An unfortunate reality in modern-day marketing is that website visitors have gotten burned time and time again by marketers who nurture leads incorrectly. Now users are apprehensive, maybe even scared, to fill out another form since in the past their information may have been sold or their emails were spammed.
Marketers need to get back to the basics with their forms in order to get subscribers who want to read their blog instead of running for the hills when they see a form fill. Starting with a smart CTA to draw your potential subscribers in is a good way to ease them into filling out a form. Below are 6 common mistakes in digital marketing that can hurt your website and decrease your chances of generating quality leads. Knowing where people make the most errors will help you to avoid them.
1. Visitors are afraid they will be spammed
There is potential, and fear, of getting spammed anytime a person is asked to provide their email. One way to help ease the website visitor’s nerves is to tell them exactly what you are going to do with their email, and how often they should expect to be contacted. Also adding an option to decline certain emails makes the subscriber feel as though they have control and decreases the chances of them unsubscribing later.
2. It’s just too much work
One thing you have to consider when setting up your form is that less is more. We all want to get as much information as possible from a potential customer to better target them in the future, but studies show that in order to optimize your forms the ‘less is more’ approach really works. I know when I start to fill out a form and realize it’s 30 questions long I usually end up saying, “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”
In a study conducted by Imagescape, an 11 field version of a contact form was replaced with a 4 field version it resulted in an increase of submissions by 160% without diminishing the quality of responses. Another study conducted by Marketo showed that a 5 field form outperformed a 9 field form by 34%.
The amount of information you collect should reflect the value of the offer. The more valuable the offer, the more the visitor is willing to give. However keep in mind this doesn’t mean more values = more questions, asking less questions has been proven to generate more responses and quality will stay high as long as you keep the important questions in your form.
Related Post: Biggest Pitfalls To Avoid On Your Landing Page
3. It's too confusing
Have you ever come accross a form that just won’t submit? Nothing is more frustrating than taking time out of your day to fill out a form only to have it not work. It is really important to test your forms, check your spelling and grammar, make sure they are user friendly, and function correctly. One of the most annoying problems that I have come across is when a form won’t continue. What's even more annoying than that? When I make a mistake and the only way to change it is start all over! When this is the case it can result in high attrition or inaccurate responses. Don’t be a company with “that form” because everyone hates them. Another issue that causes trouble is when a form needs specific formatting but the site doesn't specify the format. For example if a birthday is required make sure it specifies the format, because there are a lot of options. If I have to play the guessing game with formatting I am less likely to complete your form.
4. Don’t ask personal questions
Do you really need my email, birthday, middle name, and favorite restaurant to just send me coupons? I don’t think so. So don’t do it, only ask for what you need. Asking too many personal questions too soon can come across as scammy, which could possibly scare away potential users. It also can overload you will a lot of data you have no use for. So if you need to ask for some personal details make sure you clarify why you need them and then reassure those potential users that their information is safe.
5. Don't ask for payment information
A lot of sites offer free trials for users to determine if they like a product before they commit, but one factor that really turns potential users away is when you ask for their credit card number. I can’t tell you how many times I've tried to sign up for something and they asked for my credit card number and I just completely stopped, closed the tab, and never went back to that site again.
6. Your form doesn't play nice with mobile devices
Last, but definitely not least, your form needs to be mobile-friendly . Do you remember the last time you had to fill out a form on your mobile device? Was it a pleasant experience? Or was it terrible because you couldn't get the form to stay the same size, and then every time you clicked on a new section the form would readjust and you would have to zoom back in. Making sure that your forms are optimized for all types of devices can really pay off. Making it easier for users will result in them actually filling out your form instead of just bouncing from it.
Getting a potential customer to fill our your form is all about making them feel comfortable. These 6 tips are all simple modifications that can be made quickly in order to get the best results from your form fills.
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