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CRM and sales

What are lead generation forms and do they really work?

John Bogna 7 min read
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If you run any kind of online business, you’ll need to form a database of potential leads that you can contact to help drive business and revenue. Lead generation forms are a tool that makes that a lot easier for anyone running their own company. So what are they, exactly?

We’ve all seen them a million times — a popup ad offering ten percent off your first purchase with email signup, for example.

Lead gen forms are especially important for smaller businesses. If you’re just getting off the ground, building an email list can be the difference between getting the traction you need to grow and stagnation. In this blog, we’ll explore lead generation forms in practice and how tools like monday sales CRM can help you create and manage them.

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What is lead generation form?

Lead generation forms are any type of online form that lets you collect data and email addresses from the people who visit your website. No matter what form they take, lead generation forms usually provide value to people in exchange for their information.

And once that information is given, you can use it to build a database of potential leads.

5 lead generation form examples

A ton of different elements embedded in your website can be lead generation forms. The most common fields on lead generation forms are usually name and email address, but more fields can be added to gather more data — with the consent of the person submitting the form, of course.

Some of the more popular ones include:

1. Email list signup

You’ll commonly see lead forms like this on popular blogs encouraging people to sign up for the writer’s newsletter or email list if they like what they read. Incentives for signup can be getting notified as soon as a new post goes live, special discount offers on digital or other products, and so on.

2. Contest registration

Another great way to build your email list and/or gather a lot of data at once is to host an enticing giveaway. The prize is something people want enough to agree to give you some information in exchange for a chance to win.

3. Pre-orders

When someone pre-orders a product it’s necessary for them to provide information like their name, email address, and location in order to receive the product when it goes on sale. Incentives to nudge people toward a purchase include early-bird discounts and website elements like a countdown clock to create a sense of urgency.

4. Contact forms

Every business has one of these on their website, and they’re valuable tools for gathering info on everything from lead demographics to email addresses to common issues people experience with your product.

5. Consultation forms

Especially useful for people in sales, businesses can require people interested in a consultation to provide some information prior to the meeting. These forms can be highly personalized to really zero in on people’s issues and whether your product would be a good fit — you can collect info on the most common questions people have, what type of people are interested in buying and more.

Those are just a few of the ways you can bring in more form leads through your business website, so feel free to get creative. Any form that requires the person to submit information can be a lead generation form. You can create custom lead generation forms using monday sales CRM.

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Why you should use lead generation forms on your site

First and foremost, lead generation forms are an easy way to gather essential information from potential clients. Instead of you putting out the effort to reach out to leads yourself, people submit it to you.

Once you have the information, you can use it to gain insight into:

  • What people are looking for in products like yours
  • Where the majority of your inquiries are coming from
  • Demographic information

Using the information gathered, you can reach out directly to people who are already interested in your product or service and are automatically more qualified leads than those who didn’t know you. Better leads in the pipeline mean more in-person conversations, which can mean more leads are converted to paying customers.

Create lead forms that work with monday sales CRM

Even a mountain of data is unusable without a way to organize and analyze it — you need a capable CRM to get the most out of your lead gen forms. monday sales CRM offers several features and integrations that let you manage form lead data easily.

Whatever operating system you use, there’s an app integration in monday Work OS to help you embed forms directly into your website. The Jotform integration, for example, lets you build forms, embed them, and sync the response data to monday sales CRM.

Automations within monday sales CRM let you set up notifications for anything you want, so you can be directly notified when you get a new form response or create a new board item inside the CRM when a form is submitted.

All its powerful features together mean monday sales CRM handles obtaining and organizing your form lead data so you can focus on the client.

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FAQs

What should I include in my lead generation form?

The information you need to collect may vary depending on your goals, but lead forms should have at least the following included:

  • A headline detailing the purpose of the form
  • A CTA (call to action) stating what you want the person submitting the form to do
  • Information fields (name, email, phone number, etc.)
  • An image to capture interest visually

Testimonials, trust logos, and videos can also be included to add credibility and interest, but aren’t strictly necessary.

How do I create a lead generation form for social media (LinkedIn/Facebook)?

Different social media platforms have different methods, but you’ll want to invest some time in creating lead generation forms on both LinkedIn and Facebook. To create one with LinkedIn, you’ll need a LinkedIn Campaign Manager account. Log into it, then:

  • Go to Assets in the left-hand sidebar menu
  • Click lead gen forms
  • Click the Create Form button
  • Follow the prompts to fill out the form details

To create a lead form with Facebook, go to Meta Ads Manager and follow the steps laid out by Facebook here. You’ll have the option to add photo carousels and videos to your form and preview it before the form goes live.

What are the three common types of leads?

The three main types of leads you’ll encounter as a business can be split into three categories:

  • A Lead: People in need of your product/service and looking to buy
  • B Lead: Need your product/service and aren’t urgently looking to buy right now, but will be soon
  • C Lead: Curious but not serious — people that could use your product but don’t absolutely require it

More terms from our CRM glossaryHot leads, Raw leads, Sales Qualified Leads, Marketing Qualified Leads

Attract and convert more leads

Good, qualified leads are the lifeblood of any business. A system for bringing people into your pipeline regularly while creating a base of loyal customers is essential if you want your company to thrive.

Tools like lead generation forms are a simple way to make that happen. Paired with the versatility of a tool like monday sales CRM, they form a powerful solution to the issue of bringing more leads to your door. Schedule a free trial today to see firsthand what monday sales CRM can do for you.

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