Hello. You are currently on the internet, which means you’ve seen a pop-up ad. Probably at least a dozen or so in your entire internet career. At some point, someone thought it would be cool if ads just kind of sprang out at you, like loose acquaintances at a hastily-organized surprise party, or a mugger in an alley, and the internet just kind of went along with that.
After very little time passed, hatred for these ads grew and grew. If you didn’t have an ad blocker installed, you were essentially accosted with every click you made, making your browsing experience nigh unbearable. Some sites would be rendered utterly non-functional by the presence of these ads. Luckily, everyone agreed that we couldn’t proceed this way, and the use of pop-up ads was internationally banned. Then we all got jetpacks.
Just kidding… The fact-of-the-matter is that pop-ups are still widely used across a variety of platforms and for a myriad of reasons. Why? Because they actually work. Beyond being annoying, pop-ups can be an incredibly useful tool for gathering email addresses and pulling prospects into your sales funnel, but how can you utilize them in a way that doesn’t make people hate everything about you and your business? A fantastic question. Let’s have a look, shall we?
Let Them See The Vision
Many pop-ups will have a nice little message asking you to subscribe to the newsletter and little else. While there’s nothing wrong with this approach, the analysts at Sleeknote
ran the numbers and found that pop-ups that include images convert better by over 80%. Eighty. Percent. Seeing that number should leave you with no excuses. Putting those images is an absolute must, and by not including them, you’re doing your whole organization a disservice. Don’t be that person. Be the hero your organization needs you to be by making this tiny effort that will totally level up your pop-up game.
This Message Will Self-Destruct in 3… 2…1…
A good pop-up will convert, but you know what can make a good pop-up even better? A countdown timer.
Obviously, it’s not applicable in every situation, but if you’re running a promotion with discounts, coupons, or anything of the sort, then giving your pop-up a countdown timer will increase the sense of urgency, which is a solid tactic you can use to bring people into your sales funnel. If one organization is thinking about taking the plunge with you and your organization and they’re on the fence, that little bit of urgency could be the nudge they need.
The Zen of ‘When’
We all know the pain of navigating to a website and immediately being accosted by a pop-up. Regardless of the content, it can immediately put you off the experience.
A good practice to get into is delaying the appearance of the ad for 8-10 seconds. It gives the person visiting your site ample time to get immersed in the content they came to see, so when the pop-up appears, they’re less inclined to leave your page, and they’ve got a very basic impression of what you and your organization have to offer. Timing may not seem important, but it all adds up, so be aware!
Two is Better Than One
Input fields, that is! When you have a pop-up appear, asking the reader to enter their information, we recommend asking their name along with it. The data shows that having two
input fields makes it more likely that you’ll get a form filled out by a visitor. But that’s not to say that more is better. Having three input fields actually reduces your chances of getting a form filled by a huge margin! Don’t demand too much too fast. If you just want the email, that’s fine too. Only having one input field performs only slightly less well than two, so if that’s the way you want to go, you won’t see too much of an impact. If it’s three or more, though, you’re asking too much.
Show Your Value!
When designing your perfect pop-up, your first priority should be to show the visitors to your page what you have to offer them. Don’t just show off the features you offer; show how it
can directly benefit your prospects. This is a great opportunity to show off some reviews or other social proof. If you’ve saved your other clients a lot of money through your services, brag about it! You should keep it brief, but if you have the goods, it shouldn’t be an issue.
Don’t Be a Jerk
The heading basically speaks for itself. Trying to shame or guilt your visitors into inputting their information is going to put people off. Tricking your visitors into inputting their
information is also a huge no-no. Finally, make the pop-up easily dismissable. Don’t hide the little ‘X’ and make your visitors resent you. Some people aren’t going to fill out the form, no matter what you have to offer, and accepting that is going to be paramount to your success. A list of prospects built on the merits of your organization is always going to be better than one built from predatory practices. Do you want that ROI? You have to earn it the right way!
