You’ve surely seen a widget without realizing it. The weather box on your phone, the floating WhatsApp button on a website or the form that pops up as soon as you land on a blog: all three share the same idea. They add a specific function to a screen. And you don’t need to open a full application to use them. That simplicity is exactly what makes them such a useful tool for capturing contacts.<\/p>\n
A widget is a small program that makes it easier to access an application’s information without having to open it. It works alongside the operating system’s interface. It can live on a computer, a phone, a tablet or even a smartwatch.<\/p>\n
Many of them also let you act on that data directly. They don’t just show real-time information. They also let you mark a task as done, or subscribe to something, without leaving where you are.<\/p>\n
Practically all of us use one every day. The one that shows the weather on your home screen is a common example. So is the floating music player. But there is one type that is especially interesting to anyone who runs a website or an online store: the one that turns visits into contacts.<\/p>\n
There are three main categories, depending on where they live:<\/p>\n
This last group is the one that’s closest to email marketing. That’s because one of these elements can be, for example, the form that invites people to subscribe to your newsletter.<\/p>\n
A subscription widget is, essentially, a form embedded in your website. It asks for a piece of contact information in exchange for something: a newsletter, a discount, a downloadable resource. It can sit in the sidebar or the footer, or appear as a pop-up window after a few seconds of a visit.<\/p>\n
That small element is often the first step of an entire strategy. It turns an anonymous visitor into a lead<\/a> with a name and email address, ready to receive your campaigns. It is also usually combined with a dedicated landing page<\/a>. Or with a clearly visible call to action<\/a> that encourages people to complete the form at the right moment.<\/p>\n However, not all of them convert equally well. One that asks for too much data, or appears too soon, scares off more people than it captures.<\/p>\n Less is more, almost always.<\/p>\n Although every website is different, the general rule works almost the same way every time: ask for the bare minimum and show it when the visitor is already interested in what you offer.<\/p>\n Not all of them live up to what’s expected of them. But the best ones share several traits:<\/p>\n One that meets these conditions doesn’t interrupt, it accompanies. And that difference is especially noticeable in subscription widgets, where an intrusive design can ruin weeks of work on content and SEO.<\/p>\n At Mailrelay we know that capturing subscribers almost always starts with a good form. Our platform lets you create custom subscription widgets. You can insert them anywhere on your website, without touching any code.<\/p>\n You can automatically segment people who sign up, based on the form they came through. Then you launch a welcome campaign tailored to that source. You can also connect the widget to your own landing page and measure, with real-time reports, how many visits turn into sign-ups.<\/p>\n All of this, what’s more, at no cost on your free plan, which includes up to 80,000 emails a month and 20,000 contacts. If you want to start today, you can create your Mailrelay account<\/a> and try out your first subscription forms with your own list.<\/p>\n Are a widget and an app the same thing?<\/strong> No. A widget shows or manages part of an application’s information, but doesn’t replace it. It depends on the app to work.<\/p>\n Which one should you use to capture subscribers?<\/strong> An embedded form on the website or a delayed pop-up window usually gives good results. As long as they ask for little data and appear at the right moment.<\/p>\n Do they affect a website’s loading speed?<\/strong> They can if they’re overused, or if they load many external scripts. That’s why it’s best to choose lightweight tools and measure the real impact on your page.<\/p>\n A well-designed widget goes almost unnoticed, and that’s precisely its strength. It makes a task easier, shows a piece of data or captures a contact without asking for too much in return.<\/p>\n For any business that wants to grow its mailing list, the subscription widget is one of the most profitable pieces of the entire website. All it takes is placing it well, asking for just what you need and letting it do its job.<\/p>\nFeatures of an effective widget<\/h2>\n
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How to apply widgets to your email marketing strategy<\/h2>\n
Frequently asked questions about widgets<\/h2>\n
In conclusion<\/h2>\n
Related entries<\/h2>\n