Guide Download from website

[oliver27]

Silly question, but what is it called in marketing when you have a guide/ebook/any material to offer, but you want to capture a customer's information via a form first? I want to set this up, but can't think what the term may be called so I can google and research!

Thanks

 

[bluedreamer]

Dodgy

It really depends on why you want the information and what your visitor sees. You could call it a promotion, an offer, newsletter subscription...

 

[oliver27]

I don't think it's dodgy, it happens all the time!... You want to download some kind of white paper or ebook etc. but you need to enter you name, email, tel number, etc. to start the download. I know Hubspot do this (but I can't afford Hubspot!)

But is there a technical name for it so I can research further in how to set it up & best practices? E.g. is it called a 'squeeze page' (I don't think it is!), or something else?

 

[avecSys]

It is not dodgy, it's basically a contacts request page. Businesses use this quite often to gather prospects for future business ventures. I would just link a contact form to my download, which require field completion before redirecting to the download. This would then be stored on some sort of CRM to reference for future contact.

 

[oliver27]

Hi aveSys, thanks for your response. I didn't know a download could begin after a contact form had been submitted, so this is great. I suppose then it is just a matter of getting a landing page created and setting up the contact form inputs of that landing page to go into a separate database where I can work the leads (with consent obviously)

Many thanks for the help

 

[avecSys]

Not a problem Oliver. Are you using Wordpress? I am sure download manager can point to a contacts page before proceeding to download. I have not personally done this but I am sure I have seen it as an option.

 

[neils3]

Hi, checkout mailchimp, it's what I use, they have a free option to start off with.

What you're trying to do is create an email opt in. And yes, nothing wrong with this approach, you're giving something away for free in return for contact details.

 

[oliver27]

No we don't use Wordpress, but I'll get a brief done and then my developer can work on it. Just wanted to research into what it was called so I could get some best practice tips and see how it worked before I briefed. If it's as simple as creating a landing page with a contact form though and then download is started after fields have been completed then that should be great. Also, I suppose I could email the guide to them instead of just downloading automatically. I presume this approach means I can put some marketing text in the email as well promoting our services further, so more beneficial than just a pure download?

 

[oliver27]

neils3 - We do actually use mailchimp for email send-out, but didn't know it had this functionality, so will check it out - thanks!

 

[avecSys]

Mailchimp? Do they offer contacts forms before download? I thought they were a bulk email campaign provider....

 

[avecSys]

No we don't use Wordpress, but I'll get a brief done and then my developer can work on it. Just wanted to research into what it was called so I could get some best practice tips and see how it worked before I briefed. If it's as simple as creating a landing page with a contact form though and then download is started after fields have been completed then that should be great. Also, I suppose I could email the guide to them instead of just downloading automatically. I presume this approach means I can put some marketing text in the email as well promoting our services further, so more beneficial than just a pure download?

But aren't you trying to gather the email,address etc via the contact form to generate future business?

If you have the contact info already, would seem a waste of time gathering it again through a download

 

[oliver27]

Yes but I could have a contact form, then the guide is emailed to them as a PDF attachment?

So we get new contact details from the data capture, then the customer gets an email with guide (which is what they want), but also we can do a brief email that could link them back to our site/promotion, etc.

 

[neils3]

They do provide a contact form. If you're on wordpress, you can just download a mailchimp plugin which is the easiest way to show the form...and then integrate it with your mail chimp account.

Oliver - what you want to do, is add your download a hosting site such as amazon s3 and then when they fill out your form, mailchimp automatically sends a "thank you for signing up" message with the link to this included.

 

[avecSys]

Yes but I could have a contact form, then the guide is emailed to them as a PDF attachment?

So we get new contact details from the data capture, then the customer gets an email with guide (which is what they want), but also we can do a brief email that could link them back to our site/promotion, etc.

Personally I would have these emails generated from your server from your webpage rather than a bulk email provider. I would be somewhat put off if I were filling out a contacts form on a redirected page built for email campaigns. Just speaking from a business sense. I tend to have a spam filter on those using email campaigns

 

[neils3]

Email service providers like mailchimp, aweber don't require a user to fill out a contacts form on a redirected page. The form is filled out on the website and then a user is sent an email with a link to the resource, where they can also choose to download it.

 

[oliver27]

Hi chaps - thanks for all the comments. Food for thought certainly. I'm still undecided whether I should just offer an instant download when they complete the form, or whether we should email with file/download link.

If the latter, then I will look at Mailchimp, but because our site isn't on wordpress, I presume we would need to send via our own server (we have many of automated emails being sent based on user actions, so not a trouble adding this one in).

Thanks for all the help once again, I have a better direction now!

 

[Annoying Donkey]

Hi chaps - thanks for all the comments. Food for thought certainly. I'm still undecided whether I should just offer an instant download when they complete the form, or whether we should email with file/download link.

Email the link. People might (and often do) enter a false email.

If the latter, then I will look at Mailchimp, but because our site isn't on wordpress, I presume we would need to send via our own server (we have many of automated emails being sent based on user actions, so not a trouble adding this one in).

Mailchimp (or getresponse or aweber) will send the email from their servers.

 

[InternetMarketingPlatinum]

Dodgy

It really depends on why you want the information and what your visitor sees. You could call it a promotion, an offer, newsletter subscription...

Dodgy? Uh?

 

[InternetMarketingPlatinum]

It's usually an incentive to join a mailing list using an opt in form provided by an email marketing platform such as Mailchimp or Aweber. Give us a shout if you need something like this setting up.

 

[JonnyMP]

You might call this a 'lead capture' page, which is basically the same as email subscription form. Some people would say squeeze page, though it could depend on what region you're from. The results are the same though as you're just trying to obtain the prospect's email address and name so you can subscribe them to a list for further contact. And, this works very well for any type of downloadable info.

 

[InternetMarketingPlatinum]

You might call this a 'lead capture' page, which is basically the same as email subscription form. Some people would say squeeze page, though it could depend on what region you're from. The results are the same though as you're just trying to obtain the prospect's email address and name so you can subscribe them to a list for further contact. And, this works very well for any type of downloadable info.

It's also worth adding that visitors are unlikely to purchase/call on first visit and this is the reason for getting tgeir email address in the first place

 

[JonnyMP]

It's also worth adding that visitors are unlikely to purchase/call on first visit and this is the reason for getting tgeir email address in the first place

Thank you so much for bringing up this point. And, I've said this till I'm blue in the face. The chances of getting someone to buy on that first visit are so very slim.

So many people talk about traffic generation and SEO and are still relying on that one time/one off traffic from Google search or Adwords (or whatever traffic generation method they're using) but failing because they refuse to take that extra step to capture the email address.

As you said, most people won't purchase on that first visit, due to one very simple reason, and that being lack of trust. You have to build that trust factor with the person before they make a purchase. And, email marketing (that is sending emails to the people on your list) is the best way to build trust.

 

[UKSBD]

Just make them think the form submit button is a download button, then redirect them to a page saying the download link will be emailed to them - http://www.uksmallbusinessdirectory.co.uk/download.php

 

[fisicx]

The only time I ever use a download thing is if there an opt out that says 'we will never, ever contact you again for anything'. All to often the free download is just an excuse to get my email address so you can bombard me with your marketing junk.

 

[Annoying Donkey]

Thank you so much for bringing up this point. And, I've said this till I'm blue in the face. The chances of getting someone to buy on that first visit are so very slim.

People will buy on first visit for many reasons - they're desperate, they've been referred, they like the colour of your site, the message you have resonates with them. Many many reasons.

As you said, most people won't purchase on that first visit, due to one very simple reason, and that being lack of trust.

Trust is only one factor. I believe the number one reason is that businesses don't give their visitors a reason to buy. "We claim to offer the best quality, the best service, the best... just like our competitors claim "

You have to build that trust factor with the person before they make a purchase. And, email marketing (that is sending emails to the people on your list) is the best way to build trust.

Trust building starts long before emailing. Why would someone give you their email if they don't trust you...?
And why would someone trust you when you're sending out emails demanding they buy from you...? (most small businesses idea of email marketing).

Personally, I'd rather have one buyer than 1000 freebie seekers...

Don't get me wrong, I do believe in email marketing, but like any marketing, it's not just as simple as offering a freebie in return for an email address... It requires understanding, work and effort to be effective.

 

[InternetMarketingPlatinum]

The only time I ever use a download thing is if there an opt out that says 'we will never, ever contact you again for anything'. All to often the free download is just an excuse to get my email address so you can bombard me with your marketing junk.

You won't even give your email to a blogger you trust?

 

[Annoying Donkey]

The only time I ever use a download thing is if there an opt out that says 'we will never, ever contact you again for anything'. All to often the free download is just an excuse to get my email address so you can bombard me with your marketing junk.

Just set up a unique email forwarder for each signup. You can then block any that ignore unsubscribes. I tend to use the url/domain name so I know where the junk comes from...

 

[fisicx]

You won't even give your email to a blogger you trust?

The blogs I follow don't do the free download/newsletter thing. If I land on a blog that 5 seconds after landing has a pop up offering free stuff in exchange for my email then I rarely visit again.

 

[InternetMarketingPlatinum]

The blogs I follow don't do the free download/newsletter thing. If I land on a blog that 5 seconds after landing has a pop up offering free stuff in exchange for my email then I rarely visit again.

I like Quick Sprout a lot but he know tends to do that and I think the usability haa got worse on that website. It still holds some fantastic information though. Popups do both alienate users and convert well too though.