‍

‍

OK, be honest. Does the “Contact” section of your website look like this? 👇

‍

‍

If so, you’re not the only one. Contact forms tend to be a bit of an afterthought. Generic. Uninspired. A box to check on your website.

But here’s the thing…

‍

A contact form is one of the most effective tools for capturing leads — and highly qualified leads, at that.

Think about it: The people visiting the Contact section of your website are already motivated and interested in what you have to say (or sell). 

They WANT to hear from you. But a generic contact form isn’t exactly the most inspiring method for moving them through your sales funnel… 😬

So, unless you’re cool with leaving qualified leads on the table, here are a few tips to spruce up that contact form and capture more conversions!

‍

Tip 1: Reduce friction

Friction is Public Enemy No. 1 when it comes to requesting personal information from people. And nothing screams “friction” more than a clunky, complicated form.

Here are a few ways to make sure your contact form is as smooth and frictionless as butter on bread. 🧈 🍞

‍

✅ Use 3 form fields (or less)

Ask for as little information as possible. More fields = more confusion = more room for error.

Data shows that forms with three fields (or less) convert the best. Alternatively, having five fields or more significantly decreases conversions.

So ideally keep your form field to 3 or less, but definitely no more than 5.

An easy way to cut down on your fields is to remove those that ask for personal information (you probably don’t need), such as a last name or phone number. 

‍

This graphic from Formidable Forms shows what info people find especially cringe-y to give away:

‍

‍

✅ If you DO need more information: a) explain why, and b) mark the required fields.

If your process involves booking a demo or providing a quote, you might actually want more fields on your contact form. If that’s the case, don’t sweat! 

Just make sure you provide enough context so the user understands why you need the extra info. It can also help to mark which fields are required (with a *, for example), so it’s clear when information is helpful but optional.

‍

Here’s a great example:

‍

These changes may seem minor, but they can translate to exponential growth over time. Take this case study on Expedia, for example:

• Eliminated ONE field (company name) from their form >> $12M in profit
• Added “optional” to the field asking for a phone number >> Doubled their conversion rate (42.6% to 80%)

🤯🤯🤯

‍

✅ Use multi-step forms for more extensive contact forms.

Multi-step forms disperse information across multiple pages/screens. This makes more extensive forms less overwhelming to fill out, leading to a better user experience and higher conversions.

‍

‍

(Another plus: even if users “drop off” before completing the form,  if you collect their contact info on their first page, you’ll have that to follow up with later.)

So, if a simple form just won’t work for your business, consider a well-designed multi-step form to make things easier!

‍

✅ Design for mobile-first

Asking your users to fill out a complicated or messy form on their tiny phone screens is cruel, unusual punishment and a huge cause of friction. 📲

Optimizing for mobile might seem like a no-brainer, but even the savviest of brands forget to double-check their forms…

With most people doing pretty much everything on their phones these days, just do yourself a solid and design for mobile *first*!

‍

Tip 2: Spice it up

Your contact form is not just a way to capture contact information. It’s also a genuine opportunity to show your brand personality and provide value!

‍

✅ Provide something valuable

Our advice? Flip the script. Make your contact form about how YOU can help THEM.

‍

You can even give something in return for filling out your form, such as:

• Free trial
• Free demo
• 15-minute strategy call
• Complementary audit
• Discount on their first order

‍

For example, when you fill out BlackCrow AI’s form, you get a demo AND a free trial.

‍

When you make it clear what value the user is getting in return, they’ll be more motivated to provide you with information!

‍

✅ Make it personal

Most contact forms are the antithesis of “personal.” They’re boring and bland and provide little to no information about where things go after you hit SUBMIT.

Users are more likely to fill out forms if they know who they’re contacting – and who will respond to them in return.

‍

This can be as simple as just adding more context to the CTA button, like this:

‍

You can also let your brand voice shine in a personal message, like Oatly:

‍

‍

Or you can put a face and a name to your form, like this example from Harry Dry at MarketingExamples.com:

‍

(PS: there are tons of other good tips on this screenshot, too!)

‍

Tip 3: Be specific with your follow-up

Once someone submits your form, make sure to have a confirmation page or automated message with details about how you’ll be following up.

‍

For example, this sure is cute, but leaves us guessing…

‍

‍

No offense to our feline friends 🐈, but how long are we supposed to wait here and stare at them? How soon is “soon?”

‍

Include these details in your confirmation message to set expectations and improve the entire experience for your leads:

• When should they hear back?
• How will you be contacting them? 
• Who will be contacting them?
• What are the next steps?

‍

Moral of the story: Use these tips to improve your contact form > generate more leads > grow your business faster. 

‍

Let’s put an end to generic contact forms, shall we? 🙏

‍

✨ TL;DR? ▪▫

Reduce friction

• Keep things as simple as possible

• Three fields or less perform best

• Avoid asking for phone number, address, title/role, last name, and other personal information

• If you need to gather more detailed info:

   ▫ Explain why

    ▫ Mark required fields *

    ▫ Use multi-step forms, if necessary

• Design for mobile-first

‍

Spice things up

• Provide something valuable in return (free demo, free trial, complementary quote, etc.)

• Make it more personal with a name, photo, or brand voice

‍

Be specific with your follow-up

• Include a confirmation page or message that includes:

   ▫ When they should hear from you

   ▫ Who will be contacting them & where

   ▫ Any next steps