Whether you’re starting out or have some solid experience in your belt, being able to attract new customers is always important. A very common method to attract new customers is through the use of email lists and lead magnets that allow you to get your business foot in your customers’ doors.
Email remains one of the best tools to attract and even retain customers, if used well. You can build relationships via the effective use of mailing lists, and they convert well: Shopify shared that relative to other sources, email has the highest conversion rate at 4.29%, followed by search.
That said, how can you build up your mailing list? Getting subscribers can be a challenge, but one of the best ways to gain subscribers is through the use of lead magnets.
Looking Deeper Into Lead Magnets
Lead magnets are offers or other incentives that are given for “free” to potential customers in exchange for their contact information. It is most commonly used to obtain email addresses for mailing lists, but you can also get other data like mobile phone numbers, if it makes sense for your audience.
These incentives can take many forms. Some of the most popular ones that customers may give you their email addresses to get or access are:
- Exclusive deals like free shipping, coupons, etc.
- Free trials and consultations
- In-depth guides and how-tos
- E-books and video content
- Cheat sheets
- etc.
It’s important to note, however, that your “free” content or service needs to be useful to your customers, as well as easy to absorb. After giving you their email address, if they download your free e-book and realize that it is just a few pages’ worth of basic content, it will leave a bad impression and your brand will suffer as a result.
Do’s and Don’ts of Lead Magnets
There are a few things that can make or break your lead magnet. Pay attention to the following:
- Do focus on a problem your customer has. If your lead magnet doesn’t solve a real problem, nobody will want to sign up to get access to it.
- Don’t promise something that you can’t deliver. If your free content or incentive doesn’t help your customer achieve what they signed up for, you may end up with disgruntled subscribers.
- Do format your content to make it easy to absorb. Regardless of the medium you choose to deliver your lead magnet, be it a PDF document, ebook, video, or otherwise, make sure it’s easy for your customers to understand.
- Don’t be generic. While you may have wider reach for your magnet if you have a generic topic, there are better conversions with specific topics; and ultimately, you want conversions.
- Do showcase your expertise and value. This is your time to shine--make sure that your lead magnet displays your brand’s value to your customer.
It’s Time to Start Attracting
The best way to see how powerful lead magnets can be is to start working on one for your business. Focus on what your target market is interested in and what problems you can help them solve.
Most lead magnets are delivered via websites and blogs, but the good news is that it’s not a requirement! Many valuable resources can be delivered via your business’ social media accounts, like your Facebook Page. You can invite them to message your page for more information or to get your freebie, and you instantly have their Facebook account and can get more information afterward if you need.
That’s where a chatbot like Chatbuddy can help. You don’t need to worry about responding to everyone who messages you if Chatbuddy is handling your Page’s messages. A chatbot can respond and deliver your lead magnet for you easily.
That way, you can focus on the next big thing: converting those leads into paying customers.