Imagine you have a customer browsing through your website now. She decided not to purchase anything. However, just as she was about to leave the page, she spotted an email submission contact form from the corner of her eye.
On a whim, the customer decided to put in her email address and hit “Submit”.
While you have not yet made a sale, you have gained a prospecting customer and have secured a way to reach out to her in the future. However, what’s concerning to you as a business should be that deciding moment when the customer submits the form. This is because your forms are only useful when users submit their information.
This is why you need to know how to put in practice contact forms optimization processes to grow your contact list. As you build up on your contact list, your potential to maximise your sales and conversions also grows.
Let’s get started!
How To Build The Perfect Contact Form
1. Provide a clear benefit for users
Users need to know what is in it for them before they share with you any personal information. For instance, if you are offering them a special discount, make sure your message comes through. Or, if you have exclusive content for them, be sure to highlight it as well.
Regardless of what your benefit may be to your users, make sure that it is prominently displayed on your contact form. Just remember that users need to be enticed before giving you their information.
2. Only have necessary fields
Contact forms that are too long discourages users from filling it up. No one wants to spend more than a minute filling up a form, unless the benefit is hefty as well.
Always try to limit the number of fields that users need to fill in. Most often than not, the only necessary information you need is the name and email address of the user. Other information can be gathered later on as you nurture the user through their customer journey.
3. Allow for auto-fill
Many browsers nowadays are able to store users’ data, allowing users to fill out forms quickly. You can easily encourage users to fill in your form faster by enabling the autofill feature. Just make sure that you do not request for extraordinary information such as “What Is Your Favourite Book?”
4. Make sure the layout is user-friendly
Your contact form needs to be well designed in terms of visual appeal as well as functionality. Users need to be able to quickly see that there is a contact form that they can choose to fill in. This means that the placement of the form needs to be strategic. Ideally, your form should be placed above the fold.
5. Create an actionable CTA
Your call-to-action (CTA) button needs to be in the form of a verb, so as to imply active action. It needs to be clear, strong and be prominently displayed. This means that you need to explicitly tell the users what you want them to do.
The most common CTA button that works is “Contact Us” or ”Sign Up Now”. However, you can be more elaborate or cheeky, according to your business. For example, you can have a CTA that says “Claim Your Free Sample” or “10% Discount Awaits You”
6. Be transparent in what happens next
Users appreciate transparency. Make it clear to your users what will happen after they submit the form. With a good and strong CTA, your users should already have an idea of what actions will transpire next. However, it is always good practice to explain in detail what users can expect.
For example, you can state something along the lines of “Check your inbox as we will be sending you an email with the discount code attached!”. In the email, you can further elaborate how to use the discount code. You may also want to explain to them how their information will be used by your business.
7. Ensure the design is mobile-responsive
Your users are most likely visiting your website with a mobile device. Your forms need to be mobile-responsive so users can access it easily. Check your contact form on a mobile device to ensure the following:
- Text is legible
- Form fields are aligned
- CTA buttons are prominent
8. Conduct A/B testing
The best way to optimise your contact form is by testing out different versions of it. For example, you may want to test out which CTA button resonates better with your users. Or, you may even want to test out the placement of your form on the website. The great thing about A/B testing is that it will inform you of the ideal contact form format that will drive conversions and sales. Just make sure that you test one element at a time for accurate results.
Conclusion
Contact forms are a necessary element in your website. Optimising your forms will help you gain more conversions and sales for your business. Follow through with these best practices and watch as you start gathering leads on your website.
