Generating leads is an activity on which dynamically developing companies spare no time or resources. It is the size and quality of such a contact base that determines how many valuable clients the entrepreneur will acquire and what real profits he will achieve thanks to this. Leads can be obtained in various ways: through advertising, content marketing or posts on social media. A very effective method of obtaining them is also offering so-called lead magnets. What are they and how to use them?
Lead magnet – what is it?
To explain what a lead magnet is, let’s first briefly discuss what a lead itself is. This is the name of a person or company that has somehow interacted with our website / profile on social media and left an e-mail address, telephone number or other personal data, with the help of which we can contact them and convince them to use our offers.
Internet users are usually very reluctant to share their data anywhere, and fewer and fewer things are able to encourage them to do so. They are inundated with requests to leave a contact, therefore, fearing spam, they are skeptical about each of them and carefully analyze whether it will be profitable for them in any way.
Such thinking of the users of the global network resulted in the creation of the concept of a lead magnet, i.e. simply a lead magnet. This strategy of acquiring contacts with potential customers is very simple – in exchange for contact details, we offer something for free that the recipient needs or at least that can be useful to him. It is a model of acquiring leads in which both parties stand in a winning position – the recipient gains an attractive gift, and your company – the person who may be interested in its offer.
How to make a lead magnet?
So the question is how to make a good lead magnet. As with most questions, there is no single right answer to this either. Audience groups differ from one another and have different needs, so it is natural that there is no one magnet that will attract everyone. However, it is very important that the lead magnet meets several basic conditions, i.e. it should be:
Related to the industry
It is known that if we run a dentist’s office, we will not give potential customers a gift in the form of a guide for farmers applying for a subsidy. Lead magnet should be related to the area in which we operate.
Beneficial for the recipient
The gift must be attractive enough for the recipient to consider that it is worth providing contact details in return for it. It should solve a problem or increase the comfort of his work, in other words, be useful to him.
Simple to use
For example, if we want to provide the recipient with access to the tool, it will only work as a lead magnet if the tool is as intuitive as possible. When the user has to spend time reading the manual or painstakingly learn the operation himself, he loses interest.
Easily accessible
Few of your potential customers will be interested in a lead magnet if you need to email a company to get it, for example. It will simply cost them too much effort. The gift should be easy to download – for example by clicking the appropriate button on the landing page.
Original
We will not attract people with a gift that is easy to get even without leaving contact details. So a lead magnet in the form of an article about makeup trends will not work, because there are plenty of such materials on the Internet. Only something that will interest the recipient and will be unique will be a magnet.
Lead magnet – examples
Creating a lead magnet may be more or less time-consuming. Often, however, gifts that work are easy for an industry expert to make and don’t take hours to make. Here are some examples of lead magnets that are a great help for many companies in collecting contacts for potential customers.
Educational lead magnets
Gifts that convey valuable, proven knowledge on a topic are highly appreciated by Internet users. Such lead magnets can take many forms. A simple and effective gift is, for example, an infographic, i.e. a material explaining an issue in a visually friendly way. In this way, the hairdressing salon can show, for example, how to create an effective hairstyle in just a few steps; yoga studio – explain a short sequence of exercises for the spine; tire dealer – show how to check tread wear. It is true that you can find such information on the web, but if we explain it clearly, illustrating with appropriate graphics, we will gain material that Internet users will be happy to read.
More complicated, longer topics can be presented in the form of a webinar or a tutorial. A specialist can include a lot of information in an accessible form, providing examples from his experience and worked out tricks helpful for the client. Of course, he will not reveal all his secrets, but he will reveal the secret, which will make him an expert in the eyes of the recipients, who is worth returning to for paid materials or services. Following the industries selected for the article: a hair stylist can talk about his ways to nourish hair damaged by bleaching, a yoga instructor – about the specificity of a given type of yoga, and a tire seller with strengths and weaknesses of various tire manufacturers.
Free e-books and guides are also very popular among Internet users. Such materials do not have to be several hundred pages long – several dozen or even a dozen are enough. They should be nicely prepared, enriched with graphics or charts, made available for download on a specially prepared landing page. What materials can be created here? For example, our hairdresser could make a Korean hair care guide, a yoga instructor – a guide for beginner practitioners, and a salesperson – a comparison of different tire models.
Ready to download
Not only education works in the form of lead magnets, but also providing potential clients with materials that they can use in their daily work brings significant profits. Here, for example, a calendar is a popular gift. It does not have to be handed out on paper, a printable PDF or desktop wallpaper is enough. Of course, such a calendar must be adapted to the needs of the target group and stand out among the standard versions available on various websites. If the calendar is to be useful for the teacher, it should contain information about the beginning of summer holidays, the end of the semester, exam dates, etc. dates of settlements, submission of documents, etc.
Another gadget useful for recipients will be a planner or a replenishment schedule. Such a tool allows you to clearly plan your daily duties, and if it is well designed, it is not only functional, but also a nice addition to the office.
Checklists are also interesting prefabs that can be used as lead magnet. It can be a cheat sheet to talk to a potential client, a list of things to check before buying a car, or a list of things to do before accepting it. It is also worth playing these materials graphically, focusing on transparency.
Tools that make your work easier
Very often, an element that attracts potential customers is also a free template to download. We are talking about various patterns, not only graphic ones. Depending on the industry, it may be a template for a diploma, official letter, or a household budget planning sheet. Many people cannot or do not have time to create them on their own, so they willingly use ready-made products prepared by companies.
An example of a lead magnet are also various web applications and online calculators. How to make such a lead magnet and use it? Suppose we run a DIY store. We can create a calculator, thanks to which our potential customers will calculate how much paint, cement or other material will be needed to perform the renovation. At the same time, however, the tool will be free only for logged in users, i.e. those who left their data.
Demo versions and discounts
We can also collect leads by offering customers special opportunities that are financially profitable. It certainly includes demo versions of programs and tools, free access to a chapter in the case of books, or access to one lesson when we sell courses. Lead magnets good for many industries that offer services are free quotes and consultations or free audits.
In addition, it is also worth thinking about discounts for people who subscribe to the newsletter, set up an account in the system or simply leave their e-mail address.
Lead magnet – a technique for acquiring contacts for any business
When it comes to lead magnet, there can be many more examples – the more original and interesting the content, the greater the chance that it will help in building a contact base. However, it is worth remembering that the key issue should be the usefulness of the materials for a given group of recipients. So before we decide to invest time and money in creating such a magnet, it is necessary to analyze the needs of the recipients and examine what similar content is already available on the web.
