DAY #3: IMPROVE YOUR LEAD FORMS AND INCREASE SIGNUPS
A lot of people talk about the copy on a lead generation page. Yet, people often skip over the form itself. The form itself can make a big difference. In fact, Expedia increased their profits by $12 million dollars just by making one simple tweak to their lead form. (More information on that shortly.)
So, how can you improve your lead forms and increase your signups?
Reduce the Fields, Reduce the Friction
One of your biggest goals in designing a lead form should be to make it as friction-free as possible. In other words, make it easy for people to sign up. The most straightforward way to do this is to reduce the number of fields they need to fill out.
When Air B’n’B launched, they made a goal of having just a three step signup process. They wanted people to be able to go from search to booking a room in just three steps. That’s partly why they were so successful – they removed friction from the process.
This is the change that Expedia made that boosted profits (not revenues) by $12 million. They removed one field (the company name requirement) and made the signup process easier.
Many marketers today still ask for first name and email on their email forms. Yet, test after test shows that having a first name does not increase click throughs or conversions. Conversely, asking for the first name cuts down signups by 10% to 20%. In other words, asking for a first name on an email field is more or less just leaving money on the table.
If you want to go the route of not asking for a first name, that’s perfectly fine. I still collect first names in some cases because they can help with creating the “illusion of personalisation” in email auto responders. Some of my lists have hundreds of emails going out a day and everyone of them has a personal touch and I regularly receive email thanks from people for the information I send out.
The point is to ask for as little information as possible. Reduce the friction to boost your profits.
Consider Breaking it Up
If you have a longer signup process, consider breaking up the signup process into several steps. Otherwise, a lot of people will look at the form, assume it’s a lot of work and walk away. Breaking up the form makes the first step seem short and easy, even though there are more steps to follow.
Adding Trust Elements
Giving a stranger information over the internet is a vulnerable act. That’s why having trust elements in or near your web form can be so powerful.
Having logos like “128-bit encryption,” “HackerSafe,” “BBB Approved,” and so on can work miracles on your prospect’s trust. You can also add a trust building testimonial near the form if you have one.
Design Matters
The design of the form itself matters. For forms with fewer fields, making the fields larger can boost conversions. Move the “prompt” text to within the opt-in box itself. Rounding the corners of the opt-in box can also help boost conversions.
For example, take a look at this squeeze page by Ryan Deiss. This signup box got a 43% sign up rate on cold traffic. Notice how big the signup field is, plus that the prompt text is inside rather than outside.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”5913″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As you can see, this squeeze page is really just a headline, a form and a call to action. Of the three, the headline is by far the most important. That’s why we’re going to cover headlines in depth – in the next email. Stay tuned!
Your Assignment
- Determine exactly how much information you need (not want) to collect in your opt-in forms.
- Eliminate the rest of the fields.
- Design a couple different lead forms and place them in strategic places on your website.
- Track the results to see which form gets the most opt-ins.
What We’ve Covered
Day #1: Examine Your Audience and Your Core Offer
Day #2: Optimizing Your Call to Actions
Day #3: Improve Your Lead Forms and Increase Signups
Coming Up
Day #4: Your Headline – Your Page’s Most Important Sentence
Day #5: Keep Attention With Strong Transitions
Day #6: Web Design Tips for Better Conversions
Day #7: Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment by Improving Your Checkout
Day #8: Boost Conversions by Managing Expectation and Relevance
Day #9: Master the Art of Creating Urgency
Day #10: Use Video to Boost Trust and Conversions
Day #11: Add Social Proof to Your Sales Process
Day #12: Accessibility Makes You Real (and Improves Sales)
Day #13: Tailoring Your Guarantee and Return Policy
Day #14: Getting Started With A/B Split Testing
Day #15: More Ideas for Better Conversions