While conversational marketing offers new ways to capture leads, ‘request a demo’ landing pages are key in most B2B buyer’s journey. Requesting a demo is often the strongest digital signal that a lead is ready to engage with sales. We decided to take a closer look and share best practices at how leading companies that are selling software to enterprises design their demo pages. Let’s take a look!

Salesforce:

  • The page is easy to follow.
  • The phone number is provided at the top of the page.
  • The title provides social proof that they are #1 globally.
  • All the information (copy) is below the fold and written in segments making it easy to follow.
  • “Watch Now” – informs the visitor that they can start immediately instead of waiting to be contacted, ie. schedule a demo. 

Hubspot:

  • The message is clearly stated in the title.
  • A phone number is provided clearly for direct contact instead of filling out a form.
  • There is evidence of social proof: “48,000+ customers”
  • “Yes, I want a demo” – makes the decision for the visitor. It explains their benefits which is presented in a clear way using bullets.
  • There is a chatbot at the bottom of the page for visitors seeking further information.

Drift:

  • The title is clear
  • “Get a Demo” is placed well but not clear. Do you need to schedule the demo?
  • The print screen on the right provides a view into the program.
  • A chatbot appears at the bottom of the screen.
    • The use of a chatbot may increase the amount of time that a visitor sits on your page, thus increasing the chance of turning a visitor into a closed deal. 
    • The chatbot creates a valuable visitor tool of Q&A’s that are immediate. 
  • The color scheme is good.
  • There is no direct contact to a phone number because of the use of the chatbot.

Adobe:

*Adobe’s page is different in that there are no demo landing pages. Their site is user friendly and independently used by the visitor with no middle man needed. They do have a contact us form that appears as a chatbot. The form has:

  • A clear title.
  • The fields are clear and easy to navigate.
  • The CTA is clear.
  • The page itself is clean and very classic.

Marketo:

  • The headline is very clear.
  • The word “Demo” is included in the title.
  • The CTA button is generic and does not stand out on the page. ‘Submit’ buttons have been tested to show fewer leads.
  • There is almost no information in the copy. 

Zoom:

  • Their title and CTA is clear providing a goal all in one package.
  • They included a video that visitors can watch to learn more.
  • The video is located at the top so that they can watch it instantly. It is placed strategically so that it does not interfere with the form; moreover, the visitor can fill out the form while watching the video reducing turn away. 
  • There is a short introduction of copy stating dates and times that live demos can be scheduled. This is handy in that the visitor can plan their schedule prior.
  • The form itself is clean and simple.

Tray.io:

  • All the subject areas are clear but there is too much noise. 
  • There are too many colors and the demo screen on the right is live and moves which is not only confusing but noisy.
  • There are two different titles serving two different purposes which makes the goal of the page unclear.
  • The type of demo CTA’s are clear, easy to navigate and understand. 

Hootsuite:

  • This is a very classic demo page. 
  • The headline is descriptive.
  • The copy is bulleted into chunks which makes it easy to scan.
  • The CTA button, “your demo” is personalized to the visitor.
  • The customer badges instill trust.
  • Social proof – “Over 15 million users”, again instills trust.
  • There is an option to change languages, making it globally understood.
  • An image would have been useful for engaging the visitor. 
  • The font is too small.  

Helpscout:

  • The title is clear and includes social proof which almost immediately creates an air of trust.
  • The video is presented clearly with a testimonial below creating authority.
  • They further added a link to other testimonials which adds to their social proof.
  • The use of badges from other companies adds to their social proof, which in turn only increases their trust base.
  • The CTA is clear and easy to find.    

Oracle:

  • The title is clear and the goal of the title is well understood.
  • In the title the word ‘free’ is used. Free will further persuade the visitor to continue on their journey.
  • The color scheme here works with not a lot of noise.
  • The image presents a clue-in to the product.
  • ‘Get Started for Free’ appears in multiple spots on the page creating a clear and direct CTA.
  • There is a small sales pitch, in which, not only do you get to use – for free, but you are accredited ‘free’ hours.

So what should a good “Request a Demo” page include?

  1. Have a clean and simple layout
  2. The form should also be clean and simple to fill out with these fields:
  • Name (first and last)
  • Your company’s name
  • Email 
  • Job title

You may consider adding:

  • Country – some tools such as Marketo enable you to add this data based on the IP – it is not that accurate, but it could reduce the amount of fields in a form. The amount of fields directly influences conversion, so less is better. 
  • Language (if relevant)
  • Number of employees
  • A click box to receive more information.

3. A phone number IF applicable to your business.

4. Social proof which instills trust and credibility.

5. A video or image to engage and persuade visitors.

6. The copy should be short and clear, preferably in bullet points.

7. With regard to enterprise sales it is best to link a privacy policy.

8. How you title your “Request a Demo” is directly linked to what your goal is and what is available from your team.

  • A personalized message: “Book YOUR demo”. This creates a more personalized message.
  • Decisive message: “Yes, I Want a Demo”. This type of title almost makes the decision for your visitor.
  • Schedule message: “Schedule a Demo”. This type of title says a few things and in best practices can be linked directly to Calendly. This allows the visitor to:
    • Not have to wait for a call to schedule and can book it on their own.
    • Plan ahead (before the proposed call – if not linked to Calendly directly).
    • This visitor most likely will become a lead as the visitor is ready to take the next step and invest more time into learning about the business.

9. If your landing page is a stand-alone page, meaning it is not directly linked to your website then you should create a link. This can either be placed at the bottom or linked to your logo.

10. You should always, always, always have your business logo at the top of the page. The best spot is usually the top left-hand corner as this is how the eye of the reader will scan your page. This is dependent on language in which the demo page is written.

Sooo…

Now that we have gone through together the best practices for building a ‘request a demo’ page we would like to encourage you to keep these tips in mind. It is very easy to implement these successful tips and narrow-down the right lead that is a fit for your company. We live in a hustle and bustle world where people don’t want to waste time, so why should you?