We will look at examples to see how many fields are needed, what design to use, and where it is best to place them.
What is a lead form?
Types and examples of lead forms
Pros and Cons of Using Lead Forms
How to create a lead form
How to Make a Lead Form Effective
Expert advice
What is a lead form?
Table of Contents
A lead form is a tool on a website that helps collect visitors’ contacts. The user shares their name, phone number, and email and receives something valuable: a discount, a free course, access to closed content, or a trial version of a product. For example, a banner appears on a store’s website offering a 10% discount on their first purchase in exchange for an email. This is a lead form.
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Types and examples of lead forms
1. Contact in exchange for a bonus –
a newsletter, a discount or a gift. It is used to collect a subscriber base for email marketing. For example, to send news, promotions, useful tips or information about new products. The form is usually placed in blogs, on the main page of the site or appears as a pop-up window when the user has spent more than 30 seconds on the site and has entered one or more sections. Often such forms have only one or two fields – for the name and email address.
2. Registration on the site
serves to create a user base that can access closed content, participate in loyalty programs, and a personal account. For example, a user can create an account in an online store to track order statuses and accumulate bonus points. The store will receive information about the customer’s preferences and will be able to send them personalized offers.
3. Form with a button
The user clicks on the button and goes to the form to fill out. Such a lead form can often be seen in social networks – for example, in VK.
The “Traffic Manager” course has a whole block in which students learn to set up targeted advertising in VK, including in the lead form format. They promote communities, websites, and products.
4. Request for a call back
This form is usually found on pages with services or products where urgent consultation is important, for example, on websites of companies that glaze apartments or install household appliances, clinics, beauty salons. The form usually has one field – with a phone number.
5. Request for a commercial proposal or demo version
Used to collect information from potential clients who are interested in the company’s services or products. This allows you to assess the client’s needs and offer a customized solution. This form usually has more fields: to create a commercial proposal, additional information about the client and their task is needed.
Lead forms for commercial offers are often placed on service pages, in the “Contacts” section, or designed as a pop-up window.
6. Calculator
The user enters several parameters and receives a calculation of the approximate cost of services or goods. This motivates him to leave contact information for clarification of details.
Pros and Cons of Using Lead Forms
Pros
A website is not always necessary. To collect requests from clients, a company only needs to have an account on social networks.
Quick lead generation. Works well with services that are understandable to humans and do not require a long explanation.
Personalization. Allows you to make an individual offer based on the collected data.
Possibility to add a lead magnet. For filling out the lead form, you can offer a promo code or a link to useful content: a checklist, an e-book, a discount or an invitation to an event.
Cons
Risk of losing a client. If a form requires a lot of data, the user may refuse to fill it out.
Low quality of leads. Some users may leave incorrect data just for the sake of a bonus.
The need for data protection. When collecting information, the site owner is responsible for its protection. This requires additional costs – for security specialists and software.
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How to create a lead form
1. Determine what result the form should bring
For example, increasing the number of subscribers, increasing customer loyalty and stimulating repeat purchases through regular email newsletters with relevant offers.
2. Formulate an offer
the reason why the user should fill out the form. For example, a client plans to buy new shoes and therefore sees a benefit in a discount for a subscription.
3. Select the required fields
The number of fields in the form depends on its purpose and business area. For example, for a marketplace, one or two fields in the form are enough, and for a development studio – from three to five, because more information is needed to evaluate the task.
Long forms take more time to fill out. Users may find the effort not worth it and close the page. Therefore, it is important to include only those fields that are really important to achieve the goal. For example, if you are collecting applications for a consultation, email and phone are the maximum that is needed to start.
4. Choose a design and location
The form should be where people expect to see it. For example, a newsletter subscription form is appropriate at the end of an article. The user has already read the useful content and is interested in receiving additional information. But a store visitor may not scroll to the end of the page, so it makes more sense for them to place the lead form at the top of the page.
Home page
The form can be placed at the top of the site, especially if it is a key offer – registration for a webinar or loyalty program
Inside the content
Subscription forms for newsletters or downloads of useful content work well inside articles or next to relevant content. For example, after reading an article about fashion trends, the user will see a form offering to download a guide to the latest season’s products
Pop-up windows
A pop-up form that appears after a user has spent a certain amount of time on a site can grab attention.
In the sidebar
Forms placed in the sidebar remain visible as you scroll through the page and are suitable for offers that may interest the user at any time (for example, a callback form)
How to Make a Lead Form Effective
1. Adapt to mobile devices
especially if most users access the site from smartphones. Fields in the mobile version should be convenient for entering data, buttons should be noticeable and easy to click.
2. Use progressive disclosure
If additional data is needed, it can be requested at the next step – after the user has entered the basic information. This way, they are more likely to complete the form, rather than abandon it when they see the number of fields.
3. Tell what benefit the site visitor will receive if they share their contacts
For example, list what usually comes in the newsletter.
4. Use the principle of minimalism
Do not overload the form with unnecessary fields, text, use a simple font that will be equally readable on different devices. At the same time, you can use contrasting colors for buttons and fields so that they stand out from the rest of the page. For example, if the site is in neutral tones, a bright “Submit” button will attract attention.
5. Use clear labels and hints
Each field should have a clear and understandable label and, if necessary, a hint so that the user can easily understand what and where to enter. For example, after the user has filled in the field correctly, highlight it with a check mark.
6. Use incentive buttons
The form submission button should be large and noticeable. Instead of the standard “Submit”, it is better to use calls to action, for example, “Get a discount” or “Register for free”.
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7. Inform the user that their data is being collected (and specify for what purposes)
At the end of the form, you need to make a checkbox with consent to the collection and processing of personal data and provide a link to the company’s privacy policy. Firstly, the site visitor should be able to familiarize themselves with the rules for collecting data before sending it. Secondly, it is impossible to collect user information without a link to the policy.
Some users worry that after filling out the form they will receive intrusive calls or mailings. You can add a note that the data is needed only to contact a person on a specific issue, or indicate that mailings will not come more than once a month.
8. Protect the form from bots and entering fake data
For example, bots can fill in fields and click buttons, and users can leave incorrect contacts. To make sure that the form is filled in by a real person and not a bot, you can use a captcha – a small test for choosing a picture, recognizing letters or numbers.
In addition, you can use double email verification, when the user needs to confirm their email via a letter with a link. This ensures that the email is active and belongs to someone who is really interested in the product. SMS verification is suitable for checking the phone number: the user receives a confirmation code that must be entered to complete the application or registration.
9. Test the form
To understand which version of the form gives the best results, you can make several versions and conduct A/B tests with them . Perhaps it is worth changing the colors, removing or adding one or two fields to increase conversion.
