Popups can be annoying. But used right and used intelligently, they can be a fantastic resource.
We all know that popups are annoying. We see them on our screen and we immediately click on the close icon.
As noted by Sleeknote.com, around 50% of internet users claim that popups are “very annoying” or “extremely annoying”.
But as marketers, popups can be useful. So how do we make our popups useful and engaging, but not annoying?
Perfect your timing
When you show a popup is a big consideration – it doesn’t necessarily have to be as soon as a user clicks on your page. In fact, many experts advise against this, recommending that you allows users a little time to become accustomed to your page before you bombard them with a popup.
An alternative is scroll-trigger popups, which occur after visitors have been scrolling through your page for a while. These can be implemented after a certain amount of time, or when visitors reach a designated point on your page.
That said, an immediate popup can be useful if it’s advertising an offer or a sale.
Make them easy to exit
If your site has popups which are hard to exit from, you’re absolutely going to irritate the people using it.
Make the popup exit as easy as you can.
Reward and incentivise actions
A good approach here is a financial incentive. If you can offer a small price reduction to anyone who interacts with your popup, they’ll be much more likely to engage with it.
Don’t overwhelm
A popup can already be unwelcome. So don’t make it even more unwelcome by overwhelming your customers. Don’t have too much going on. Don’t have too much information.
Use only one popup per page – and spread only one message.
Personalise your popups
Research shows that customers love personalisation. And there are many ways you can personalise your popups.
If a registered customer is accessing your site, you can simply use their name. Similarly, you can use their demographic details to show them something you think they’ll be particularly interested in.
You can also offer users a couple of options on a popup to see what they’re interested in looking at on your site.
Don’t use popups on each and every page
Again, this is about not overwhelming your customers. One or two popups that serve a well thought-out purpose – that’s a good idea.
Lots of aimless, relentless popups throughout the entirety of your site – that’s not a good idea.
Intervals between popups
If a customer visits your site three times in one hour, they don’t want to see the same popup three times. But they might be okay with seeing that popup twice a week, or once a week.
It’s up to you to decide an acceptable frequency, but you don’t want customers to be clicking off the same popups over and over again.
Don’t patronise
You know those popups that deter you from clicking off them by saying something like ‘no thanks. I don’t want to save money’? They can be condescending.
Avoid them – don’t try to guilt-trip your customers.
Popups can be annoying. But used right and used intelligently, they can be a fantastic resource. Follow the tips in this guide and that’s exactly what yours will become.