Picture this: you find someone on Instagram that you would LOVE to work with for your business. You head to the links in their bio, scroll their website, and find yourself on their contact page, ready to inquire about booking their services.
You enter your name, email address, and a brief description about what you’re looking for, and click “submit.”
“Thanks for your message – we’ll be in touch soon!”
And you’re left with nothing…
Just a blank screen with a “thank you” message, with no other action to take in the meantime.
THAT is the reality of what your potential clients might be experiencing if you haven’t taken the time to strategically write and optimize the “Contact” page on your website.
This scenario is so common and is a HUGE missed opportunity!
Your “Contact” page is one of the core four website pages, which means it needs to be crafted and written strategically – just like the other main pages on your site.
All too often, I find that people will simply insert the generic contact form element, use a header with words like, “Get in touch!”, and call it a day.
But as your friend in copywriting, I’ve gotta tell you: that’s not going to cut it, friend.
While that might suffice when you’re first getting your website off the ground, it’s NOT what I suggest doing if you want all of the pages of your website to really work for you.
And by “work for you,” I mean generate real leads and close real sales.
Because after all, that’s what your “Contact” page is really for… right?!
This page literally makes it possible for potential clients to contact you because they likely want to HIRE you, so it’s definitely NOT the time to skimp on your copy.
Now that you realize the importance of your “Contact” page, let’s dig into how to optimize it for better results!
Why Your “Contact” Page Is One of the Most Important Pages on Your Website
I want you to think about something for a moment…
If someone finds you on Instagram and then navigates to your website for more information, they’re likely going to browse around for a minute.
They might look through your “About” page to learn more about what you do and what makes you different from others in your industry.
They’ll probably look at your “Services” page to see exactly how you can help them. After that, they’ll likely glance at your “Portfolio” page to see what your work looks like in action.
And finally, if they’re interested enough, they’ll navigate to your “Contact” page, which ultimately means this is the LAST page they’ll read before deciding whether or not to inquire.
Now is the time to go full send, slam dunk (I’m a hockey girl, so this sports terminology is questionable 😂) with your copy to make sure they actually follow through.
Your “Home” page, “About” page, and “Services” page may be full of personality-packed copy, but if your “Contact” page leaves them hanging, they might click that red X faster than you can say, “Let’s connect!” ❌
So to put it simply, your “Contact” page is responsible for:
✔️moving someone from just interested to a real lead;
✔️building a relationship with them personally; and
✔️giving them a reason to stick around!
There’s a few ways you can do all of three of these things effectively, and it all starts with a few optimizations.
4 Ways to Optimize Your Contact Page For Better Results
- Ditch the Generic Headlines
As a copywriter that specializes in helping photographers write their very own word-magic, I cringe at generic copy. 🥴
Your website copy should be packed with personality, meaning it should sound like YOU! It should be unique to you and stand out among others in your industry.
And I know what you might be thinking… “Sara, you write words for a living – of course this comes easy to you!”
And I hear you, I really do. But I can promise you that even if you’re DIYing your website copy, there is a way for you to go beyond the generalities and make it personal to you and your business.
Will it take a little extra effort? Maybe! But if you truly want to set yourself apart and have people choose you over someone else, it’s SO worth it.
For your “Contact” page specifically, start with an attention-grabbing headline.
And no, headlines like, “Contact Me” or “Get in touch!” are not what I mean. Put on your creative thinking cap (I know you have one!), and think beyond what everyone else is already saying and doing.
A few tips to keep in mind for this:
- Consider your ideal client’s pain points and speak to that directly. – They are experiencing a problem, and they want a solution. When you address that through your words, they’ll feel like you’re speaking *directly* to them!
- Keep it short and sweet. – Research has shown that we have about 8 seconds to capture someone’s attention. So yes, make it creative, but don’t overcomplicate it.
- Evoke emotion. – This goes hand in hand with their pain point. If you can quickly get to the root of what they really want *just* with your headline, you’re halfway there.
- Focus on the benefits of working with you. – What are they getting from this relationship? That’s what they really care about, so speak to that!
And if you’re struggling with your “Contact” page headline, give this handy dandy headline analyzer a try! (Isn’t the Internet so cool?!)
- Add an FAQ Section
More often than not, when someone is contacting you for the first time, they have questions. Sure, they might be interested in your offers, but more than likely, they want and need more details before pressing “purchase!”
This is especially true in the photography industry. Many people like to know the logistics before booking, such as location, timing, and pricing, so consider getting ahead of their potential questions by adding an FAQ section right on your “Contact” page, just like I’ve done on mine!
When you do this, your potential clients will think, “Wow! It’s like they knew exactly what I was going to ask.”
And when you can achieve that ⤴️ with your words, you’ll be on your way to seamless sales!
- Customize Your Contact Form
We all know what those generic contact forms look like: Name, email address, “how can I help?”
And while this is a perfectly fine contact form to get you started, if you really want to level up the way that potential clients initially interact with you, I encourage you to make it your own!
Customize your contact form to include special questions that make sense for your business specifically.
Some ideas for your contact form customization includes:
- Have a checkbox or drop-down list of specific services you offer, so they can choose the one they’re most interested in. – This allows you to get a better idea of the first conversation you’ll have with them or the initial questions you need to ask.
- Ask them where they found or heard about you, like I’ve done here. – This question gives YOU great insight about what marketing efforts are working and what you should do more of. For example, if the majority of leads say they’re finding you on Google, you can guess that your SEO is doing its job!
- Ask them to provide links to their social media platforms or their website, if they’re a business owner. – This allows you to conduct more research before your discovery call, if needed.
In addition to customizing your contact form, you also want to make sure it’s clear when they can expect to hear back from you. This is a great place to let them know your office hours (if you have them) or to provide some sort of time window that they can expect a response.
And then, tell them what to do while they’re waiting!
- Give Them Something to Do or Consider While They Wait
A lousy “Contact” page can feel a lot like your excitement balloon popping. 🎈
Think about it: as a consumer, when you want to buy something, there’s usually a level of excitement around it.
You’ve been searching for the perfect product or service to solve your problem, and you’ve finally found the person who offers it, but the moment you click “submit” to get your questions answered or to receive more details, that excitement sinks a bit. 📉
Because now you have to wait…
And while some level of anticipation is great, you don’t want to leave your potential clients completely hanging.
A great way to keep their excitement high is to invite them to explore additional content or additional resources while they wait. Pointing them to additional content allows you to curate an experience for them to ensure that they’re still receiving value from you while they’re waiting on your response!
This will keep them connected to you (aka build the relationship) and assure them that you have the ultimate solution they’re looking for.
This can be super simple, like guiding them to relevant blog posts or podcast episodes, inviting them to download your free resource, or simply asking them to connect with you on Instagram.
The action can (and should) be specific to you, but the key is that there is some sort of action available!
Overall, your “Contact” page plays a crucial role in facilitating communication, building trust, enhancing customer service, and creating opportunities for engagement with your potential clients.
It’s an important element of your website that you can’t afford to overlook!
I encourage you to take the time to audit your current “Contact” page and assess where optimizations can be made, so that you can experience the magic of what this page of your website can really be. ✨
P.S. If DIYing your website copy isn’t in the cards for you, I’m here when you need me! 💛
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