The process of using them for marketing can be broken into a few simple steps.<\/p>\n
- \n
- You create a resource that addresses a particular problem area your audience faces.<\/li>\n
- You add the lead magnet to different places on your site.<\/li>\n
- You drive traffic to the lead magnet.<\/li>\n
- As people sign up, you begin to move them through your digital marketing funnel<\/strong><\/a> towards your business objectives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Lead magnets have practical use cases across a wide range of industries.<\/p>\n
Here are some examples of how different types of companies can use lead magnets<\/p>\n
- \n
- A software as a service (SaaS) company can use them to find the features a particular person needs.<\/li>\n
- A business services company can use them to find people their sales team can contact.<\/li>\n
- A blog owner can use them to gain subscribers<\/strong><\/a> to which they can email affiliate offers.<\/li>\n
- An e-commerce store can use them to send subscribers promotions and new releases.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The best resource to use for your lead magnet and what information you ask for will vary based on your business.<\/p>\n
Some companies require more information than others as they need to qualify their leads.<\/p>\n
Qualifying leads is the process of verifying that the prospect fits the traits of your target customer and will actually use the solution you provide.<\/div>\nThis is more common among companies with higher-priced products\/services.<\/p>\n
For example, if you sell a software solution that is intended for enterprise organizations, it is beneficial to know if a lead works for a large company.<\/p>\n
In this situation, you can add additional fields to your sign-up forms such as company name, company size, and position.<\/p>\n
By adding these fields you\u2019ll know right away if someone meets your desired qualifications.<\/p>\n
This can save the wasted effort of reaching out to someone who isn\u2019t a viable target.<\/p>\n
How to present lead magnets<\/h3>\n
The offer for the lead magnet is presented with a signup form that is used to capture people\u2019s information. Businesses tend to present their lead magnets in a specific way:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Landing page:<\/strong> Lead magnets are often presented on a web page dedicated to just the lead magnet. The standard procedure is to include a heading, a bit of copy, a sign-up form underneath, and a picture to the side.<\/li>\n
- Thank you page:<\/strong> After the user enters their information, they are taken to a thank you page that acknowledges their submission. Some thank you pages will contain a direct link to download the resource.<\/li>\n
- A follow-up email:<\/strong> Upon giving their information, users often receive a follow-up email. The email generally thanks the user for signing up and contains a link to access the lead magnet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
You can also present lead magnets using forms embedded throughout your site. This could be a popup, a form in the sidebar of your blog, sign-up fields in your footer, or a modal slide-in.<\/p>\n
These forms can contain the sign-up fields so that users can subscribe without leaving the page, or they can contain a call to action (CTA) button that takes users to the dedicated landing page.<\/p>\n
What makes a good lead magnet?<\/h3>\n
Here are some of the key elements of a good lead magnet:<\/p>\n
Specific focus<\/strong><\/p>\n
If your lead magnet is vague it will unlikely gain the interest of your target audience. As such, lead magnets should provide a specific solution for a specific problem.<\/p>\n
For example, a detailed guide on how to start a website<\/strong><\/a> is more useful than a video explaining the history of content marketing.<\/p>\n
If your business offers solutions in more than one area, you can always create multiple lead magnets. These lead magnets will perform better as they are more relevant to the solutions you provide.<\/p>\n
High perceived value<\/strong><\/p>\n
Lead magnets must seem highly valuable to your audience. Otherwise there isn\u2019t a reason for them to give you their contact information.<\/p>\n
If you are giving away something that your audience thinks is valuable for free, you have a good chance to see high conversions.<\/p>\n
Satisfy a customer pain point<\/strong><\/p>\n
Your lead magnet should directly address your audience\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n
They should know right away that your business is a potential solution to solving their pain points.<\/p>\n
Unique value proposition<\/strong><\/p>\n
Lead magnets should present the unique offering your business brings and should convince customers that you are a better solution to their problems than your competitors.<\/p>\n
Fast consumption<\/strong><\/p>\n
Your lead magnets will be more valuable if your audience can consume them faster.<\/p>\n
An eBook with hundreds of pages may provide some useful insights but will your audience have time to read it all?<\/p>\n
Your prospects understand this and will be more likely to grab a lead magnet they will actually use.<\/p>\n
Best Types of Lead Magnets<\/h3>\n
There is no limit to what types of materials you can use as a lead magnet. As long as your customers find it valuable, it can serve as an effective tool for building your email list.<\/p>\n
That said, some types of lead magnets have proven to work better than others.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s examine some of the most common forms of lead magnets:<\/p>\n
eBooks<\/strong><\/p>\n
eBooks are a popular form of a lead magnet as they let businesses give their audience detailed guidance on a specific subject.<\/p>\n
They typically come in the form of a PDF which can be accessed directly via a web browser or a link in an email.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s great about eBooks is that they are easy to create. You can start with some of your existing content, repurpose it, and then some additional material.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important not to make your eBook too long for the reasons mentioned earlier.<\/p>\n
Here are some great examples of free SEO eBooks<\/strong><\/a> used as lead magnets by different companies.<\/p>\n
Trials and demos<\/strong><\/p>\n
Free trials and demos grant users temporary access to a product or service. Obviously, you can only use these for something that users need to access on a consistent basis such as a software solution or a membership site.<\/p>\n
Free trials are essential to software products. Businesses and individuals usually need software to solve a particular use case. There is no way to really know if a solution will fit the bill until you\u2019ve tried it out.<\/p>\n
You combine this with the higher prices that often accompany software products (particularly those with a one-time fee), free trials become an invaluable way to win customers.<\/p>\n
Case studies<\/strong><\/p>\n
Case studies are detailed, written stories about how your business helped a previous customer.<\/p>\n
They are a great type of lead magnet as they give your audience a real-world example of the value your business provides.<\/p>\n
If you have a good success story from a previous customer, you can write up a report on their experience. It should detail what the client needed to achieve and how you helped them do so.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to include specific performance metrics showing the results you were able to achieve.<\/p>\n
Discounts<\/strong><\/p>\n
Everyone loves saving money. Whether you’re an e-commerce store or a SaaS provider, offering customers a complimentary discount is a great way to grow leads and improve sales conversions.<\/p>\n
Checklists<\/strong><\/p>\n
Checklists are a list of steps or action items people can use to complete a process. They are a great way to condense information into a short and easy-to-follow resource.<\/p>\n
Checklists are also easy to create as you can take the core concepts from your other content and turn them into a list of actionable steps.<\/p>\n
Templates<\/strong><\/p>\n
A template is a resource that provides some form of starting point that the user can then complete based on their needs.<\/p>\n
Some common examples include spreadsheets, blog post outlines, and prewritten emails.<\/p>\n
Resource library<\/strong><\/p>\n
A resource library is a collection of different resources a business gives away for free. They are a great way of increasing the value offered to subscribers.<\/p>\n
Instead of a single book or template, they receive access to a whole assortment of useful tools.<\/p>\n
Webinars<\/strong><\/p>\n
Webinars are live video events. Their purpose is generally to educate viewers on a specific topic.<\/p>\n
Webinars can be interactive and can include multiple speakers. Businesses often allow attendees to download the webinar as a video once it\u2019s over.<\/p>\n
Webinars often include an added bonus at the end like a discount code or other form of incentive.<\/p>\n
Videos<\/strong><\/p>\n
Videos are an engaging form of content and many people prefer them over reading text.<\/p>\n
Some common forms of video lead magnets include tutorials, how-to guides, and comparison reviews.<\/p>\n
Swipe Files<\/strong><\/p>\n
A swipe file is similar to a resource library. The main difference is that you usually download all the content in a single file instead of downloading each resource individually.<\/p>\n
Testing your lead magnets<\/h3>\n
A great way to maximize the effectiveness of your lead magnets is to perform tests to see what works best.<\/p>\n
With an A\/B test<\/strong><\/a>, you can pick one variable to optimize for and then create two different lead magnet experiences, each with a different version of that variable.<\/p>\n
Different elements you can test include the type of lead magnet, the landing page design, the CTA, and more.<\/p>\n
You then evaluate the results to determine what works the best.<\/p>\n
For example, you can run a test where version A offers an eBook as the lead magnet and Version B uses a checklist.<\/p>\n
Do Lead Magnets Really Work?<\/h2>\n
Lead magnets are an essential part of most businesses.<\/p>\n
Why?<\/p>\n
Because of the unfortunate truth that most people won\u2019t convert on their first or even second interaction with your business.<\/p>\n
Companies need a direct way to communicate with people to gradually convince them to become a customer.<\/p>\n
To this day, email is the best way to communicate with potential customers.<\/div>\nThe trouble is, most people are already inundated with emails. The average office worker can receive over 100 emails every day.<\/p>\n
Understandably, most people don\u2019t want to give their email away and have this number increase without a good reason.<\/p>\n
Because of this, basic email subscription requests don\u2019t work anymore.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve probably seen newsletter sign-up forms all over the web that don\u2019t offer anything in exchange for signing up. These are often on a website\u2019s footer or in the sidebar.<\/p>\n
Ask yourself, how often do you sign up for one of these newsletters?<\/p>\n
Probably not very often. You would need to already have a deep connection with the company to voluntarily let them contact you directly.<\/p>\n
Lead magnets help address this problem by providing incentives. Your prospects may not give away their info for free but they may feel more inclined if you\u2019re giving away a valuable resource in return.<\/p>\n
Lead magnets are not only effective at getting people on your email list, but they are also an important first step in building a relationship with potential customers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
When you provide your audience something they truly value for free, they are likely to remember your business when trying to solve their particular pain points.<\/p>\n
The value of lead magnets<\/h3>\n
Here is an example portraying the potential value of using a lead magnet.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s say you drive 1,000 visitors to your landing page. A common conversion rate<\/strong><\/a> for email opt-in landing pages is between 5% and 15%. If your conversion rate is in the middle of this range you will generate 100 leads from this traffic.<\/p>\n
After moving these people through your sales funnel, let\u2019s say you\u2019re able to convert 10 of them into customers. If your product costs $100, you\u2019ve generated $1,000 in revenue that can be attributed to your lead generation process. Each lead you earned is effectively worth $10 in value.<\/p>\n
Considering that lead magnets don\u2019t take too much effort to make, this is a powerful tool to grow your business.<\/em><\/p>\n
5 Examples of Lead Magnets Proven to Work<\/h2>\n
Now, let\u2019s take a look at some real-world examples of lead magnets that have proven to be effective at turning visitors into leads:<\/p>\n
1. Reliablesoft SEO Checklist<\/h3>\n
The first example is our SEO checklist<\/strong><\/a> which users can receive in exchange for subscribing to our newsletter.<\/p>\n
The 48 page PDF covers the basics of SEO and offers a list of actionable steps you can use to improve your SEO performance.<\/p>\n
The lead magnet is displayed as a modal slide-in located in the bottom right corner of the screen.<\/p>\n
![\"Lead](\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/lead-magnet-example-1.jpg\")
Lead Magnet Example<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The lead magnet also appears in an exit-intent popup, along with access to other resources. The flyover only shows when a user moves their mouse to close their web browser.<\/p>\n
![\"Lead](\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/lead-magnet-example-5.jpg\")
Lead Magnet Example<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n After entering an email address, users receive a confirmation email needed to verify their subscription.<\/p>\n
Once you confirm your subscription, you are taken to a resource page where you can download the checklist along with other useful material.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll also receive a follow-up welcome email that includes a special offer for our Digital Marketing Course bundle<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n
2. GetResponse Free Trial<\/h3>\n
GetResponse is an email marketing software that allows users to manage their email lists and create automated email campaigns.<\/p>\n
They offer users a 30-day free trial to test-run the platform and all its features. It is an enticing offer as users do not need to provide their credit card information when signing up.<\/p>\n
If you end up deciding that you do not want to continue using the platform, you won\u2019t need to worry about canceling your subscription.<\/p>\n
- Thank you page:<\/strong> After the user enters their information, they are taken to a thank you page that acknowledges their submission. Some thank you pages will contain a direct link to download the resource.<\/li>\n
- An e-commerce store can use them to send subscribers promotions and new releases.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Lead](\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/lead-magnet-example-3.jpg\")
![\"Lead](\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/lead-magnet-example-4.jpg\")
![\"Lead](\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/lead-magnet-example-6.jpg\")
![\"Lead](\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/lead-magnet-example-2.jpg\")