10 Lead Magnets And List Building Secrets You Never Knew
As an online business owner, your time is precious, so we’re willing to bet you’re always on the prowl for digital marketing strategies that convert visitors into subscribers.
More than 95% of your visitors won’t buy anything on their first visit. They’re either just browsing, still in the research phase, or not entirely sure your offer is what they need. It takes time to build trust, instill confidence, and build a relationship.
But you’re not just looking for any old run-of-the-mill quick fix marketing strategy, since many of these types of strategies translate into low-value activities that don’t move the dial when it comes to conversions.
You’re looking for simple yet highly effective time-saving marketing strategies that are guaranteed to help grow your business.
10 Lead Magnets And List Building Secrets You Never Knew
What is a lead magnet?
A lead magnet is an online incentive offered to prospective customers in exchange for their email address or phone number. Generally, lead magnets offer downloadable digital content, such as an ebook, PDF checklist, whitepaper, or training course. But they can also be an opt-in offer for an email course, coupon, or video.
The overall goal of a lead magnet is to entice and attract website visitors to sign up for whatever your online business is offering.
There are four main components of a lead magnet:
Form: The form typically asks for the visitor’s name, email address, phone number, etc.
Content: This is the enticing downloadable item offered to the visitor in exchange for their information.
Delivery email: The email that is sent to the visitor who fills out the form, which includes a link or file with the content.
Thank-you page: This is the page the visitor sees after they download the content or fill out the form. While a thank-you page is an option, it’s a great way to kickstart the relationship with your new lead.
Do lead magnets work?
There are many benefits associated with using lead magnets. For an online business, they offer excellent list-building opportunities that help to develop customer relationships and, ultimately, increase sales.
11 Lead Generation Tools To Grow Your Business in 2022 Lead magnets work to help create an audience for your business that is highly receptive to your marketing efforts—ads, email campaigns, and even sales call—because members of this audience have already demonstrated their interest in your business and the products or services it offers.
Whenever any one of these high-quality leads nears the purchasing stage with your business, your lead magnet leaves you in good standing with that person—drastically increasing the chance the lead will use your services or products.
On the other side of the table, prospective customers benefit from lead magnets because they receive something that helps them solve a problem they are currently facing.
How do you make a lead magnet checklist?
When putting together a lead magnet checklist, first and foremost remember: that a great lead magnet should be mutually beneficial to both the customer and the business. The prospect should always get something of value, and, in return, the business should get direct access to its target audience.
A lead magnet should also:
Be valuable: Nothing in life is free—including building an email list of prospective clients. To give up their contact info, future customers want something of value. Your lead magnet should have a high perceived value (such as a resource that solves a problem) or something of actual value (such as a free software trial).
Offer instant gratification: People who sign up for lead magnets are looking for a solution right away. Your lead magnet should be easy to sign up for and your business should quickly deliver on its promise. The longer it takes a visitor to apply or receive your offer, the more likely they will get distracted or lose interest.
Be well-designed: If your lead magnet is sloppy or hard to consume, your audience won’t have much faith in your company. Lead magnet design is a core part of creating an asset that builds trust with your audience. Make sure your magnet looks professional and is easy on the eyes.
Align with your business and highlight what it does best: Your lead magnet should build consumer trust in your company, so the content should align with what your business does. For example, a paint manufacturer might produce a video series on how to professionally paint a room, but they wouldn’t offer advice on how to unclog a drain. Focus on your unique selling proposition (USP) and what makes your business better or different from your competitors.
5-step Checklist For An Attractive Lead Magnet
Understanding what your ideal customer wants is essential and goes without saying. You want people to go through the lead magnet and learn something—gain something useful.
Lead Generation Strategy-Best Practice For Generating Leads To Business The bigger the positive impact of your lead magnet, the better push you have given the prospect.
Take your current lead magnet or the new idea that you have for one and check it against this list-
Does it add as much value as possible? The better the offer, the more people will take it. A free car for every subscriber? That’d be a guaranteed 99% conversion rate. (Hey, there are always skeptics that won’t believe a good offer when they see one.) Try something less… Extravagant, but start with the best possible idea and downgrade from there, rather than thinking about one notch above “join to get free updates.”
Does it evoke an emotional reaction? “For free!? I want that!” That’s the reaction you want them to have when they see your lead magnet. Emotional reaction is very important.
Have you put in the necessary work? There are no shortcuts. The more effort you put in, the better the outcome. If you want to create a killer lead magnet, be ready to sweat.
Are you setting false expectations or stretching the truth? Nothing is worse than broken promises. Fool me once, shame on me. And I won’t risk being shamed twice.
Is this the best possible idea? Look at the lead magnet idea you’ve got and ask yourself whether it’s possible to come up with an even better one. If yes, go back to the first question.
Lead Magnet Ideas
Experts/info products
These are coaches, trainers, consultants, and everybody else who sells intellectual capital.
Ebooks and whitepapers;
Mini-courses via email;
A video or video series;
Audio recording, podcast;
Free education in any format;
Free course / webinar;
Assessment, audit, or test.
Ecommerce Leads Magnet
Getting the very first purchase is the biggest challenge. This is especially true for smaller stores that the buyer has never heard of. If their first buying experience is positive, they’re much more likely to repeat it.
Free coupon;
Free shipping;
Gift with the first order;
The educational content on how to achieve or build stuff with what you sell;
Guide to saving money when shopping for X;
Membership (make prospects feel special, invite them into your VIP group that provides bonuses, advice, etc.);
Educational material related to the need they will solve with your product.
Service Businesses Lead Magnet
Hair salons, vets, plumbers, mechanics, and others who trade parts and labor for money.
Free coupons;
Educational content for DIY projects;
How to be a smart buyer of X;
Things you need to know before buying Y;
Free online tools (home decor planner, pet optimal nutrition calculator, car online custom tuning, etc.).
Software Businesses Lead Magnet
Free trial;
Freemium account;
Demo;
Get the user in and doing stuff, and ask for the email to save (check out how Typeform is doing it).
List Of Lead Magnets To Build Your Email List
1. Digital Report
This is one of the most common lead magnets offered. They’re good at showing off your expertise and delivering important information. Just remember to focus on a single issue. For example, instead of “How to Build Your Social Media Following,” you could offer, “How to Build Your Twitter Following in 5 Minutes a Day.”
Winning Tactics For Best Time To Post On Social Media 2. Ebook
Ebooks are essentially longer reports, and in many cases break the narrow niche rule. However, authors can use the free ebook or free chapter lead magnet with great success. Coaches and consultants do well with this too.
3. Webinar
The webinar lead magnet has grown in popularity. Webinars not only show off your expertise but because there is a video/audio component you’re able to make a stronger connection with your audience who can see and hear you.
4. Workbook/Worksheets
People like to receive stuff that gets them working on their solution right away. A workbook or worksheet achieves that.
5. Cheat Sheet
Cheat sheets are ideal because by their nature they help subscribers focus on what’s important and save them time in getting their problems solved.
6. Blueprint
Similar to the cheat sheet, blueprints help focus subscribers on the nitty-gritty tasks to achieve their desired results faster.
7. Case Study
Many people like to learn through the examples of others. A case study takes subscribers through the process of someone achieving the same results the subscriber wants.
8. Toolkit/Resource
Toolkits or resources are popular lead magnets because subscribers want to know what you and others use to achieve results.
9. Printable (I.E. a Planner)
Many subscribers like tools that help them achieve their goals. Printables can be effective tools. If you’re an organizer, you can offer a series of printables for listing items in the closet. A mom blogger can provide printables of menu planning.
Swipe files and templateslike cheat sheets and blueprints, are popular because it takes out the guesswork. Subscribers only need to copy the file or fill in the template.
10. Video Training
Videos can be especially effective if offering a tutorial. Like a webinar, it allows your market to see and hear you, which can increase its connection to you.
11. Mini-Course
Short courses not only show off your expertise but provide specific information and instruction subscribers are looking for. You can use an online course system or simply deliver your course through email.
12. Online Tool/App/Software
Many businesses use free “lite” versions of their digital tools to lure in subscribers. When subscribers use and benefit from the tool, app, or software, they’ll often pay for it.
13. Free Trial
Similar to offering a “lite” version of a tool, a free trial is another way to get subscribers to test your offer. Free trials work with membership sites as well.
14. Coupon
This isn’t quite as effective as other lead magnets since many people aren’t prepared to buy when they first come to your site. But it can attract people to your business over your competitor if they know they can get a discount.
15. Free Consultation
Similar to the assessment or review, a free consultation allows subscribers to work with you for 15 or 30 minutes so they can experience what you have to offer.
16. Quiz/Survey
Quiz and surveys can be fun or informative (or both). Subscribers fill out the quiz or survey, but before they can get the results they have to provide their names and email.
Who doesn’t like winning free stuff? The prize needs to be more substantial than other items on this list to lure in subscribers. Many people aren’t going to enter a contest for a free ebook, but they might for a new iPad or six weeks of coaching.
Promoting Your Lead Magnet
Here are a few ideas:
Use a squeeze page. This page offers only your lead magnet. Once they sign up, they can be taken to the rest of your website. To avoid annoying people too much, offer an option to skip the lead page.
Include your lead magnet sign-up on all your website’s pages. This includes sidebars as well as at the end of your content.
Promote your lead magnet on social media.
Consider having a pop-up. People hate pop-ups, and yet, they’re effective. You can set a pop-up to occur only once for your visitors so they don’t have to continue to be interrupted by them.
Mention your lead magnet in the signature line of your email.
Ask your list subscribers to forward your email to others who can read your content and then sign up themselves.
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