An important step in landing page optimization is anticipating the objections your prospects might have about your offer – and then countering those objections on your landing page.
But as with most things in CRO, this is easier said than done. After all, the mind of your customer is complex.
At our recent Call to Action Conference, Angie Schotmuller (Director of Optimization at Three Deep Marketing) shared a framework for better understanding the intricate mind of your customer.
Her presentation, “Persona-lization: How to Persuade Using Buying Modalities” described four distinct buying modalities – profiles that describe different buyer behaviors – and unpacked what inspires each to take action:
Understanding what motivates each buying modality to convert will allow you to preemptively answer all their questions and concerns on your landing page.
At the end of the day, erasing their doubts = increasing your conversions.
So what are the various buying modalities, how do they interact with your landing pages, and how can you optimize your offer for each?
To find out, you can watch Angie’s presentation here – or you can read on for a breakdown of each of the buying modalities and exactly what they need to convert.
Competitive buying modality
The first buying modality that Angie covered was the competitive buyer, which she likened to Tony Stark:
Competitive buyers have a high standard for themselves and others, and want to partner with other achievers. They are perpetual learners who love challenging themselves with quizzes and assessments.
In short, the competitive buying modality is goal-oriented and driven by achievement.
When reading your landing page, they ask questions like:
- “What can your solution do for me?”
- “What makes you and your solution the best?”
How to address their questions on your landing page
- A clear unique value proposition: Competitive buyers want to understand how your product will help them further their goals. Because of this, your UVP – a clear statement describing the benefit of your offer – should be front-and-center, demonstrating how your product or service will impact their bottom line.
- Notable client logos: If your product or service is used by successful companies, then brag about it. Competitive types want to rub shoulders with other achievers.
- Quizzes and assessments: People belonging to the competitive buying modality love a good challenge. Offer a quiz or assessment as an opt-in incentive so they can test their knowledge.
Spontaneous buying modality
The spontaneous buying modality, Angie explained, is a bit like Jack Sparrow:
Spontaneous buyers go with the flow.
They love a little fun and adventure, and rarely stop to think about the consequences of their actions. As a result, they’re susceptible to impulse buying and buyer’s remorse.
Because they’re easily distracted, they don’t want to commit time to decision making. They like simple courses of action and won’t take action if they are over-stimulated.
When reading your landing page, they ask questions like:
- “Why is your solution best for me right now?“
- “How will this let me enjoy life more?”
How to address their questions on your landing page
- Hard-to-resist guarantees: Spontaneous people are, well, spontaneous. They’re impulsive decision makers, so guarantees are especially effective with this buying modality. Do you offer a “no questions asked money-back guarantee”? Let spontaneous buyers know.
- Elements of urgency: Countdown timers are effective with spontaneous buyers, as they align with their inherent desire to make quick decisions and move on to the next thing.
- Directional cues: This buying modality has an appreciation for simplicity. They want easy instructions and directional cues that make the next step crystal-clear.
Methodical buying modality
The methodical buying modality is a little bit like Sherlock Holmes:
This buying modality is process-oriented.
They love to be organized and expect your landing page to be structured logically. They’re drawn to processes that will help them become more efficient.
They scrutinize and analyze everything; these are the types that will read the entirety of your landing page, including the fine print. Their detailed-oriented personality also makes them prone to “analysis paralysis,” or over-thinking.
When reading your landing page, they ask questions like:
- “How does your process/solution help solve my problem?”
How to address their questions on your landing page
- A clear, step-by-step process: They look for services that offer structured processes that will help remedy their pain; they want to understand how your solution works step-by-step. Because they’re the modality most likely to read your entire page, Angie suggested placing this information below the fold where other modalities are less likely to scroll.
- Promise of superior service: Because this buying modality is likely to extensively compare you the competition, you want to ensure that you’re offering a full package that differentiates you. For example, do you offer ongoing customer support?
- Believable testimonials and hard evidence for claims: Angie explained that methodical buyers have a pretty fine-tuned “bullshit detector,” so you should steer clear of fluffy testimonials or generic claims. If you claim to be the #1 option in your industry, you better be prepared to provide the evidence that proves it.
Humanistic buying modality
Angie likened the humanistic buying modality to Robin Williams:
Humanistic buyers appreciate a dash of personality.
They value narrative and creativity over painstaking details. As Angie explained, relationships are important to them, and they’re most happy when they’re helping others.
For this buying modality, authenticity is key. They want to interact with and develop relationships with real people.
When reading your landing page, they ask questions like:
- “Who has used your solution to solve my problem?”
- “Exactly how does your solution solve my problem?”
How to address their questions on your landing page
- Testimonials from real customers: Humanistic buyers want to read testimonials from people like them. No stock photos please – they want to see real pictures of your customers.
- Personable copy: This buying modality has an inherent desire to connect with others. Align yourself with their interests by telling personal stories on your landing page. Angie suggested testing for CTA button copy such as “Join,” “Share” and “Connect.”
Account for all modalities on your ads and landing pages
In her presentation, Angie emphasized that optimizing your landing pages isn’t a matter of choosing which buying modality fits best with your “ideal customer” and catering to that – instead, she explained that every piece of your marketing campaign must be audited to appeal to all four modalities.
That includes every landing page…
every PPC ad …
… every campaign email
… and every other moving part of your marketing campaign.
No matter what you’re writing copy for, zero in on a trigger for each group and use it to appeal to them.
Angie included a handy “Buying Modality Check” cheat sheet to help you gut-check every moving part of your marketing campaign.
Get to work reducing anxiety and reassuring prospects
The better you can anticipate your prospects’ objections, the better you can optimize your landing pages for conversion.
Slapping a guarantee on your landing page for your spontaneous buyers and then calling it a day isn’t enough. You need to account for every modality, and above all, test your assumptions.
As Angie explained in her presentation, buying modalities aren’t the be-all end-all. They’re a launching pad for creating educated hypotheses for your A/B tests.
So get to know each of the modalities. Understand what makes them tick. Test all assumptions. And then get to work at dissolving the doubt in your prospects’ minds – all of them.
