<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Forms may seem old school in many ways, but new data collection methods as well as the increasing ability to store and utilize that data allows us to optimize forms and increase the ROI of any lead generation campaign.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This post will cover the current state of lead generation forms, methods by which you can increase your form conversion rates, and a growth process to keep your forms high performing across time and technological innovation.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>The State of Lead Generation Forms<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAt HubSpot, we recently conducted some research on lead capture<\/a> and website lead generation. Generally speaking, lead generation looks similar now to how it has for the past few years. Namely:<\/p>\n\n\n\n- Most people are using traditional web forms<\/li>
- Data, usability testing, and experiments are widely underutilized<\/li>
- Those that do use data and experiments outperform those who don\u2019t.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Of course, there were emerging trends, such as many marketers beginning to favor chatbots, live chat<\/a>, and automation, as well as marketers starting to pick up methods of data enrichment (e.g. Clearbit<\/a>) and predictive lead scoring<\/a> to optimize sales efficiency and cost per lead<\/a>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nBut for the purposes of this article, let\u2019s focus on a few key facts.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Screen\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/fYnzU-Z-NaiBxxZBulz6UDpVWwUH9uvmG6rZ9R4HErdwpe7hHbWoJqM8u_ZZTyeWZJbXQ3SUvoTMymRLJxR62yPLk1XvPIJwhnmuLKXdml47mcKWYJX_HYEGckwys9SSnSpuiZSD\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFirst, note that 74% of marketers are using web forms for lead generation, and 49.7% of marketers say that web forms are their highest converting lead generation tool.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Screen1\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/VPtf9uxbjDIcc-_DBvCu5XT_ThR9B4Ifvs25gBDijaWiLak69__jW5-9VnxTV7LrED7k7GbOX3It6lFrP4Cd7Egh2hZreuJeRXP8pyZgo8qOXsdK4LH0eruMVXOlwA6eDX2rfBHl\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nNext, we asked respondents whether or not they used the following data-driven methods to optimize their forms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Form analytics<\/a> – setting up the measurement to see drop off rates and calculate the conversion rate of your forms.<\/li>
- User testing<\/a> – a form of usability testing where you ask a user to perform a task on your site and watch how they complete it.<\/li>
- A\/B testing<\/a> – putting a new variation against the original to see which one performs better, using statistical tests.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019d think that most marketers in 2019 would be getting the data basics down right, but many marketers still aren\u2019t doing any of those things, at least when it comes to their forms. For instance, 36% of respondents said they run zero user tests on their forms.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Screen2\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/a5-UMeufTLzByJYqh__ScZMIkWtO60kO7qs_0_hd6XxFbVAy1EnhCwMFnJtcWc-rFNN8kaRcOLpTozA-tLyY1NHUYQuzN5Rz2PujoLnL0S8hf2KcwDsDTMysdAKg2DK5xNJwYAvz\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nA quarter of marketers said they aren\u2019t using form analytics, and about 45% of marketers don\u2019t do any A\/B testing on their forms:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Screen3\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/M3CY6fyvUZJkwrpHpRUC-29WB0XNIixil-W9d3CWIhTgqAl11gHrvfPE7YXDV3ycDPbcyJpijkxdWfVA8rInNbNe_o7HbM4J95rDYHGK7OEYfMl5fldvDJiWkfxMYsuP3_CA2H16\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSometimes, companies won\u2019t have the traffic sufficient to run A\/B test on their forms, but everyone should be able to use form analytics and user tests to make sure there aren\u2019t any major bugs or UX bottlenecks.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also found, unsurprisingly, that those who use form analytics, user tests, and A\/B tests all report better results.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marketers who run A\/B tests on their forms tend to be more satisfied with their lead generation efforts than those who don\u2019t, and they also report roughly 10% higher website and mobile app conversion rate<\/a> than those who don\u2019t run A\/B tests.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThose who use form analytics report 15% higher satisfaction with their lead generation efforts and 19% higher conversion rates.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, we found that people who run user tests are also more satisfied with their lead generation programs than those who don\u2019t and that the satisfaction rating increases as the number of user tests rises.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can sum things up by saying: most marketers still use forms, most customers are totally happy<\/a> using forms, and data-driven optimization techniques are more successful than lack of data-driven techniques.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nSo let\u2019s learn how to use data to improve our web forms, shall we?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>3 Ways to Collect Quantitative Data to Improve Web Forms<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIn general, we have three great quantitative methods of improving our web forms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Form analytics tools<\/li>
- Customer\/product analytics<\/li>
- Controlled experiments.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Form Analytics<\/strong>
<\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo start, we want micro-level and specific data on our web forms. This means granular insights such as form field drop off, especially by segment, and other behavioral factors such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The most corrected form fields (error messages)<\/li>
- Real time reporting<\/li>
- Completion time<\/li>
- Fields before submission<\/li>
- Field times report<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
And of course, you want to get a good idea of your overall form conversion rate.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this area, while you can set this up using event tracking and a tool like Google Analytics<\/a>, I vastly prefer a specialized form analytics tool. It\u2019s just so much easier to set up and get proper reporting. Why reinvent the wheel?
<\/p>\n\n\n\nSeveral great solutions exist, my favorite being Formisimo<\/a>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nCustomer or Product Analytics<\/strong>
<\/h3>\n\n\n\nNext, you want some sort of product or customer level data you can use to tie things together.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simply collecting form field and submission data doesn\u2019t tell you the quality of the leads you\u2019re getting, so here\u2019s where something like Google Analytics<\/a> comes in handy. Additionally, you could use a specific product analytics tool like Amplitude<\/a> or a customer journey analytics solution like Woopra<\/a> to get a really good view of how someone navigated the entire process from visitor to lead to customer and beyond.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWith these two sets of tools, you can understand how your forms are performing on a granular level, and you can understand the higher level facts – such as which lead offers are bringing in more valuable leads and customers, and the correlation between form fields and lead quality.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A\/B Tests<\/strong>
<\/h3>\n\n\n\nOnce you have that information, you can run smart experiments to improve your forms\u2019 performance. The gold standard, the A\/B test<\/a>, still hasn\u2019t been usurped by any emerging technology.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Screen4\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/lrnIG5ac2qoCPzizcf2VgRYKU7pD4o3SSrVhWLIGLNGVAMXXarK_24JBQZUEFgMMWuHw7VYNKSy7qYlxgFT63J3O0Dcq-xfQjzgmwsoatNAYnPv8Dr3XN85X1KTITpQdIXHaSkA-\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn fact, the A\/B test is a rather old piece of technology, dating back to 1747<\/a>, when the survey was a major problem.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nA British Royal Navy ship surgeon, Mr. James Lind, gave specific crew members different solutions, then tested the results of those variations over time, coming to the conclusion that citrus fruits were the cure to scurvy.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve come a long way since then, and now we\u2019re able to easily set up A\/B tests using tools like Google Optimize<\/a> or Optimizely<\/a> in only a few minutes (for super simple tests, of course).
<\/p>\n\n\n\nRecommended Read<\/strong> – A categorized list of the best A\/B Testing tools<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nWe now have the computational power to do advanced statistics in seconds. Even the previously computationally challenging Bayesian stuff is within our grasps now.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All that is to say: if you have sufficient traffic, there\u2019s no real reason not to be running experiments.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Don\u2019t Forget the Qualitative Feedback<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThere are more and more ways to collect trustworthy quantitative data that can help you improve your form conversion rates, but some of the best, most useful data is qualitative in nature.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, let\u2019s say you\u2019ve discovered one of your lead generation campaigns is underperforming. You know there is a high drop-off on the \u201ccompany name\u201d form field, but it\u2019s something you need to collect for your sales data. In addition, other campaigns use the same form field.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what the heck is happening with this campaign in particular?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s where a good user testing session or a folder of session replays can do wonders.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of getting aggregate quantitative data, you can watch real user interact with your website and web form and see what is tripping them up.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
User Testing<\/strong>
<\/h3>\n\n\n\nIn the case of user testing<\/a>, you can recruit test users and give them tasks to accomplish on your blogs.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nGenerally speaking, it\u2019s nice to recruit<\/a> between 5-7 participants, and you\u2019ll usually want to give them one specific goal-oriented task (e.g. in ecommerce you could say \u201cbuy a pair of size 33-32 straight cut blue jeans for men\u201d) and one more general task (e.g. you could say \u201cfind a pair of shoes you like and buy them.\u201d)
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThen, simply watch the users interact with your interface and take notes. Where do they trip up? Which areas seem to breed frustration? Which tasks take abnormally long to complete?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Session Replay Videos<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAnother complementary method for collecting user interaction data is session replay videos<\/a>. Instead of recruiting a small number of known users, you can watch anonymized videos of real users interacting with your website.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis can be powerful because it\u2019s a) passive and b) the users don\u2019t know they\u2019re being watched.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This allows you to get really honest data, as opposed to in surveys or user tests, where the user knows you\u2019re trying to learn something and will sometimes alter their behavior to give you a better answer (i.e. experimenter bias<\/a>).
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s not to say surveys aren\u2019t valuable. In fact, on-site polls have given me some of my best A\/B test ideas.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Surveys and Polls<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nInstead of wondering what the user experience issue is, you can simply ask. You should always craft your questions specifically to find answers to what you care to learn about, and therefore it\u2019s difficult to say \u201cthis question is best.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, depending on your circumstance, there are tons of good questions to uncover usability or user experience issues on a page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- “Is there anything preventing you from signing up at this point?”<\/li>
- “What’s preventing you from signing up?”<\/li>
- “What would change your mind about signing up for an account?”<\/li>
- “Is our pricing clear?”<\/li>
- “What could we do to make this site more useful?”<\/li>
- “On this page, it seems like I should be able to…”<\/li>
- “Is there anything on this site that doesn’t work the way you expected it to?”<\/li>
- “What’s preventing you from starting a trial?”<\/li>
- “Is there anything preventing you from completing your purchase?”<\/li>
- “What’s the one thing that nearly stopped you from starting a trial?”<\/li>
- “What is the primary reason why you’re canceling your account?”<\/li>
- “Was there anything about this checkout process that we should improve?”<\/li>
- “What prevented you from doing what you came to the site to do?”
<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n![\"Screen5\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/G10OqflDWzALvd__yNmnDvAst2hGgRssvBgXEdGn-Jqolmv627StSU_6Kf_mGHKg87YFVmNvWy7VjKLP2wzOTV6L0O00TgfGG25vSzD26dSBv9sqBSaEcC2KoRXhUW0hjud1-Dfj\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s important to note that the reporting capabilities of polling and survey software like Qualaroo has gotten so advanced that it\u2019s quite comparable to quantitative data in terms of usefulness and the ability to discover problem areas as well as ideate solutions.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, Qualaroo also has a lead generation capability. You can double up and, first, ask a qualitative survey question, and second, follow up with a lead generation form.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Screen6\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/lNWDMEmBIo0o7jGhXoKDsq97gg1lTndyLIn-SnEaNuGQgimUpFDSbgzMgkV5-0AZdDDcQxVokXixQIpPH79fMpY4qQbSLbzj5WdrFrONZcyYgUMrAO6Ugws4G-zgVej_aBmL9Dpa\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBecause of the first accepted action on the part of the visitors (i.e. answer your question), they are more likely to complete the lead capture portion of the form. This is due to the \u201cfoot in the door\u201d persuasion theory<\/a>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Screen7\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/BBIcX8dpzkus9I0xEP-avBJ2qeMGISAZUcrlxK2vlNWtcQ8nwr5R363A3O9RNtej0DccT9jW9xwUbaRXhInSn_QxvsOAlKswJZiBEwtn5ybTV4hVs1Ya2zjljxwTFQC9LF4M31Gn\")
Image Source\ufeff<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Never Stop Optimizing<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe thing about optimization is that it never ends. If only your audience were static and the market never changed, you could rest on your laurels and let the leads flow in. Alas, that\u2019s not the way the world works.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re in a constant state of flux, and thus, any experience you deliver to your audience is defined by some level of perishability. In other words, the experience that is optimal now won\u2019t be optimal forever, and it\u2019s a question of when you need to try something new.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Screen8\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/mfOWckzpa_7oc50A_5BKBgh-2dFm2YpjlGY4mhKBv1F2UZxksUM8HS_-ZC69tnGqPOsxaN_IA_TX8syZ3yRTtTivt3E163speL7TMb46T6x1cWeCmBlQU-JBsFlBfT6hNXLwhxby\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nImage Source<\/a>
<\/p>\n\n\n\nYour best bet in the long run is to do three things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Set up analytics and a customer feedback tool<\/a> to collect data continuously<\/li>
- Engage in an active conversion optimization process wherein you\u2019re always trying to question assumptions<\/li>
- Keep an eye on technological changes and try to gain the edge on new tech.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve already discussed analytics, and to a large extent, CRO. If you simply run with Google Analytics, a form analytics tool, and a feedback solution like Qualaroo, you\u2019ll be ahead of most. If you add on a CRO process<\/a> that includes regular experimentation, you\u2019ll be an elite lead generation machine.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nBeyond that, though, there are constantly new ways to get smarter about lead generation.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are the obvious developments, such as live chat<\/a> and chatbots<\/a> getting much easier to do well. Customer, in addition, are getting more used to interacting with brands this way. That\u2019s an easy experiment to run.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are other cool possibilities now, such as enriching your contact properties using something like Clearbit. In this way, you can split the difference between your sales team\u2019s desire to have all the information, and your marketing team\u2019s desire to remove form fields to get a higher conversion rate.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Progressive profiling<\/a> is another method by which you can reduce form fields and gradually collect more information over several visits.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nAdditionally, the way we qualify leads is getting more sophisticated. No longer is it a simply regression based on company size and maybe job title. We can now tie in website behavioral data with demographic, psychographic, and firmographic data to predict which website visitors and leads will be most valuable to the business.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s an exciting world out there nowadays for marketers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nMany marketers put up a lead generation form and call it a day. They may lament their low conversion rate, but without proper form analytics and an experimentation process, there\u2019s not much action to take.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The good news is that it\u2019s not very difficult to get started using data to lift your form conversion rates. Simply start with the basics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Form analytics<\/li>
- Product or customer analytics to tie-in business data<\/li>
- Experiments to constantly improve your performance<\/li>
- Qualitative user testing and session replay videos to find UX bottlenecks<\/li>
- Feedback surveys to pinpoint issues, find potential solutions, and even collect leads<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
This should be the operating system by which any business team operates, and it\u2019s no different for marketers, whether you\u2019re trying to grow a blog<\/a>, build a demand funnel for a SaaS product, or grow an ecommerce business.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nYou can make data-driven decisions to boost form conversion rates, lead quality, and even sales efficiency given the proper tools and processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/hr>\n\n\n\n
- Most people are using traditional web forms<\/li>
- Data, usability testing, and experiments are widely underutilized<\/li>
- Those that do use data and experiments outperform those who don\u2019t.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Of course, there were emerging trends, such as many marketers beginning to favor chatbots, live chat<\/a>, and automation, as well as marketers starting to pick up methods of data enrichment (e.g. Clearbit<\/a>) and predictive lead scoring<\/a> to optimize sales efficiency and cost per lead<\/a>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nBut for the purposes of this article, let\u2019s focus on a few key facts.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nFirst, note that 74% of marketers are using web forms for lead generation, and 49.7% of marketers say that web forms are their highest converting lead generation tool.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nNext, we asked respondents whether or not they used the following data-driven methods to optimize their forms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Form analytics<\/a> – setting up the measurement to see drop off rates and calculate the conversion rate of your forms.<\/li>
- User testing<\/a> – a form of usability testing where you ask a user to perform a task on your site and watch how they complete it.<\/li>
- A\/B testing<\/a> – putting a new variation against the original to see which one performs better, using statistical tests.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019d think that most marketers in 2019 would be getting the data basics down right, but many marketers still aren\u2019t doing any of those things, at least when it comes to their forms. For instance, 36% of respondents said they run zero user tests on their forms.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nA quarter of marketers said they aren\u2019t using form analytics, and about 45% of marketers don\u2019t do any A\/B testing on their forms:
<\/p>\n\n\n\nSometimes, companies won\u2019t have the traffic sufficient to run A\/B test on their forms, but everyone should be able to use form analytics and user tests to make sure there aren\u2019t any major bugs or UX bottlenecks.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe also found, unsurprisingly, that those who use form analytics, user tests, and A\/B tests all report better results.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nMarketers who run A\/B tests on their forms tend to be more satisfied with their lead generation efforts than those who don\u2019t, and they also report roughly 10% higher website and mobile app conversion rate<\/a> than those who don\u2019t run A\/B tests.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThose who use form analytics report 15% higher satisfaction with their lead generation efforts and 19% higher conversion rates.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nFinally, we found that people who run user tests are also more satisfied with their lead generation programs than those who don\u2019t and that the satisfaction rating increases as the number of user tests rises.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe can sum things up by saying: most marketers still use forms, most customers are totally happy<\/a> using forms, and data-driven optimization techniques are more successful than lack of data-driven techniques.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nSo let\u2019s learn how to use data to improve our web forms, shall we?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>3 Ways to Collect Quantitative Data to Improve Web Forms<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In general, we have three great quantitative methods of improving our web forms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Form analytics tools<\/li>
- Customer\/product analytics<\/li>
- Controlled experiments.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Form Analytics<\/strong>
<\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo start, we want micro-level and specific data on our web forms. This means granular insights such as form field drop off, especially by segment, and other behavioral factors such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The most corrected form fields (error messages)<\/li>
- Real time reporting<\/li>
- Completion time<\/li>
- Fields before submission<\/li>
- Field times report<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
And of course, you want to get a good idea of your overall form conversion rate.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn this area, while you can set this up using event tracking and a tool like Google Analytics<\/a>, I vastly prefer a specialized form analytics tool. It\u2019s just so much easier to set up and get proper reporting. Why reinvent the wheel?
<\/p>\n\n\n\nSeveral great solutions exist, my favorite being Formisimo<\/a>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nCustomer or Product Analytics<\/strong>
<\/h3>\n\n\n\nNext, you want some sort of product or customer level data you can use to tie things together.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nSimply collecting form field and submission data doesn\u2019t tell you the quality of the leads you\u2019re getting, so here\u2019s where something like Google Analytics<\/a> comes in handy. Additionally, you could use a specific product analytics tool like Amplitude<\/a> or a customer journey analytics solution like Woopra<\/a> to get a really good view of how someone navigated the entire process from visitor to lead to customer and beyond.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWith these two sets of tools, you can understand how your forms are performing on a granular level, and you can understand the higher level facts – such as which lead offers are bringing in more valuable leads and customers, and the correlation between form fields and lead quality.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nA\/B Tests<\/strong>
<\/h3>\n\n\n\nOnce you have that information, you can run smart experiments to improve your forms\u2019 performance. The gold standard, the A\/B test<\/a>, still hasn\u2019t been usurped by any emerging technology.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn fact, the A\/B test is a rather old piece of technology, dating back to 1747<\/a>, when the survey was a major problem.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nA British Royal Navy ship surgeon, Mr. James Lind, gave specific crew members different solutions, then tested the results of those variations over time, coming to the conclusion that citrus fruits were the cure to scurvy.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe\u2019ve come a long way since then, and now we\u2019re able to easily set up A\/B tests using tools like Google Optimize<\/a> or Optimizely<\/a> in only a few minutes (for super simple tests, of course).
<\/p>\n\n\n\nRecommended Read<\/strong> – A categorized list of the best A\/B Testing tools<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
We now have the computational power to do advanced statistics in seconds. Even the previously computationally challenging Bayesian stuff is within our grasps now.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nAll that is to say: if you have sufficient traffic, there\u2019s no real reason not to be running experiments.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Don\u2019t Forget the Qualitative Feedback<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are more and more ways to collect trustworthy quantitative data that can help you improve your form conversion rates, but some of the best, most useful data is qualitative in nature.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor example, let\u2019s say you\u2019ve discovered one of your lead generation campaigns is underperforming. You know there is a high drop-off on the \u201ccompany name\u201d form field, but it\u2019s something you need to collect for your sales data. In addition, other campaigns use the same form field.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nSo what the heck is happening with this campaign in particular?
<\/p>\n\n\n\nHere\u2019s where a good user testing session or a folder of session replays can do wonders.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nInstead of getting aggregate quantitative data, you can watch real user interact with your website and web form and see what is tripping them up.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nUser Testing<\/strong>
<\/h3>\n\n\n\nIn the case of user testing<\/a>, you can recruit test users and give them tasks to accomplish on your blogs.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nGenerally speaking, it\u2019s nice to recruit<\/a> between 5-7 participants, and you\u2019ll usually want to give them one specific goal-oriented task (e.g. in ecommerce you could say \u201cbuy a pair of size 33-32 straight cut blue jeans for men\u201d) and one more general task (e.g. you could say \u201cfind a pair of shoes you like and buy them.\u201d)
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThen, simply watch the users interact with your interface and take notes. Where do they trip up? Which areas seem to breed frustration? Which tasks take abnormally long to complete?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Session Replay Videos<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAnother complementary method for collecting user interaction data is session replay videos<\/a>. Instead of recruiting a small number of known users, you can watch anonymized videos of real users interacting with your website.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis can be powerful because it\u2019s a) passive and b) the users don\u2019t know they\u2019re being watched.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis allows you to get really honest data, as opposed to in surveys or user tests, where the user knows you\u2019re trying to learn something and will sometimes alter their behavior to give you a better answer (i.e. experimenter bias<\/a>).
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s not to say surveys aren\u2019t valuable. In fact, on-site polls have given me some of my best A\/B test ideas.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Surveys and Polls<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nInstead of wondering what the user experience issue is, you can simply ask. You should always craft your questions specifically to find answers to what you care to learn about, and therefore it\u2019s difficult to say \u201cthis question is best.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\nBut, depending on your circumstance, there are tons of good questions to uncover usability or user experience issues on a page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- “Is there anything preventing you from signing up at this point?”<\/li>
- “What’s preventing you from signing up?”<\/li>
- “What would change your mind about signing up for an account?”<\/li>
- “Is our pricing clear?”<\/li>
- “What could we do to make this site more useful?”<\/li>
- “On this page, it seems like I should be able to…”<\/li>
- “Is there anything on this site that doesn’t work the way you expected it to?”<\/li>
- “What’s preventing you from starting a trial?”<\/li>
- “Is there anything preventing you from completing your purchase?”<\/li>
- “What’s the one thing that nearly stopped you from starting a trial?”<\/li>
- “What is the primary reason why you’re canceling your account?”<\/li>
- “Was there anything about this checkout process that we should improve?”<\/li>
- “What prevented you from doing what you came to the site to do?”
<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s important to note that the reporting capabilities of polling and survey software like Qualaroo has gotten so advanced that it\u2019s quite comparable to quantitative data in terms of usefulness and the ability to discover problem areas as well as ideate solutions.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nFinally, Qualaroo also has a lead generation capability. You can double up and, first, ask a qualitative survey question, and second, follow up with a lead generation form.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nBecause of the first accepted action on the part of the visitors (i.e. answer your question), they are more likely to complete the lead capture portion of the form. This is due to the \u201cfoot in the door\u201d persuasion theory<\/a>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nImage Source\ufeff<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/span>Never Stop Optimizing<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The thing about optimization is that it never ends. If only your audience were static and the market never changed, you could rest on your laurels and let the leads flow in. Alas, that\u2019s not the way the world works.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe\u2019re in a constant state of flux, and thus, any experience you deliver to your audience is defined by some level of perishability. In other words, the experience that is optimal now won\u2019t be optimal forever, and it\u2019s a question of when you need to try something new.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nImage Source<\/a>
<\/p>\n\n\n\nYour best bet in the long run is to do three things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Set up analytics and a customer feedback tool<\/a> to collect data continuously<\/li>
- Engage in an active conversion optimization process wherein you\u2019re always trying to question assumptions<\/li>
- Keep an eye on technological changes and try to gain the edge on new tech.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve already discussed analytics, and to a large extent, CRO. If you simply run with Google Analytics, a form analytics tool, and a feedback solution like Qualaroo, you\u2019ll be ahead of most. If you add on a CRO process<\/a> that includes regular experimentation, you\u2019ll be an elite lead generation machine.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nBeyond that, though, there are constantly new ways to get smarter about lead generation.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are the obvious developments, such as live chat<\/a> and chatbots<\/a> getting much easier to do well. Customer, in addition, are getting more used to interacting with brands this way. That\u2019s an easy experiment to run.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are other cool possibilities now, such as enriching your contact properties using something like Clearbit. In this way, you can split the difference between your sales team\u2019s desire to have all the information, and your marketing team\u2019s desire to remove form fields to get a higher conversion rate.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nProgressive profiling<\/a> is another method by which you can reduce form fields and gradually collect more information over several visits.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nAdditionally, the way we qualify leads is getting more sophisticated. No longer is it a simply regression based on company size and maybe job title. We can now tie in website behavioral data with demographic, psychographic, and firmographic data to predict which website visitors and leads will be most valuable to the business.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s an exciting world out there nowadays for marketers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Many marketers put up a lead generation form and call it a day. They may lament their low conversion rate, but without proper form analytics and an experimentation process, there\u2019s not much action to take.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe good news is that it\u2019s not very difficult to get started using data to lift your form conversion rates. Simply start with the basics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Form analytics<\/li>
- Product or customer analytics to tie-in business data<\/li>
- Experiments to constantly improve your performance<\/li>
- Qualitative user testing and session replay videos to find UX bottlenecks<\/li>
- Feedback surveys to pinpoint issues, find potential solutions, and even collect leads<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
This should be the operating system by which any business team operates, and it\u2019s no different for marketers, whether you\u2019re trying to grow a blog<\/a>, build a demand funnel for a SaaS product, or grow an ecommerce business.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nYou can make data-driven decisions to boost form conversion rates, lead quality, and even sales efficiency given the proper tools and processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/hr>\n\n\n\n
- Set up analytics and a customer feedback tool<\/a> to collect data continuously<\/li>
- User testing<\/a> – a form of usability testing where you ask a user to perform a task on your site and watch how they complete it.<\/li>
- Form analytics<\/a> – setting up the measurement to see drop off rates and calculate the conversion rate of your forms.<\/li>