Most website visitors are not yet ready to convert. That’s why it’s crucial to employ digital marketing strategies such as website or lead capture forms to encourage them to take some action. Once you’re able to capture leads, it’ll be easier to nurture relationships with consumers and turn them into loyal customers. If you want to capitalize on your website traffic, here are tips for creating effective website capture forms.
Everything You Need to Know About Website Capture Forms
What Is a Capture Form?
A website capture form is an input field that enables websites to collect leads — also known as prospects or potential customers. The goal is to obtain certain details such as a user’s name and email address. However, many internet users are hesitant to provide personal information. To make the exchange worthwhile, businesses may offer a lead magnet in exchange.
What Is a Lead Magnet?
A lead magnet is a product or service that businesses give away for free to generate leads.
It can be free content such as an eBook or whitepaper, discount codes, or other special offers.
The lead magnet must be valuable enough that consumers will want to give you their email address.
What Are the Types of Website Capture Forms?
There are different ways to integrate lead capture forms on your website. Here are the most common examples:
Native Inline Buttons
A native inline button that appears in the middle or end of your content. Visitors will see the button as they scroll down the page. With native inline buttons, it’s important to feature a lead magnet and call-to-action (CTA) button that is relevant to the featured content.
Welcome Mat and Pop-Ups
Website capture forms can also appear as a welcome mat. It is a full-screen pop-up that appears when visitors land on your website. If you are an eCommerce website, this can be a very effective tool. You can encourage first-time visitors to join your email list by providing a discount or coupon code. webmaster forum
However, for content pages, a full-screen welcome mat might be disruptive as it will cover the text that your visitors are reading. An alternative would be to have a smaller pop-up window. You can also fix the timing of the pop-up so that it only appears after visitors have had a chance to engage with your website.
Slide-In Forms
Another non-disruptive alternative would be a slide-in form. It is a small website capture form that appears on the bottom corner of the page. Thus, it will not interrupt visitors as they are navigating through your website or reading featured content.
Sidebar Forms
Many websites will have a lead capture form on the sidebar of their website. The location is ideal because it will not obstruct whatever your visitors are looking at. There are also many ways to have sidebar forms stand out. You can have a sticky sidebar that follows users as they scroll down your page. Using eye-catching colors and a compelling CTA button can also make it stand out more.
Landing Pages
Landing pages are also known as lead capture pages. Unlike your website layout, lead pages are very simple. There are no navigation bars, site links, and other information that might distract visitors. It typically features an attention-grabbing headline, compelling copy, and the lead capture form. The main goal of these pages is to have your visitors take action. Websites can have several landing pages to target customers at different stages of the sales cycle.
How to Create Effective Website Capture Forms
Whether you have one or many website capture forms, the most important thing is to ensure that they are effective. Otherwise, they will not help you generate leads and sales. Here are important factors to consider when creating website capture forms and landing pages that convert.
1. Above the Fold
A lead capture form will be more effective if it is located above the fold. If it is too far down the page, most visitors will not see it or even care to scroll down. You want to capture their attention right away. However, the lead capture form should not be the focal point of the page. The focus should still be on the product or service you are offering. You can place the capture form beside your copy so that visitors can quickly sign up after reading the text.
2. Quantity vs Quality
A short capture form that only asks for a user’s name and email address will generate more leads compared to a capture form with many input fields. However, gathering more information can help you capture better, higher-quality leads. These are the ones who are more likely to convert.
Consider your customer avatars and business objectives to determine the ideal length for your capture forms. If you are a new or less-established business, a shorter capture form may be beneficial. You can always gather more information later. Obtaining the email address is what’s most important.
3. Value Proposition
If you want to generate leads and increase conversions, you must make your value proposition clear to your target audience. Effective website capture pages have a compelling copy that addresses the needs or pain points of consumers. To encourage your visitors to sign up, offer a lead magnet that can benefit their lives, or solve a specific problem that they have. If your lead magnet is able to deliver on its promise, it will also convert leads into sales.
4. Optimization
Just like any other page on your website, it’s important to optimize your website capture pages. Make sure that the headlines can capture the attention of your target audience. The copy should support your value proposition. Use bullet points to explain the benefits of your products or service.
You can also integrate relevant keywords to increase search rankings and online visibility. Last but not the least, the CTA button should be clear and action-inducing to convince visitors to sign up.
5. Privacy Assurance
People are wary of giving up their personal information online. When visitors are filling up your lead capture form, try to reduce the friction and anxiety as much as possible.
Instead of asking for their phone number, ask for their email address. Instead of their exact address, ask for their city, state, and zip code. It’s also crucial to have some form of privacy assurance on your capture pages.
You can include privacy seals, client testimonials, or consent checkboxes to convey that you are a trusted and credible company. Businesses should also assure their visitors that their private information will not be sold or shared with third parties.
Effective Website Capture Forms to Generate Leads and Boost Sales
Today’s consumers are more discerning when transacting online. One way to establish and strengthen relationships with these consumers is to obtain their email address via website capture forms. However, lead capture pages should be effective and compelling enough that consumers will want to give up their personal information. Consider these helpful tips so that your business can generate more qualified leads, which then leads to more conversions and sales.
If you need help with website capture forms and other digital marketing endeavors, feel free to contact Tanner Grey today! Call us at 844.500.1339, email us at web@tannergrey.com, or contact us online to learn more about our services.
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