sales and landing pages. 

Webpage Differences

Defining the types of pages that can be included on a website can get a little confusing when you’re getting into the online realm but the most important aspect to consider with these different types of pages is: what is the goal of the webpage? 

Identifying the marketing campaign objective will drive the functionality of the webpage and identify the type of content or copy that’s most important to include. For example, the purpose of your about me page is totally different than a landing page meant to capture your leads' email addresses and even more different than a page that’s meant to sell a product or service.

So when you’re making goals and designing your website, the first step is to define what the goal of that page is. Once you know this, the other aspects will get much easier to understand. 

So how do the goals of landing pages and sales pages differ? Let's first take a look at both separately, then we’ll compare the relationship between the two. 

Landing Page: The Gateway to Customer Engagement

Think of a landing page and the welcome committee for newcomers. It's frequently the first point of contact where potential customers 'land' after clicking on an ad or link.

Landing pages typically have a singular purpose and in this way are unlike a website. Websites have multiple pages, lots of links to click, and a navigation menu to encourage you to visit different areas of the site. 

It’s important to remember that different landing pages can have varied purposes. To help you out, we've laid out some key points to keep in mind when creating effective landing pages for your digital marketing efforts.

Tips for Constructing Landing Pages

• Lead Generation Techniques

  • Landing pages are perfect for lead collection or generation. 

  • Keep them to a single purpose so they're streamlined to capture visitor information through forms, enticing offers, or newsletter signups.

• Target Audience Engagement

  • Tailor your landing page to speak directly to a specific audience segment. 

  • Since each landing page has only one purpose, you can get very specific with how you engage your visitors, making them feel understood and valued.

• Design Elements

  • Use compelling visuals to draw attention.

  • Be clear and concise with your messaging and copy. 

  • Keep the layout simple yet captivating (don’t make the page busy).

  • Focusing on a single call to action (CTA).

    • In other words, there should be only one action they take on that landing page (sign up for your lead magnet, get on your email list, etc).

Sales Page: The Persuasive Powerhouse

Now that we’ve outlined the purpose of a landing page, it’s easier to define a sales page. A sales page is where the magic of paid conversions happen. It's designed less to capture lead information as it is to encourage purchase of a product or service.

Because there is a purchase involved, the barrier to conversion is higher than with your landing pages where people are likely just providing their email addresses. 

You’ll need to keep in mind the key points that we identified for landing pages (e.g. clean design elements and speaking directly to your target audience) but the written copy on your sales page should be approached differently as this is the primary driver for people to purchase from you.

Tips for Constructing Sales Pages

• Product-Specific Landing Pages

  • Think of sales pages as product specific landing pages, with the only goal being the purchase of a paid product.

  • Dive deep into the features and benefits of your product or service, clearly communicating the value.

  • Incorporate testimonials as social proof is highly influential.

  • Include clear calls to action highlighting the specific change or benefit your customer will experience.

• User Interface

  • Make the checkout experience as seamless as possible, if it’s difficult or unclear your conversions will suffer.

Writing the copy for your sales pages can be a daunting task, trying to balance highlighting the benefits but not being too “salesy” and turning your customers off. 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with that copy, be sure to grab Social Fox Marketing’s free Sales Page Playbook. We provide proven sales copy templates and give examples of different niches and product types that would benefit from each copy style. It’s a treasure-trove of sales page goodness!

Landing Page vs Sales Page: Understanding the Distinctions

In short, landing pages are web pages with a single, low-barrier goal like collecting lead contact information whereas sales pages are a more specialized and conversion driven landing page focused on selling a product or service. 

The differences between the two are more than just the type of copy and the goal of the page, though. There are other distinct aspects of each: 

• User Journey Stage 

  • Landing pages cater to top-of-funnel prospects, often first-time visitors or people new to you or your brand. 

  • Sales pages are tailored for bottom-of-funnel leads, those closer to making a purchase decision and who are more familiar with you and what you provide.

• Content Depth

  • Landing pages are succinct and focused. 

  • Sales pages are detailed and comprehensive. 

  • The amount of information provided is directly to the amount of buy-in needed from the lead.

• Practical Applications: When to Use Each

  • Launching a New Product: Utilize a sales page to elaborate on its features, benefits, and unique selling points.

  • Building Your Email List: A landing page with a compelling freebie or newsletter can effectively grow your subscriber base.

  • Webinars or Events: Use a landing page to simplify the registration process, provide clear information and an easy sign-up form.

Including Sales vs Landing Pages into Your Marketing Strategy

While both landing and sales pages have their own specific uses, it's important to know that both should have a valued place in your marketing strategy. 

Utilize landing pages to bring in your leads, nurture them, and provide them with additional opportunities to get to know you, your brand, and what you can offer them. These types of opportunities coupled with your email marketing strategies work to build brand awareness and trust with your new leads.

Then your sales funnels are the next phase for your leads. Sales funnels are best introduced when you’ve provided your leads with value through something like a lead magnet or continued helpful information in the form of a newsletter. 

The more value you’ve provided and trust you’ve built up, the higher the likelihood that your lead will convert to a customer through the use of a well thought out and structured sales page.

In conclusion, remember, both landing and sales pages are integral parts of your broader digital marketing strategy. They should align with your brand messaging, overall marketing goals, and the logical steps your leads take to become a customer.

If you find yourself struggling with the strategy aspect of your marketing, we’d love to plug you in to our resources here at Social Fox. Not only do we provide you with an all-in-one marketing platform for you to manage all the aspects of your business (including your landing pages and sales pages), we’re also committed to monthly trainings on strategy and email marketing.

We believe the sweet spot for successful online marketing is when the tools, the trainings, and a community of like-minded entrepreneurs combine to create an ecosystem of support and success! For more information on what Social Fox has to offer, check us out here!