Are B2B Website Registration Forms Effective for Marketing?

Registration, or sign-up forms, are found on many websites, especially those belonging to B2B organizations. The goal of these forms is to collect customer data that can be used for marketing efforts, generate leads, and ultimately acquire new customers. Businesses that do this effectively find that website registration forms are an effective tool in their marketing toolboxes.  

Are Website Registration Forms Effective for B2B Marketing?

The majority of B2B marketers agree that customer data is an important driving factor in the marketing decisions they make. Additionally, when they were asked about the best ways to acquire that data, registration forms were found to be the most effective method. In fact, in a recent survey from Demand Gen Report and Dun & Bradstreet, 79% of the B2B marketers who were asked cited registration forms on their websites as the best tactic for obtaining prospect and customer data.

Types of B2B Website Registration Forms

B2B businesses use registration forms for a variety of marketing purposes. While the goal is usually the same – to collect valuable customer information – there are different types of forms a website may use:

• Sign-up for a company newsletter
• Demo requests
• Webinar registration
• Registration for downloadable content
• Feedback and support
• Targeted marketing campaigns
• Free trial forms

Best Practices for Creating Website Forms that Will Get Completed

If you utilize website registration forms or want to start doing so, there are some things you can do to ensure that your efforts effectively create leads and sales. It’s essential that you do what you can to encourage your prospects and clients to enter their information into your site’s web forms. Here are some best practices to follow:  

Keep it short and simple – Most people don’t particularly like filling out forms. So, when you’re creating a website registration form, you have to keep it short and easy to complete. Otherwise, users may look at the length of the form, be put off, and click away from your site.  

Make it attractive – Whether your web form is a registration for a demo or download, a sign-up for your company’s newsletter, or an invitation to a survey, it needs to be visually appealing and professional-looking. Use attractive colors, fonts, and images to make the registration form stand out. You can find numerous resources for templates and form designs online.

Put it in the right location – Not only should your registration form look good, but it should be placed in a prominent location on your website that is easy for visitors to access. You may choose to use pop-up forms that are triggered by users’ actions, but if you do, be sure not to overdo it.

Don’t ask for too much – Website registration forms should only ask for information that is absolutely necessary to allow you to provide the best service and support. Never ask for information that isn’t relevant to the sales process or that may be uncomfortable for users to share. Ask for only what you need and try to do so in as few fields as you can. Many marketing professionals recommend that webforms should require five or fewer fields to be completed.

Get the right information – While you shouldn’t ask for unnecessary information, you do have to make sure that you ask for the right information. Contact information like names, phone numbers, and email addresses are needed if you want to be able to follow up with prospects and customers. Then, contact information can be used to create customer databases, generate leads, and support a solid B2B sales process.

Make the CTA clear – You don’t have to have a call-to-action on website registration forms that visitors fill out. However, those forms that do have a clear, concise CTA are more likely to be completed and submitted by visitors to your site. The CTA on a registration form should be a clear message that instantly tells users what the next step is. You may consider including a CTA that says, “fill out now” or “submit for free download.”

Final Thoughts about B2B website Registration Forms

Registration forms on your website can play a vital role in your B2B marketing strategy. When they are done right, web forms will be short and to the point, appealing to look at, easy to complete and submit, and they should never ask for more information than you need. Whether your business is focusing on generating leads, obtaining customer information for email campaigns, lowering form abandonment, or boosting registration form conversions, the best practices mentioned will help you rise to the task.