I host a group on Facebook for real estate agents focused on using Facebook for lead generation. Recently, one of the members asked this question:
“What is the difference/advantage of using an exclusive lead capture landing page versus just a page on my existing site to capture leads from Facebook ads? I keep reading about companies like LeadPages.net but have yet to try one because I have a page on my site for seller leads from Facebook ads.”
OK, before I dive into answering this question, let me preface it with this: running seller ads that work well on Facebook is not simply about driving traffic to a generic seller page on your website.
Running ads that convert means running a particular type of seller ad to a specific target audience. The ad should drive them to a specific resource (lead capture landing page) that requests their information in exchange for said resource — this results in visitors giving you their contact information.
Never drive traffic to a generic home search page on your website. You are wasting your time and money when you do this.
What’s the difference?
Back to the question: what is the difference between an exclusive lead capture landing page versus just a page on my existing site?
The difference is enormous. It’s the difference between giving and getting.
A lead capture landing page has one job and one job only — capturing the lead. No, that doesn’t mean it has a form on it for someone to give you their information.
It doesn’t mean it has a lot of information on it, and it doesn’t mean it has other options on it just in case they aren’t interested in what you are offering on that page.
A page on your website is often full of information. It often has many outgoing links a reader can click on, which guides them to any number of resources you are giving them (whether on your website or not).
Its goal is to provide information — not capture information. Yes, you want capture points all over your website, but the websites aren’t focused solely on capture.
Driving traffic
It’s all in human psychology — what we say we do versus what we actually do.
Here’s the truth: There is a drastic difference between observed behavior and what people say they do. This has been observed in study after study. We are liars. We say one thing and do another — from the tiniest actions to big decisions.
When we don’t guide incoming traffic along a specific path, your visitors will get lost. Many people say they won’t sign up to see home listings because they can get them free on another site, but the reality is, people sign up to see home listings. They say they don’t like it; they say they won’t do it, but they do it.
But here’s the caveat, they won’t do it if you don’t require it. They won’t do it if you don’t guide them.
Narrowing down the options
But, you can’t distract them from the task at hand — you can’t give them options other than the one thing you want them to do.
It’s our nature as agents not to want to miss out on the deal.
We want to give prospects all the options they could want because we are afraid they’ll want something else; and if it isn’t there, they’ll go elsewhere.
In essence, we are trying to please all consumers in all conceivable places along the homebuying or homeselling journey, and that’s simply not possible to do in a single ad on a single landing page.
Here’s the reality: if you give more than one option on a lead capture landing page, it’s too many. We are overwhelmed with options. We are overwhelmed with choice.
The only choice a consumer should have on a lead capture landing page is to sign up or sign off. That’s it.
In other words, the difference between a lead capture landing page and a page on your website is huge. It’s the difference between capturing leads and not.
You don’t want to leave traffic conversion to a generic page on your website. You want it handled by an expert.
If you are running real estate buyer ads on Facebook, I created a Facebook Ads Cheatsheet to help you. Check it out.
Christina Ethridge is the founder of LeadsAndLeverage.com.
