How many times have you met someone, heard their story, and immediately known that you could help them? And then… learned they’re simply not ready to buy… 🙁 It’s frustrating, isn’t it? And it can be incredibly disheartening. The worst part? If you don’t have a way to get that person on your list so you can stay in touch, you’ll likely lose them completely. In other words, when they ARE ready to buy, it very well may not be from you. Want to stop this vicious cycle in its tracks? You need to create a lead magnet that works for you – or 5 – and start integrating them into your strategy.
It doesn’t matter if you run a product or a service-based business, you need to be capitalizing on the power of lead magnets. You need to create a lead magnet that works (a.k.a. an “opt-in”). You need to share them for free. Because that’s how you build your list using. And the money is in the list.
On a recent episode of The Visibility Show, Becky and I shared tips for creating a lead magnet that works. You can watch the video in its entirety here.
6 Characteristics Of A Lead Magnet That Works:
- It answers a question or solves a problem that’s causing your target audience constant frustration.
- It is immediately accessible. People hate waiting. Email your lead magnet instantly or even better, re-direct them right to a page where they can access it on demand.
- It is easily consumed.
- It has a high perceived value.
- It provides an immediate benefit that’s easy to implement.
- It showcases you as a credible authority.
Keep in mind, it’s not enough to just have a lead magnet. You need to create a lead magnet that works.
The highest converting lead magnets come in the form of spreadsheet downloads and templates. This is because they have a high perceived value and they are easy to consume. Keep in mind, you’ll need to come up with something your audience won’t be able to resist. Here are a few examples to get the creative juices flowing:
- A CPA might create a reimbursable expense tracker
- A Productivity coach could offer a time tracker (I know quite a few small business owners who would love this!)
- A health/fitness coach could produce a workout or nutrition tracker
- A property manager could create a roommate agreement template
- An HR consultant could offer an employee manual template.
Thinking of offering a free consult instead? Please don’t. They don’t convert because they are perceived as hard to consume and not very desirable. Even though you think they’re awesome, the marketplace does not. And that’s what you need to concern yourself with.
While it is important to have a highly-converting lead magnet, it is even more vital that your opt-ins produce high quality leads (meaning, leads that are likely to later convert into sales).
The highest quality leads come from live webinars and video trainings because they are highly desired; however, because of the time commitment required, they can be perceived as hard to consume.
On the flip side, the lowest quality leads come from Ebooks and Tool Kits because while they are high in value, they are not very desirable.
I recently watched a great tutorial by Bret Gregory on lead magnets and their perceived value. You can watch it at AttractCustomersNow.com
In order to ensure your lead magnet produces tons of great leads, you need to make sure that it is both easy to consume, and high in perceived value.
16 Great Lead Magnet Ideas For Service-Based Businesses:
- Swipe File
- Cheat Sheet
- Quiz
- 7 or 30 day challenge
- List of ideas for inspiration
- Checklist
- Madlibs style template
- Resource list
- Planner
- Video Tutorial
- Calculator
- Spreadsheet
- Audio training – Marie Forleo has one on “get anything you want”
- Blueprints, maps, guides
- Access to the first module in an online course or the first chapter of a book.
- Free book when you pay shipping.
Once you figure out what your lead magnet is going to be, it’s time to create it!
Now, you absolutely can hire someone to create this for you (in fact, this is a service I offer!) but there are a ton of great options out there now that allow you to try your hand at creating your lead magnet in house.
15 Tools You Can Use To Create A Lead Magnet That Works:
For video creation:
For audio trainings:
For landing pages:
For templates & worksheets:
For quizzes:
For live webinars:
For infographics:
For contests:
Creating a great opt-in gives you the ability to connect with people and show them that you know what you’re talking about. It also gives you a chance to get them on your list so you can continue to nurture your relationship with them, so that in the future when they are ready to buy, you’ll be the first person they think of.
Looking for more guidance on how to create and use lead magnets? Unsure of where to even start? We know how difficult it can be for non-marketers to learn to grow their business online, with confidence. The team at SizzleForce Marketing would love to help! Just schedule a call today for your free 30-minute consultation.