Opt-ins
Convert your visitors to
subscribers like a pro!
Why is the time now for brands to better their opt-in workflow?
We’ve noted that the amount of global traffic increased 3x but more importantly, the number of websites increased 14x, which means the competition levels are higher in most markets.
1% delay in website’s page load time leads to a 7% decrease in conversions.
60% of traffic is “smart” which means having a great conversion mechanism for on-the-Go recipients is vital.
That being said, opt-in forms and opt-in email marketing, in general, is the best way to capture visitor information and in turn use big data to nurture and convert these leads.
10 EMAIL OPT-IN FORM Examples
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Exit-intent
A pop-up box that appears once the user moves their mouse pointer to close the page/tab
- Pros: Grabs attention and might give you a last chance to convince your visitors to stay connected, in the long run could help you improve your churn rate
- Cons: Similarly to light-boxes, can be overused and cause annoyance especially if difficult to close
- Pro tip: Make sure that the presented benefit is something they are truly interested in and is worth their time.
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Light-box
A pop-up box that appears after a certain amount of time passes once the user enters a website
- Pros: Instantly grabs attention and drives user action, thus helping to maximize conversions
- Cons: Easy to become overly used and can cause annoyance
- Pro tip: Test the amount of time before the light-box appears and try using funny/clever, graphic elements to motivate sign-ups.
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Embedded email sign-up form
A regular good ol' sign-up form embedded onto your website.
- Pros: If designed well i.e. fits the overall design, good copy, clear benefits and CTA - can motivate to sign up
- Cons: May not be enough to catch attention unless your visitor is looking for a newsletter sign-up
- Pro tip: Should be visible on all the major pages of your website.
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Bar
A short sign-up form that looks like a bar that can be placed on top, side, or bottom of your page
- Pros: Instantly visible yet subtle
- Cons: Limited space, but can be part of a two-step sign-up process
- Pro tip: Use contrasting color and a catchy line to quickly grab users’ attention.
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A Checklist
If you’re confused as to what all you want to showcase to your customers, a checklist is your best bet. Besides, it also facilitates a greater user experience as the choice now rests entirely with them.
- Pros: Allows you to capitalize on the users responses and send them recommendations and marketing emails that align directly with what they opted from.
- Cons: The items that you curate for your checklist might fail to paint an accurate image of your business, leaving audiences with convoluted perceptions.
- Pro tip: Don't make your checklists too long; 6-10 items are considered ideal.
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A Worksheet
A light activity that requires your visitors to solve a small puzzle or a few straightforward problems to uncover the answer.
- Pros: Invites interaction from your user and is a great method of teaching your audience.
- Cons: Not everyone would appreciate having to navigate through the "hurdles" of problems to get their answer, and hence might end up disengaging altogether.
- Pro tip: Don’t make your challenges overly complicated; remember, the end goal is to capitalize on the element of interactivity to rope in the customer, not to drive them away.
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A Quiz
A series of multiple-choice questions revolving around a few problem statements that customers in your domain typically face. Users are free to select the choice that they deem most appropriate.
- Pros: Besides being interactive, a quiz also doubles up as a preliminary consultation call and helps you understand the expectations of your users.
- Cons: Users may not have the bandwidth to engage with a series of questions, especially when they have no prior notion of your brand.
- Pro tip: Make sure that all your questions revolve strictly around your brand- either your products or services, the problems that you tackle, the uniqueness of your solutions, and the like.
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Webinar sign-up
An additional check-box allowing your users to sign up for a newsletter as well as a webinar of their choice
- Pros: A great way to attract new subscribers who are already interested in your topic
- Cons: Visitors may be reluctant as they might assume that they'll receive purely sales-oriented communication
- Pro tip: Clearly communicate the frequency and the content of messages that your visitors are likely to receive if they sign up.
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Twitter Lead Generation Cards
A sign-up form that allows you to turn your Twitter followers into newsletter subscribers
- Pros: The easiest way to attract leads from Twitter other than redirecting your traffic to dedicated landing pages
- Cons: You have to pay for the generated leads, which means you need to devote additional financial resources
- Pro tip: Select your audience carefully and design your ad with their personas and preferences in mind to make the best use of your budget.
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Video opt-in
A lead form that appears to users after they have watched a part of your video content
- Pros: A growing number of users prefer to watch videos and if you can entertain and educate them, building a list won't be a problem
- Cons: Users may be annoyed by ads and other similar elements that prevent them from watching the video
- Pro tip: Great videos are worth waiting for. Serve them enough content to gain their interest and convince to leave their details with you.
OK, now you know which opt-in forms to use. Just remember to do it the right way.
Here are some practices you should avoid.NOT SO COOL EMAIL OPT-IN FORMS:
7 BAD PRACTICES!
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1
Too many mandatory fields hampering the UX
Capturing information is good, but a lot of information makes visitors skeptical about how it will be utilized. Above all, it also hampers the UX. Limit the form to a few fields and use surveys to find out the rest, after they've already signed up!
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2
No adherence to the law like privacy links, address, and other related information
In your preference center or sign-up forms it is always advisable to provide information which is required by law. Even the best marketers forget to provide this information, enabling users to choose between opting-in and skipping. Doing so can severely hamper the returns of your opt-in email marketing endeavors.
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3
Sticking to only a single opt-in type
From floating bars to sidebar opt-ins to welcome gates- there are multiple choices at your disposal when it comes to designing your opt-in form. To capture the maximum number of subscribers, it is advisable to make use of all these different types rather than sticking to any one style.
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4
Improper sizing for on-the-go subscribers
It is recommended that your opt-in form is designed keeping with mobile visitors in mind. Proper sizing leads to a great user experience.
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5
Problems exiting the form while viewing the website
Some opt-in forms are so bulky that they occupy the entire screen, while others are small but there is no way to exit them.
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6
Not letting users initiate
Instead of showing the opt-in form fields straight away, allow your users to initiate the process themselves. This will increase the likelihood of the user going ahead with the opt-in than when you spoon-feed them with the fields.
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7
Only providing single opt-in and not double opt-in email confirmation
While some marketers are providing double opt-in forms, others are still relying heavily on single opt-in, which isn’t a best practice.
Alright, so now you know what to avoid, let’s go through some clever ways that will make your sign-up forms effective.
SUPER COOL OPT-IN FORMS THAT CONVERT:
10 EMAIL OPT-IN BEST PRACTICES
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1
One of the foremost opt-in marketing best practices includes identifying your audiences’ preferences and delivering a form that actually helps your customers through the sign-up process.
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2
Use a double opt-in email form wherever possible. Not only does this ensure that the customers completing the double opt-in process have a genuine interest in your brand but also establishes your credibility. Email double opt-in best practices include ensuring that the double opt-in confirmation email has a singular focus and includes minimal content.
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3
A good way of ensuring the success of your opt-in marketing is to keep the form simple, with a few fields.
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4
If you want to include animation or add interactive elements, make sure they don’t distract
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5
Use your opt-in copy to tell your customers what they should expect from your products and services and your brand in general.
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6
Make it easy to close the opt-in form.
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7
Keep the form optimized for mobile users in terms of its size, button placement and content.
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8
Make sure your form is placed in the right eye-path to attract conversion.
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9
Test a few opt-in forms and see which ones work best for you.
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10
Offers samples of your previous newsletters or any other resources in your opt-in forms. This helps new visitors derive a compelling impression of your brand.
Craving some inspiration?
Check out these interesting ideas for mitigating the opt-in challenges!
to Get The optin Solutions cheatsheet visit :
It's great to start with these tips
but remember - you know your audience best, so run a few A/B tests to check what really works for your audience!