Can you spot the 3 common errors on this education landing page?
ENGINEERING.com runs a lot of campaigns for Online Masters of Engineering programs. We’ve talked before about the importance of branding to improve your click rates and conversions. In this post we’ll cover 3 common errors engineering education marketers make on their landing pages. These mistakes can really hurt your lead conversions, and that’s bad news for registrations and enrollment.
Just for fun, can you spot the 3 common errors on this landing page mock-up?
Error #1 – Listing every program on the same page
Many universities offer a dozen or more online Engineering Masters programs. Unfortunately, that e often leads marketers to create a single, common landing page that communicates in broad genralities. The programs are listed on a side bar (as shown in the top left of the sample above). To learn about a specific program, the applicant has to complete the call to action – “Get more information” in this case.
That’s a bad process because prospective applicants need specific information about the online masters program they want. When an applicant lands on your page, they aren’t in the process of trying to decide whether they want a Masters in Mechanical Engineering or Electrical. They are trying to decide on your program, so they should go straight to the program details. The key here, is specificity; tailor your page, and you’ll convert the corresponding audience.
If you have to sell them on the school in general, then you may want to do more work on your branding.
Error #2 – Poor Call to Action
You would be surprised how many marketers ask for a ton of contact information, yet offer nothing in return. In the example above, the engineering Masters applicant knows that if they fill out the form they are going to get a phone call from a recruiter. What they really want is some more information. Asking for a phone call too early usually results in abandonment rather than conversion.
Conversion rates go way up if you offer something in return for a form fill. Even if all you have is a brochure, offer that. Or create a program guide. I’ve done a few. It’s not that hard.
Error #3 – Not speaking engineering in your description area
Let’s face it, most landing pages are written by marketers, not engineers. Marketers are inherently different than engineers. We went to school to build our careers (and for the parties -maybe that’s not so different). Engineers looking for Masters degrees usually have a job already, but feel like they don’t know enough to do it well. That means they are more interested in the knowledge they will gain rather than what it will do for their careers.
Secondly, they want details on the landing page about their specific program. Remember, engineers love details! This is a good opportunity to help the right applicants identify themselves. For example, mny online Masters of Engineering programs have a high percentage of foreign students. If you want to recruit them, you can mention TOEFL criteria right on the landing page.
If you can’t get your University’s IT department to help you with this, turn to your publisher. They are usually nimble and responsive enough to turn around multiple versions of landing pages in short order.
Or see how we can help by referring to our Education Industry Solutions:
John
