Here's Some Advice: Mind Your Business!

Are you asking for too much information from your customers?

In real life we are very careful to follow social rules and norms and not to act inappropriately. We give people their “space” and a high degree of privacy. In business transactions we also follow certain etiquette. But online, maybe because of the anonymity of the Web, we marketers get very nosy. We start asking for information simply because it might be useful to us in the future, not often considering the negative impact on conversion rates.

Imagine walking into a brick-and-mortar store and being greeted by a brusque clerk at the door who asks you if they may “hold onto your credit card while you browse the store.” Such a request would be met with disbelief, laughter or both. But online, equally inane behavior is often exhibited on landing pages.

As Seth Godin correctly points out in his book, “Permission Marketing,” Web visitors are in control. They decide the terms of their interactions with our landing pages, and by default, our products and services. Marketer must ensure that the value scale tips in favor of the visitor. In other words, we must give as much as we can, and ask for as little as possible in return at each stage of our deepening relationship with the visitor. We can’t expect them to endure hardships or a loss of control in order to supply us with information.

Consider one of my agency’s clients: a major research university health care system. Like many U.S. hospitals, they make most of their profits on elective surgeries and do everything they can to publicize their efficacy and availability. One of the tactics used to market bariatric (obesity) surgery was an online registration form to attend an in-person seminar for prospective patients.

Part of the online form to sign up for the seminar asked for “BMI.” Even if you knew that BMI stood for body mass index, chances are you do not know how to immediately calculate it. The form did supply a supporting link that showed the formula for calculating one’s BMI, but why was all of this necessary in the first place? No one would subject himself to an in-person two-hour medical seminar unless he is serious about the procedure. In any case, the seminar organizers could quickly eyeball the attendees and determine who were likely candidates. Asking for the BMI information was completely unnecessary and intrusive, and probably significantly lowered seminar signups.

hearingplanet-before2

Another client, HearingPlanet.com, was collecting online leads by offering a free downloadable “Buyer’s Guide to Hearing Aids.” However, in order to download the guide, one had to complete the request form on the landing page, which included fields asking for the visitor’s physical mailing address. This information was clearly unnecessary to simply download the guide.

When address fields were removed from the form (see the shorter version below), form-fills jumped by 17 percent. The company determined that the remaining information is important, including: first and last name, e-mail, daytime phone, state, and an optional comment field. However, this is not the minimum of information required to download the guide. Most marketers would still insist that you need a valid e-mail address. But this too is a product of the inappropriate online information gathering greed that we suffer under. In fact, no data at all is necessary to download an electronic document.

hearingplanet-after

In the case of Hearing Planet, it can be argued that the better option might be to let the download go viral and be spread as quickly as possible among prospects, their families, healthcare decision makers, and caregivers. Nothing is really lost in the process since the downloaded document contains links back to actionable landing pages. If they find the guide helpful, it will establish thought leadership and a tangible way to remember and get back in touch at a date of the visitor’s choosing. The only thing we marketers would lose in the process is a sense of control. But what we gain is far greater: increased conversions and the beginning of a customer relationship that can be nurtured and developed over time.

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Whitepapers

US Mobile Streaming Behavior
Whitepaper | Mobile

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

5y

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

Streaming has become a staple of US media-viewing habits. Streaming video, however, still comes with a variety of pesky frustrations that viewers are ...

View resource
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups
Whitepaper | Analyzing Customer Data

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups

5y

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics f...

Data is the lifeblood of so many companies today. You need more of it, all of which at higher quality, and all the meanwhile being compliant with data...

View resource
Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its people
Whitepaper | Digital Marketing

Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its peopl...

2y

Learning to win the talent war: how digital market...

This report documents the findings of a Fireside chat held by ClickZ in the first quarter of 2022. It provides expert insight on how companies can ret...

View resource
Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy
Report | Digital Transformation

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy

1m

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Exp...

Customers decide fast, influenced by only 2.5 touchpoints – globally! Make sure your brand shines in those critical moments. Read More...

View resource