The “Secret” Behind Effective Registration Forms: Easy To Use Doesn’t Mean They Were Easy To Make…Or They Should Be Cheap To Buy.

After seeing what effective web forms look like, it is common for people to assume that with some specialty software, anyone can create an effective website form. There’s danger in thinking that anybody can create an effective web form. If you need proof simply take a quick look around the internet.

Here’s a good example: Over at ePly, we have spent thousands of hours developing systems that can create effective, easy-to-use websites. Recently we spoke with someone that was truly interested in our service. This prospect spoke with a friend who said that he could create the web form they needed over the weekend. This friend felt confident that he could create the web form because he was a computer programmer – and really talented.

Both the event planner and the computer programmer friend were smart people, capable people, but we at ePly knew that they could not pull off what was required over a weekend. The form requirements were simply too complex.

In reality, for that “friend” to create those forms, the “friend” would spend huge amounts of time - long nights and wasted weekends, trying to create a “simple” form before the registration is ready to be launched.

The fact is that in the world of registrations, you really don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. So you’ve got to make sure that your web form is a dynamic, professional powerhouse from the day it’s launched.

So what’s the point? The registration form is a store. It functions as a showroom, a price tag, and a checkout – all on one page. Your online store should be viewed as just that–a store that must be supported by the best organization and tools you can provide in order to drive in customers.

No doubt you’ve heard that “If you build it, they will come.” However, registrations are not automatic; it’s up to you–and your skill at marketing the event through a form — to make it happen.

Do You Need A Partner To Create Your Online Registration Form?
At ePly they manage the entire process of creating online registration forms, including form planning, design, programming, testing, payment processing, refund management tools, up-to-the-second backups, registration limits, and tools to gather all the reports you could ever want so our clients can focus on organizing and running the actual event.

If you have an upcoming event, meeting, seminar, conference, symposium, or convention and you are looking for the best value in online registration, I would like to offer you a Free guide to online event registration – it identifies event planners’ most common concern – including how to plan and prepare registration forms and prevent common enrollment blunders - all while meeting the requirements of your event registration and your budget.

5 Easy Ways to Make Your International Registrants Feel Welcome

Unless you’re escaping winter weather or otherwise simply escaping, holiday travel isn’t generally a topic of choice. Images of crowded airports, long lines, security searches, screaming children, exasperated parents and bad food quickly come to mind. And really, unless you’re soaring on good spirits because you’re heading off on your Caribbean vacation, most travel is the same. Being as fun as it is, all of the little things that you can do to make attending your event easier are going to be appreciated by your International participants.

A good way to make an early impression on International participants is to design an online registration form that includes a few special considerations.

International addresses – If registrants can’t select their country from a drop-down menu, it doesn’t create a very welcoming impression. Include a complete country list if any International registrations are expected. For Province and State, an option to select “Outside U.S. and Canada” is generally the best option as a comprehensive list would be overwhelming and an International address may not include such a designation.

It’s a great exercise in frustration to know that you are entering the correct information, only to find that the system won’t accept it. Be sure the system will accept different formats for postal code and phone number. If it doesn’t, many International registrants won’t be able to enter valid data and you’ll end up with data that you can’t use.

Not being able to enter a complete address can also result in declined credit card transactions. Of course, this is frustrating for the registrant but it can also result in lost registrations.

Time Zones – It may seem too obvious to include the time zone in the event details but if the registration cut-off time is at 5:00 p.m., the fact that this is actually 5:00 p.m. an ocean away may slip the registrant’s mind. It’s easy to overlook so some extra clarity can avoid disappointment.

Currency – It doesn’t hurt to state the currency as it’s easy to overlook. If you expect a large number of people to come from a specific area it’s also a nice consideration to include an approximate exchange rate so that the registrant isn’t doing the math. However, make sure that it’s clear that the exchange rate is approximate as you can’t account for fluctuating rates.

Translations – You can make International registrants feel more welcome by offering your registration form in a second language. If half of your registrants are French or Spanish speaking, then the impact on these registrants may be worth the extra effort. If the volume isn’t high enough or if the language diversity is too great, then be careful about using industry jargon or acronyms that registrants from outside the country may not be as familiar with.

International Calling – It’s generally a good idea to include a phone number that registrants can call if they have questions about your event. If you only have a local number, include the country code so that International registrants don’t have to look it up. If you have a 1-800 number, it may not work outside of North America so you may also need to include your local number or an International toll free number.

The spit and polish: How a professional writer will help attract people to your event

Ever opened an email or letter to find that your name has been spelt incorrectly? No matter what the content of the correspondence, this signals rushed and sloppy work and the sender’s professional credibility dips pretty low. I’ve known plenty of people to hit delete or bin the material at this point, figuring it’s not worth their time to read on.

If you want to avoid your promotional material suffering the same fate, it’s worth calling on the expertise of a professional writer who is trained in the spit and polish of communication. They will produce clear, concise and accurate text that will convey professionalism and hopefully, depending on their talent, add an element of color. If cost is a concern, consider their rates against the potential revenue more registrations will bring in.

A good professional writer will:

- Make obvious the benefits of attending your event.
- Draw on emotion and humor to connect with potential registrants.
- Write in a style that is appropriate for the intended market and avoid losing attendees through unintentional faux pas.

- Clearly direct people to act – Register now – and leave no room for confusion about the details of your event or how to attend.

They will also know that online copy must be written in a different style to your print material, and for your website they will advise you:

- Keep the sentences and paragraphs short.
- Use highly contrasting colors, fonts and background.
- Choose key words and make them links to places you want people to go, i.e. the Registration Form.

- Use lots of….
 

White Space

If they’re truly on their game, they will know about writing for SEO (search engine optimization), how the text on your site affects your website ranking (in importance) in search engines and the tricks to:

- Using title tags.
- Using key phrases in the body text.
- Choosing key phrases to also serve as links.
- Getting other related websites to link to your site.

If you’d like to learn more about writing for SEO, I recommend these links:

Suggestions from Google on getting your site listed:
http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35769

Google tools for webmasters:
http://www.google.com/webmasters/

Google’s recommendations about hiring a SEO company
http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35291