Too often is a webcast or virtual event registration form an afterthought. By its nature the form is designed to provide data AFTER the event has concluded, so it’s no surprise that most hosts are unsure of what to ask up front. They simply complete their event and then wish they knew more about their attendees once they have the reports in hand. The good news is that there is a simple way to overcome this problem. I call it daydreaming.
There should always be a moment on any marketing initiative where you stop, sit down and daydream about what it will feel like when you’re finally done. Will your boss pat you on the back? How will she know to pat you on the back? What value will you show that will make her want to pat you on the back? That’s the moment when you realize that you need to start at the end and work your way back.
- First, determine what data you will need to provide, and to whom, that will make them raise you up on their shoulders and carry you around the office chanting your name.
- Second, prioritize the questions based on whether you’ll get a high five or a standing ovation (ovations at the top, please).
- Third, draw a line after the first six questions.
- Fourth, determine if it is “business critical” to include anything below that line. If it is, tread lightly. It is commonly known that asking more than six questions on any web-form will scare away a good chunk of your audience.
Now you have a great registration form that will give you the information you need, but not keep your prospective attendees from filling it out. Nice work.
Common Daydream Results:
- Wouldn’t it be great if I could hand this list to my sales team and it were segmented by region? Then it would be easy to distribute to the proper rep!
- I wish I knew the distribution between different title-levels on my last webcast. Then I would have known who the big fish were and I could have followed up with them first!
My quick tip on what fields you should always include:
Critical information:
- First Name
- Last Name
- Email Address
Information I’d like to know:
- Company (though you can usually decipher this from the email address)
- Zip Code (though you can usually get location data from a sniffed-out IP address)
- Title (tip: make this a drop down instead of an open field since you’re really looking for their level, not their actual title)
- Phone (this must be optional)
Now try it for yourself below. Notice the short form we’ve provided? Only 3 fields! Give it a shot… I’d like to hear what information YOU think falls above that line!