It’s official. So many marketers are using LeadBoxes to increase their opt-in rates that it’s officially time to do an all LeadBoxes roundup post. When we first launched LeadBoxes for all LeadPages customers, we predicted users would find tons of innovative ways to use them. We’re going to show you just a few of those innovative ways in this roundup of our favorite LeadBoxes from the month of July. I have a feeling these examples are going to give you some ideas for your own business. When you’re finished, leave a quick comment and let us know which LeadBox inspires you.
1. WP Contest Creator: Free Demo LeadBox
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WP Contest Creator placed a "Try Demo" LeadBox on their beautifully simplistic home page.[/caption] What Stands Out: This LeadBox is being used as a free software demo signup form. For many software businesses, getting customers to sign up for a free trial or demo is a huge priority. If you look at the numbers, it’s easy to see why. According to this survey of over 1,500 small SaaS businesses, the average trial-to-customer conversion rate was 11%, while the average visitor-to-customer conversion rate was only 2.2%. Translation: Anything that gets more visitors to opt-in for free trials is a good thing. We’ve found that using a LeadBox instead of a traditional one-step opt-in generates a relative increase in conversion rate of about 30%, so if you’re using a one-step opt-in for your free trial, a LeadBox is definitely worth testing. It’s a small change that can have a big impact on your bottom line. This isn’t the only place WP Contest Creator is using LeadBoxes on their home page, so if you’d like to get a better look at their strategy, check out their site here.
2. Omnistar: eCommerce Marketing Guide LeadBox
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This LeadBox allows visitors to download a PDF version of Omnistar’s epic eCommerce marketing guide.[/caption] What Stands Out: Omnistar has used LeadBoxes to optimize their non-gated resources. You’ll notice I used the phrase “non-gated resources.” I say that because Omnistar has taken the kind of content that would traditionally be offered in exchange for your email address (gated resources) and made it available for all to see (non-gated resources). Let me be clear — giving away valuable content in exchange for an email address is still a top-notch strategy to build your email list and deliver value to your visitors. However, some businesses are finding that putting their best long-form content on HTML pages that search engines can crawl works really well for SEO purposes. It can also be seen as an act of giving that builds equity with visitors. Omnistar has used LeadBoxes to combine the best elements from both of these strategies. They let visitors view their long-form resource, “The 6-Month Complete Guide to Marketing Your Store,” without submitting an email address, but they also place LeadBoxes throughout the resource offering visitors a PDF version of the guide plus a link to three bonus videos. This allows them to build in a conversion-optimized opt-in opportunity for all the organic traffic the guide attracts. To get a good look at this strategy, check out the guide here.
3. The Fresh 20: Free Meal Plan LeadBox
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The health-conscious folks at The Fresh 20 customized the LeadBox built into the Basic Squeeze Page (Aligned to the Right) template to deliver different meal plans depending on visitors’ dietary preferences.[/caption] What Stands Out: This LeadBox collects much more than just an email address — it also allows visitors to select the specific type of meal plan they would like from a dropdown menu. People often ask if multiple form fields can be added on LeadBoxes. As you can see in this example, the answer is yes. Although signup conversion rates tend to decrease as you add more fields to a signup form, sometimes it makes sense for businesses to request more information from visitors. In this case, The Fresh 20 wanted to provide each person who opted in a lead magnet catered to his or her specific dietary preference. This will allow The Fresh 20 to know more about their subscribers so they can send them content tailored to their needs. You can get a closer look at this LeadBox here.
4. Craft Beverage Jobs: Cover Letter Guide LeadBox
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Craft Beverage Jobs used this LeadBox in their blog’s sidebar to offer their free cover letter guide to visitors.[/caption] This LeadBox comes from an industry that’s near and dear to many of our hearts here at LeadPages — the craft beverage industry. What Stands Out: This LeadBox is offering a highly relevant and valuable lead magnet to the website’s target audience — people looking for jobs in the craft beverage industry. But that’s This lead magnet also helps relieve a huge pain point for prospects: writing a cover letter. Think about it — nobody likes writing cover letters. It’s awkward, uncomfortable, and nerve-wracking for many. A guide that can walk you through the process step-by-step would be extremely valuable. Next time you create a lead magnet, keep this example in mind and ask yourself if what you’re creating is both highly relevant and valuable. Get a closer look at this LeadBox here.
5. Pat Flynn: Smart Podcast Player Release LeadBox
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This LeadBox lets visitors get on the launch list for an upcoming product release.[/caption] What Stands Out: Pat Flynn of SmartPassiveIncome.com used this LeadBox to collect email addresses on the launch page for the podcast player he plans on releasing soon. If you’re planning on releasing a product, a LeadBox is one of the best ways to create a list of prospects before you even finish creating the product. That way, when the product is ready for release, you’ll already have a go-to list of warm leads who have indicated interest in your product. That’s exactly what Pat Flynn did on this launch page for his Smart Podcast Player. Prior to this, he had already made the player temporarily available in a beta launch, and now he’s gearing up for a public release. The LeadBox gives visitors the opportunity to “be the first to know when the Smart Podcast Player becomes available again.” Also, notice how the blue button color really pops against the gray background and draws in your eyes. This is a great example of making your call to action easy to find. Get a closer look at this LeadBox here.
6. When I Work: “Top 5 iPhone Apps for 2014” Blog Sidebar LeadBox
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WhenIWork.com optimized their blog sidebar by adding a LeadBox that scrolls with the page.[/caption] What Stands Out: WhenIWork.com has taken the blog sidebar LeadBox to another level by anchoring it to the sidebar. This LeadBox does two things really well: 1. It offers the highest-converting type of lead magnet we’ve seen — the “resource guide list.” In our experience, lead magnets that feature a list of tools or resources consistently out-convert other types of lead magnets. WhenIWork.com’s “Top 5 iPhone Apps for 2014” guide fits the bill. 2. It’s anchored to the blog page sidebar, so it follows visitors down the page as they scroll. This is a great way to remind your web visitors to opt-in as they are checking out the rest of your page. Get a closer look at this LeadBox here.
7. Blogging Wizard: Multiple Blog Post LeadBoxes
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Blogging Wizard experimented with adding multiple free download LeadBoxes to this blog post.[/caption] What Stands Out: BloggingWizard.com used two LeadBoxes here — one to offer a PDF version of their post “How to Grow Your Email List and Increase Conversions by Over 700%,” and one to offer a “blog post promotion checklist” lead magnet. Not only did the marketers at BloggingWizard.com create one LeadBox to give away a PDF version of their blog post — they also created a second LeadBox that offers a “blog post promotion checklist” lead magnet. In total, there are actually three LeadBoxes within this post, as the PDF is offered at both the beginning and the end of the post (a smart move, considering some visitors will want to read the whole post before opting in for a PDF version, while others may want it from the start). Get a closer look at these LeadBoxes here.
8. Aromahead: Aromatherapy Webinar LeadBox
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LeadPages user Andrea Butje customized the LeadBox built into the Web 2.0 Webinar Registration Page to collect phone numbers from her prospects.[/caption] What Stands Out: This LeadBox collects prospect phone numbers in addition to name and email address. Much like the example from The Fresh 20, this LeadBox also uses additional form fields to learn more about prospects. Again, we only recommend adding additional form fields when you absolutely must have that information, as fewer form fields almost always leads to higher signup conversions. However, if phone numbers are the lifeblood of your business, it might make sense to add a phone number field to your LeadBox.
9. Anew: Home Remodeler Guide LeadBox
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This LeadBox on the “Perfect Squeeze Page” from Justin Brooke template matches the page perfectly.[/caption] What Stands Out: Anew Kitchen and Bath Design Experience customized the LeadBox built into the “Perfect Squeeze Page” from Justin Brooke template to match their brand colors. Some of our customers have seen conversion rates improve when they customize their LeadBox’s background and border colors to match their branding, much like Anew did in this example. The light and dark blues match the colors of their free guide and their landing page, adding continuity to their visitors’ experience on the page. This is a good reminder that it’s super simple to customize the look and feel of your LeadBoxes inside of LeadPages, even if you have zero design skills. Get a closer look at this LeadBox here.
10. Chronicles of Strength: Free Kettlebell Ebook LeadBox
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Chronicles of Strength utilize the LeadBox built into the Basic Squeeze Page template to let visitors opt-in for their free Kettlebell guide.[/caption] What Stands Out: There’s a subtle difference in the offer on the button and the LeadBox opt-in popup itself. Can you spot it? LeadBoxes are based on the idea of a two-step opt-in process, which works like this: you entice visitors to click the your offer and then force them to actively make a decision on whether to opt in or not when the popup window appears. In traditional one-step opt-ins, visitors aren’t faced with such a clear decision. So how can you take advantage of this decision-making process? You can offer an additional piece of content on the LeadBoxes popup that wasn’t mentioned on the button itself. This sweetens the deal even further now that your prospect is actively considering whether to opt in or not. That’s exactly what’s happening on the free kettlebell ebook LeadBox. The button only mentions the ebook, but when prospects click on it, the opt-in window says, “Enter your email below to get our Free Kettlebell Swing eBook and 4-Part Video Series.” The addition of the 4-part video series to the offer may serve as extra motivation for those who are still on the fence, much like offering a bonus at the end of a sales pitch. Get a closer look at this LeadBox here.
