Are you wondering what a lead magnet is? Do you need it at all? This slogan is featured in every marketing course. You've probably already heard more than once that a good lead magnet is key in internet marketing, especially in e-mail marketing. In this article, you will find the most important information that will help you implement an effective lead
magnet. Let's start with the basics.
Lead magnet - what is it?
What do these strange-sounding words even mean? You could say it's… well, a magnet for leads. "Lead", and more specifically "sales lead" in this context means a natural person, organization or company that is interested in a product or service.Lead magnets are basically free content. These are bonuses in exchange for providing contact details. It’s a win-win situation here, because we acquire new contacts in our database, and people who agreed to provide an e-mail receive a gift for it.
Nowadays, people's awareness of the processing of personal data is growing.
Many people value their privacy on the Internet and are fed up with marketing
offers that are completely mismatched and forcefully push overpriced pots for 10,000 $. Lead magnets can be a helpful marketing tool as they cannot be just useless sales content. They must be of value to the customer.
Is it worth using a lead magnet?
I can answer this question with one simple word - YES. The customer has to see the brand's offer about 4-6 times to make a purchase decision.Lead magnet can be a great way to shorten this process. Of course, it must be properly prepared and convince potential customers that it is worth exchanging for their contact details.
Lower costs
You probably use tools such as Facebook, Instagram or Google Ads in your marketing campaigns and other activities. Each ad costs money. Lead magnet significantly increases the conversion rate and thus reduces the expenses needed for advertising. Therefore, even if you think that preparing free materials is a waste of time, think of it as a form of free advertising. Sounds more convincing?
Quality, not quantity
More people will see an advertisement on the Internet than click the link to get a "gift". That's for sure. However, you care about engaged audiences and potential customers. People who will trust your brand and come back to you with pleasure. You can't build it by acting only through advertising. Thanks to the lead magnet, you can not only share valuable knowledge, but also convey the mission and purpose of your activities.
You reach the right people
Lead magnet activities enable segmentation of the subscriber list. You can create several different versions of "magnets" targeting different potential customers. Thanks to this, you will see which magnet turned out to be the most successful and has encouraged the most people to reach for the extended paid version after getting acquainted with the free excerpt of the offer. You will be able to better plan further activities so that they correspond as closely as possible to the requirements and needs of customers.
Sharing something for free can have many benefits. Lead magnet will generate interest, build a positive first impression and lead to the purchase of your service or product. And what can actually be a lead magnet? You will learn about this later in this article, stay tuned.
10 lead magnet ideas
If it seems to you that it is impossible to create a lead magnet in your industry, then you will see how wrong you are. Brainstorm, ask the people you work with, and even existing clients, what sample of your activities you can present to your audience. A few of the following examples will surely help you come up with a great idea.
A demo version of a product or service
There is beauty in simplicity. You don't even have to spend a lot of time to complete it. Are you creating a course? The lead magnet can be an excerpt from the lesson. Are you a craftsman? Share a simple pattern or technique that will be reproducible by the "ordinary" Smith. Do you conduct consultations? Offer a free shorter interview and the opportunity to meet you. Give a clipping of your work. This will help undecided customers make sure they want to trust you and buy what you offer them.
Closed group access
Nothing arouses your curiosity like a mystery. Something that is hidden behind closed doors. This could be a private Facebook group, forum, or other place to gather potential customers. However, you must remember that this involves moderating and keeping an eye on emerging posts and comments. It is worth being active there on a regular basis. Provide valuable content. Believe me, such a group can help you a lot. Thanks to it, you will get to know your customers, their needs and problems even better. Such a closed group is a
great source of knowledge. A place where you can build a unique and engaged
community. Go a step further and create a closed event. A live meeting gives
you the possibility of even closer contact. People like to feel special, and
the reward in the form of a closed event will make your customers feel
appreciated.
E-books, guides, infographics
Knowledge is still in demand. That's what e-books, guides, and infographics offer. Additionally, they should solve a real problem. Don’t waffle. You can make a list of tips, recommend something, share inaccessible knowledge. Make it a valuable compendium. Thanks to this, you will gain invaluable trust.
Report
Numbers, data, conclusions are what each of us likes. It may take a long time to produce a report, but the results will be worth its weight in gold. If you do not feel that you can handle such a task on your own, you can apply to another company in the industry and prepare a report together. It will also be an added value and source of knowledge. Data analysis can make you come up with interesting ideas.
Files that facilitate work
It is a wide group of lead magnets. Such a file can be, for example, an Excel sheet, checklist, planner. Templates are becoming more and more popular recently as well. These are ready-made files that only need to be slightly personalized. The most important thing is that tools of this type should solve the recipient's problem and improve his overall productivity. This option will work, especially if you want to attract professionals. They will surely appreciate the opportunity to save their precious time.
Sales-related bonuses
It is a type of lead magnet that will work in any industry. Do you know a situation when you have products worth 200$ in your virtual basket, but shipping costs 10$ and you start to wonder whether you really need all these things? Your customers may also have similar thoughts when buying. You can prevent this and offer them a discount code, free shipping, trial subscription, or rebate in exchange for their email address. Who doesn't like bargains?
Resource List
Despite the fact that everyone has access to the Google search engine, it is not always easy to find valuable content that meets our needs. Research can take hours. Your prospective customer certainly has similar problems as well. He/She will surely appreciate useful sources given to him/her on a silver platter. On such a list you can put a collection of useful tools, links to other websites, recipes, exercises. The benefit of this lead magnet is that you don't have to create the content yourself. All you need to do is know your industry and know how and where to look for valuable information.
Entertainment content
A little slack in your life never hurts. You can construct, for example, a quiz, puzzle, game. Prospective customers will surely appreciate it as long as there is some knowledge included. You will gain commitment and interest of the recipient. You will build the image of your brand as unconventional, with a fresh approach.
Calendar / planner
Nowadays, probably everyone has a lot of daily duties, chores, meetings and important matters that are hard to remember. Offer the recipient a calendar with industry events or a schedule with items included. This is another way to save time and solve the problem that many of us struggle with. The calendar will surely gain attention of people who like to be organized and have well-planned time. This lead magnet will be especially popular at the beginning of the year. Remember to put your logo and website address in it and keep the graphic design consistent with your brand's visual identity.
Case study
A case study is a description of some process that has already taken place. It is a particularly good lead magnet if you offer services. It shows all the steps necessary to achieve success and your role in it. It also shows that others have trusted you before, so you know what you are doing. The main thing - do not promise pie in the sky, but a real solution to the problem.
How to create effective lead magnets?
You already have an idea, you know what kinds of lead magnets you can use in your business. Now it is time to create it. A great idea is often not enough, it must be properly presented too. Also take care of its quality. Treat the lead magnet as your business card. This is often the first moment of contact with potential customers, it must be really polished.
A good lead magnet:
• solves a real problem - do market research first, see what difficulties potential recipients are facing,
• gives quick results - we are used to immediate gratification, therefore we expect them from products and services,
• is specific - you can briefly describe yourself and the goal and vision of the company, but let it be just an addition, people expect that they will get the bottom line quickly, which is exactly what they came for.
• easy to assimilate - your task is to convey difficult, intricate matters in relatively simple language and do it step by step. People will appreciate this approach more than using industry jargon.
• provides high value - a lead magnet cannot be something readily available on the Internet, it must have something that will make it stand out from the crowd
• is available immediately - prepare it in such a form that it can be downloaded or received with one click
• shows that you have know-how and UVP - I already mentioned above how to share know-how, do not forget to also make sure that you have something unique that will make you stand out from the competition, think what your most distinguishable asset is and show it in the lead magnet.
You have to make sure that potential customers are aware of you and what you want to offer them. Direct your activities to reach the target audience. Social media can be communication channels. Use Facebook Lead Ads, Google Ads, sponsored articles. You can also ask others to recommend you.
Legal issues
I advised you how to conduct legal e-mail marketing in a separate article. Here, let me just add a brief addition regarding lead magnets. When formulating the description of the lead magnet, avoid the statements: "for your e-mail address you will get x (e-book / tool / case study)". This could be interpreted as an attempt to force data. Make sure your language of communication makes it clear that the lead magnet is only a gift so that it is clear that the recipient has voluntarily agreed to be in your database.
Let's get down to work
You already know what to do and how to create an effective lead magnet. Now the practical part - start doing it. If you're at the beginning of your internet marketing journey, you are definitely wondering how to communicate with your audience. To be able to collect sales lead email addresses, you must have a tool that allows you to do so. There are many email marketing tools available on the market. If you don't know which ones to choose, check out the comparison website. Enter how many people you expect in your database and how many e-mails you want to send per month. The comparison engine will help you make a decision and choose the best mailing platform for your needs.
Stay tuned!