You’ve started producing a consistent stream of fresh, engaging content for your inbound marketing program and are leveraging it through a marketing automation system like HubSpot. At long last that material is beginning to draw increasing numbers of visitors to your website.
You give your team a much deserved pat on the back as you wait for the new leads to start coming in. But they don’t. At least not in the numbers your growing web traffic would seem to suggest that you should expect. “What’s going on?” you ask.
So Close, But Yet So Far
Have you taken a look at your Contact Us form lately? For many marketers, that form is created almost as an afterthought. “They’ve read our content for months, and have been all over our website. They’re clearly interested in our offerings and want to know more. That should mean they’ll convert,” the thinking goes. But surprisingly, what you may consider to be the last “little step” of completing the form is often a huge leap for a prospect. And if you don’t give them the right nudges on that page, they may balk.
Here are 7 tips for helping get interested prospects across the finish line:
- Remind them why they’re here.
Website visitors are looking for you to help them solve a problem. They suspect you can based upon what they’ve read on your site, or they wouldn’t have come to this page. But a final reminder that your offerings are the key to their success and happiness will help get them to click that submit button. - Be enthusiastic.
At 30dps, our form starts with “Let's Get Together and Change the World!” because that’s the way we feel about our relationships with our clients. A simple “Please complete the form below and we’ll contact you… blah blah blah” is boring and uninspiring; it does nothing to build momentum toward a conversion. - Be brief.
Companies often ask for far too much information on their Contact Us form. Yes, it’s helpful to know their geographic region, their industry, etc. but for every additional field you have on your page, you will lose conversions. Better to ask for the bare minimum. You can always fill in the blanks in a follow up phone call or email. - Provide contact options.
Contact forms are great way to electronically capture information about your visitor, but sometimes it's not the visitors preferred method of contacting you. Provide a phone number and/or an email address in case they prefer to contact you that way. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how they’ve reached you, just so long as they have. - Provide information on your social media accounts.
Here again, if they choose to contact you through another channel, you’ve still reached your goal. - Include a CTA.
Have a call to action to learn more on your website. It may seem counterintuitive to draw them away from that submit button, but if they decide not to complete the form, you want to at least encourage them to stay on your site. Your goal here is to first satisfy their curiosity and answer their questions. Do that, and you're more likely to eventually get the conversion you're looking for. - Thank them.
While it doesn’t make them more likely to click submit, taking the visitor to a Thank You page (one that expresses your genuine appreciation) after they have clicked the button makes it more likely that they’ll have a positive impression of your company and be receptive to your subsequent contact.
Let’s Collaborate on Your Conversion Rate
Your Contact Us form is just one piece to the conversion puzzle. As a Colorado-based marketing agency that’s been helping clients achieve success for more than 25 years, we have an in-depth understanding of what it takes to get a prospect to commit. If you’re looking to turn more window shoppers into customers, we can help.
