See How Ashford University Uses Post-Click Experiences to Increase Enrollment (4 Examples)

Last updated on by Stephanie Mialki in Landing Page Examples, Marketing Personalization

The majority of advertisers aren’t focused enough on the post-click landing page, and it shows since more than 95% of Google ad clicks don’t convert.

They put in the effort to segment their ads to a target audience, but then fail to continue the same story narrative from ad to post-ad-click page. The expectations set with the ad aren’t met on the next step, and this lack of relevancy prevents visitors from converting.

To generate maximum conversions, you must continue the same story narrative from the ad. Today we’ll take a close look at how Ashford University does it. (To see how Capella University tells their story from ad to page, go here.)

How Ashford University segments their ads with post-click landing pages

Example 1: “Education degrees” Google search

Someone thinking of studying education might search Google for “education degrees” and see this ad:

We can tell the ad is segmented for a specific audience since it relates to the search query:

Clicking the ad’s main headline takes users to this post-click page where the education degree narrative continues:

The subheadline makes the offer more appealing by telling prospects they can explore a career in education and select from a variety of majors.

The list of Ashford’s 10 most popular education degrees also helps tell this part of the story, showing visitors all the various options they have:

They can also click the anchor link at the bottom of the page, which takes them right back up to the form to complete it.

Example 2: “Why Ashford University” extension

Clicking the ”Why Ashford University” extension in the ad above takes prospects to this unique post-click page:

Under this section, visitors can learn all about the main benefits of an Ashford University education from the bulleted list:

Example 3: “Online MBA degree” Google search

Someone interested in obtaining their MBA degree online might conduct this search and see the second ad below:

Again, it’s clear the ad is segmented for a specific audience since it matches the search query:

Clicking the headline takes prospects to this page:

Several sections underneath that list also help tell this part of the story, explaining what students will learn in their MBA programs, possible career options for online MBA graduates, and that no GMAT or GRE is needed to pursue this degree.

Example 4: LinkedIn retargeting ad

After visiting each page above, this retargeting ad appeared in the LinkedIn feed:

Clicking the Promoted LinkedIn ad takes users to this page to learn more about a human resource master’s degree:

The copy beneath the list (“Your Online HR Master’s Degree”) helps tell this part of the story as well.

The last paragraph on the left tells prospects how Ashford’s Master’s in Human Resource Management degree, specifically, is accredited through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE). It continues to boast that the program was the recipient of HR.com’s Leadership Excellence and Development (LEAD) Award for 2018.

How to learn more? — Potential students can request more information by completing the purple lead capture form.

Compare these experiences to the homepage

Ashford’s homepage provides an overview of everything the school offers — with many navigation and browsing options — instead of delivering a unique, personalized post-click landing page to segmented audiences:

Since the homepage is generalized to anyone who might be interested in Ashford University, all visitors see the same page. Rather than having a 1:1 conversion ratio and persuading visitors to convert on specific offer, it’s designed to be a comprehensive browsing experience.

Complete your campaigns with the segmented post-click landing pages they deserve

Avoid wasting ad clicks and generate more conversions by paying equal attention to your pre- and post-click landing pages. Translation: tell the same story narrative across the entire user experience.

Use the Ashford University examples above for inspiration, and request an Instapage Personalization Demo today to see how you can create dedicated post-click landing pages at scale for each target audience.

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