Are you unimpressed with the performance of your contact forms? Are they doing little for your website and failing to produce you the conversions you predicted? If so, it’s time to refine your strategy.
Your contact forms are the key to your lead generation efforts because they’re what visitors use to hand over their information to be contacted by you later. Too many marketers think that all a contact form consists of is form fields that ask for information, but there’s a lot more to it than that.
In a recent survey, 63 percent of businesses said that generating traffic and leads was their greatest marketing obstacle. They see the most value in improving their lead generation efforts to grow their business, build their email list, and increase their ROI. If their contact forms are suited to visitors’ needs, however, those goals will be difficult to achieve.
If you’re looking for ways to optimize your contact forms, here are three tactics to get you started.
1. Minimize the Number of Fields
Have you ever wanted to sign up for an offer only to find that there are twelve form fields in your way asking for every piece of personal information possible? You can bet that this frustrates users to the point of abandoning the page and the offer altogether. It creates a poor user experience as few people out there have the patience to hand over everything all at once.
That’s why it’s important to minimize the number of form fields you require users to fill out when signing up for your email list or lead magnet.
WPForms makes it easy to create responsive, mobile-friendly forms that grab visitors’ attention and boost your conversions.
Take a good look at your contact form and decide which fields are mandatory and which ones you can eliminate. Stick to three if possible for the best results.
2. A/B Test Your CTAs
Different components of your call-to-action have various effects on users. Some elements can cause them to ignore your contact form while others, like the button color, can persuade them to click through to enter their information. There are many reasons why visitors act the way they do on a website, but research into the psychology behind it helps determine what will bring the most effective results.
Pay attention to your CTA button’s color, copy, size, shape, and positioning. All of these elements play a part in whether or not visitors convert using your contact form. A/B test one element at a time and see which changes give the most positive results.
A strong CTA will easily convince users that the click-through is worth their time and will give them value in return. Be clear on what the offer is and tell users what value they’ll get. Instead of “Submit,” try enticing visitors with the offer itself by saying “Get my free ebook.” There’s no magic formula for the perfect CTA as every business and audience is different, but by A/B testing these different components, you can create one that gives you a high volume of converting visitors.
3. Show Social Proof
This doesn’t include the contact form itself, but it’s still a crucial point in converting visitors once they’re on your website and have the change to actively engage with the form. Many people who visit your website won’t convert for a number of reasons, but if you can convince them that your brand is credible, trustworthy, and loved by others, you’ll convince them you’re worthy of their time.
Showcase social proof on your website to gain your visitors’ trust. This includes:
Having these elements on the same webpage as your contact form can lead users in the right direction and persuade them to fill out your form.
Conclusion
Don’t underestimate the importance of optimizing your contact forms and the information surrounding them. All of the little details have an impact on how well they’re able to convert visitors that may lead to paying customers and can boost your lead generation efforts. Pay extra attention to form fields, CTA buttons, and building credibility so users feel inclined to invest in your best. How will you optimize your contact forms for higher conversions?
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Syed Balkhi is an award-winning entrepreneur and online marketing expert. He is the co-founder of OptinMonster, WPBeginner, MonsterInsights, and WPForms.