You want to begin email marketing in your business, & have lots of useful information to share in your newsletters, but you don’t yet have many contacts.
A great way to build your audience is to offer something for free in return for an email address.
Your email marketing application will link to your website to show a form or pop-up to encourage visitors to sign-up to your newsletter list.
But honestly? Most people won’t.
Just think, how many times have you deliberately signed-up to receive someone’s newsletter without knowing exactly what you’re going to receive?
Then, think again about the number of times you’ve willingly provided your email address in exchange for a free report, ebook or mini video course? You’ve been tempted by a lead magnet.
A lead magnet is typically a free resource, usually a download, offered to a subscriber in return for their contact details.
Now don’t be afraid to offer some content for free. Sharing a small part of your knowledge in this way will show your expertise, build your credibility & increase your fan following.
Fans are potential customers! Once they are on your contact list, you can email regular news & updates, information & offers.
Remember that people receive many emails per day so you need to ensure that you are providing valuable content to ensure your messages are read & the subscriber doesn’t become an unsubscriber.
The lead magnet process:
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- you direct prospects to your website, a sign-up form or landing page
- the visitors see your free offer
- they agree to provide their email address in exchange for the lead magnet
- the new subscriber is added to your contact list & they receive the offered freebie
- you maintain contact by sending news, updates, pertinent information & offers on a regular basis.
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What’s the best lead magnet to offer?
A good lead magnet:
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- is relevant for the services or products you provide
- is appropriate for your audience, your potential clients
- is of value to the recipient
- is quick & easy to understand & digest
- addresses a specific problem or pain point
- provides an immediate solution or quick win
- answers one question, but leads to further questions
- helps to build ‘know, like & trust’ in you
- includes a clear call to action.
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There are many different kinds of lead magnets:
Downloads could include:
- ebook or sample chapter
- report or white paper
- resource list or guide
- checklist or cheat sheet
- printable or design assets
- templates or swipe file
- presentation slides
- workbook or spreadsheet
- infographic or mind map
- planner or journaling prompts
- recipes or sector specific info
Online lead magnets could be instant access to:
- tutorial
- video masterclass
- email course
- online challenge
- fitness workout
- webinar
- quiz
- audio book
- meditations
- toolkit
Other ways to collect email addresses could be via:
- survey
- assessment & results
- coaching call
- case studies
- free trial or demo
- beta test
- waiting list
- discount or coupon
- tickets for event
- access to a community
There are umpteen tools for creating a lead magnet depending upon your choice of format.
Whatever your preference & target audience, your freebie doesn’t have to be too complex or sophisticated. There are some suggestions below, but Google alternatives to suit your operating system:
Write in a word document, or use Publisher, Powerpoint, or similar equivalent, such as Google Docs & then save to PDF. Use an online tool to reduce the size of the final PDF document so the recipient can download quickly. I use (& love) I Love PDF to compress, merge & split PDFs
Graphic Freebie:
Create a visually attractive download in Canva, Stencil, Easil, Beacon or other graphics tool. Online graphic platforms have some great templates for inspiration & produce your design.
Screencast Recording:
Create a tutorial by recording your computer screen using ScreenRec or Google Extensions: Loom or ScreenCastify. Find other apps to suit your operating system with an internet search.
Video Recording:
Record on your smartphone or use your integrated laptop camera. Try Vimeo Create or Lumen5 & again, Google search for other applications relevant to you.
Audio Recording:
Record audio instructions or meditations etc on your Smartphone or the voice recorder integrated in your computer.
Surveys & Quizzes:
There are a number of online platforms such as SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Jotform & Quiz Maker, or use the options available in MS Office 365 & Google Forms.