Optimize Your Email Sign-Up Part 1: Stand Out & Entice

The foundation of your email program is getting the opt-in, setting proper expectations and starting the relationship off on the right foot. That's why it's critical to evaluate and optimize the first few touchpoints in the process: the sign-up location, form, subscription landing page and welcome message. We'll do a deep dive into each of these areas and provide some examples to inspire you.

Part 1: Stand Out and Entice

If you want to get the most opt-ins possible, make your sign-up obvious and visible. Do NOT make people search.  While this is very common-sense advice, I'm surprised at how many businesses do not prioritize this lead generator and make finding the sign-up difficult, or in some cases, impossible.

Additionally, highly consider moving the sign-up to the top part of the page.  Clearly, you can always test this against other locations - like the bottom - to be sure this is the best fit.

Use tactics like bolding, different color font, graphic buttons with a stand-out background color, nearby animation and/or white space around the call-to-action to help give the sign-up prompt more visual punch and draw the eye to it.

Here are some examples of sign-up prompts that I believe stand out on their own and they are all set up differently. Tell me if you can find them as easily as I did:

Fred Flare - While further down on the page, I believe the large font, white background and right side location helped this call-to-action stand out.

Kirkland's - Using a graphic at the very top of the page makes the sign-up one of the first things you see.

ShapeFX - Simple text at the top with adequate space around it helps you notice this CTA.

JBPet.com -  Notice how JB Pet has a simple text-based link at the top, then a nice small banner on the left column area as well as another large banner area at the very bottom. This is a smart tactic: no matter where you look, you'll find a sign-up.

Express - WOW! I immediately noticed the sign-up prompt in the top right corner, but not because there anything special about it - maybe because it was clean-looking amongst lots of graphics. Then, a second later a huge pop-up sign-up form took over the page offering 15% off my next purchase. Now that's grabbing attention! There's no way I could miss this offer.

In addition to the tips above, it's also a good idea to enable your sign-up to live on every page of your site, so it can be seen no matter where people enter. Don't limit yourself to just the home page.

Beyond being visible and easily located, it's also really important that you sell the sign-up! Simple requests like "sign up for email" or "sign-up for our newsletter" don't really tell me much about what I'm getting, why I should care and how often I'll be receiving mail.

For best results, explain the benefits of signing up and set expectations:

• mention frequency
• explain what will be sent
• link to an example newsletter or email if possible
• consider offering an incentive (coupon/contest entrance) with sign-up

Do a shortened version by your sign-up prompt. Example: "Sign up for our exclusive weekly promotions and get an instant 10% coupon!" Consider a more detailed explanation at the sign-up form - if you're asking for more than just email address.

Stay tuned for the next part of the series that will discuss the sign-up form itself, what information to consider asking for and how this form can impact your bottom line.

In the meantime, let me know if you've seen other very effective, stand-out sign-ups. Also, where have YOU found the sign-up to be most effective?

I'd love to hear your stories.

Kristen Gregory
Email Marketing Strategist at Bronto