Asking for Email and Phone Number from the Outset
Have you ever laughed about how some of today’s digital marketing practices would be socially unacceptable in person-to-person interactions? The truth is, digital marketers are kind of creeps. Imagine you walk into your favorite store. As you do you’re immediately surprised by a salesperson who jumps in front of you and asks for your email address and phone number. If you’re like me, you’d get the heebee geebees and might even leave the store.Now, I get it, the digital world has more wiggle room about what is acceptable because the interaction is less personal than brick-and-mortar shopping. BUT it begs the question: If you wouldn’t ask for an email opt-in when a potential customer first walks into the store, should you be doing it when they first land on your website? Would there be better places to ask for that information?The average email opt-in rate is only 1.98%. The goal of this post is to help your business beat the average by thinking of ways you can ask for email opt-ins that feel natural and actually help prompt the visitor to complete their purchase.
What if we asked for email capture again once users knew they liked the brand?
We could do three things with this strategy:First, brand buy-in increases. Giving out personal information is an act of trust. Remember the example earlier about the creeper in the store? What if you knew that person, or what if they were your friend? You’d trust someone you know before trusting a stranger.Unless you’re advertising to robots, your brand should act like a human. Keep your messages clear, simple, and engaging. It shouldn’t take new visitors a long time to figure out what your site’s about, especially if they were directed there by an ad or related search query. So spend your efforts on helping people feel welcome, and they’ll repay you in spades. Increased trust means an increased desire to know your brand even more.People are much more likely to trust someone who offers them something of value. Users who give you their email would be saying, “I know who you are and what you’re offering. I want what you have.”Second, Opt-in intent increases. Users that know your brand well before they opt-in display higher opt-in intent than a brand new visitor. That’s basic marketing knowledge: it’s easier to work with someone who knows and likes you than someone who doesn’t. People who are devoted to the brand are much, much more likely to reciprocate your attention.By asking for their information later, you give the brand time to marinate. Instead of pouncing on people like a slab of meat, give them a chance to read your site’s messaging and realize that it relates with them. When that message comes on their screen, they should be saying, “Why yes, I am a 30-something-year-old who adores good shoes. Please let me know when those kicks are on sale!”Why do we market to these fans? Because they’ve already done most of the work for us. We don’t have to convince that 30-something-year-old that shoes are good—they already know that. All we need to say is that our shoes are amazing and available. Any logical person who finds their tribe’s product would do anything to get it. That’s why users with higher intent are more likely to open the emails and texts you send them AND do something about it. Third, Nurture Campaign Conversion Rates are Higher. When brand buy-in and opt-in intent increase, so do conversion rates. Too many sites fail because they don’t capture the human element of opt-ins.Most of the time, it’s not a traffic problem or a loading time problem: it’s an engagement problem. Why are potential customers leaving without making a purchase? It’s not because they don’t need what you have—it’s because you haven’t shown them why they should trust you. Again, amazing and available products beat those that demand a sale right off the bat.This is where the real magic happens. Giving information is a commitment. Commitments are a two-way street that enables brands to meet their visitors in the middle. By acting on their trust, customers remind themselves that they want to be advertised to. Whether that’s through email or SMS, small commitments make huge conversions.If new visitors are more committed to the brand and more likely to give you their information, your messages will go out to more people, which means more customers, more sales, more happy reviews, and so on. Email and SMS are very cost-effective because they channel the energy your subscribers have about your brand.
How to Do This
The goal here is to allow users to buy into your brand and then present them with a lead capture popup. Ampry conversion strategists are doing that in two ways.
Strategy 1: Delay the Welcome Popup
We’ve tested the proper time to show popups with most of our clients. While the specifics of each test result varies, one principle is nearly always true. Loading your lead capture popup on page load is a mistake.Patience is a virtue every ecommerce site needs to learn. You disorient your visitor if the popup displays as soon as the website does. This can make you look greedy, even inconsiderate, and distracts visitors from the hard work you put into designing the rest of the site. By default, we postpone our display to 10 seconds and then test to see if we should wait even longer. Additionally, we ask ourselves if we should set the popup to trigger based on scroll depth rather than timing—and then we test it.
Strategy 2: Show the lead capture form on product pages
Get email capture (and text capture) on the product pages. Why there? It’s because the user has already bought into the brand. They’re ready to make a purchase and firmly believe you’re not out to scam them, so take advantage of the opportunity.Remember, brand knowledge before opt-in does the following:Increases customer perception. Customers trust that you’re a legitimate brand once they’ve seen the product. Whether your visitors come with a specific purchase intent, or they’re just browsing for fun, they won’t know if you have what they want until they see the products you offer.Opt-in intent increases. The higher your brand trust, the more likely you are to buy from that company. Therefore, every effort to demonstrate your trustworthiness should be designed to make a sale. “We sell amazing and available shoes, therefore you’ll want to hear back from us.”Not to mention, it leads visitors to think more strongly about purchasing. People are used to seeing email and text opt-ins when they’re already buying. Seeing the option to fill out information is a constant reminder that their visit could be a purchase. This works as a way to remind visitors that you’re ready for checkout when they are.Opt-in conversion rates are higher. More trust = More contact info = More sales. When you’ve reached this point, pat yourself on the back. You’ve just been invited to a new visitor’s inbox and phone screen!
What’s the balance?
I’m not advocating for removing the welcome pop opt-in all-together. About 2% of people who see your welcome popup will opt-in, of course. If it’s well-timed, based on proper testing, and contains a relevant message, welcome pop opt-ins can be a powerful conversion driver.I am saying that asking for the opt-in in other places will help you capture more than 2% of all website visitors. Remind people of the option to purchase at different steps. Apply the “Mere Exposure Effect” to your advantage and show them what you’re offering and what you need for them.That’s why category and product pages are excellent homes for opt-ins. Also, don’t distract visitors in the checkout cart. Once they get through to checkout you’ll have their info anyway.
Conclusion
Bottom line: Your visitors are saying, “Take me to dinner first.”98% of people who see your welcome popup won’t give you their info. Think about it, you’re asking a complete stranger who knows next to nothing about your brand for their personal information. In real life, that would be creepy. Before telling your customers what they need to give you, introduce yourself and demonstrate what you offer. That way, site visitors know that your products match their needs. We trust our friends with our information, and by answering questions we begin making small commitments to the brand.Rather than optimizing the “creepy factor” when visitors come to your site, strategically place your opt-ins to encourage trust, intent, and conversions. By giving your users a chance to learn about your brand before asking for their info, you’ll capture more emails and text opt-ins.If you’re roaring to take your brand to the next level, amp up your game with Ampry! Our software delivers the right message to the right person at the right time so you never miss an opt-in opportunity again! Sign up for a free consultation and strategy call today!