I was thinking about how to start this post and a line from a previous blog post came to mind,

"As a marketer it's always helpful to keep the question of, "What's next?" top of mind"

The question of "What's next?" is a challenging question as your essentially trying to figure out the next "it," but you can also use that question to figure out how new tools could be integrated with old tools.

So, What's Next?

The "Like" button and now the "Tweet" button will soon be on virtually every webpage and blog post you see, but we may have a missed opportunity sitting right under our noses.

Where else could those buttons, or something similar, be placed? Allow me to toss out an idea.

The screenshot above was taken from CNN.com and provides a perfect example of what I'm about to say.

If I'm filling out this form it means something about CNN interest me and I'm engaged. Now think about "What's next?"

Why could this form not also include a call to action that is something as simple as a button that says "Like us on Facebook?" It's a call to action that, with a couple clicks, is easier to complete than filling out virtually any sign up form. There could also be a Tweet button on these types of forms that sends a tweet out that says something like, "I just signed up for X newsletter. Sign up by clicking X."

I think it makes perfect sense and feel as though this type of implementation is something that will be widespread in the coming months - if not sooner.

Evolution

This seems like a logical evolution for the sign up form and contact form - not to mention the many other ideas that may come to mind after thinking about this post for a bit. Where else could these buttons be placed that we might have overlooked?