Lera D.
5 Most Common Contact Page Mistakes and How to Fix Them
So here you are, a talented photographer, with an amazing eye for details and a beautiful style of capturing people and life, with a stunning website (if not, check out these website templates) and an active instagram following. Yet, not enough inquiries. What’s wrong? The traffic to your website is good and growing, yet the number of people who fill out your contact form and get in touch is very low. Well, friend, the problem could be in the way your Contact Page is designed. In today’s article, we’ll go over some of the most common mistakes photographers make on their Contact Page + share recommended solutions.
Did you know that 60 to 80% of Contact forms are abandoned before people hit send? Mindblowing, right? Luckily, there are a few easy tricks that can help you transform your Contact Page into a highly converting one. These tips come from Sam Jacobson, an acknowledged sales and pricing expert for wedding photographers, also known as Ideaction Consulting. Be sure to check out our full interview with Sam on how to avoid being ghosted by clients (The Psychology of Selling).
Now, let’s see what are those 5 most common mistakes that photographers make on their Contact Page.
Note: if you’re getting tons of inquiries daily and need to filter out some of those leads, the mistakes and tips described below may not apply to you. However, if you want to increase the amount of form submissions that you’re getting, and have a higher % of site visitors converting into leads – then this article will help you.
Mistake #1: Bringing up the budget too early
The most common mistake that many photographers make on their Contact page is they bring up the budget. It is understandable why – you want to make sure that the prospect can afford your services. However, at this stage, the person who’s inquiring may not understand the worth of your service and how much they are willing to pay for it – the only thing that they are certain of – is that they need a photographer. Asking about their budget can spook them away, so better leave this question for a meeting/call.
Mistake #2: Asking too personal questions
Another common mistake that photographers make on their Contact page is asking questions that are too personal. Questions like “How did he propose?”, “What do you love most about each other?” or “How did you meet?” are in that category, because these things are not something that you would want to open up about and tell a stranger. Even asking the prospect’s phone number might be off-putting for some people, as at this stage they might only want to connect with you via email.
This urge to make a personal connection with your potential clients is very common among photographers. And it is not a bad thing to want – as it helps you connect to your client’s story in a more intimate and authentic way. However, at the stage of inquiry it might be too early for that. You’ll have plenty of time to build trust and a relationship after that initial form submission.
Mistake #3: Asking questions that are important, but not essential at this stage
You might be tempted to add to your Contact form important questions such as your prospect’s fiance’s name or their occupation. These are great questions, but better keep them for your call/meeting. If your goal is to get as many website visitors inquiring as possible – then you want to keep your contact form short, and collect only the absolutely necessary information – such as name, email and the service they are inquiring you for (if you offer multiple). That’s all you need, to get your foot in the door and start a conversation.
Mistake #4: Asking questions that are too difficult
When you ask a question that is too difficult, you instantly increase the abandonment rate of your Contact Page. This is because, in the best case scenario, your prospect might try to answer it, realize the answer is not good enough, erase what they wrote and try again, creating more unnecessary friction. Worst case scenario – they decide to exit your Contact page because it requires too much effort/time.
Some questions to avoid are: “What are your hopes and dreams?” or “Which is your favorite gallery from my portfolio and why?”, etc.
Mistake #5 Asking too many questions in general
You only get so many questions that you can ask a person before they get tired of answering. It’s exactly the same as opening a survey and discovering that it has 20 pages of questions. Most likely, you’ll put it on pause or decide not to fill it out at all, just because of the overwhelming amount of work it requires.
According to Sam Jacobson, 5 to 7 fields is more than enough for a contact form. Anything that goes above that number, can scare your leads away.
The Ideal Contact page
Now that you know what are the most common mistakes photographers make on their Contact pages, let’s see what steps you can take to fix (or avoid) these:
- Include a strong title on your Contact page, one that shows you’re excited your prospect made it to this page.
- Include a short paragraph (1-2 sentences) to reiterate your excitement and explain what happens after the person submits the form. Make it sound easy and fun.
- Keep your contact form short – up to 5-7 fields.
- Show your face! Include a picture of yourself on your Contact page to build more trust towards your brand.
- Add some cool testimonials from your clients to help your prospect envision what it’s like working with you.
- Add your phone number or email next to your contact form. Forms don’t always work. They also feel cold and impersonal sometimes. It’s always good to offer an alternative way to contact you.
The bottom line is, when checking your website, most people are not sure what they are looking for. Moreover, they might not know very much about planning a wedding or a family photo session, and how much that service costs. So keep in mind that the easier it is for clients to reach you, the more inquiries you are going to get.
Good luck! And be sure to check out the brilliant tips and recommendations offered by Sam Jacobson during our interview on how to avoid being ghosted by clients (The Psychology of Selling).
