The most valuable data you can get from any visitor to your website is contact information. A website that can generate more leads than a competitor with the same amount of traffic is said to have a better conversion rate. Tracking software like Google Analytics can give you information about how people behave when they visit your website, and show you how many of them converted. You can use this data to try and improve your user experience and generate more leads.
If you want to generate more leads, one area that you should definitely polish is your quote request form. Asking for too much information will cause most potential leads to bail before they submit the form. Here are some simple guidelines to give your potential customers a better experience while you get more of the information you need.
Every website should have at least one landing page. Hubspot.com describes a landing page as “any page on the web on which one might land that 1) has a form and 2) exists solely to capture a visitor’s information through that form.” This is distinct from having a newsletter sign-up box on the front page of your website. If you want a web visitor to ask for a quote, then you need to have a landing page generate leads. The page can include sales language as well as the form. Remind them why they clicked your “Ask for a quote!” button by listing the attributes of your company right next to the form.
Generate more leads by keeping it simple!
This brings us to one of the most important aspects to designing a landing page: simplicity. As marketers and business owners, we tend to think getting more information from a visitor while we have their attention is better. Well, not if too many fields and complicated formatting drive them away. But how many fields are too many if you want to generate more leads?
By analyzing over 40,000 landing pages, Dan Zarrella discovered that while the number of conversions between landing pages with 3 fields and 5 fields was small (25% to 22%, respectively), having seven or more fields drops conversions to 15%. For a small company with fewer than 100 web views a day, that difference is significant. Zarrella also found that fields with multiple lines (as opposed to a field with only one line) drive down conversions. So do dropdown menus. Keep it simple and make it easy!
For an online quote, only ask for what you absolutely need. Is an address necessary at this stage or can you get by with just a zip code? Don’t you really only need the person’s best contact phone number rather than their work, home and mobile? You will generate more leads if it takes less time to fill out your contact form.
Generate more leads by making your conversion goal clear!
Besides simplicity, clarity counts a lot when trying to generate leads. If you are using a web designer, he or she should know many different ways to increase clarity on how to fill out your form. You can also look online for form design websites if you are doing it yourself.
What tools make your form more clear? The asterisk that indicates a “must fill out” field is one clarity tool. Online forms often have help prompts – words that instruct your guest on what to place in that text box that disappear once he/she begins to type. This is a useful way to inform people of how to type in their phone number – your data capture program will have specific formatting needs and you can let people know what they are before they hit “send” and get an error message. Another big key to generate more leads is to let people know if they filled in a field incorrectly BEFORE they hit “send.”
Clarity relates to design as well. If you have sales information on the same page as a form, differentiate the background colors so their eyes are attracted to the form side. You can add arrows that push their vision to the form. Even a stock photo of someone looking the direction of the form will help drive attention to it. These tips are especially helpful for a quote request form.
Generate more leads by creating trust!
Your form, believe it or not, can create trust with your potential customers. You are already showing them that working with you will be easy (your form is simple) and uncomplicated (your form is clear). You didn’t ask for overly sensitive information or unnecessary information. Now let them know under the email field that their email address will not be sold to other companies, if that is true. Ease concerns about personal information with a brief sentence reassuring them their email is safe with you.
Generate more leads by being a good listener!
All forms should include a brief section where potential customers can add comments. This is an optional section of course, but it can be a great way for you to make a connection in your follow up call. You could say, “This is Bob with Big Bob’s pressure washing. I am calling you because you recently filled out a quote form on my website. I see that you have some concerns about potential damage to your landscaping. Can you tell me more about that?”
After your potential customer has clicked the submit button you should direct them to a thank you page to acknowledge that the form has been submitted. Your thank you page can be a great place to upsell your other services, or get people to share your website. Don’t waste it with a basic white screen that says something boring like “Thanks for filling out our form. We will contact you soon”
It is also a good idea to send an auto generated follow up email. Use auto-response emails as a way to sell products and services, build a relationship and win over potentials.
It is important to continually polish your website to improve your conversion rate. Use tracking software like Google Analytics to help you make objective, data driven decisions about what might need to be improved. Keep it simple, work to build trust, and be professional. Focus on creating a positive, painless experience for your visitors, and you will quickly generate more leads.