You’ve heard of the Law of Attraction, right? Simply put, the Law of Attraction is the ability to attract into our lives whatever we are focusing on. Well if you want to get new clients in the door, start focusing on how you’ll attract them.
What are lead magnets?
As everyone tries to find some normalcy and continue business as “unusual”, here’s a topic to think about — lead magnets — pieces of valuable content (in the eyes of prospects so not pushing your own agenda/sales too overtly) that are worth obtaining in exchange for providing their email address. Lead magnets tie back to previous blogs about brand touch points along the customer journey.
In an effort to reach more people, you may already have an email ‘subscribe to’ link on your website. If not, start there. Additionally, it’s wise to include a byline and call to action at the end of each of your blog articles. These are great ways to add to your email subscriber list. But to get even more mileage out of your hard work writing blog articles, the following lead magnets with content upgrades can help increase subscribers by 6-16x!
As marketers, we use lead magnets to help organically grow your email opt-in list.
Why? Because email remains the highest ROI marketing channel given its low cost and potential for high engagement. And with more engaged readers (aka “subscribers”), the more opportunity for leads and paying clients. Also, when we know what users are opting in to receive, we have a better idea of their personal interests and segment them accordingly for future personalized nurturing. (Refer back to our persona blog). When content is more targeted, it increases your conversion rate from prospect to client.
While blogs and LinkedIn articles are an amazing start, more can be done.
Videos, we’ve talked about a lot in previous articles so I won’t get on my soapbox about that one (create more videos!) But below is an additional list of ideas that I suggest you internally ponder, thinking about the FAQs you get from various clients per persona, your past experiences, a day in the life of, etc. to help jumpstart ideas and start to compile them in a Word doc, Google doc , Airtable or Excel sheet as topics/things that you can offer up to prospects to wet their whistle that will indirectly lead back to the products/services you can offer but first, give a little to get a lot via:
- Resource Guide – a collection of things you recommend. Ex. from a restaurant chef: “Three Pieces of Equipment You Can Use to Cook Like a Professional.”
- Ebook – a detailed exploration of a specific subject. NOTE: Sometimes we’ll take a handful of blogs on a specific/similar subject and convert them into an ebook. Ex. from a divorce attorney: “Everything You Need to Know About Preparing for a Divorce”
- Checklist – a series of actionable tasks that can help readers accomplish a specific goal. Sometimes this is a preliminary step they take that could make working with you easier/better. Ex. from a residential realtor: “10 Essential Checks to Make Before Listing Your Home”
- Workbook – a series of practical exercises that help readers apply a theoretical concept to their own individual circumstances. Ex. from a funeral home: “Funeral Pre-Planning Guide”
- LookBook – a collection of visual samples, usually curated from 3rd parties for inspiration. Ex. from a public speaking coach: “Five of the Best TED Talks Deconstructed”
- Template – content readers can take and customize for themselves. Ex. from a PR firm: “The Perfect Press Release Template You Can Use to Pitch Your Own News”
- Any many others are fair game (videos, podcasts, infographics, cheat sheets, exclusive interviews, free trial, etc)….whatever you think your target audience will find valuable — that’s the key ingredient.
Once you have your arsenal of lead magnets in hand, you can add them to your website and promote them in various places and ways via “content upgrades”.
A content upgrade is a bonus piece of information that elaborates on or complements a piece of content the reader is already interested in. The bonus is both highly valuable and in context with the page’s content so we gate the bonus by asking for an email address, a Facebook share, a tweet, or an email to a friend. This is a good example when you write something brief as a teaser, but you think some would want to dig deeper. A complimentary piece of content is created for those who want a deeper dive.
In other words, a content upgrade is a valuable offer created to get a visitor’s email address or get them to promote you. For example, if you were reading about how to set up a financial budget, reading might not be enough. You might be interested in watching a bonus video that shows you how to create a budget using a specific piece of software or SaaS (that the writer might just happen to sell or be affiliated with) because you can follow along with the video much easier. Boom. It’s a perfect content upgrade because the video showing you how to create a budget spreadsheet is both valuable and specific to the article you’re reading.
Lead magnets combined with content upgrades help increase your email opt-in list and also help create deeper relationships with other prospects or even existing clients who don’t use your full suite of services (i.e. use you for one thing but not yet everything).
So go get some ideas documented. From there you can prioritize, categorize, design them, and get them automated as part of a holistic marketing campaign.
Need some help? Schedule some time to chat with me by clicking here: Meet with Dina Wasmer. In the meantime, stay safe and be kind.
Incite Creative is a marketing strategy and creative implementation firm that works in an outsourced capacity. In short, we become your company’s chief marketing officer (CMO) and do so virtually and efficiently — saving you time and money. Since 1999 we’ve had the pleasure of building and boosting brands for a core set of industries. Our thoughtful process, experienced team, and vested interest in our client’s success has positioned us as one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most sought-after marketing partners for those looking to grow their brand awareness and their bottom line. Stop paying for digital and/or traditional services you may not really need. Our retainer, no mark-up model means our recommendations don’t come with any catch or commission. The recommendations we make align with what you need and what fits within your budget. For more information, contact Dina Wasmer at 410-366-9479 or [email protected].
