Pop-ups are the Worst
Over the holidays I spent some time shopping online both for personal and work items.
Over the last few years, I've noticed some online marketing trends that have started to bother me. A couple years ago when I discovered the effectiveness of website pop-ups to capture email addresses and other conversions I was ecstatic. In fact, at the time, implementing a pop-up to capture blog subscriptions helped us go from 1-5 new subscriptions per day to over 20. In no time our list of subscribers (who signed up to receive 2 blog posts/week via email) went from 1400 to well over 3000.
I soon realized pop-ups were great for all sorts of things. However, over the last year or so I've started to despise this tactic. It still works well for many organizations, but I don't feel like it's a valuable use of our resources anymore. Because of the effectiveness of pop-ups, people have beaten them to death in the last couple years.
Instead of the quick, pleasant experience I was used to, most pop-ups have become walking dead versions of their original format. So much so, that companies have started guilting people for NOT interacting with their pop-ups.
Check out the image below:
The ONLY way to get rid of the pop-up you see above is to click the button that says, "No thanks I don't want a successful launch."
So instead of simply being able to opt out because I'm not interested in their particular marketing services, I have to click a button that makes me feel like a dope. It's sole purpose is to make me feel like a bumbling idiot so I'll second guess myself and sign up for them to contact me.
A company's marketing should never makes users feel ashamed, awkward, uncertain, or stupid.
Your marketing tactics should encourage and inspire people to WANT to use your product or service. Not GUILT them in to it.
I was so disappointed in this experience that I actually cancelled my account immediately after I saw this pop up. I'd rather replace the experience with this company with a competitor who doesn't try to guilt me and if there are no competitors, then maybe it's time to build one myself.