Create an effective LeadGen form: our advice

Inscalable marketing, onLeadGen formturns anonymous visitors into qualified leads, efficiently feeding the commercial pipeline. This guide, developed by hipto, decorates best practices to design, optimize and deploy high-performance forms, in B2B as well as B2C. From field selection to the integration of GDPR constraints, through A/B testing, discoverhow to maximize your conversions and lead quality.

What is a lead generation form?

It is a strategic tool designed tocapture targeted and relevant data on potential prospectsFor example, contact information, position, age, education level, etc. It allows marketers to:

• Precisely qualify leads, by distinguishing between a qualified lead and an unqualified lead.

• Expand the prospect database.

• Segment contacts to customize communications.

• Nurturing via value exchange (premium content for information).

• Optimize conversion rate by identifying the most committed prospects.

• Reduce the cost of prospecting acquisition by improving upstream qualification and focusing commercial efforts on prospects with higher potential.

Designing a form for high performance prospects: key elements

A poorly designed form discourages visitors from filling it out, reducing the number of prospects generated. Ambiguous, poorly formulated or missing questions prevent them from targeting them effectively. Now, find out how to make a difference in your strategy forgenerate leads and convert them.

Custom forms

Adapt the fields and design to the specific objectives of each campaignFor example, for a B2B technology product launch campaign, include fields on the IT position and the company's technological challenges.

Identify the necessary fields on your form

In B2B, the essential fields generally include:

• Name, name.

• Professional e-mail address.

• Function.

• Company name.

• Size of the company.

• Sector of activity.

For B2C, the key fields are often:

• Name, name.

• Personal e-mail address.

• Postal code.

• Relevant interests.

In both cases,limit the fields to the strict necessaryThe aim is to collect sufficient information to allow effective monitoring, without discouraging prospecting with a long form. The follow-up is to establish lasting relationships with leads throughout the sales process, to convert them into paying customers.

Think aboutadjust fields to contextFor example, a white paper form may be shorter than the demonstration application form, requiring a more detailed qualification of the prospect.

Use aCAPTCHAto protect you from bot attacks or spam entries, which can add false data to your lists. This feature allows you to distinguish human users from robots. It can take the form of a check box, a selection of images or even the resolution of a simple calculation. There are also invisible CAPTCHAs.

Good to know: How to minimize errors when entering forms?Before entering, use ofplaceholders (examples of correct entry) informativeguides the user on the expected format. During the input, thereal-time validationallows immediate correction, avoiding frustrations related to subsequent rejection of the form. After validation,clear visual feedbackeasy to identify problems. For example, a green icon for valid fields, red for errors.

Short form versus long form

Short forms, usually limited to 3-5 fields, promote a high conversion rate, but provide less information. Easier to fill in, they encourage visitors to take action. Long forms, even if they are potentially deterrent, allow for a more efficient and efficient use of the form.qualification of leadsmore thorough.

The choice of form depends on the conversion funnel stage. At the beginning of the purchase journey, prefer short forms, to encourage subscription to a newsletter or the download of free content. At the end of the funnel, use longer forms to collect more detailed data, necessary for the finalization of the transaction.

Tip from our teams:To optimize data collection via more complete forms, asequential approachThe results of the study are shown to be effective.fieldsaresubmitted one to one, encouraging the prospect to complete the entire form once the first field is filled in. The integration of chatbots specialized in this process turns the input into aInteractive experienceThese virtual assistants guide the user in a smooth way through the various stages, making thecollection of more engaging informationandless rebarbativeThey are able to question him with precision, for a quality qualification. For example, for a mobile operator, by asking the prospect about the type of offer he has, his price, etc.

CTA: Use a clear call to action

A well-optimized Call-To-Action (CTA) is concise, striking and clearly visible. It uses an action verb andhighlights the added value for the userFor example, "Get your free audit now", "Unlock your exclusive guide", "Book your VIP spot".

Set up A/B test for your forms

This method aims tocompare different versionsIn terms of design, number of fields, Call-To-Action, or copy (copy, in French). For example, test a form with five fields against one with three, or compare "Download Now" vs. "Access Your Guide" like CTA. The analysis of the results allows you toidentify the most efficient elementsand continuously improve your LeadGen forms.

What about GDPR?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires that the data protection system be explicitly obtained.consent of the user for the collection and use of his personal data. The inclusion of a check box for acceptance of the terms of use and the privacy policy is mandatory.

The different types of LeadGen forms

There are several types of lead generation forms, each adapted to specific objectives:

• Newsletter registration forms: short and simple, they aim to broaden the contact base.

• Content download forms: offer an exchange of value (ebook, whitepaper) for information.

• Demonstration application forms: more detailed, they target prospects at an advanced stage of the purchase cycle.

• Contact forms: versatile, they allow visitors to initiate a conversation with the company.

Be careful not to confuse lead generation forms with landing pages

A landing page is a web page dedicated to a specific offer, designed to convert visitors. The lead form is usually integrated into this page, but can also exist independently.landing page performanceand optimized and a well-designed form maximizes the chances of conversion.

Do you know the LeadGen LinkedIn forms?

LinkedIn offers advanced lead generation features, particularly relevant to theB2B. LeadGen forms collect information directly from the user's professional profile, simplifying the filling process, and often have conversion rates higher than the average observed on the platform.

These forms are available for different types of advertising campaigns: Sponsored Content and Sponsored Messaging. Users who interacted with them can then be grouped into specific audience segments. This allows you to retarget them in future marketing actions.

A notable advantage of LeadGen LinkedIn forms is that they do not generate additional costs, beyond the expenses associated with the campaigns themselves. Thus, you can optimize your prospect collection without increasing your advertising budget.

The design of a high-performance lead generation form requires a strategic approach, combining customization, field relevance, continuous optimization. GDPR compliance, the judicious use of CTAs and adaptation to different contexts (specific campaigns, platforms like LinkedIn) are essential. By combining these key elements, and by regularly testing different configurations, you significantly improve your ability to generate qualified leads.

The 3 key points to remember:

• Lead generation forms capture valuable information about prospects.

• Different types of LeadGen forms exist to meet specific objectives: newsletter registration, content download, contact, demo request.

Want to generate exclusive, ultra-qualified and GDPR compliant leads? Discover the solutionCONVERSOIADS©d-hipto.