The basics of promotional websites

What it is and why you need it 

Simply put, it’s a website centered around one particular product, service, or brand. Think of it as a kind of presentation of one specific item. The main goal of a promo site is to provide full information about the product, showcase its features in the most appealing way and promote it as the name suggests. You can also create this type of website to advertise special offers, new launches, and campaigns. Another thing that distinguishes promotional sites from others is their relatively short lifecycle. Though it ultimately depends on the company’s goals, promo pages often only exist for a short time while the product in question is being actively advertised or launched.  

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A promotional page is separate from your main website and typically doesn’t include much information about your company and other products. This is especially important if your business is big and has a great variety of different goods or brands – because, in that case, your main website will surely have too many “distractions.” That’s not bad, of course, but it can overwhelm people and shift their attention from whatever you’re trying to sell. On the other hand, making a separate promo page will give you the creative freedom to present your product without changing the website. You can still add links to your leading site, however, that’s not your main goal.

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The main focus of a promo site is to introduce people to a new product or campaign and attract as much attention to it as possible. Again, not to the whole company, but to one particular item you want to promote, whether it’s a new brand, service, or product. How do you do that? Well, you highlight its best features using attractive web design and viral marketing. And once you get your audience hooked, you urge them to buy your product. 

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As you may have already guessed, the site’s structure is pretty simple and not very extensive. However, there are some elements that you should remember to include in order to make it work. Let’s see what they are.

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The structure of a promo website  

Promotional sites tend to consist of around 5-10 pages, and sometimes even less. Instead of thorough descriptions, the website's main focus is on the visual part: photos, graphics, animation and other elements of design that we will discuss later on. As for the actual content, your promo site should include the following pages and features:

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• The main page introduces the product and grabs people’s attention.
• Succinct “About Us” page that creates trust for your brand.
• Product or service description: its main features, price, and other relevant info.
• Contact details (email, phone number etc.).
• Links to your social media accounts.
• Powerful call to action.

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As you can see, the main idea and structure are actually pretty simple. It’s the design part that most companies struggle with. But don’t worry, we’re going to dive into all the details in this article.

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Using design to turn your promo site into a marketing tool

Although it stands separately from your main website, a promo page isn’t something that exists entirely on its own. It should still be part of your marketing strategy and work towards your main goal – getting loyal customers and growing your business. In order to do that, it’s important to understand the benefits and specifics of designing promotional websites. So, let’s see what they are!

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The advantages of using a promotional site

A promotional page can be a powerful marketing tool for small companies, big corporations and independent creators. It allows them to gain brand recognition, while requiring less time and resources than normal websites. The benefits of promo sites include the following:

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• Promo pages allow you to provide your customers with maximum information on a brand or product that you’re promoting.
• They will help you build brand awareness and generate leads.
• If you get it right, they are a lot more likely to go viral and reach a bigger target audience. Later on we’ll get into how you can do that using web design, so keep reading this article!
• Promo sites provide your customers with an opportunity to engage with your brand or product, thus increasing their loyalty.
• It’s a great way to form an emotional connection with your target audience and build a more trustworthy brand.
• You’ll have a chance to experiment with design and create a truly memorable website.
• If you create a unique and fun website that goes viral, you’ll be able to benefit from free word of mouth advertising and bring in a lot of new clients.

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In order to enjoy all of these benefits, you need to figure out exactly what makes a good promo page. Having an informative site isn’t enough. Your goal is to make people want to engage with it – and this, in its turn, will encourage them to purchase from you. There are several ways in which you can make your promo page stand out. One of them is creating an attractive web design.

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Key elements to help design your promo page

Now that you understand the importance of promotional sites and realize what role design plays in them, let’s get into the details. Take a look at some of the features that you can use to create a strong impression on your audience. Remember that you don’t have to use every single one of them – everything depends on your brand’s visual identity and goals. Overdoing it might make your promo page feel cluttered, while not doing enough could be a waste of time. So, you need to find the right balance and make sure you use these visual elements purposefully.

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Photos.

Using high-resolution photos of your product is a great way to evoke emotions from people and to make them want to buy it from you. Besides, humans are visual creatures, so a picture is a lot more effective at conveying a message than words are. A couple of things to remember here:

• Hire a professional photographer to take high-quality photos for you – trust us, it’ll be worth it.
• Make sure that the photos are all in the same style and go well together. Pay attention to your main color scheme and don’t use pictures that look out of place. Even if they are good quality.
• Don’t use cliche stock photos. Just don’t. You need photos to convey a message and show your product with all its unique qualities, not to simply fill an empty space.  

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Videos.

Same idea here: videos are more effective at grabbing and holding people’s attention than text or sometimes even photos. And they are much better at demonstrating your product’s coolest features. Not only that, but they also immerse people into your creative vision and help them form an emotional connection with your brand. That’s a great start, if you’re trying to get loyal clients.

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Graphic design elements.

Animation, three-dimensional graphics and bright illustrations – these are all things that designers can use in order to give your promo page a vibrant and stylish look. The main goal here is to make a strong visual impression and help people remember your product or service. Of course, there’s no need to pile up a bunch of graphic elements just for the sake of bright design. That will probably make your site too overwhelming to look at. But be ready to take some creative risks in order to get an end-result that works.

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Interactive elements.

‍Give people an opportunity to interact with your site by adding polls, voting, online games or elements that can be dragged around the screen. Firstly, that way you can create a unique user experience and evoke a lot of positive emotions. Secondly, such elements increase your chances of going viral. After all, we all love sharing fun stuff with our friends through social media – why not use it for your promotion?

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Navigation.

‍Whatever design elements you end up using, always keep in mind that usability should come first. A website can only be effective if people understand where to click, how to switch to a different page, and how to access the information that they need. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it. Designing a promo site is a good opportunity to experiment with navigation and try different options (for example, horizontal scrolling).

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Clear and relevant information.

‍Good copy is essential for a promo site. Since the main emphasis is on the visual part, there isn’t much space for a lot of written text – that’s why it’s important to make every word count. Your text should be concise and to the point, but also inspiring enough to make people want to buy your product. 

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Call-to-action buttons.

‍You’ve showcased your product, provided all the relevant information, and made people want to buy from you. Now what? The next step is to show them how they can become your clients. That’s what CTA buttons are supposed to do. They should stand out on your promo page and immediately catch people’s eye. CTA buttons are arguably the most important part of any website, so pay extra close attention to them, both in terms of graphic design and copy. 

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Another thing to keep in mind here is the fact that a lot of people use phones and tablets, not computers. So make sure that the design you go for looks good on any device, and the promo site remains user-friendly.   

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How to create a powerful design for your promotional website

To outsource or not to outsource?

Just like with any website, there are two ways to design your promo page: you can either do it yourself or hire someone else to create it for you. At first glance, it might seem like handling the process yourself is going to be easier, mostly because you need to do less preparation. You already know all the ins and outs of your business, you understand your target audience and what they’re looking for. You also know what makes your product or service unique and how you can use these features to attract people. The only thing left to do is to translate it into visual design. And since it’s not even your main website, it doesn’t make sense to put in a lot of effort. Or does it? 

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That’s the tricky part. When it comes to promo pages, design is probably the most important part. It’s also the most powerful tool you can use to bring in new clients. While on your normal website it can be basic, here it won’t work. Because in order to make your promotional site effective, you’re going to have to use some of the elements we’ve mentioned above. That’s exactly what a professional graphic designer can help you do, whether they are a freelancer or part of a web design studio. 

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Ultimately, it’s up to you. With so many graphic design agencies on the market, you can always do your own research and find a suitable option within your budget.

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The main stages of designing a promo page

Designing a website sounds like a single task, but it actually consists of several important steps you need to take. Let’s break down the stages of the whole process.

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Step 1: Understanding the project idea and goals.

Before you go any further, it’s essential to understand what and why you’re trying to accomplish with the promo site. Are you trying to enter a new market or reintroduce an updated version of a previously known product? Do you want to raise brand recognition or engage your existing clients? What’s the ideal outcome you want to achieve? Answering these questions will help you understand your priorities and come up with the right idea.

Step 2: Conducting audience analysis.

If you want your website to bring in results, you need to know who you’re working with. Learn about your target audience: their age, occupation, interests, values and other characteristics that can come in handy. Your ultimate goal is to influence these people, so you need to make sure you speak the same language.

Step 3: Designing the website.

This is the part where you take all the information that you’ve gathered so far and translate it into visual form. The main thing here is to build a design that’s vivid and memorable, but still practical and user-friendly. Make sure your designer understands your brand identity and goals. That way, they’ll be able to present your product or service in a favorable light, and engage your audience at the same time. And don’t forget to include a powerful call-to-action!

Step 4: Testing.

Find people from your target audience and see how they interact with your website. Observe any difficulties that they have, whether they are technical or design-related, and correct the mistakes accordingly. It’s ok if you don’t get it right on the first try! Just make sure everything is running smoothly before you launch the promo site.

Step 5: Further support.

Once the website is up and running, you will need to make sure it functions the way you intended it to. It’s a good idea to decide who’s going to be responsible for the technical part before you actually launch the website. That way, you will be able to quickly fix any bugs that may occur.

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Examples of promo sites

Now that you know what a promo page is, take a look at some examples of successful cases: 

Nike React 

This site lets users create customized Nike React sneakers and discover their new collection. By using fun animations, catchy phrases and bright design, Nike creates the perfect opportunity for people to engage with their product. Once you design your custom pair of sneakers, you can share the results on your social media. Since Nike is a world-famous brand, it can do without long descriptions and an “About Us” section. However, you can still click the link to Nike’s main website, where you can discover the full collection.

Listen to Girls

Listen to Girls is a youth organization aimed at providing guidance for young girls worldwide. The website’s main goal is to bring awareness to social issues and inspire visitors to take action. The page starts with a wheel – once you spin it, you’ll see a fact or statistic related to girls’ lives. At the end of each message you’ll see a powerful call to action that encourages you to share your thoughts on a particular issue or provides relevant links, so you can further research the topic. This site doesn’t seem too extensive at first, yet you can literally spend hours spinning the wheel and reading all the notes. It is also a great example of how you can combine a serious topic with interactive elements and bright graphic design. 

Startup Grind

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We’ve mentioned before that promo sites could also be useful if you need to announce some kind of event. This website is a great example of that. It’s dedicated to the promotion of the upcoming conference hosted by Startup Grind. The promo page includes all the information that users might need: dates, speakers, partners, relevant photos and even a teaser video. And of course, a bright red CTA button that encourages visitors to get tickets. Thanks to the color palette and overall design, the site manages to look both stylish and professional at the same time. 

To sum up 

Promotional websites are a great way to raise brand recognition, promote new products and introduce more people to your company. A promo page exists separately from the main site and is centered around one product or service – that creates an opportunity for you to convey a specific message without causing any distractions. When creating a promo site, the main focus should be on the web design. You can use different features to create a memorable page and make it go viral: videos, infographics, online games, interactive elements and so on. You’re free to experiment with it, as long as you remember to still make the site practical and easy to use. 

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At Sketchy Digital we understand the importance of good design and the role it plays in developing a strong visual identity. Our team of talented creators will make sure to capture your brand’s or product’s unique features and find the best way to convey them through design. We know how hard it can be to trust strangers with your company’s image. That’s why we maintain smooth communication with our clients throughout the entire process and make sure to handle all project-related risks and deadlines. Whether you’re looking to create an entirely new design for your page or already have some ideas, take the next step by scheduling a consultation with Sketchy Digital on our website.

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