This post will cover the CAPTURE piece of a good website, some of which was discussed in my last post. I think it’s a good idea to give a message field in your contact form so the potential customer can clarify what information or service they want to know more about.
A second common form of capture is the sign-up box or form for your ‘list’.
The purpose of the capture piece is two-fold and both are equally important:
- You can give the potential client something of value, and
- You have their information for later marketing.
First: to give something of value. If the potential client has asked for specific information on the contact form, be sure they are given that specific information. If they ask for something you just don’t give out on the phone or through email (pricing, for example), tell them how they can move toward getting that information (“That would require more information about your specific project. When would be a convenient time to discuss this?”).
For your email list sign-up form, let them know exactly what they are signing up for. If you plan to regularly send out newsletters for instance, tell them that. Offer an incentive of value for them to sign up. Be sure it’s of interest to your client. E-books are very normal offerings because they also show your client that you know something about your field or product. That helps to establish your expertise- and your willingness to share it.
The second purpose of CAPTURE is for later marketing. It is not to inundate people with information about which they are not interested nor is it to sell, in the hard sense of the word. In short, the purpose is to keep them engaged with you and up-to-date with your offerings.
In my next post, I will discuss adding people to your e-list.
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