What To Include On Your Website Contact Form
Did you know that asking the RIGHT questions on your website contact form can make or break your connection with your potential client??
For REAL! Your website contact form is that first step between you and your client to see if you can work together, so you want to make sure that EACH question you ask is extremely intentional and gives you the information you need to build a strong connection and serve their needs well.
That being said, there are a tips to help produce some well-rounded questions to ask your potential clients.
Identify Why They Are Filling Out Your Contact Form
First, you need to step back and assess why someone would be filling out your contact form and what information you need from them to continue the conversation. If you are a wedding photographer, you probably have potential brides filling out that form - so you want to know details of their wedding, like when it is (so you can see if you are available!). If you provide interior design services, you probably want to know details like the room(s) they want designed, their budget, where they live, etc.
If you take just some time to reverse engineer the flow of why clients are filling out your contact form, you can cut down the process of asking tons of questions back and forth and immediately connect with them and answer their needs directly.
Avoid Vague, Indirect Questions
One of the biggest mistakes I see on contact forms is people asking, “Why are you here?” or just simply putting “Message” with no direction for your clients. This can often overwhelm people and cause them to leave your site because they simply don’t know what to put or how much information you need.
Instead, ask direct questions - and identify how much information you want!!! Use phrases like “Tell me a little bit…” or “Include lots of detail so I can understand the big picture” to help them understand how much information you need. Also, remember that most people don’t LOVE writing huge paragraphs of detail, so keep those long answers to only 1-3 questions.
Always Ask Where They Found You
This one is the most simple tip, but also the MOST IMPORTANT. It is essential for you as a business owner to understand where your potential clients are coming from. It helps identify where your marketing is working (and where it isn’t), and you can begin to see what platforms/forms of marketing are working the best, and where they need the most work.
Also, it allows you a little insight on your clients as well - for example, if they found you on Instagram, chances are that they’ve seen a good chunk of your business and some behind the scenes, and you can hop back on Instagram and connect with them through that platform. Creating more connection opportunities with your clients is ALWAYS a good thing.
Your challenge now? Go to your website form and see if you are following these guidelines - and PLEASE take out all of those vague, indirect questions that don’t help anyone!!!! ;)
