What Is the Purpose of Forms?
Forms are one of the vital tools of Inbound Marketing for converting strangers into qualified sales leads. Through their proper and efficient use, we obtain information that allows us to distinguish between individuals who need more information before making a purchase and those who are ready to make a decision—the very prospects in whom we must invest our full efforts so they become our customers.
Through forms, we exchange valuable information with our target market as they consume the content we develop. Generally, in an inbound strategy, the form serves as the conversion unit through which we progressively request more data from a prospect in exchange for content and assets known as conversion currency.
There are different types of forms depending on the lead's current stage and the type of information being exchanged. The most common are:
Traffic-to-contact conversion forms: These correspond to the first level of exchange; through them, we add new contacts to our database.
Lead qualification forms: These correspond to nurturing an existing contact, requesting more specific information that helps classify their interest level and their stage in the buying journey.
Purchase forms: These apply when the lead is ready to complete a purchase, and we collect the necessary information to process the monetary transaction.
What Data Should We Request?
On a form, we can request any information necessary to better understand and qualify our leads. Initially, the most basic data points we must collect are full name and contact email; this helps distinguish between all the common names that might land on your website.
There are other critical secondary data points depending on the line of business, industry, and the stage at which we are interacting. For example: if you work at an automotive dealership, one data point that will undoubtedly deliver value is: What is the mileage on your vehicle?
When requesting this type of data, most people expect something in return; that is where the value of conversion currency comes in: newsletters, downloadable assets, documents, e-books, and other resources focused on relevant topics of interest.
Additional Form Best Practices
-All data provided by a lead is confidential. Ensure that their information will not be shared with third parties, that their data is protected with you, and guarantee that you will not fill their inbox with spam, but rather with relevant information and content. This will prevent your emails from being blocked and help this prospective customer stay engaged with your brand.
-Prompt engagement with a call to action: Use a phrase that encourages them to answer your questions, avoiding generic text such as “fill out here” or “subscribe.” Be empathetic and go a step further.
