Split test these and see if your subscribe rates don’t increase dramatically…
Forget the name. There was a time – a long time ago – when inserting a person’s name in an email increased the open rate. Those days are all but gone.
Worse yet, asking for their name decreases your response rate nearly every time. The only time to ask for their name is when they BUY from you – not when you’re merely asking them to subscribe to your list. So remove that box from your opt-in form, along with any other box besides their email address. The easier you make it for them to subscribe, and the less information you ask for, the higher your conversions are likely to be.
Remove the spam sentence. You know that great little sentence you have beneath the opt-in box that says you hate spam and will never ever ever ever share their info with anyone? Remove it completely. Don’t change it, don’t tweak it – just strip it right out of there. Repeated testing shows that having it there actually decreases your sign-up rate. Ironic, since it was originally intended to increase it by providing a sense of security.
Besides – if you ever want to sell your website and associated lists, you won’t be able to if you’ve told them you will never share their info. So you’re shooting your future prosperity in the foot while reducing your current sign-ups, all because you were doing what every other marketer on the planet is doing.
Tell them who you are. First, people hesitate to sign onto a list unless they have some idea of WHO is behind the list. They want to know not only what they get for joining your list, but also who you are – so tell them your name, use a photo of your face, or do something that makes it clear you are in fact a real live person.
Second, by having your identity on your squeeze page you will drastically reduce the number of people who check their email an hour or two later and wonder who in the world you are and why you’re sending them mail. The more memorable an impression you make on the squeeze page, the more likely they are to remember you when they read their email. This in turn decreases the likelihood they will cry “SPAM!” and increases the likelihood they will open your email and actually read it. Remember, when people check their email they look at the “from” line first. Be memorable and your email will enjoy a much warmer reception.
Try split testing these three changes on your squeeze page and see what happens – I suspect your sign-ups will increase by several percent.
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