HOW TO USE A LEAD MAGNET SUCCESFULLY
According to Capterra, every $1 spent on email marketing yields an average return of $44.25. Little wonder everyone is building an email list these days. But as rife as the trend is, not many can boast of impressive results in the form of quality leads and frequent conversions. Maybe you’ve struggled to make the most of email marketing too. Before choosing to revamp your entire system, why not answer a simple question: how well are you maximizing your lead magnet?
What’s a Lead Magnet?
A lead magnet is a free and valuable incentive you offer visitors to your website in exchange for their contact details – usually their name and email address. Your lead magnet could come in several forms. Common examples include:
- Ebook,
- Checklist
- Template
- Quiz
- Email course,
- Calendar,
- Planner,
- Printables,
- Workbook,
- Webinar,
- Video series,
- Audio series,
- Case study
You would find a lead magnet useful because people are now opposed to ads, and you can’t blame them. They see too many daily, and it gets irritating. But offering them something relevant and helpful is a sure-fire way to catch their attention and make them take specific desirable actions like giving you their email address.
Other Benefits You Can Enjoy By Creating a Lead Magnet
Giving free value upfront helps you demonstrate your expertise to your audience. It’s like showing a kid a free magic trick and setting him loose to convince his parents to sign you up for his next birthday. With a quality lead magnet, you can show that you know your onions. That way, people are more likely to trust you and consider your offers.
You can also think of a lead magnet as your tool for melting the resistance prospects might put up when they hop on your website. It’s typical for people to shrink on sighting an offer. They want to research other options, make sure the company or individual isn’t a fraud, etc. But by taking their attention away from money, you can get them to loosen up and warm up to you. There’s no better way to do this than by saying, “Hey, here’s this nice free stuff I made just for you.”
But for your free stuff to have the desired effect, you need to follow some smart practices.
How to Get the Best Results from Your Lead Magnet
- Keep it Targeted
In an attempt to generate leads, it’s easy to get tempted to cast a wide net. But this hardly pays off in the long run. It leaves your efforts unfocused, confuses quality leads, and gets you unqualified ones. So don’t create a lead magnet that serves everyone. Create it for one person.
That one person is your ideal customer, the one whose attention you so badly want to catch. Understanding who you are talking to from the get-go will shape everything concerning the lead creation and promotion process. From the material’s title to the follow-up offers you’ll give, everything will be tailored to attract that one customer. You may have multiple buyer personas. In that case, target each segment of your market separately instead of lumping everyone together.
Ryan Deiss captures this point well: “You simply need to solve a specific problem with a specific solution for a specific segment of your market.” Let specificity be your ally.
- Create a Lead Magnet Worth Paying Attention to
Not all free stuff is good stuff. And if your prospects don’t think your free stuff is good enough, then they won’t be attracted to it. So begin by creating something incredibly valuable. You can call it a value bomb if you want.
How do you do this? Figure out the pain points your audience faces, then select one of the most pressing options. Create content that solves this problem, and you’re on your way to creating a value bomb. Another option is to assess your content pieces with the most views, shares, and comments. Categorize these topics, find the group with the most articles, and then build your lead magnet around that general topic.
You might think: “does the value of the content really matter? After all, people won’t get to see it till they’ve dropped their emails.” Brrrr! Wrong! Don’t forget that the point of the lead magnet isn’t just to get an email address. It’s to initiate a relationship. So if you trick people with subpar content into surrendering their email address, it could backfire.
You would lose face and appear untrustworthy. Plus, your leads could simply click the “unsubscribe” button and be on their merry way. So think long term. Prioritize value.
- Follow Up
While planning your lead magnet, you should decide how you want to steer the conversation with your prospects once they have the free material. This would mean lining up a series of automated emails designed to welcome your prospects. Your email or series of emails should include details of who you are and what you do. Don’t forget to mention a few of your offers and how they can solve your prospect’s problems.
Your email sequence doesn’t have to stop at welcoming your audience. You can include an offer related to your lead magnet in one of the follow-up emails. Maybe you created a free ebook on how freelancers can get high paying clients. If you have a paid webinar, for instance, that expands on this subject, you can mention it in one of your follow up emails. You’ve earned the right.
- Promote your Lead Magnet Strategically
Now you need to make sure people actually see what you’ve made. This starts with how you position the prompt to get for the lead magnet on your website. A catchy pop-up window on your homepage wouldn’t hurt. Stick a link to the material at the base of your about page too. It’s also smart to refer to it in relevant blog posts. You can always get creative but whatever you do, ensure people get to see your free offer often. Also, touch up the freebie landing page to make it more catchy. For instance, let the headline focus on one of the benefits of the material. You can also make the decline icon unappealing while making the “yes” button attractive.
Social media is another excellent channel for promoting your lead magnet. To maximize these platforms, place a link to the landing page in your social media bio. There’s no harm in talking about the free package intermittently. You should also make references to your lead magnet during conversations that relate to its subject.
Make it Count
While strategizing on how to make the most of your lead magnet, be intentional with your efforts. You have a rare opportunity to make a good first impression on your prospects and get something in return. Don’t blow it. Create something of genuine value. Have a sound follow up plan and stick to it. And as you’ve invited prospects who decide to go on this journey with you, make it worth their while. And you should be smiling to the bank too.