BrandDoozie: splash page done right
I’m not associated with BrandDoozie in any way, but I know a good solid splash page when I see one. This site pulls together the core best practices into a good-looking home. Without the consumer knowing anything about their product, they convey professionality, security, and value.
Let’s look at the elements that lead to the good cohesive experience:
Try it now for FREE. The use of the bright orange color and bold type immediately draws my eye. “Free” is powerful because it lowers my resistance. I don’t yet know what this site offers, but knowing that it doesn’t cost anything lowers the friction of me reading further.
I’m often surprised to find the “oh yeah, and it’s free” treated almost like a disclaimer - in tiny print or hidden at the bottom of a page. Is this a fear of sounding like a used car salesman? (FREE FREE FREE at Crazy Eddie’s!) One thing I’ve heard product managers say is that they think the word “free” suggests a lack of value of their product. In the offline world, this might be true; online, every millisecond that consumers don’t see the word free increases the odds of them closing the browser window never to return.
Marketing materials in minutes. Quickly answers the “what is this?” in the consumer’s mind. 
It conveys the value of the service without constraints of too much detail. (The alliteration with the repeated m’s is a particularly nice touch.)
Everyone has an idea of what “marketing materials” is, and even if my version doesn’t match yours, we both know that typically this is a task that takes longer than “minutes”.
Big gorgeous picture (”show me what I’m going to get”). I’m not sure that the average first-time user is going to produce something this polished-looking “in minutes”, but this image immediately suggests to me that I’m going to be able to put together something far superior to the standard Office Depot templated materials.
There actually is more detail on the page (in the dark gray callouts along the side) but they do not visually compete with the other elements. Someone skimming the page won’t be distracted by them, but the type of consumer who reads a whole page first before making the decision to click will have at least a few of their questions answered.
If you still need convincing, go watch the demo. Many sites spend a lot of time making the demo into a band-aid for a weak splash page and for serious usability flaws in the product. (Too bad only 10% of your customers will ever see your demo and get even the benefit of that band-aid.)
So what’s the best practice here? Provide a demo, but don’t make it the primary call to action.
Consumers have a limited attention span: do you want to “spend” their attention on watching a demo, or jumping right into signing up? Remember, once you have their email address, there’s always a chance to communicate with them later. If they watch the demo and leave, they’re out of reach.
On the BrandDoozie splash page, the “See Demo” button is below the fold. The primary calls to action - jumping right in and getting started, or logging in for existing users - are above the fold, endorsing them as the “preferred” actions.
Existing users - we’re not wasting your time. The log in call to action is right at the top of the
page, and easy to see without being distracting to new users. Smart, because most consumers will bookmark your homepage, not a more useful internal page.
Here’s another thing they do right: the email confirmation. I sign up for a ton of web services, and I don’t always remember when I get back to my inbox which one does what. This site recognizes that, and reminds me:
Obviously, you can always measure and tweak to continuously improve. One minor issue is that this super-helpful description in their confirmation email is only conveyed via images. I have images off by default, and so does a considerable percentage of the viewing population. But this in general is a great example of where to start.
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