In prior posts in March, we talked about optimizing your contact form. I wanted to get into that a little deeper, as we see that as being a MUCH more important part of our PPC campaigns than a lot of us realize! Forgetting about Ad text, Keywords, etc, your most important vehicle to success is undoubtedly your contact form, if you are in the business of Lead Generation. If you screw something up like not gearing it to your audience, poor information requests, etc, then you are killing yourself before you even get off of the ground.
Lets think objectively, like a user for a minute. I get approximately 50 SPAM messages a day, and that is just the spam that makes it through the filter I have set up! That doesn’t include the mail that my filter gets. I get a different telemarketing offer 2-3 times a week. I have had my credit card used fraudulently 2 times in the last 4 years. I don’t want to cough up any information on the internet unless I am convinced it is something I cannot LIVE without doing. I had better be buying something at a steal, or wanting information on something I have NEVER seen before. Now while I may be tougher than your average user, we need to ask ourselves the question: “What is the minimum info that I need to contact them and follow up?” I am sure you guys are not OK with just a name and E-mail, but you get my drift, yes?
Also, make sure to track what info is given to you on the most legitimate leads. If you are getting a bunch of garbage with name and email, but your lead stats go up dramatically when the users provide a phone number, then for crying out loud, stop with the phone number! You don’t need website, second contact number, address, social security number, kid’s school phone number, or the families’ dentist’s address…….You get my point. Only ask for the minimum needed information.
Also, make sure you track ALL changes you make, and be very fragile with your changes. I would recommend only changing one thing at a time, and pay attention to SMALL changes. Sometimes that is all it takes. I am sure you don’t need to be reminded this, but don’t let it go down past the fold, if you can help it.
I hope you can take this advice in to use! Just trust me on this one. I know how consumers and users think. I have been a user for 15 years. Much longer than any of us have likely been in PPC.
