Content Writer
Think about the most common pop-ups and phrases you could spot on a business’s website. In case you can’t think of anything on the spot, let us help you with a few hints:
“Enter your e-mail address and download our eBook for free!” “Buy now or Try FREE for 14 days” “Introductory guide to social media marketing – Download now” |
Well, let us tell you that it’s not a magnet per se, but rather a lead magnet, that is still designed to attract your attention. There’s a good chance you have seen one of these phrases at least once and wondered what’s up with these kinds of offers. Those are shiny offers that businesses sometimes cook for you. To attract you like a magnet, of course.
You might’ve also known exactly what these phrases mean as soon as you saw them. In either case, lead magnets are a must for taking your business to the next level. Especially since lead magnets help you build your list of emails. How? By using a simple tactic of giving an item in exchange for an email address.
Choosing the right lead magnet for your business might sound overwhelming, though. The competition has sky-rocketed lately. Therefore, building your list of emails asks for even more creative ways to do it and for your business to step up its game. And putting together your lead magnet might also take a lot of time and effort if you’re not sure where to start.
No need to worry, though. We’ve put together a list of powerful ideas that will make your next lead magnet attractive to your audience. These ideas are simple to integrate and the results might surprise you.
Are you ready to explore efficient ways of building your lead magnet?
What Is a Lead Magnet?
A lead magnet is what marketing professionals call when they offer a free service or item in exchange for their customers’ information. The information usually involves the input of an email address. Examples of lead magnets include white newsletters, trials, guides, and more.
Lead magnets are important for marketing gurus, as they pave the way for sales leads. There are a few steps you need to follow to create a converting lead magnet. However, it’s fair to mention that these steps will apply to most types of lead magnets, but not in the case of a free trial, for example.
These steps are the following:
- Determine who your audience is
- Draft the right message for them
- Create a catchy design
- Define a conversion path
- Update constantly
Let’s take a look at the list now and explain it a bit:
- Creating a lead magnet involves first knowing who your audience is. In the end, the main reason your customers come in contact with your business is that you can provide them with important information. Identify your buyer persona and start building attractive content for them.
- After you’ve identified your audience, the next step is to make your lead magnet come to life. You can do that by choosing the lead magnet that works best for you, and start putting all your ideas together to create a great one.
- After creating it, it’s time to start adding an attention-grabbing design to it. There are different templates you can choose from to put together your guide or ebook, or you can build it from scratch.
- Then, you need to concentrate on the conversion path. You start with a CTA (call to action) that entices your audience and makes them take action. When they hit the “Get your offer” button, for example, your users are led to a landing page, where the contact information is obtained. Then, you have the thank you page, which is shown after the user provided their contact information. Last, but not least, you have the e-mail forms that will keep the conversation alive and help the users better engage with your business.
- Constant updates will keep your information relevant to your audience. If you’re concentrating on offering statistics based on a specific year, the information might not be that accurate in the next year. Thus, you need to make the necessary changes to your lead magnets if the situation asks for it.
Lead Magnet Powerful Ideas
1. Ebooks / Guides
Ebooks or guides are a great idea for your next lead magnet. Ebooks and guides are a digital form of a book that offers a solution to one of your audience’s problems. Or, they can offer precious information that gives your customers more knowledge about a matter. You can use eBooks or guides to entertain or educate your onlookers.
Ebooks/guides can contain a few pages only or can go to more than one hundred pages. But that will be dictated by the subject they’re tackling. Their design is also going to depend on your audience. An ebook or a guide can be as simple as black text on a white background. They can also offer a more visual design by using different images, links, text boxes, etc.
By offering an ebook or a guide as a lead magnet, your business can position itself as a subject expert. Thus, you can ensure a boost in reputation. They are also seen as a powerful idea for a lead magnet as they are usually given away for free. Of course, as long as an email address is provided.
Now, let’s take a look at an example. SocialBee offers a ‘Buyer Personas in Social Media” actionable guide. The cover of the eBook is showcased and a short text is displayed. A box where the user can input their email address to download the eBook is also visible:
Have you been thinking about using a guide as a lead magnet? SocialBee can help you out with the creation, through the SocialBee guide creation concierge service!
2. Case Studies
Case studies are another idea of a powerful lead magnet. That is because they can convert prospects without using too many words. You need to build your audience’s trust if you want to generate more leads.
💡 Did you know that you can generate more leads using digital flipbooks?
Building trust also involves case studies that prove why your product is better. Showcasing the results your clients have achieved and how they did it with you by their side is a good starting point.
A real-life example can allow prospects to place themselves in the customers’ shoes. Thus, they can get an idea of how your product can benefit them. People typically love stories, so focus on giving your case study something more than only facts. When people relate to your business, the chances to convert prospects increase.
However, there is one important detail to keep in mind when writing your case study. That is to not come off as too sales-oriented. Your product only offers a solution to a problem your customers have.
A case study can be advertised as a whitepaper and your audience can download it by typing their email address. You can also insert a CTA at the end of it.
SocialBee has put together the Long & Foster Real Estate case study. This case study showcases the problems that our client was facing. Then, it emphasizes how this real estate specialist decided to use SocialBee and the results that accompany his decision.
| 💡 Did you know? SocialBee has worked with more than 200+ real estate professionals, including Re/Max, Keller Williams, and Colliers.Read more about it here. |
3. Webinars
Talking about powerful ideas for your next lead magnet, webinars cannot go unnoticed. And that is because this lead magnet example offers your audience insight into a matter that interests them, in a video format.
If you are hosting a webinar, it’s an even better opportunity to make your audience feel like they’re a part of it in real-time. And last, but not least, it can place your business as an important pillar in the industry.
There are also cases when you can choose to offer certain discounts to your audience if they sign up for their webinar.
Webinars don’t have to concentrate only on the live component, though. Webinars that are recorded can later be used as a lead magnet too. The content can be promoted on your website and the full content can be accessed only if your audience signs up on your website.
If you are looking for a great platform to host your webinars, LiveWebinar can help. This online tool allows you to share your meetings and webinars on social media and other external sources with ease.
It also helps you engage with your audience and generate results by creating polls and surveys, using the chat, and including CTAs. It even has a whiteboard feature that makes it possible for you to draw on documents and videos.
SocialBee has a collection of webinars where all you have to do is register in order to save your spot. The sessions are also recorded, and all that’s needed is an email address so that the recording gets to the user.
4. Free Trial
There is something very compelling about the words “free trial”. And there is nothing wrong with that. Free trials are another lead magnet example that will help you build your email list. Different apps and software platforms are the ones to usually provide a free trial. But, how can a free trial help you convert prospects?
When people sign up for a free trial, they give away their contact information in exchange for a sneak peek at your product’s features. This enables them to check your product and decide whether it’s suitable for their needs or not. By providing an email address, your customers can also get other product offers. Thus, you can increase your chances of converting prospects.
In case your product delivers a solution for their needs, most people will go in for an upgrade. In most cases, that is a paid plan.
Free trials are a great lead magnet, as they allow your audience to try out your product. That is, without having to pay for it beforehand. It’s like in the case of sampling. You get free products to try out in smaller sizes, for you to purchase the full-size product.
Most of the free trials offer a timeframe of 7 to 14 days. Let’s take SocialBee as an example. You can enjoy a 14-day free trial for the Pro Plan, without the need to add a credit card.
Trials are going to be visible either in the header or footer of the website. They can also be used as a pop-up, for example.
5. Content Upgrade
Content is one important bit of capturing your readers’ attention, and that’s a given. And there’s one ace up your sleeve that you can use when it comes to content. That is the concept of offering a content upgrade to your followers. It’s also another great lead magnet example.
Writing articles that concentrate on the “how-to” principle or offer a list of tips to your readers is a great way to drive traffic. Adding an extra number of tips in exchange for their email address can help with your conversion rate.
Let’s take a look at an example. You’ve written a blog article concentrating on the best 10 foods one can eat for a healthier lifestyle. But, there’s a cheat sheet containing 10 more of those best foods. You can provide your audience with it if they provide you with their email address.
The content upgrade can be seen as unlocking more benefits, in exchange for someone’s contact information. And it helps you build your list in no time.
Another example revolves around subscribing to a website to access their articles. A website where you can find this is The New York Times, where you can create an account and access some articles for free. The free account also offers personalized email briefings.
Final Thoughts
Finding the perfect lead magnet isn’t going to be as easy as riding a bike. That is because there is no recipe to fit all businesses and their needs. Even so, these lead magnet examples are a good starting point to check what works for your business.
Lead magnets are an important step in establishing a valuable relationship with your users. Because of that, you should always concentrate on what your audience wants and needs and act upon it.
Have we mentioned that SocialBee offers a great lead magnet – a 14-day-free trial?
