Listbuilding gurus: How come no one's signing up to my list??

Hi there czilbersher,

Before I jump into the list building feedback, I will give you one bit of advice you may want to consider.

In your post, you are being very open and transparent with us (which is great), but you also have a link to your marketing business.

I would not want my customers or potential customers to do some due diligence google searching on my company and find this post because of a link in my signature file.

As for your banner, it doesn't have a call to action. It just says 10 tips...

You have to give them a reason to click on that banner to get to your lead page. My suggestion is that you start to drive traffic directly to your lead capture page (SEO or paid advertising).

Also, I would put the lead capture form on the main page with a compelling call to action. WHY DOES YOUR PROSPECT WANT THIS? Tell them and they will be more likely to sign up.

Good luck,
Scott

I just took a quick look at both pages.

Here's my feedback...

1. Main Site

On your main site, adjust the graphic that says:

"Vegetarians 10 Tips for Following a Vegetarian Diet"

It's not blatantly obvious that people need to click
that and it doesn't mention the fact that they can
get a free video on it either.

Have a click here to get your free video link or button
that jumps off the page.

(Any people who are clicking through now, are by
chance rather than by effective design).

2. The Sign-Up Page

Test the following...

Remove the banner.

Put the headline ALL in red and make it bigger.

Change the headline to make it compelling so that
they REALLY want to sign-up.

The woman in the graphic is hot - but you may want
have enticing bullets that detail some of the benefits
the subscriber will get from the free video.

And/or you can use an enticing graphic from the video.

I hope these starter points help you.

Dedicated to your success,

Shaun

1. It's not even obvious the thing is a clickable link.

2. Who needs tips? Gimme secrets!

3. I don't want to watch a video.

4. I'm already a vegetarian and I don't need basic information - I want secrets to greater vitality and blah-blah.

The banner on your homepage looks too much like a header. Without you telling me above, I would not have thought to click on that as a banner. I think make it more explicit and/or put a text link beneath it so peoples' eyes are drawn to that link.

Then, on your opt-in page, I strongly suggest you create a PDF version of the 10 tips and use the video as a bonus. Like, "Get instant access to 10 effective vegetarian tips and receive the bonus video!" That kind of thing. Sweetens the perceived value without being a lot of extra work for you. Just write out the tips in the video to create a simple PDF file.

Also, consider putting your opt-in box right on your homepage, maybe in the upper right. See if you get more subscribers if you don't make them jump through the extra hoop of clicking your banner.

John

I agree - I had no idea whatsoever that the 10 tips banner was a clickable link to your opt-in page. I assumed that was just a heading to what followed, and was confused that there were no 10 tips showing below the banner.

Perhaps there are no vegetarians out there who want to learn more?

the page has too much going on all at once, my eye had no idea where to go and was bouncing all over the page just confused at what to do.

even when using a blog it needs to have only one or two main goals, have the viewer read the article and click through to an offer.

there are banners in random places on the page.

I would move the piture of the little blue vitamins or whatever they are over to the left.

it looks like you have two header graphics I would get rid of one of them.

Looking at the page my eyers and head are starting to hurt. Clean it up a little make it look more professional, continue to provide good value and ad little call to actions at the end of each article.

if I was a pill junkie I would seriously need an aspirin right now.

Agreed on the banner issue. There's no call to action anywhere to indicate... "Get this if you do this..."

Sounds almost too simple, but people really do have to be instructed what to do and how to do it.

With a sig like mine, I just had to jump in

Way back when banners were THE hot way to get traffic, and just about every page you looked at had a LinkExchange banner on it, testing proved that adding the words "Click Here" to the banner improved CTR by large margins. Putting those words on an image of a clickable button helped even more.

Even then, "10 tips" isn't really a compelling offer. Presumably, I should be able to get more than that just reading your blog, right?

So we have step 1, juice up the offer, and step 2, juice up the call to action.

(On a side note, I wouldn't lead the opening paragraph of the top post on your home page with a photo credit...put it someplace less conspicuous.)

On to the landing page...

Another boring offer - "free video" doesn't cut it anymore. Especially with the reference to a government agency. Why do they need to sign up for your list, if they can just go to the USDA or whatever it was?

There's no promise of anything special or unique. I can go to YouTube, search for "vegetarian vitamins" and find 641 free videos - and I don't have to get on a mailing list to watch them.

If you want my name and email, you have to promise me something I really want and can't get elsewhere. Your visitors are telling you loud and clear that a free video on "10 tips on vegetarian vitamins" ain't it.

Which brings us back to step 1 - juice up the offer.

It actually took me a while to see what I was supposed to be clicking ...I would put the optin on your homepage.

Also you need to make the steak sizzle ... get a sexy strap line that is really going to cause a dramatic response in your site visitors.

Something like Vegetarian Vitamins - Shock Report What You Must Know ... etc

John

Dig through the latest news as well - fear and pain avoidance works every time - its almost a joke that the promos for the evening news runs something like "Five dangerous foods that could make tonight's dinner your last meal. More on this and Jilly's forecast at ten!"

Just a quick google search on the news had an news story on iron poisoning and chewable vitamins. You can find dozens of twists. And if you have the traffic, after you incorporate everyone's fantastic advice, do a little A/B testing on your offers!