Using an opt-in form on your website is a great way to encourage visitors to subscribe to your firm’s email newsletter. However, just having the opt-in form doesn’t necessarily mean people will sign up—you need to engage in other strategies that draw them to the form and increase the likelihood that your website’s visitors will sign up.

So what is it that makes for an effective opt-in form that encourages sign-ups?

Here are the top five elements an opt-in form should include for it to help you achieve success in driving new registrants.

• Visibility: First and foremost, the form should be in a spot where visitors can see it. The easier the form is to see, the more likely someone is to notice it and ultimately sign up. The parts of a website that get the most visibility tend to be the header, the sidebar area and the footer—consider placing your sign-up form in one of these areas. You can always include links to the form in multiple other locations as well to make it more likely you’ll get eyeballs on it.
• Visually attractive: Forms don’t have to be boring, empty fields without any design thought given to them. They can be created and customized in such a way that neatly complements the rest of your web design. The design can also help improve visibility, going back to the previous point.
• Engaging: The copy in and around your opt-in form should be simple but engaging and attention grabbing. This is your last chance to call the user to action and encourage them to sign up for more information. Use active voice and language that is consistent with your firm’s branding. Keep the focus on the client and how they stand to benefit by connecting with you.
• Simple: The simpler the opt-in form, the better. You shouldn’t need much more than a name and an email address. The more information your visitor has to fill out and submit, the less likely it is they’ll actually take the time to fill out the form or even feel comfortable submitting their information. It should only take a few seconds for them to get signed up, allowing for in-the-moment decisions.
• Value: You must make it clear that people who sign up will get something of value in return. It could include regular legal pointers, access to a free white paper or e-book, or other updates and information that come from your firm. Users will not sign up with your opt-in form if there isn’t any sort of incentive.

For more information about how you can effectively deploy opt-in forms on your website, contact us at Conroy Creative Counsel.