A lead magnet is a great way to advertise your business. With a good freebie, you'll have piles of contacts just waiting for you to follow up. Who doesn’t love free stuff? Seriously. Free stuff is great. So let’s throw up a freebie and start counting the dollars roll in. Oh, well, maybe it’s not quite that easy. Darn it!

What the HECK is a Lead Magnet?

Am I getting ahead of myself? Let’s step back. What the heck is a lead magnet? It's something that a prospect or lead is attracted to (hence the term magnet). A lead magnet is an opt-in page or box is an area that invites visitors to provide their name and email address in exchange for something. This something can be as simple as being added to a newsletter but often includes a bonus gift of some sort. And that’s the freebie.

Good lead magnets or freebies can come in the form of any of the following:

• E-book
• Workbook
• Strategy guide
• Quiz or assessment
• Audio or video training

There are a few examples and some great tips for designing your lead magnets here.

An effective freebie can do a lot to grow your business. But if done poorly, it may have no real effect whatsoever. You may end up wasting a lot of time and money, so before you rush into sharing your free offer, take some time to evaluate the entire process. This includes everything + the kitchen sink... Think driving traffic to your opt-in all the way through what happens after they sign up.

Will They Come?

How will you get people to find the opt-in? It’s easy to suggest that you can throw it up on your website and the leads will start flowing in. Unfortunately, you can build it but it doesn’t mean they will come. Some ideas for marketing your opt-in include:

• Videos on social media – Share a live video talking about your freebie and what they’ll get.
• Signature links – Add a link to your email signature inviting recipients to get the freebie.
• Links in social media profiles – Add a link to your freebie in your social media profiles.
• Podcasts – Be a guest on a podcast and share the link as a bonus.
• Guest post – Write an article for other websites and include a link in your bio.

And don’t forget to add a link within your blog posts so visitors know it’s there...

THEY’RE HEEEERREEE!

You finally have someone checking out your lead magnet. But what do they see when they get there? If you are simply adding a basic opt-in box with no details, you probably won’t get a lot of subscribers. OK, maybe your mom and your BFF will sign up. Woo hooo! That’s 2.

Landing page:

A landing page (also known as lead pages, squeeze page or capture page) is a single page on your website without a lot of other information. The sole purpose of this page is to get someone to take a single action. Without other navigation, there is nothing to distract your visitor from the goal you have in mind.

This is your “sales” page. Even if you are offering something for free, the cost to the visitor is their name and address. You have to sell them on why they want to pay that price.

There’s a great article (and free opt-in) for what makes a great landing page over at Hubspot.

Pop-up opt-in form:

 The second way to go is to use a pop-up to gather your opt-ins. Also known as an overlay, this variation is quite popular, fairly instant, and comes without any bells and whistles. It is a quick way to gain an email listing from viewers interested in your website, your content and the services you offer.

Each type serves a different purpose and both can be used effectively.

Just the facts

When designing your opt-in captures, here are a few pointers to keep in mind:

Do not overcrowd

A good opt-in design works with minimalism. There should only be one natural direction where your visitor’s attention goes and that’s towards your goal.

Keeping it simple, include the following and nothing more:

• A clear, concise headline
• A suitable sub-headline to follow expanding on the simple title
• Bullet points highlighting what they’ll get
• Directional clues like arrows
• An option to opt out of subscribing
• Creative call to action

Make a promise

Every visitor to your page will be looking for one thing only. “What’s in it for me?” And if they don’t get an answer right away, they’ll likely leave. We visitors are a fickle bunch. Wow us fast or forget it.

Make a promise to your visitors about what they’ll get if they keep reading on.

You want my first born son?

Don’t ask for too much information. Remember how minimalism is important? Ya, asking too much gets really pushy. Stick to that rule and just ask for the name which can be optional and email which is what you’re really after. Asking for anything more than that tends to turn visitors off making them skeptical and insecure.

Having said that, it’s still very important to point out what your visitors should expect in return for handing their emails to you.

What’s next?

You did it! There’s a new sign up to your list. Now go out and celebrate before the champagne goes flat. Too soon? OK, you might be right.

Now that you’ve got another email added to your list, it’s time to deliver on your promise. Start off with a bang by offering big impact right on your Thank You page.

Once your visitor has filled out your opt-in form, guide them to a well thought out thank you page (see some great examples here). Meaningful follow up messages can be constructed along the following lines:

• Initiate with a message of gratitude as it confirms that the form went through successfully.
• Where applicable, instruct on how to access/receive the freebie offer.
• If suitable, add in a discount/coupon (preferably with an expiration date) giving them an extra nudge to keep coming back for more. The expiration date creates a sense of urgency and motivation to make a purchase quickly.
• You could also suggest additional content along with other related resources keeping up engagement with your company brand.
• It’s never a bad idea to put in a safety net such as an additional link in case the download doesn’t start automatically.
• Don’t forget to add in social share buttons that help them advertise your great offer.

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Post Action Nurturing

Once the deal is sealed and you’ve handed in your appreciation, do you want the relationship to be over? Please don’t say yes. Please don’t say yes...

This is where you work on retaining those interested parties or leads as permanent followers/customers/viewers or conversions. If anything, this is the critical part of staying alive and growing your business.

For this part of the process, an autoresponder or follow-up sequence is the way to go. This is a list of prewritten emails which are set up in advance and sent to subscribers automatically once they have opted-in. This can be as simple as three emails or more advanced nurturing with seven or more. Here is one example of setting up and writing follow up sequences:

Email 1 - Success

For freebies, the initial email should confirm the freebie download asking for email verification. When clicked upon, it should navigate to a thank you page where they can get their download. This is the valuable first email. Don’t waste it by being boring. Make sure you make this as on brand as possible.

This email is also a great time to offer something more. This can be a link to your free group on social media or a webinar that you’ll be hosting in the future.

Email 2 - Address their problem, why did they opt in to the email

The second email you send should address their specific needs/problems and how the freebie you gave them will help with that. Remind them to review the information if they haven’t already done so.

Email 3 - Ask a Question

By sending an email that asks a question of your audience, it helps them to get engaged and reduces spam complaints while increasing open rates. Make the question on topic and let them know (if relevant) that you read all responses.

Email 4: - The Promise/Testimony

Oh, if only I could live on a beach and sip Piña Coladas all day! No? Ok, what’s the actual value of working with you then? This email helps the subscriber to understand what life CAN be like if they choose to work with you. Sharing testimonials from your clients builds social proof. They help others know that what you do can work for them too. Include an invitation to a free call or to email you with any questions they may have.

Email 5 - Surprise bonus

Sending them an extra little something won’t hurt. Surprise them with a bonus they weren’t expecting such as a useful add-on, or a next step resource to give more meaning to their initial opt-in. This taps into what psychologists call Law of Reciprocity. If you do something nice for someone that they appreciate, they will feel inclined to do something nice for you; i.e. sign up for your paid program or offer.

Email 6 - Your Story

Sharing your story helps build authority and grows the Know, Like and Trust others have in you. Just make sure to keep it short. People don’t really care about you; they care about what you can do for them.

Email 7: - Invitation

NOW we are getting somewhere! Whether you are attempting to sell a program or simply getting a prospect on a qualifying phone call, this is the time to do that. Now that you have gotten your new subscriber to know you, trust you and start to like you, they will be far more inclined to convert to clients. At this point, you can send an email inviting them to take the next step.

Email 1, 6 and 7 can be used at a minimum while the others help to warm up and nurture the subscribers.

Takeaway:

A free offer isn’t free. Your prospect has to choose to give up their email address (something that is already over taxed) in order to get what you are offering in your lead magnet. The value has to be there for them to take that step. Once you’ve gotten their information, it is your time to prove that it was WELL worth the cost to them and prove that it is even more worth them taking the next step.

Do this right and your free opt-in can result in a lucrative sales funnel for you.

Need help designing your free offer or funnel? Yep, we can help. Schedule a time now to chat and learn more.