The Marketing Millennials — Bathroom Break #70: "Your Landing Page Needs Work" 🚽

Date: August 25, 2025
Host: Daniel Murray
Guests: Jay Schwedelson (co-host), Ari Murray (Chief Growth Officer, Char Brands; Founder, Go To Millions newsletter)

Episode Overview

This quick-hitting "Bathroom Break" installment focuses on actionable advice for improving landing pages, with a special emphasis on mobile design, form best practices, and leveraging personalization—like birthdays. Co-host Jay Schwedelson and Daniel Murray welcome Ari Murray, an expert marketer behind major celebrity and DTC brands, who delivers practical and up-to-date wisdom for marketers looking to lift their landing page outcomes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mobile-First Landing Page Design

• Ari’s #1 Rule: Design for mobile from the start, not as an afterthought.
  • “So many times… it’s so beyond clear that they had a really good idea and they just don’t understand their page breaks and what people can consume on their phones. And everyone’s on their phone. It’s the first screen.” (Ari, 01:36)
  • Every screen, even layouts in Google Docs, should consider mobile character counts and breaks.
  • Big mistake: Placing important CTAs below the mobile fold.
  • “I like, wince when a CTA is below the fold. It makes me sick.” (Ari, 01:52)

2. Forms and Pop-Ups: Usability & Conversion

• Full Screen Takeovers:
  • On mobile, full-screen forms or pop-ups currently work best for engagement and clarity.
  • Semi-transparent or partial overlay forms often lead to poor conversions.
  • “A little small pop up on mobile… It doesn’t work the way it should. Especially when there’s really good popup builders and form builders.” (Ari, 02:29)
• Form Length:
  • Shorter is better. Only lengthen forms if business need dictates.
  • For more info: use two-step forms (collect basics first, then gather secondary info).
  • “If you do need to ask a lot of questions: a two-step form, or at least you collect the information and then they submit, and then you can get more later.” (Ari, 02:36)
• When to Use Two-Step Forms:
  • Collecting specific info like birthdays for offers, segmenting funnel stages, or for compliance (like SMS opt-ins).
  • “If you are wanting to do something like collect birthdays… do like a two-step form where it’s like I collect birthdays and… if you’re trying to get people in certain situations… you’re gonna have step forms of like where are they in the funnel...” (Daniel, 03:10)
  • “To get the phone number, we need a second step. So email first, then phone number… but not on the same form.” (Ari, 03:47)

3. Personalization with Birthdays (and Half-Birthdays!)

• Birthday/Half-Birthday Campaigns:
  • Personalized messages and offers create brand moments (e.g., Chipotle’s free drink on your half-birthday).
  • “Chipotle does, and I really like it, and I always use the credit. They give you a free drink on your half birthday. I think it’s a nice touch.” (Ari, 05:39)
  • “It just adds an extra layer of personalization in your email marketing, your paid marketing, any part of your… would.” (Daniel, 05:55)
• Data Collection:
  • One extra form field (birthday, zodiac, etc.) can fuel multiple marketing campaigns and enhancing segmentation.
  • Use birthday information for offers, gifts with purchase, and customized content.

4. Widget Management: Don’t Let Add-Ons Block Performance

• Be Ruthless with Widgets:
  • Essential compliance elements (cookie banners, email pop-ups) are necessary, but too many widgets (refer-a-friend, chat) can block important actions like purchases or form submissions.
  • “Your landing page is supposed to drive a purchase or supposed to drive some high intent action that is expensive to capture… We always forget we have to add those on, and then they block your buttons and it freaks me out. So watch your widget.” (Ari, 08:06)
• Final Call:
  • “Watch your widgets” is Ari’s top practical parting tip. Don’t let non-essential tools interfere with high-value user actions.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On mobile-first design:
  • “It’s really important to design in situ… Even when you’re making a skeleton, even in a Google Doc, you need to remember your character counts and need to understand your breaks.” (Ari, 01:42)
• On form strategy:
  • “Of course the shorter the form the best. And if you do need to ask a lot of questions a two step form…” (Ari, 02:34)
• On widget overload:
  • “Do you also need to have a refer a friend widget on the side that blocks your cart? The required widgets are there… but we always forget we have to add those on and then they block your buttons and it freaks me out.” (Ari, 08:06)
• Humorous personal moment:
  • “She celebrates half birthday but it’s not.” (Daniel, 04:20)
  • Their playful discussion on half birthdays, gifting, and favorite cakes lightens the episode and demonstrates the kind of personal touches that land in marketing as well.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:58 — Ari joins, mobile-first design essentials
• 01:35–02:12 — Importance of mobile, avoiding CTAs below the fold
• 02:24–03:47 — Forms, full-screen pop-ups, two-step forms
• 04:14–05:15 — Personal stories, birthday-centered marketing
• 05:39–06:20 — Should brands use birthday/half-birthday emails? Implementation tips
• 08:05–08:38 — Parting advice: beware widget overload and protect conversion paths

Closing Actions and Resources

• Ari’s Newsletter:
  • Go To Millions (gotomillions.co) — for deeper marketing insights
• Final Takeaway:
  • Revisit your landing page today with “mobile-first” and “widget discipline” in mind.
  • “Watch your widgets!” (Ari, 08:38)
• Hosts’ Podcasts & Socials:
  • Daniel Murray: The Marketing Millennials (listen, subscribe, join the community on LinkedIn & Instagram)
  • Jay Schwedelson: Do This, Not That podcast for marketers

This episode delivers a brisk, valuable masterclass on landing page optimization—blending practical advice, data-driven tactics, and relatable dialogue that makes the learning both accessible and actionable.