Are your landing pages not getting enough leads to justify the time and money you spend directing traffic to your site? The culprit can be something as simple as a tiny strip of blank space.
Or two blank spaces. Or three. Yes, we’re talking about your sign-up form. You can have a well-crafted offer and value-packed lead magnets, but if your forms aren’t optimized for maximum conversions, you’re leaving tons of leads on the table. Which would be a waste, since just a bit of nurturing can be all it takes to turn the coldest prospects into repeat clients.
The key to setting up a high-converting sales funnel is to get your prospects’ trust and reduce friction at every step of the customer journey. That includes getting your lead generation forms to do the heavy lifting for you, and it won't work if poor design and a few other glitches end up driving your prospects away.
Here’s a checklist to help you optimize forms to make your target audience more willing to get onboard.
1. Start with a valuable lead magnet
Business is all about exchanging value for value.When you ask for data and direct access to someone's inbox, aim to give him something of equal perceived value. If your copy can't convince your prospects of the value of your lead magnet, you can't expect many to sign up. No one wants to get the short end of the deal.
2. Make CTAs focus on value given instead of actions taken
This is where great copywriting comes in. Instead of asking your future clients to sign-up, download, or submit forms, use call-to-action buttons like “Find out how” or “Get free access” or “Send me the e-book” to hammer in what they’re getting from the exchange, instead of what they’re giving.
3. Assure Privacy
Show them that you won’t use their data for malicious purposes. With the rise of identity theft, phishing sites, and spam, customers have learned to be wary of giving away information online. The least you can do is guarantee that their information is in safe hands. You can do this by linking a copy of your privacy policy or by including a guarantee that you won’t misuse their data.
4. Reduce the number of fields.
Having to type in so much information this early in the customer journey is a turn-off. People nowadays have short attention spans. They don’t want to waste time filling up long forms. They'll also hesitate when asked to share a lot of personal data. Would you give away lots of information about yourself to someone you’ve just met on the street? Research shows that up to 37% will abandon a form if it requires them to include their phone number, and 60% will give up if it’s too complicated. So, if you need to extra information to qualify and segment leads, find ways to collect this further down the funnel, when they’ve warmed up to you already.
If you still want to collect data as early as possible, you can make some fields optional. That way, a fraction of them will still provide you with the data you want. Meanwhile, those who aren’t ready to give you their details won’t abandon the form either. It’s a win-win situation for both.
5. Use one clearly visible call to action
Distracting graphics that make the CTA button difficult to find, several CTAs and links to click on, or a design that shifts your attention away from the CTA are all bound to reduce the chance of converting. Make the CTA pop out. Make it look like a real button. Use contrasting colors and a clean, minimalist design. Eliminate unnecessary clutter around it. People get distracted easily; focus on one CTA to ensure they actually click on it, instead of wandering off the page.
6. Make a form look shorter than it is
There are two ways to achieve this. First is to break down a long form into several steps. It’s called the breadcrumb technique, and according to Venture Harbour, it’s very effective at increasing conversion rates. The second way is to create an optical illusion. Space fields closer together to make the whole form seem shorter.
7. Optimize for mobile devices.
Ever opened a website with a terrible user interface (UI)? Did you even bother to read it? Or did you exit the site as soon as you could? Nowadays, most of us use our tablets and phones for research. A form or a landing page that can't load properly on mobile looks like the work of an amateur, not a pro. That alone instantly knocks off a huge chunk of credibility in the eyes of your prospects. How do you fix that? Always test every part of your sales funnel in every aspect ratio before you launch it.
8. Give multiple choices or yes/no options.
To speed up the process, you can ask prospects to tick in all boxes that apply. You can also use questions answered by either yes or no. A few clicks is less time-consuming than having to type out responses, and the more frictionless the experience, the more likely they are to complete the form.
9. Consider optimal location, type, and timing
Whether you’re using a popup, floating box, or a static form built in to your page, make sure the readers find it easily and find it at the right time. Putting forms and CTAs above the fold increases conversions. So does putting the form on the right side of the page. A floating box trumps both of those since it follows you as you scroll down, but on the other hand, it can take up space and make it harder for the reader to go through the text of your sales page. Popups can be especially annoying if they take up half the screen, which tends to happen on mobile. Timing is also crucial. If you put a form at the very end of a sales page that takes fifteen minutes to read through, you might bore your readers before they even reach it. But if you put it at the very start, without first establishing credibility, the chances of anyone signing up are pretty low.
Still not sure how to implement these tips? Book a quick consultation at Beeline, and we'll show you how to transform your forms from clunky and confusing to attractive and high converting. Because your sales funnel is only as good as its weakest link— don’t let that be your opt-in form.
Visit www.beeline.com.ph now to book a consultation with us!
Sources: