The use of web forms in lead generation

The HTML web form is a handy way of collecting information as part of a lead generation campaign. It's certainly much cheaper than paying for reply envelopes, and considerably more convenient for your prospects. And there are other advantages too...

You can collect as much information as you like with a web form. A coupon is typically small, offering limited space with which to ask questions and give respondents room to write answers.

In theory, an 800 number provides ample opportunity to ask for as much information as you like. But here again you'll run into problems. If your ad is going well, you'll run out of people to answer the phone if they spend too much time asking questions. And there's only so much information a lead is willing to disclose to a complete stranger over the phone.

On the face of it, a web form looks like the perfect solution. It's a totally controlled situation, so you have the ability to prepare somebody to give you the information you're asking for. You can reassure your prospects by placing the lead generation form behind a secure server. And of course, you can provide a privacy note and check-box.

Despite all these advantages, it doesn't pay to ask for too much information. In fact, I make a practise of asking for the least amount of information possible. I take the view that every extra question is an opportunity for the person to change their mind and decide not to respond.

If I could generate leads with a single question, I'd do so.

I suggest you do the same. Work out what you really need to know to generate the lead, and ask only that. But what about those times when you simply need a whole lot of information?

I use a clever multi-stage approach in such cases (e.g. for clients in financial services) that allows me to ask for the information during the course of the lead generation process itself (before the person has even become a lead).