Think of an overlay or popover as an extension to your web page. There to help your viewer rather than annoy or hinder them. They are a way of conveying a message to visitors as well as a way to collect email addresses. At Cloud-iQ we know that there are various ways you can use popovers to to collect data and engage your customers, but to improve their on-site experience and the efficiency of your efforts, it’s always worth giving a little extra.
Give people a free gift
This is usually in the form of discount codes, e-books and access to exclusive online content. People do need some sort of incentive in exchange for their details. We all hate spam, and even diligent source code blocking will still not solve your spam problems because companies just use different domains. If people are going to risk getting spam, then they need something in return. It’s best to start small, just ask for an email address. Once you have it you can gradually collect more data as they return to your site. Discounts and free gifts always work well, but a piece of valuable content or details of what they can expect access to by signing up can be very effective too.
Don’t over use your popovers
If you do this, you will lose your viewers. Plus, if you think about it, if somebody didn’t give you their email on the first occasion, what makes you think they will give it to you on the 10th occasion? On the flip side, if a person gives you their email address on the first popover, they will be annoyed if they keep seeing the popover every time they visit a new page. Smart popover technology allows you to set up rules based on engagement so your popovers are aligned with customer behaviour and preferences.
Use dynamic content in your popovers
To create a personalised experience that boosts conversion, popovers that contain content based on user preferences and behaviour can be extremely effective as they are more targeted. For a new visitor especially, this gives them time to familiarise themselves with your site before being served a popover with an offer that is tailored to their browsing behaviour. For return visitors and existing customers, your popover content can also integrate content based on customer data and preferences.
For example, if you have a popover appear after a video has finished, it means the viewer has watched all the video and so is at a point where he or she is most likely to subscribe to whatever you offer.
Don’t wait for them to ask
Popovers can be of long term help – for example, make you sure tell your customers that they do not have to keep checking your website or RSS feed. All they have to do is wait for your next email to stay up to date with the latest you have to offer as well as subscriber only exclusive offers. If you have their email address, they know they’ll be kept up to date the next time you post something juicy on your website. This sort of thing is working well for YouTube, and it can work well for you if you sell it right.
Give people a reason why they should give their details or subscribe
Giving people an offer on your popover is going to have limited appeal, as is simply asking them to give you their email address. Give people a reason to give you their details, and allude to why you need or want their information in the first place. Do you want it so you can send them reminders or updates, or do you want it to sell to a Middle Eastern or African spamming network?
