Landing pages might be the home of lead generation, but contact forms are locked doors that users have to pass through to convert. With this in mind, it’s in your best interest to make opening this lock as simple and effortless for your audience as possible.
Find your perfect length
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to how long a landing page contact form should be. Some businesses get by with a single field for an email address, while others ask about location, job title, and biggest challenges faced on a daily basis.
The key concept to remember when determining form length is balancing information with effort. The more you ask for, the less you get. Stick to only the information you absolutely need. If you use HubSpot, you can create smart fields and ask for different information each time a visitors returns to your site.
If you are receiving too many unqualified leads, add fields slowly to qualify your visitors. Find the right mix of quantity and quality by experimenting with form fields and using smart forms.
Choose your language carefully
As with all aspects of your landing page, the language you choose matters and can influence consumer behavior.
Consider the word choice of your contact form button. Many sites go with “Submit”, but that sounds rather aggressive, no? Synonyms for submit include “succumb”, “yield to”, and “give in to.” These aren’t emotional states you want associated with your product.
Changing “Submit” into something like “Go”, “Download”, or even “Onward!” can drastically increase your number of conversions by keeping the customer’s emotional frame positive and focused on the benefits of your service.
Give them peace of mind
Last-minute resistance is a common part of the sales process. People generally fear committing to things, particularly if there’s a lot riding on the decision. Even if you optimize your landing page from top to bottom, you may find that your leads will be unsure about taking the next step.
Include links to your privacy policy, assure them that their information will never be sold to third-party companies, and include any security certifications that may be appropriate. You can also include customer testimonials as a way to provide much-needed social proof as they decide whether to move forward.
Format the form
As we mentioned above, customer effort is a major factor for whether they’ll fill out your form. If your form is too long, asks for sensitive information, or even just looks like a hassle to fill out, you’ll turn your leads off before you have a chance to win them over.
Format your contact form to make it simple and accessible. Limit the number of fields you include, include generous amounts of white space between each field, and adjust the margins so that the form itself takes up less space. Large and complex forms are imposing; small and compact forms are approachable.
Form Optimization
You can’t afford to lose your leads at this critical stage. Your contact forms must be optimized for maximal conversion potential:
- Choose an appropriate length
- Select your words carefully
- Reduce their anxieties and fears
- Format the form for ease of use
Each of these changes will contribute to a contact form that is simple, clear, and effective at capturing leads for your marketing funnel.
Looking for more information on Lead Generation?
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30 Lead Generation Tips that Drive ROI
1. Strategies: Creating An Offer They Can’t Say “No” To
2. Campaigns: Creating A Sense Of Urgency
3. Tips: Craft Offers That Address Different Buying Stages
4. Techniques: Use High Performing Offer Formats
5. Increasing Lead Counts With Calls-To-Actions That Rock
6. Must Haves for Effective Landing Pages
7. Building Forms That Are Optimized for Conversion
8. Leveraging Multi Funnel Lead Generation To Maximize Results
