If you want to show up in someone’s inbox, you need to provide a good reason for someone to share their email address with you. You need to earn the trust and permission to send them emails.
The way to do this is by creating a lead magnet – a valuable freebie you offer to your audience in exchange for their email.
Having at least one lead magnet is a must, and whether you don’t know where to start with it, or you have a list of ideas what can be your lead magnet, we highly recommend running through the following steps to make sure you’re creating an effective lead magnet that will get your email list growing in the right way.
In case you already have some freebies created, you can still go through this process to be sure they tick off everything on the list and tweak them if they don’t.
Research your target market and competition
Knowing your target market is essential not only for your marketing but for all aspects of your business.
In this case, before creating a lead magnet, you should have a profile of your ideal customer persona.
In order to create a freebie that your audience will want to have, you need to be aware of their interests and needs.
Also, take a look at your main competitors, and what kind of lead magnets are they offering. This will give you some idea about what is working for them, and could perhaps work for you too.
Identify a pain point or problem that your target market needs help with
When you know your ideal customer persona well, it shouldn’t be difficult to list problems, pain points, doubts, questions that you can help them with.
However, keep the focus of a freebie sharp, and don’t try to cover everything in one lead magnet. Instead, create more but keep them laser-focused on one topic only.
If you mix everything into one freebie, you’ll probably get a confusing, large document that won’t keep the attention. Promise to solve one problem – and then deliver on that promise within the lead magnet.
Consider what lead magnet format would be best for your target market
There are endless types of lead magnets that you can consider creating: ebooks, checklists, guides, maps, videos, cheat sheets, printables, discounts, catalogues, planners – the list goes on.
If you’re unsure of which type you should go for, you can always do A/B testing and see which format works the best for your audience.
Don’t use lead magnets to sell
By offering a freebie, you are starting to build a trustful relationship with your audience. You are showing them you are on their side because you care, not because you want to take their money.
You should include an indirect call-to-action but don’t be salesy. Show that you are the type of business that genuinely cares about customers and truly wants to give them the best experience.
Make it clear that they can unsubscribe easily too.
Make it easy for your audience to get the freebie
After putting so much effort in creating a lead magnet that your target audience needs, make it easy for them to get it.
Set up a visible and easy to sign up form on every relevant and suitable place on your website. You can also create dedicated landing pages with the sign-up form.
Don’t forget to share the news about the new lead magnet on your social media channels as well, with the link to the landing page and sign up forms.
Make it visible and make it easy for them to get the freebie.
Next time when you are creating a freebie, remember to follow all of these steps, don’t skip anything. Investing time and effort into creating a lead magnet that will attract your target audience, help you grow your list and run successful email campaigns is well worth it!
If you have any unanswered questions about how to create effective lead magnets, leave a comment below and we will get back to you or, even better, schedule a free consultation call with us and let us help you.
Finally, before you leave, you might be also interested in the following articles from our blog:
Using Email Marketing during the pandemic
Email Marketing is (not) dead?
Stay safe and healthy,
Until next time,
