Jamie Siminoff recently suggested I check out the sign up process for TripIt. I highly recommend you go check out the TripIt sign up process if you haven’t already. It is absolutely brilliant and highlights how important it is to think about marketing as you are building your product.
Here was the comment I posted on Jamie’s blog comment:
One word – “Smooth!”
I’m blown away by the signup process. Very easy, low commitment. After you have received some value, they encourage you to register – to get more value.
Also some interesting viral marketing/social networking angles. Just when I thought I wouldn’t be tempted to join another social network, I think this one would actually be useful. I added you as a friend, so it will notify us when we are in the same city.
Thanks for pushing me to finally check out TripIt. I’ve been hearing about it for a while. Definitely some stuff to learn from these guys.
Andrew Chen
Brant Cooper
Dave McClure
Eric Ries
Jamie Siminoff
Steve Blank
I am still trying to figure out a way to do the same for SimulScribe. I have not been able to come up with it yet as tripit and SimulScribe have such different offerings that I can not just copy the model. I will really put my thinking cap on this weekend for it and see if I can come up with something.
Sean, what’s your favorite part of the TripIt sign up process? I went throught it and found the initial steps to be pretty standard and clean. After the signup, the email confirmation link that prompts you for more info is pretty smart, great way to not ask all that info upfront and bounce rates should be close to zero when you prompt users for optional info after email confirmation.Since we’re on the signup process topic, i have a question. I’ve noticed more and more sites are skipping the “Retype Password” field during initial sign up. If there any benefit to this? It’s hard to imagine a significant impact on bounce rate either way. I’d think it’s more of a user “retention hazard” if someone types the wrong password and end up not wanting to deal with “forgot password” process. Would love to hear your thoughts & experience on this. I haven’t come across much data addressing this yet. One would have to A/B test this on the same site for an apples-to-apples comparison. Thanks.
Leo, I really like the fact that TripIt gives you options for registering. Their recommended approach is very low friction. They offer gratification before they ask you to take the time to complete a registration form. I also like that the approach is pretty innovative – which is often the first step in a breakthough discovery. Of course innovation doesn’t matter if the “traditional way” has a better conversion rate.Not surprising that you’re seeing more sites dropping the “retype” password field. I hadn’t noticed this trend… Again, as you mention at the end of your comment – it can all be A/B tested. My gut tells me that people are most impulsive prior to registering so it’s very easy to lose them. If they are coming back later, they are more likely to jump through an extra hoop. Again everything can and should be tested to discover the optimal approach for your particular site.