Turn Browsers To Buyers In 4 Pages
What if you could launch your online group offer or your service with only 4 pages instead of the complicated 30+page websites filled with landing pages, tripwires and pop-ups?
Samantha Mabe, a creative director and designer, shares her simple 4-page launch strategy to turn browsers to buyers.
In this episode, we talked about...
- how to hone in on the things you actually have to do
- the difference between a service page and a sales page
- the way your website can act as your sales funnel
- what needs to be on each page of your website
- the backend pages you need to add as your business grows
- why narrowing down your website may make it more profitable
...and much, much more
Things mentioned in this episode
Learn more about Samantha Mabe of Lemon and The Sea here https://www.lemonandthesea.com/
Learn more about Samantha Mabe
Samantha is a website designer who helps creative entrepreneurs share their vision through design. A Pittsburgh native now living in Richmond, Virginia, her background is in design and architecture. She spends her days designing and her evenings hanging out with her husband and kiddo.
Read the full transcript so you don't miss a thing
Sara: Every single week, I hear business owners talking about how they're working on the launch. And they have this whole laundry list of emails and landing pages to write. And hey, I'm a launch copywriter. So you know, I kind of get that. After all, it's what I do for course creators and coaches. But launches don't always need to involve all those moving parts. So if the thought of something easier, of something less, but still bankable, makes you breathe easier, makes you feel happier, and actually maybe makes you feel excited to launch, then you're going to enjoy today's guest. I'm talking with Samantha MAPE, a creative director and designer of lemon in the sea, where she creates custom design websites that draw attention to the expertise of service based business owners and course creators. Stay tuned.
You're listening to the launch playbook podcast, the weekly podcast for service based business owners to discover the starts, stops and tools to transformation that go into launching their online offers.
I'm your host, Sara Vartanian. And if you want to launch your ideas into the world faster, with more success and less burnout. Well, friend, consider this show your secret playbook to get you there.
Hi, Samantha. Welcome.
Samatha: Hi, Sara. Thanks for having me today.
Sara: I'm really excited to talk to you about this like simpler way to launch and when you wrote to me to share your idea of like, talking today, I have to say it was felt like so refreshing because that's something that comes up so often, right is that people are feeling like, oh, there's so much to write. And I think when you send your email to me, you're like, you don't have to do the 47 pages and upsells and down sells, it can be so much different. So when you say simple, tell us what you really mean by that.
Samantha: Yeah, I have found that so many people want to launch a course or a new service. And they get held up by the website and all of the tech that has to go into it. And there are a lot of moving pieces to any launch. But what I like to do is really hone in on the things you actually have to do in order to get people from browsing, landing on your website to taking action and booking a call with you or signing up for your course. And I found that for so many people you don't need, like I said those 47 pages, you just need something really simple. Most people need just four pages on the front end of their website to make something work.
Sara: Amazing. So how would someone know which four pages they needed?
Samantha: I always like to say that most people need a homepage and about page, a services or a sales page, depending on what it is that they do. And then a contact page. So that gets people all the information they need to make a decision about taking that next step. And the one thing that varies there is the services or a sales page, depending on what it is that you offer to your customers or your students or your clients.
Sara: And in case any of our listeners aren't really sure, but the difference between the service and a sales page, will you give sort of a overview of what those are?
Samantha: Sure. So in a way, they're very similar. They are both talking about what it is that you do for people the transformation you bring. And then getting into the details of how that actually comes about a services page is generally shorter, because the goal is to get somebody to fill out an application or ask for more information. And so you're really just giving them kind of the overview because they are hiring you as the expert to do the actual work for a sales page, you have to go more in depth about everything that's included in the course that they're getting the modules, kind of the different units, if you offer a community, and how all of that works so that once they get to the end of that page, they're ready to sign up. They feel like all their questions have been answered. And they know that this is for me, this includes all the things that I need it to, and they can take the next step by just signing up without emailing you 100 different questions.
Sara: I love that. Thanks for breaking that down for us. So will you walk us through each of those pages, the four pages so we have the home the about, you know, service or sales and then the contact page and sort of tell us what its role is in the browser to buyer journey?
Samantha: Sure. So the first page that somebody generally lands on is your homepage and that is really really where you are telling them who you are, who you help, what you do, and the big transformation that they get. So your homepage is where people can find out if you are the right person to help them solve the problem that they have, and give them the results that they're looking for. It's also the page where you have the ability to help them know what to do next, depending on where they are in their journey. So some people will need to learn more about you, some people are going to be ready to buy right away, others might want to do something like sign up for an email list.
And your homepage is where you kind of give them a couple of those options so that no matter where they are in their journey with you, they can do something that then will keep them learning and keep bringing them back. The next page that I designed for people is the about page, this is the page where you're really talking about your journey and how it relates to how you help your clients or your customers. So it's not just your whole life story or a short bio about you and nothing else, you're really connecting the dots between who you are and where you've been, and how you can help your students or your clients get to where they need to be. This page is where you're sharing about who you are, who your team is, if you have one, you're letting them see a little bit of the behind the scenes with some fun facts about you, or the fact that you would architecture school and never used your degree like I did. So that is really where you are connecting with people in a way that makes them feel like you get it and you can help them.
And then the next page is your services or your sales page, like we talked about the difference between those two. So either way, this page is really where you want to communicate what it is that you offer to somebody. So how they can work with you the transformation that's going to bring, and really making sure that they know if they are the right person to join your program, or to hire you for your service and that you are the right fit for them. So it's kind of a mutual good fit that you're communicating here.
And then the fourth page, the final page is the contact page. And that is pretty simple most of the time, but you want to give people a way to get in touch with you for questions. You want to set some boundaries pretty early with your office hours and response time. And then let them know kind of, okay, if you have questions or you want to connect with me, here's how you can do that through social media, through an email through a contact form, or your give me some information that helps me to get you to the next right step.
Sara: Wow. Thanks for walking us through those four pages, it was so clear around like the whole journey and how they all work together. So now my question for you is, I know that you do custom design websites. And I'm wondering, are there things that you have noticed, that really work well on each of those pages are things that you see a lot of people aren't doing, if they're buying, let's say template insights, or things like that, that you weave into the work you do for clients?
Samantha: What I see a lot in templates, and what a lot of people, you know, come to me complaining about is that they feel like it doesn't really fit their brand, it's hard for them to really do more than just change a color here. And there. You want a website that it doesn't just have your colors, but it looks like your brand. So if it's fun and kind of funky and out of the box, you're going to want to be able to move stuff around, maybe have some animation and get beyond just the here's a headline, here's an image, here's a bio and get something that really fits who you are and speaks directly to your clients and allows you to add things or take things away that aren't relevant to your business. If you can't adjust a template so that you don't have to write a guarantee. Because you don't have one. It's really not helpful because you're filling in things that aren't relevant or aren't useful for you.
Sara: And how do those touches help support people buying from you?
Samantha: A good website really should sell for you. It should let people know who you are that you are the brand for them. So some people want really professional and buttoned up, when they hire somebody, they want to know, like, we're just going to get down to business, or we're going to do this, this, this. And other people want to work with somebody who is really sarcastic and funny, and it's going to be like a best friend. So your website with those little touches is how you can communicate that to people. And it makes sure that the people reaching out to you or signing up for your course, have an idea of this is how you teach, or this is how you work with people. At the same time, it's helping you to know, okay, I am bringing in people that are going to be a good fit that are gonna like to learn from me the way that I teach. I have had clients in the past who have said, you know, I have this student who she just asks a million questions, and it's so much trouble. And that's because in the buying journey, she just kind of skipped over the part of the website that was communicating like, this is what we do. And this is how we do it. And so it was a disconnect, because there were some stages in there that were missed.
Sara: That's a really good point, we want to make sure that we're calling in the people who would be a good fit, and also be a good fit for us right to work with. So I love how you bring up like communicating those, those boundaries and what we're about and, and what to expect. So Samantha, it seems like a lot of what you're saying, like the touches that we can build in. And the pieces that are so important and like a custom website, and then also in this journey, are ways that we can help people really trust us, like us know us all those things that of course, as marketers talk about a lot, right. But all those things work together to support so when making a decision, but also so that we are bringing in people who are a good fit for us to write that we like want to work with and will enjoy working with, is that right?
Samantha: Absolutely, I think we share about that know, like trust factor a lot. And we can kind of skim over it. But it is so important. And so much of what we're doing as business owners is letting people get to know us. So, you know, for me, people are gonna know that I've got a two year old running around and coloring his hands and covering my kitchen in paint, because that affects how I work. You know, they get me for a couple hours a day. And then I go into mom mode.
Sara: I saw here that I feel like the last year of course, with pandemic and happening I think that that's something I had to communicate more to I had like two kids home and virtual school a lot of last two years. So it was like I have different hours. And I could do different things now that I used to be able to do, I wasn't able to do VIP days for the past year, because I just didn't have a stretch of time that I could concentrate. So that had to be communicated. We've all probably been there though the past couple years, making some changes. So Samantha, who does a four page website work for?
Samantha: I like to say that a website like this works for a lot of businesses, but not all. So if you are a service provider, who really works one on one with people and you've got one type of service, it works pretty well. Or you are a course creator, and you have like one course that you're promoting, you can use this as well. So the four pages are really the front facing pages, there are always going to be things on the back end that you have to have for people to actually get signed up and pay for things and and all of that tech stuff. But you know, it works for people who are really good at what they do. So they know what they need to communicate, they know who they want to work with. And they've got like that one service or course that they've really honed in on that then they can highlight throughout their website, and they can focus on that in the copy so that people know like, You are the go to person for this thing when I am ready to learn it.
Sara: And like that. So it's first people who are really niched down and really know exactly like you're saying what it is they do, and they do so only just want to focus on that and go all in amazing. How would someone know if it's time to add something more to the site?
Samantha: I think that websites are meant to grow as our businesses do. So you would be able to add pages if you were adding a new course. And you needed to talk about the differences between the two. You might have two different sales pages, or you had a one on one service and some kind of course or membership to offer. So you would have different pages for those. You might also add to your website with as your business grew and you wanted to get into more general education. So something like a resources page or a library of templates, those sorts of things can come later, as you are kind of educating people more on a broader topic than just that one thing that you've been focusing on.
Sara: Right. And then you mentioned that there are some pages that we have in the back end. So not like not the front end being the four page website in the back end, what are some of those common ones that would be there.
Samantha: So there's always the privacy policy terms and conditions, you have to have that legally. So I make sure that people know like, that's got to be there.
Sara: Now that you bring that up, we've actually had like lawyers on a couple times a document that stuff and so important. So it's amazing.
Samantha: Yes, I don't know all the legal stuff that has to be there. But I know that you would also have kind of back end pages for any opt ins that you have. So if you have a webinar that you send people to or a PDF download, they're going to need a way to sign up for that, whether that's just a quick landing page or a form through your email provider. And then kind of the delivery of that however, that works. And you're going to need things like your checkout page. So if people are purchasing a course from you, then they need to be able to actually pay you for it and get that sort of information. And most of your website providers or your course platforms are going to have all of those steps built in. So you don't have to like think, okay, I need a way for people to do this, because it walks you through that. But those are those things on the back end, that go into launching a site and launching a service or a course, that you might not think about when you're just saying, Okay, I need an online home for my thing.
Sara: And so what do you wish everyone knew about launching?
Samantha: I wish people knew that it doesn't have to be as complicated as we think it does. I think online, we see these really complicated launches that people are doing with Facebook ads, and lots and lots of webinars and joint venture partners. And that's great. And it can work for people, it certainly does. But you don't have to do it that way. You can do things in a really simple way that work for you and your business and your life and still be successful with that.
Sara: I really appreciate that you brought that up. That's something we talked about a few times on the podcast one earlier, like a year ago, I was an affiliate for the DCA, like Amy Porterfield program. And so myself and other copywriter had done that. And we talked about how there were so many pieces, right, which was really amazing. But there's like such a huge team behind that, behind Amy Porterfield to run that and but it can look like from the outside. Like, I feel it put that together when there are really so many parts with all the affiliates and joint ventures and all those things in just like the multiple webinars, of course, and all that. And then you know, some other people, we've talked about how to simplify. And more recently, we had a guest on who talked about how once they found that like really repeatable process, they just, they just, they just kept it simple. But Samantha, what I really appreciate is it like you've have actually truly brought the most simple model of launching to our podcast yet talking about these four pages. And I just know that listeners are gonna feel like such a permission slip to just, like narrow down and keep it easier and just like really focus in on the finger selling the thing that they do best and get it out there in the world. And so thank you so much for bringing that to us today. Thank you.
Samantha: I really feel like in my business journey from starting out to where I am now, I've tried so many different things. I've tried launching courses, which totally bombed. And when you can do things that are simple and feel good and are easy. It's a lot, you feel a lot more confident putting things out there. And if it doesn't go as well, as you hoped you haven't put tons of hours and tons of money into ADS and everything. So it's a lot easier to kind of say, Okay, we're going to try something different. Or we'll do it again and try something new.
Sara: It's such a good point, right? Because when we spend so much time or money on something, we just, we attach too much more to it of like our worth, right, and what do we have to do with it? And like it's so much harder to let it go when we just like, put it out there and get it going.
Samantha: And I think we've seen, you know, those big launches, like we said, so that's what we think it has to be, but it really doesn't. And I've talked to so many people who have found the easier, simpler way has worked better for them, and that's what they want to stick with.
Sara: I have noticed that too. And I feel like there's quite a few people out there who I admire their lunches or their business, who have this more simple model right where Like when I do like their website, it's like their course or their offer, contact the homepage. And maybe sometimes they have a podcast page or a blog or something that they've added on later on, basically. And they like the Note they're doing well, what's so amazing about that is like, you really know what they're about, right? Like when it's when they're talking about this one service or product that you know exactly what they're about. And they become that expert, like, because that's all they're talking about. They're not talking about multiple different offers and different things.
Samantha: That's so true. And I mean, I've even worked with clients who have started out with like, different variations of courses, and have narrowed it down to one because that's the way they can best serve people. And it's so much easier, and it's not less profitable. It you know, she's making the same amount of profit this client by just launching one thing, because she can really concentrate that on that make it the best that it can be, and put that out into the world to people without feeling like, Oh, I've got this thing and this thing and this other thing. And I've got to make sure people see all of it.
Sara: Oh, my gosh, such a good point, right when we can like narrow our energies and our brainpower onto this. So Samantha, you had something to share with our audience?
Samantha: Yes. So I have a PDF download that is five updates. For a higher converting website, it's just five quick things you can do on your website, to see your higher conversions. You don't have to redo the whole thing. These are like, really quick, simple changes to make to make sure things are running smoother and to see more people go from browsing to buying on your site.
Sara: And where can we find that and you online.
Samantha: So that is at lemon and the c.com/five updates. So it's the number five, and then the word updates. I am at lemon in the sea.com. And then at lemon in the sea on social media, mostly I hang out on Instagram. And I also have a podcast process to profitability that's everywhere podcasts are.
Sara: Amazing. We will have all of those links, of course in the show notes. Definitely go on over there and download Samantha's freebie, the five updates for higher converting website. I know I'll be checking that out. Samantha, thank you so much for joining us today.
Samantha: Thank you so much for having me. This is a lot of fun.
Sara: Until next time launchers. We'll see you then. Thanks for tuning into the launch playbook podcast. If you want to get weekly launch secrets in your ears. I hope you'll hit subscribe on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode. Because who knows? It could reveal just a thing you've been looking for to make your next launch a success. And be sure to leave a five star review in iTunes telling me how this episode inspired your launch plans. Until next time, keep putting your big ideas out into the world. I'm rooting for you
Learn more about the Launch Playbook Club
Sign up to get fresh episodes of The Launch Playbook Podcast delivered straight to your inbox.