But what makes a good lead magnet? A poor one? A lead magnet must be compelling enough to create excitement in your customer’s mind, but not cost-ineffective for you. Here are some tools to help you create compelling lead magnets.
5 Tools to Create Lead Magnets
Webinars or Other Video Content
One effective lead magnet is a webinar or other video content. You can record yourself giving a webinar using tools like MeetingBurner. Webinars are a great way to engage an audience without requiring them to step outside the comfort of their own homes. Webinars can be used to teach a concept, advertise an idea, or promote your company’s mission or beliefs. A webinar should be long enough to effectively communicate your information, though not so long that the content grows boring or dull and causes the customer to disengage. The whole point of a lead magnet of any kind is to engage a customer (or prospective customer) and create interest in your brand or service.
Audio Format
Another simple tool to consider is an audio lead magnet. This can be done via your phone microphone, or by using a conference call service for business. You can have someone interview you, or record yourself talking about your mission, a little bit about the company’s history, or any goals and aspirations you have for yourself or your brand. This gives the customer some insight into who you are as a person, what your company stands for, and what you expect from the future. This can help you connect with a customer on a more personal level. Often times, companies seem like inhuman entities who are simply trying to get a customer to purchase a product or service. A little bit of personality can go a long way. Many modern computers also come with audio editing and recording software, and freeware exists as well, such as Audacity, which is an open-source recording software program. Be sure your content is precise and to the point, and if you include some of your personal stories, keep it short and simple. Give just enough information to draw the customer in and hold their attention, but not so much that they become disengaged.
Checklists
When a customer joins your email list, they don’t do it lightly. Email is a personal thing, and a customer doesn’t usually give it out without some sort of incentive to persuade them. A simple checklist, in the form of good information, is a quick and simple way to engage a customer and provide a decent incentive for signing up. A checklist should be related to the content that your business is involved in, while still being appealing to a customer. For example, if you run a blog website, using a checklist to summarize the content within each blog post can be a great way to convey the information without making the customer read through each individual post (although the hope is that this generates enough interest for them to do so). A simple checklist can be created with Google Docs, or other word processors, or templates can be found on sites such as Smart Sheet and Template.net. A checklist job is to summarize information in an easily digestible format, so as with the other lead magnets, keep your checklists short and to the point.
Calendars
Calendars are an excellent incentive for a user to give out their email. You can include your company’s events or sales dates in the calendar, thus saving the customer time and research. If you work in an industry such as fitness, you can offer something like an exercise calendar, which also saves the customer time and research by giving them an example workout routine they can follow each week. Smart Sheet provides calendar templates you can download and edit in Word or other word processing programs. Make sure you include pertinent information, your company’s contact info, and address, and that it’s in an easily downloadable format, such as .pdf. Not all users will have Word or the right software to open word documents, and since many users will be opening emails on their phones, using a .pdf format is the best way to ensure the document can be accessed across all formats.
Printables
You can offer a printable template to your email list, such as a creative list, calendar, to-do list, etc. Printables can be attractive and easy ways to keep a customer engage with your emails. This gives them something physical they can print out and even share with others, always referring back to your emails when asked where they found it. It’s like a permanent reminder of your email list. There are several websites that offer printables and templates, including the Microsoft office page which offers word templates. Freeprintable.net is a standalone site specifically for printables, offering thousands of templates and designs to fit your business’ needs.
Keep It Simple
Remember that effective communication, whether it be marketing or in-person conversation, is always short and concise. A customer signed up to your email list for an incentive; if that incentive is an exhausting video or webinar, they’re likely to tune out, and maybe even opt out of the emails. Keep your information concise and you’ll find that your leads will grow exponentially.
