Boosting Signups: Proven Tips from Branch Co-Founder and Brian Dean
Mada Seghete, co-founder of Branch, shared a simple yet powerful strategy that enabled her team to increase signup rates by an impressive 70%. Meanwhile, Brian Dean used a similar personalization tactic to boost his opt-in rate by 800%—a game-changing figure for lead generation.
Here’s how they did it and how you can apply these strategies to your product or website.
Mada Seghete’s Approach: Personalized Friend Referrals
Initially, Branch used a standard signup screen when users invited their friends to join the program. While functional, this generic approach didn’t capitalize on the emotional connection between friends.
The Change:
Branch introduced a personalized experience for invitees. Instead of a generic signup page, the first thing users saw was a greeting from their friend who had sent the invitation. This small yet impactful adjustment made the experience more personal and relatable.
The Result:
This experiment increased the signup rate by 70%, proving that personalization can significantly influence user behavior.
Brian Dean’s Strategy: Personalized Content Offers
If your product doesn’t include a referral program, you can still use personalization to drive engagement. Brian Dean demonstrated how tailoring offers to match a visitor’s immediate interest can dramatically increase conversions.
The Problem:
Generic signup offers like “Join our newsletter” often fail to engage visitors because they lack relevance and specificity.
The Solution:
Brian implemented highly targeted opt-ins based on the content of individual pages on his blog. Instead of a one-size-fits-all offer, he provided content that directly aligned with the visitor’s current interests.
- Example 1: On an article about “how to mine bitcoin,” visitors were offered a downloadable checklist of the “TOP 10 mistakes that cost miners millions of dollars” in exchange for their email address.
- Example 2: On an eCommerce product page selling a specific car, customers could be offered a discount or freebie in exchange for their email address.
The Result:
This approach resulted in an 800% increase in opt-in rates, demonstrating the massive potential of contextual and relevant offers.
Why Personalization Works
Personalization works because it:
- Creates Emotional Connections:
A tailored greeting or offer makes users feel seen and valued, encouraging them to engage. - Aligns with User Intent:
Visitors are more likely to respond to offers directly tied to their immediate needs or interests. - Enhances Perceived Value:
Targeted offers feel more relevant and useful, making users more willing to share their information.
How to Apply These Strategies
For Referral Programs:
- Create a personalized experience for invitees by displaying the name or message of the person who referred them.
- Highlight the shared connection to build trust and increase conversions.
For Blogs and Websites:
- Tailor signup offers to the content on each page.
- If your page discusses a niche topic, provide a resource or offer that complements that content.
- Examples: Checklists, guides, discounts, or exclusive resources.
For eCommerce Sites:
- Use product-specific incentives, such as discounts or freebies, tied to the item being viewed.
The Takeaway
Whether you’re running a SaaS product, a blog, or an eCommerce store, personalization is a powerful tool for driving signups and opt-ins. From Mada Seghete’s personalized referral screens to Brian Dean’s context-driven offers, these examples show how a little extra effort can yield remarkable results.
By understanding your audience’s needs and tailoring your approach, you too can see significant improvements in conversions—and perhaps even an 800% increase in leads.
Source: Growthhackers.com