The term “window shopping” still exists, despite it being done on a computer screen and not in front of a store window. It’s one of those terms that linger in our everyday vernacular, just like “hanging up the phone” (Few under 20-years-old can tell you why).
That’s the interesting thing about the rise of internet culture; it’s inner workings and processes exist to cater to our innate human emotions, tendencies, and other psychological characteristics. Something marketers have always sought to tap into.
Although internet technology has quickly adapted to create a more human experience of online communication through social media, the reports of email’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Email has been around since the dawn of the internet in the early 90s and has withstood the test of time while other technologies have become obsolete. In fact, it’s the digital marketing channel with the highest ROI -- 9,900%! On average, email marketing has 30 times higher than other channels, and whopping 95% of people consider it “important” or “very important” to their organization.
If you want to learn how to turn your website into an email list generating machine, then you need to combine human psychology, UX optimization for buyer intent, and a strategic approach to engaging your target audience.
how to collect email addresses on your website:
- CTAs at the end of blog posts.
- A powerful landing page.
- Pop-up ad on your About Us page.
- Pop-up discounts on product pages.
- Add a “welcome mat” pop-up ad.
Optimizing the user experience on your site for email list building doesn’t have to be difficult. All you need to do is make a few tweaks to see a measurable improvement in your conversion rate.
1. Include ‘Value Added’ Call-to-Actions in Your Blog Posts
Estimated Conversion Rate: 10-50%
Not only is content marketing one of the cheapest forms of digital marketing, but it’s also a powerful tool for generating qualified leads. With the right eyes on your content, the CTAs in and at the end of your blog can be optimized to grow your email lists. You can even segment for warm and cold leads based on tracking CTA buttons.
For example, a CTA that you would include in between two paragraphs would be a cold lead. They haven’t read the whole blog yet and may not have logged a session yet. So, the CTA can be a hyperlinked text to a product offer (Ex; 15% off new bomber jackets GET YOURS NOW).
A cold lead CTA can also be a newsletter signup. If you regularly post quality content, then the likelihood of conversion will be higher and you will quickly build a raw email list of new inbound leads that can be tracked over time. Track how often they click-through to your blog and push the lead to provide more information like city, company and job title – this will allow for even more segmentation in future campaigns.
The CTA at the end of your blog post must be given the most attention. This is where warm leads will convert, but only if you offer added value to what they learned in your blog post.
An example of a blog CTA for B2B marketing:
A software company writes a blog post on the future of the SaaS industry and the challenges of hackers, system crashes, and the need for businesses to modernize.
For their CTA, they could offer an extended free trial period. This way it’s a win-win for the lead and you because they get to test drive a powerful cloud platform for a longer period than others and you get their email as well as any other information you can use to qualify the lead.
2. Optimize Your Landing Page Using Cues from Human Psychology
Estimated Conversion Rate: 20-40%
Landing pages are effective because it’s no BS – the user knows right away what you want and instinctively knows what to read and fill out. Although this will take some finessing on your part.
An inverted pyramid, much like in journalistic writing where the most important information is at the top, then slowly lead their eye down the page with conversion rate optimized copy towards the CTA at the bottom or on the side.
By isolating your CTA and making your case for them to convert through the words you use in your copy, the user is forced to make a decision on the spot – do I opt-in or exit?
Tips for landing page optimization:
- Remove the main navigation.
- Emphasize the offer’s value in the copy.
- Match the headline of the landing page to CTA (ex: Claim your free snapback now!).
- Your CTA must be big and place it above the fold.
- Include a video, if possible. It’s been shown to improve conversion by up to 80%.
- Simplify your copy using bullet points.
- Use real testimonials to show trustworthiness.
- Use colours strategically according to the target demographic in your segment. For example, use warm colours like red in campaigns for products that stirrup passion, adventure, and rebellion; use cool colours like blue in campaigns for products that reflect cleanliness, trust, and intelligence.
3. Use Your About Us Page to Generate Leads
Estimated Conversion Rate: 5-10%
It’s no surprise to anyone familiar with managing a website and a basic understanding of Google Analytics that your About Us page is almost always in your top 5 most visited pages.
It’s also likely that it’s mostly first-time visitors reading about your company and are considering if they should buy your product or service. If you want to stand out from your competition, then play it safe by not forcing a conversion.
Develop a personal connection with the user. What is your company’s mission? What are your values? Do you have examples? Those who share your brand’s values will naturally be interested, so much that they may sign up for a newsletter or a discount on a first-time purchase.
Again, don’t be aggressive in your approach for an email form submission. Be subtle by using a sidebar column that pops up and has a contrasting colour or add a small popup at the bottom of the copy.
Remember, the primary goal of your About Us page is to establish authority and deliver your brand voice. This is in order to convince the right customer to progress from consideration to conversion, whether or not it’s on your About Us page or another.
4. Add a CTA on Product Pages
Estimated Conversion Rate: 10-20%
There’s nothing better than finding the perfect chair for your living room with free shipping. While saving on the cost of shipping is nice, but what really ensures a sale is a trade. Offer a discount if the user creates an account. The user will weigh the risk and reward, so make sure the offer is intriguing and the process to create an account is effortless with a Facebook or Google account pairing.
You can even go a step further by strategically triggering a pop-up when a user is about to exit the page so you at least force them to give it a second thought.
5. Roll Out the ‘Welcome Mat’ as Soon as They Land
Estimated Conversion Rate: 5-10%
A “welcome mat” looks like a landing page but you can scroll down to see a regular home page and links to other internal pages.
The welcome mat is more versatile than a landing page because it doesn’t squeeze a user into converting, but it does present it right up front with the expectation that they provide their email address. It also allows a user to scroll down to the bottom of the page to see if they landed on an ad or if that’s just how you’ve set up your home page.
Sumo has a great Welcome Mat app that works on Weebly, Shopify, WordPress, and more. Plus, it’s free to install.
Are you looking to boost conversion your website? TechWyse is Canada's largest internet marketing agency; we have the knowledge and experience to bring your small business to the next level. Find out what we can do to help your business grow, call Techwyse today at 866.208.3095 or contact us here.
