How Much Information Should I Ask For On My Name Squeeze Pages?

The title of this article is a query someone posed lately on a popular web marketing blog I read, and it was interesting to see the replies.

Most people had a strong opinion determined by their own preference - on what they personally feel is just too much - or too little - to request on name squeeze pages.

Some people opined that web forms should not ask for more than a name and email address. Whilst others thought the bare minimum was firstname, surname, email address and contact number.

Well of course, in the event you instantly follow up fresh prospects with a phone call as well as a sequence of automated email messages then you'll of course must ask for phone numbers along with email addresses.

Of course, if additionally you send direct mail to your leads, then you are going to need to request their mailing address too.

Plus how about asking for information regarding the newsletter preferences?

And some information regarding what they're looking to achieve or even the problems they're facing?

All of a sudden, your name squeeze page web form has turned into huge form filling excercise for any individual unlucky enough to land onto it. Most will not bother. They'll just bounce away from the web page just like hailstones off a tin roof.

The correct solution to the question of "how much information should you ask for" on your name squeeze pages is this... ask for *just enough* to take leads to the following step in your current lead nurturing sequence, and nothing more.

Simply because when you request for the prospect's mailing addresss on the web page that is only offering a free download, nearly all prospects will not volunteer this unecessary data which they are savvy enough to understand is not required in order to send the free download on offer.

Therefore, how about just asking for the details you need to send them the free offer - i.e. their email address? And at a slight stretch you might also ask for their first name so that you can personalise emails you send them?

Then on the post opt-in success/confirmation page, have a longer form that requests the expanded details.

This way you are going to capture the majority of people who the offer is targeted at without jeopardizing the knee jerk reaction brought on by showing visitors with big forms that ask for everything in one visit.

The people who send the extra information in the 2nd form (on the confirmation page) are raising their arms and revealing to you they are the most serious and highly qualified prospects.

That is how I offer my book publications.

On my squeeze pages I offer them as a ebook download (PDF file format) in substitution for the prospect's name and email address.

After that on the following page have a extended web form giving a free copy of the physical book in substitution for complete mailing details and phone number.

And how well does that work for me?

Well at the danger of looking like I'm bragging, which I assure you isn't deliberate (okay, maybe a bit!) my opt-in rates on my lead capture pages that offers a book pertaining to email marketing achieved as much as 93% conversion rate.

On the second web page that appeared after prospects typed in their name and email address was an offer for the paperback for just £2.36 (indeed I'm based in the UK). Even though that page also wanted credit card details it nonetheless achieved an excellent 51% conversion rate.

I'm quite satisfied with that. ;-)

So in a nutshell, I've found that separating web forms like this operates rather well, and you will probably want to consider doing the same with your own web forms as well - it's probably the most highly effective strategies to initially acquiring numerous email addresses as possible and secondly of obtaining the complete details of your hottest prospects that will without doubt become your largest supply of sales, revenues and significant profit.


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Ed Rivis is the UK based creator of Lead Site Launcher - clever software that automatically generates squeeze pages and lead pages. Visit the Ed Rivis web marketing blog for more free tips about online sales-lead generation and email list-building.