Do pop up Opt-in Forms REALLY work ???!

by Hamza
19 replies
Hi there,

I got a few niche sites that are getting some decent traffic, and i wanted to start collecting e-mails but I'm not sure about the right way to do it,

I know that i should be giving something (ebook, audio book ...) in exchange for the e-mail but I'm talking about the placement of the opt-in form,

I've heard about pop up domination and similar tools, but personally i wouldn't really enter my name and e-mail in a pop up because simply it's so annoying and disturbing, and I'm afraid that many of my visitors will have the same idea.

So do you guys had any success with this type of tools ?? do the work ? if not what would you recommend in my case ?

Thanks a lot and have a great day
Hamza.
#forms #optin #pop #work
  • Profile picture of the author Neil Morgan
    but personally i wouldn't really enter my name and e-mail in a pop up because simply it's so annoying and disturbing
    Rule #1 of internet marketing - don't let your own feelings cloud your judgment.

    There's only one way to know what your visitors prefer - test.

    Cheers,

    Neil
    Signature

    Easy email marketing automation without moving your lists.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4015560].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Neil Morgan View Post

      There's only one way to know what your visitors prefer - test.
      This ... exactly.

      And in the case of a pop-up, don't forget that it isn't just about whether more or fewer people opt in, out of a given quantity of traffic (that's the "easy mistake"). One has to look at longer-term income bearing in mind that with the opt-in on a pop-up, there'll also be some people who won't return to the site again who would have done otherwise ... so the testing itself requires plenty of thought, care and planning.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4015580].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Hamza
      Originally Posted by Neil Morgan View Post

      Rule #1 of internet marketing - don't let your own feelings cloud your judgment.

      There's only one way to know what your visitors prefer - test.

      Cheers,

      Neil
      Hi Neil,

      Thanks for your reply, yeah that's so true, but putting your self in the shoes of the consumer can help sometimes, but not always ...

      And as you said, testing is probably what's gonna give me the real answer

      But it would be cool to know what the warriors think though .

      Hamza,
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4015583].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Hamza View Post

        it would be cool to know what the warriors think though .
        I don't use pop-ups on any of my own sites which have an opt-in, and I haven't tested them (because I think I know enough about my typical potential customers - from other things I've both tested and asked them about - to guess that their overall reaction would be strongly negative).

        I had clients who used them without testing and believed they were beneficial. I also had a few clients who tested them properly, and none of those decided to continue using them (only three people, that I remember).

        I suspect their overall effect/use varies a lot, depending on both the niche and the traffic demographics, but that theory's purely untested personal opinion. I may be biased through my own distaste for them.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4015610].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Ben Gordon
      Originally Posted by Neil Morgan View Post

      Rule #1 of internet marketing - don't let your own feelings cloud your judgment.

      There's only one way to know what your visitors prefer - test.

      Cheers,

      Neil
      I totally agree with Neil's post. Always test before drawing to any conclusions.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4017167].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Neil Morgan
    But it would be cool to know what the warriors think though.
    As a warrior I just think TEST - I honestly, truly don't have any other opinion on it!
    Signature

    Easy email marketing automation without moving your lists.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4015609].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ghostrecon
    I think it depends on how it's displayed on your website. Those instant pop ups are annoying but I think if you leave it until the visitor has been on your website for at least a minute and then a rather standard form pops up (no flashy graphics) then you're all good.
    Signature

    PinPioneer.com - Proprietary Pinterest Marketing Software
    1000 Pins Uploaded PER Hour
    Use code: WFPioneer
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4015634].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Neil Morgan
    Those instant pop ups are annoying but I think if you leave it until the visitor has been on your website for at least a minute and then a rather standard form pops up (no flashy graphics) then you're all good.
    Again, the danger there is letting opinion cloud your judgment.

    I tested the delay thing extensively. The one that produced most signups was the instant one.

    Strange but true.
    Signature

    Easy email marketing automation without moving your lists.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4015645].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Neil Morgan
    It's also worth saying that my tests are irrelevant - everyone needs to do their own.
    Signature

    Easy email marketing automation without moving your lists.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4015658].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MatthewNeer
    Here's the strategy to run with any pop up style opt ins, like Popup Domination.

    You'll need to figure out your average time on site, which is easy to do if you've got Google Analytics installed, and then set your popup to display a few seconds before that time is reached. This will get ya the best results.

    Give it a shot and let us know what you think...
    Signature
    Three (3) Income Streams DFY
    New FREE Website Builds Your List
    And Earns From 3 Income Streams
    http://ListLeverage.com
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4015791].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Anita Shaw
    I actually don't mind pop ups. If I want to opt in, I do. If not, or if I want to read the page I'm on before deciding to do that, I just click close, and read on. If I like what I see and there's no other opt in option, I refresh the page, wait for the pop up and sign up.

    Sometimes I'm annoyed by the Wait! Don't close this page yet! pop ups. I've reached a site that, while I would love to take the owner up on his offer, I really simply can't afford it. And the counteroffers might not make it anymore affordable for me. So when there's more than one of them that crop up while I'm trying to leave, I just want to reach in and rip someone's head off. Just let me go! Lol!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4015833].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sonicadam123
    I actually find the pop up opt ins quite annoying too, but I know not everyone feels that way, like has been mentioned before, testing is the key.

    I found a case study about this exact thing -

    Email Capture Popups Tested, Section 1 (Research)

    Does look to be an awesome improvement, 123 without popup, 232 with popup.

    That's not to say it would work for everyone though, there are a number of variables that would effect it, so only way would be to test within your own site to know for sure.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4016202].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Dzierba
    I find that having some special giveaway at the top of the page right where the reader would begin reading is way more effective than having pop up opt-ins. I had literally 30,000 pop-up opt ins over the course of two weeks and 8 people actually signed up. Now that I put a special offer at the top of every page in exchange for their email, I get about 30-40 signups a day. So about 10% of my total visitors now sign up.
    Signature
    Check Out My YouTube Channel | You're Despicable!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4016220].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author elrascal
    Originally Posted by Hamza View Post


    I've heard about pop up domination and similar tools, but personally i wouldn't really enter my name and e-mail in a pop up because simply it's so annoying and disturbing, and I'm afraid that many of my visitors will have the same idea.

    So do you guys had any success with this type of tools ?? do the work ? if not what would you recommend in my case ?

    Thanks a lot and have a great day
    Hamza.
    As other members have already mentioned you need to test! Test! Test!

    my own personal results with pop ups are good. I use the light box script that is available in aweber. I have tested it on a few different timer settings now and for me having it set to 40 seconds works best. (the average visitor time on my site is just over 2 mins.)

    It is converting at around the 6% mark. Which isn't too bad considering adding it did not affect the conversion rate of the other opt in box on my web site's pages

    I have also set it up to only ever appear once. So it is only aimed at catching those once of visitors that are never likely to visit my site again.

    Hope this helps
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4016241].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author hotrod26
    In the tests that I have done the instant popups seem to work the best but it completely depends on your site and your customers. What works in one niche will not always work in another.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4016621].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Steve Faber
    I added Popup Domination to one of my blogs and my optins went up about 85%, so I'd say they work.
    Signature
    For Killer Marketing Tips that Will Grow Your Business Follow Me on Twitter Now
    After all, you're probably following a few hundred people already that aren't doing squat for you.....
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4016637].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    They may work. Don't know. They're so bloody annoying that I don't use them but don't have a problem with getting people to optin to my form on my sidebar.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4016684].message }}

Trending Topics