How to get low-cost applications through Zen Forms

Zen gives advertisers the ability to get leads through Yandex.Forms right inside the article. The user reads the article, answers questions and leaves contact information without leaving the platform.

AKM Strategy is an agency that managed to make Forms a working tool for getting inexpensive “warm” leads. In this article, we share our experience and show the results in numbers.

What are Forms for?

Forms are a very simple tool, but when used correctly, they can solve several complex problems at once.

1. Collect email in the mailing list… If you are well aware of the role that email marketing plays in the sales funnel and how much it costs you to subscribe, be sure to try collecting emails through the Forms after the article.

2. Request contacts for a call back… This is a cool way to get leads “warmed up” by an ad article at a normal cost. You can only ask for a name and phone number, but online quizzes are more effective.

3. Study the interests of the audience… Suitable for brands that are conducting research on their target audience, want to get feedback on a new product or expand the list of services.

We recommend testing different ways of working with Forms, as it is not known in advance which will be the most effective. For example, as part of promoting an online clothing store, we tried to collect requests for a call back, but they were too expensive, but collecting an email database with further “warming up” by mailing turned out to be quite a working option.

Case. Applications for 450 rubles from Forms in Zen vs applications for 1,500 rubles from search

In October 2020, we launched a direct collection of contacts through Forms for a large window company. The cost of a lead from Zen turned out to be three times cheaper than from a search, but there were some nuances.

What hypotheses were put forward

Before starting the campaign, we had three assumptions based on experience with promoting this company in Zen.

Leads will be of significantly higher quality than from other sources. After all, the user did not just click on the ad, but read the advertising longread, formed his attitude towards the company and deliberately applied for its services.
Leads will be cheaper due to the fact that there are still relatively few advertisers in Zen and this niche is not overheated.
The best results will show sophisticated Forms that emotionally engage users before requesting contacts.

How articles were selected

To begin with, we selected seven articles that gave the best traffic to the site – we assumed that they would be successful in accepting applications through the Forms. To see the response to all the services of the company at once, different topics were specially selected: balcony glazing, installation of windows, windows in a new building, windows in a private house.

How contacts were collected

For each of the articles, we tested two methods: simple and complex. In the first case, they collected a name and phone number, in the second, they came up with a quiz consisting of 8-10 questions, and then they asked for data.

Since this was a test campaign, the Forms were not combined with the CRM system on the client side: applications were sent directly to the mail of the sales manager dedicated for this project.

results

The cost of one lead (phone number) ranged from 350 to 800 rubles, depending on the topic of the article and the format of collecting contacts. Despite the wide range, the price turned out to be more than acceptable – from search overheated by competition, leads were 3-4 times more expensive.

Minuses

Lead quality turned out to be worse than from search or targeted ads. The conversion from call to metering turned out to be 10% lower than the norm – our hypothesis about users “warmed up” by reading articles in the case of Forms did not come true.

pros

The cost per lead really turned out to be significantly lower than from other sources. This compensated for the lower conversion – metering was still 50% cheaper.
Forms with clarifying questions turned out to be more successful than simply collecting contacts: people were more willing to share contacts after they went through several stages of the quiz.

Output

Forms are a great tool that integrates seamlessly into Zen promotional articles and performs well. For the client, Forms have become an additional source of low-cost leads.

Councils for the creation of Forms. the main thing

During the work and testing of Forms, we have developed several universal rules. They will help you avoid mistakes and make Forms work efficiently, which means they will save time and money.

Ensure maximum engagement

We consider filling the Form as a game that we start with the reader. He spends his time answering questions, and does not expect to be asked for a phone number or mail at the very end. Therefore, we make this game interesting so that by the time the contacts are filled in, the user is as motivated as possible.

In my experience, the most engagement is provided by forms with 8-12 questions – enough to maintain interest for 2-3 minutes. For more immersion, we split the questions into several pages so that the reader clicks “Next” several times. This will prevent the reader from scrolling to the end of the form without filling out.

Relieve tension

We proceed from the fact that answering questions and transferring personal data to an unfamiliar company creates tension: a person may not leave a number or quit filling in the middle of the way.

At the beginning of the form, we say that it will take very little time. “Answer the questions, it will take a minute and a half.”
After each page, we praise the user and push them to fill it further. “Excellent! We are already half way, let’s move on. ”
At the very end, we write that the application does not commit to anything. “We will not be annoying, we promise. If you are not satisfied with the offer, just end the conversation and that’s it. ”

Another trick that relieves stress is a photo of the manager, which is one of our best finds. We take pictures real sales manager and write something like “This is the lead manager Olga Smirnova, she will call you back.” The user sees who exactly will call him back, this inspires confidence.

There is one more observation with photographs. We tried to show a male manager to a female audience, and a female manager to a male audience. The “read-to-order” conversion increased by an average of 15%.

Use illustrations

Illustrate forms, don’t just ask questions. Even if the illustrations are too obvious, without metaphors, put them in the Form to make the person more interesting.

And so we ask for the size of the house. It seems so clear, but with illustrations it looks livelier, not like a boring test for schoolchildren.

Take away to the site

Yandex.Forms has an option that allows you to automatically direct the user to the site after submitting the form (you can also leave a link). This is a cool feature that helps to “warm up” the reader after he has sent contacts for communication.

The ideal scenario looks like this: a person fills out an application, then goes to the site and while he is surfing there for a minute or two, the manager calls him back. We say “perfect”, because about 90% of those who sent an application do not go to the site, and managers often call back in 20-30 minutes, and not instantly. C’est la vie.

Legal

Submit your consent to the processing of personal data and mark this question as required. Such a warning reduces conversion by 8-10% (we checked), but it saves the company from possible penalties.

the main thing

Use Yandex.Forms in Zen to build a database of emails, request phone numbers, or study your audience.
In our experience, applications from Yandex.Forms in Zen are cheaper than from other sources, but the quality of leads is slightly worse.
Treat creating a form like developing a game: for the user to spend time filling out and leaving contacts, he must be interested.
Test different combinations of Yandex.Forms (complex, simple) and articles – this is the only way to find a successful combination.

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