INTRODUCTION
Table of Contents
I am sure many of you have heard this term ‘lead magnets’ thrown around here or there as you peruse the internet. It could be that you have received an email on the subject or maybe many emails. When I first started I know I did. I had NO idea what they were talking about…
I know now. Many may still not have a clear picture however, so today I want to post a very brief blog on the subject and talk about how it ties into the 4 part series I just completed on creating and using sales funnels.
The first day of of that sales funnel training can be found here:
===> https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/davidsweney/blog/c…
Follow on days (and posts) of that training have links posted at the end of each days training….It is a longer training, but worth your time….
The overall strategy I have with the above training is that you can start grasping better how the different elements of online marketing work together, and how you as an affiliate marketer can use the parts…Such is the intent of today’s post…
Certainly a foundation is the web site and the information you provide on that site for the people you attract, either organically through good SEO or otherwise, but to make money you have to also do more…
A ‘lead magnet system’ is something that can help you do that. It is a planned series of events you want your potential subscriber to follow through with…If done correctly, you will make customers out of visitors, you will build a relationship, and you will make conversions…
DEFINITION OF LEAD MAGNETS
This is a giveaway that a potential subscriber will be eager to provide his or her name and email for, in exchange for receiving that item from you. The name is a bit fancy, but essentially that is what we are talking about.
There is much thought however that goes into creating the product and also how your offer is presented to the potential subsciber…There are literally thousands of others doing the same as you…Giving away something to get that lead…You have to do more…
This is where the fun begins…If your giveaway isn’t converting into leads, and your leads are not converting into sales, it may be time to take a look at what you have in place and why it may not be effective…Then once you have reasons its not working, fix these…
10 REASONS YOUR LEAD MAGNETS MAY NOT BE EFFECTIVE
Remember, competition is fierce for business, and what once was selling like hotcakes nowadays isn’t worth giving away! Things are changing at an ever faster pace today, and if you do not stay current, you risk becoming irrelevant.
So what are your niche members looking for now, what would such members of that niche be willing to spend money for (that you will give them for free), and why would they take your offer you over other folks giving away similar items?
If you have a simple sales funnel in place (i.e. a blog, a giveaway, an opt-in or squeeze page, a thank you page with download page/site for that giveaway – for more information check out my training found here: ===> SALES FUNNEL TRAINING <===) and it is NOT working, here are 10 considerations to check out…
Let’s begin the countdown from 10 and work our way down…We are calling this: “Dave’s Top Ten Things to Look Out for When Building a Lead Magnet System” just for grins and giggles…
CONCERN 1 – PAGE DESIGN AND CONTENT
(Drumroll Please…..)
(10) Outdated Squeeze Pages.
I have seen a number of outdated and amateur looking landing pages, looking like they were created years ago, and either they were copied without any change from some old PLR or just done by someone who does not know what they are doing. Potential subscribers will likely click away just from that kind if page, no matter how good your giveaway may be…
(9) Banner Blindness Syndrome.
I know that as a visitor to many sites daily, over a period of time, I just do not see the banners and bars and etc. that are on many pages, I have tuned them out, Much as you do on the apps that you use for your smartphone…You may not have a page that is eye-catching enough to get the viewer to take action! Don’t let this be you!
INDICATION: Regarding these first two points: If your opt-in and landing pages do not show people immediately that you, in fact, know what you’re talking about, and that your knowledge has made you successful, then you’re sunk!
RESULT: They will click away and be gone!
Moving on…There’s more…Let’s focus in even further…
(8) Poor Quality Products/Presentation.
If you have giveaway products that don’t literally knock the socks off of your list then it’s “Yo-Yo, Let’s click outta here and Go”…If it happens to be an email, it is to the spam box you will go! The same applies for other platforms you may market your giveaway on – wherever you are posting the offer, the reaction may be the same – no takers…
Review of a couple of tools to help you create great looking pages can be found here:
===> VIDEO CREATION/EDITING <===
===> LANDING PAGE CREATION <===
(7) Content.
You simply MUST make sure that you have timely and relevant topics, ones that have up-to-date and informative/helpful content! Include graphics, pictures, supporting videos, maybe infographics, and any related free tools as appropriate.
Here is some information on infographics that may help:
===> INFOGRAPHICS <===
For more on content and how to create/use content click here:
===> CONTENT MARKETING <===
(6) Details.
Do a spell check. If you are like me, you may have bad eyesight. Here I often do not use this easy tool, and it shows lol. For your giveaway, however, you do not want to have errors that will portray you as less of a professional than what you are…
(5) Review and Test Giveaway.
Lastly, in total, have a relook at what you are offering, to make sure it is worth paying for, except you are giving it away for free…Try to make it something they will not be able to find elsewhere…Use your imagination! Ask for some feedback from friends that will tell you the real deal so you can see that others feel the same…Miss this, and you may be missing the boat for success…
INDICATION: If you make changes as described above, because you are not getting expected results, then you can test those changes a couple of different ways to see how your modifcations work to attract leads…Then your outcome should be…
RESULT: You should start seeing more leads after all your work. As you find set ups of product, content to sell viewers, and page designs that are more effective, you will want to stick with the best and ditch the rest, They are wasting your time anyway, and more importantly that of your viewers…
CONCERN 2 – OK YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT WORKS, WHAT’S NEXT…
(4) Time and Place.
If your offer isn’t SEO and CUSTOMER-OPTIMIZED, then you run the risk of wasting the time and effort of driving traffic to a page that people look at, and wonder “WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?” This means that you have not set up the title correctly, the points of what your giveaway includes, the uniqueness of your product, solved their problem, etc. Don’t address the keywords that brought them there, nor explained what you have for them, wy it will solve their need, and you lose them….
(3) Answer Their Questions.
It comes down to this: Offers that convert will answer the questions the viewer has, as to why they came to your page in the first place. Your title and content on the pages is your chance to show them that you understand their questions, you know what they are looking for…Many pages I see do not sufficiently cover this aspect…
(2) Solve Their Problem.
When you show that you understand the visitor’s problem by answering questions you know thay may have, you then should show them you can solve their problem. This solution is your giveaway. You fulfill the needs of your visitor because the research and psychology have been built-in throughput, to entice visitors to visit the landing page and then have them take action to sign up to get the giveaway…If you do NOT solve their problem or answer their concerns, again, you lose the potential subscriber…
OVERALL..Number One Consideration…
(MORE Drumroll, please…)
(1) AHA Moment.
With your complete efforts in the 9 areas above, you can create an irresistable “AHA” moment for your prospect. They will feel compelled to take action. No aha moment, no desired action on their part. The lack of that special action taking moment could be for any of the above reasons, your job is to dig down and find out what is not working and fix it!
There you have it, follow these steps and achieve success at drawing in leads as never before, and get ready to pick up the additional money you will be making from your efforts, and of course be ready to achieve even more..Result: More success!.
A SHORT ENCORE…
Just to add a couple of ‘freebies’ to today’s post, I thought I would add in a couple of “gifts”…
BONUS 1: Beyond Lead Magnets – What’s Next
One additional point. If you have NOT planned for the follow through once you have managed to get subscribers to your lead list using the sales funnels and lead magnet system you created, you will fail…
By this I mean you must have mapped out an approach and prepared ahead of time for these new subscribers to detail out to them exactly via email who you are, what your intent is, how you will meet their needs, when they can expect to hear from you, ask them for feedback, and present additional valuable and useful information to them.
Once you do this over a series of contacts through emails, you will have a client that is ready to spend their hard earned dollars on what you recommend to them. That is what they mean about the money being in the list.
BONUS 2: Best Leads Are…
The best kind of lead list is one where the members are spending money. Many of the leads you gather through the lead magnet system may or may not buy as often as those top level leads, but over time you can likely make conversions with that list as well.
If, over time, you decide to create your own products within your niche, then have affiliates promote them for you, your lead list from that effort will give you leads that are actual buyers, ones that have shown their hand through buying your product.
I consider these to be premium leads, and they make up maybe one of 5 leads overall you will gather, per everything I have read and from my limited experiences to date…You use the same email marketing process that you will use from the lead magnet system, but these are more targeted leads in my opinion…
I love these leads! These are the ones you might consider going after more…meaning develop your own products!
CONCLUSION
There you have it for today. Now you know more about a Lead Magnet and Lead Magnet Systems, how sales funnels tie into these, and you should be able to create a more effective magnet for your program.
This process does not have to be difficult, but some work on the back end will make the front end much more effective, and knowing the process will give you a better understanding of what you need to be doing for lead magnets to be an effective tool for your online marketing program…Good luck!
Cheers!
This is a really interesting and comprehensive post. I Have been looking into Lead Magnets, but it has taken me a long time to work out what they actually are. It sounded so mystical, but you have made it much clearer. It sounds A LOT more simple.
You have illustrated some really interesting points here too on how to set them up and what to think about. Some real foot for thought! Thank you!
Do you have an example of what you consider to be a really GOOD lead magnet.
Hi Ruth,
I agree with you on the mystery aspect.of the term lead magnets. I have noticed there is an entire vocabulary in this online marketing world that you have to learn, but I guess this is similar to other specialty fields. I am glad that the post helps clarify what exactly a Lead Magnet is or can be…
An example I would consider using is something an affiliate marketer could use iin their daily work for free. I have several things I use like a monthly offline marketing magazine offering latest hints and tips that business owners can use ( I offer it here, but it also is available on my video and marketing sites)…
A couple of more examples I would consider useful are eBooks or video courses on social media platform usage…Example of a good lead magnet for affiliate might be how to use Facebook for building leads, ads, sales, etc.
I would also consider giving away free courses on how to build a sales funnel to be a really good lead magnet. This is something like lead magnets, lots of mystery surrounding the process, but in the end it is not that difficult (but there are tricks to creating effective funnels)…
Really appreciate you stopping by and taking the time to offer a comment and feedback.
Cheers!
Dave : )
Hi Dave,
Do you think it is important to tell the truth in your lead magnets and avoid scam tactics? I’m just thinking because whenever I hear the term “sales funnel” I can’t help but think of scams with lots of upsells. So I’m just wondering whether the best approach is to focus on providing real value to your visitors, rather than just saying whatever will get someone to sign up, and then them being disappointed once they have signed up. What do you think?
Hello Marcus,
In today’s world I think it is more important than ever to be truthful with everything you publish or create online, not just with your lead magnets. The shopper today is much more sophisticated than just 5 years ago. They have easy and fast access to other sites to compare what you are offering with, and will quickly see that you are throwing them a whiff ball…
Sales funnel are a concept that has been around for ages. It may have had a different name in earlier days, but the concept has been in use since Abel and Cain days I think (OK that may be a BIT of an exxageration but it has been around!). In my early days of sales, we were always urged to get the customer too go for the basic package then offer the extras that round out and add value for the buyer.
Think about car sales – the sales persons will try to add this or that to the car you buy, then addin other extras like a gurantee for paint or carpets or some kind of insurance, whatever. They do this because in some cases it offers additional value, iin others it is a pure BS move to get more cash from you.
Your approach is the right one for me too. Of course the sales funnel and psychology can be a good tool to increase sales, but beneath it all must be a good set of products that truly do provide value, overdeliver, and if an upsell to a front end product, offer increased levels of value from the front end offer.
In the case of lead magnets, the emphasis is likely more on getting a product to the prospect that will entice them to provide you their contact information. The lead magnet is half the battle so to speak, the real work begins after you have their information.
That product has to be something though that IS valuable for the viewer, something that they would expect to pay for. This central item you surround with a good looking professional page that
(1) accurately describes what it is why it is useful,
(2) how it will solve their problem,
(3) your experiences in the field,
(4) testimonials of others (these can be secured using ethical means by the way – let someone try out the product, or offer a discount to someone if you are selling the item for an honest testimonial)
(5) why your solution or product is better than the rest, what makes it unique and desirable…
The use of scarcity ( i.e. a countdown timer or number of items remaining, etc.) can be useful but is not necessary if you feel uncomfortable using this tool…I have seen plenty of good lead magnets that do not have these, especially the evergreen type magnets…
The last point and question you bring up is something of course you do not want to happen. Having them become disappointed is not the way to go once you have their contact information. It is also why I mention that the lead magnet portion is half the battle.
I think you have to plan carefull and prepare good copywrite for them to receive in their mail on a regular basis. There are a lot of psychology that goes into these as well, and triggers you include will cause them to take action. This whole sales method, as with online, takes from the same tactics that have been used for ages before the internet came along.
The difference now is that people are savy enough to know the obvious shysters from the rest, and they also will notice the ones that go the extra mile to meet the demands they have. We have to look at all aspects of our sales pitches, the products we are offering, the follow on support, and the long term strategy for our online programs…Lead magnets is just one of many concerns…
Thanks for your comments and please feel free to stop by anytime,,,,
Cheers!
Dave : )
Hello Dave. Quite detailed but they’re quite essential besides being important.
Losing customers/visitors happen but with this, the issue will be occurred minimally.
I didn’t know that affiliates do the job to promote someone’s own product/services. Will look into that method when I own one in the future.
Anyways, thanks for sharing. AHA!
Hi M8!
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. Lead magnets are one of the many very important aspects of online marketing I think. Many who do not think these through or those that do not use them at all will wonder why they are not as successful as others that are constantly testing, changing, trying new things and working to improve their lead magnets.
Once you get a lead, they can be lost unless you have provided something that truly provides what the person has signed up for, in fact it should offer MORE value than they expected. The lead, once in your hands, has to also be fed a series of mails that contain further valuable information they can use, and most of that should be free.
This whole system workd great to get the leads, the email follow up marketing campaign can then build trust and a relationship with them, and when you DO offer a product to them, either your own, or as an affiliate (selling someone else’s product), that should also deliver.
Your own products down the road is the way to go, because you own them, have control of who they get sold by and to who, the price for them, etc. If you choose to allow others to sell, you then gain leads that are buyers from others’ lists, not to mention you do not pay for this until a list member from an affiliate buys something (you can;t get cheaper labor than that!)…
Cheers!
Dave : )
Hi its Alexey, Its a wonderful and informative article about a great way to bring more traffic and more sales.
I personally never hear the term “leading magnet”
You hit on some very important “tip” to why it can not work for smoe people, and how to fix it.
Those points gave me som insight on my work as well so thank you:)
Thanks for stopping by Alexey!
I am glad that you found the article useful and can incoporate it into your own online marketing program. This was the exact intent of posting this for everyone.
Lead magnets are an important piece of online marketing, they do go by different names, but essentially are just products or tools that have a high value to their intended audience and provide the “in” to gather contact informtion for follow on interaction and sales…
Please feel free to stop by again and add your feedback or input, it is valued and we will respond. If there are additional subjects you would like to see covered here, just drop us a line, I have a window for that in every post at the end. That suggestion comes directly to my personal email.
Cheers!
Dave : )
Thanks for this informative article. I hadn’t heard the term “lead magnets” but know that a give away is a good way to get people to sign up for an email list.
Do you automate your response to people (you mention multiple contacts after they have opted in) and if so what plug-in, etc do you use.
I’m booking marking your site for future reference.
Hi Judith!
No problem on providing the article, I enjoy interaction with fellow marketers and learn so much myself when I do share….
Lead magnets can really help your business in many ways…It helps establish in the visitor’s minds that you have credibility, authority, and a person they can trust…
I do automate my sign up process and follow on communication yes…This helps when I am busy doing other things, plus having a series of canned mails ready to go means I cover everything that I want to in a standard manner…
There are several autoresponders out there that most IM people use…AWeber, Get Response, or Mail Chimp come to mind, but there are more…Most offer additional services that help you such as templates for opt-in pages or landing pages, as well as A/B testing services (they track stats) etc.
Thanks for stopping by and please come again, I am always adding to this site…I want it to become a source that people will bookmark and use!
Cheers!
Dave : )
Thanks for this informative article. I hadn’t heard the term “lead magnets” but know that a give away is a good way to get people to sign up for an email list.
Do you automate your response to people (you mention multiple contacts after they have opted in) and if so what plug-in, etc do you use.
I’m booking marking your site for future reference.
Hi Judith!
Yes lead magnets is a term I have heard IM folks throw around a bit but the concept does have other names such as giveaway. A ctachy phrase perhaps meant to sensationalize the process, but really in offline sales we do the same thing. It does work and generate interest, much like a survey or contest will draw in traffic and suubscriptions….
Yes I automate the mails so they get sent out right away after they sign up…I use a couple of autoresponder services such as GetResponse and a free one that is included with some of my other tools…They both work , and can be set up easily…GetResponse runs me 15 USD a month which is bearable…..
Glad I could be of service for your IM needs and hope that you stop by again. I look forward to your feedback and input!!!
Cheers!
Dave : )
You have some great information man. With many websites I feel that content is one thing that needs to be focused on more.
It needs to look professional while being more to the point and not jumbled together with a bunch of none related off-topic paragraphs; otherwise readers will most likely have their attention drawn away from your website.
Also you noted answering visitors questions; people should focus on solving questions differently from other website owners because sometimes you need separate yourself from the average same and plain website.
Great job man!
Chris
Hi Chris!
I appreciate your words of support, they do mean a lot! The whole purpose of this site is to help people improve their online marketing programs, so if you are feeling positive about this post, it tells me I am doing my job!
This is the same with lead magnets…The more professional and valuable you make the magnet (giveaway) the more it will raise your reputation with the reader. Like the old saying goes, don’t judge a book by it’s cover shpuld hold true…Unfortunately that is just what people do!
The way you present yourself is so important – it starts with your website, carries through to your pages for the lead magnet, and of course the magnet, or giveaway itself all need to be as professional as you can make them.
Competition is fierce and getting worse day by day. As the internet grows and grows, people are coming in to the online sales world and vying for the online buyer’s business/dollar…You have to stay ahead and be a leader, not a follower.
Lead magnets have been around forever, but the good ones that stand out are the ones that people will take action on and remember.
Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to do so again, and again, and again!
Cheers!
Dave : )
Hello there David.
Loving the website you have made here, I have gained knowledge on your field you have discussed here, I have enjoyed reading up about lead magnets and the 10 points you made.
Will you be doing any more relevant work like that? I’d love to read up more!
Thanks, Dan.
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the positve comments and they are appreciated! Yes I will be adding to this site continuously over the year, there is a LOT of new information coming on subjects such as creating sales funnels, wordpress, what’s App and other social platform training, etc.
The lead magnets is a subject area where there seems to be a lot of information, but it is not so clear most of the time. This is why I chode to mention it here and tried to keep it in layman’s language so it is easier to understand.
Please feel free to stop in anytime, love getting feedback and new ideas from visitors, we all learn when this appens!
Cheers!
Dave : )
Dave
I do not have time today to go through all the links on this pos. So I bookmarked this site to come back to it.
Having spent my entire life in sales this is not so much different than making contacts. Sell your self and they will come back. I always liked the sales funnel system it really works.
Yes everyone of us likes to get something free that is worth while.
Hi Jim,
Not a problem at all, that is what the site is designed to do. I want to provide an overabundance of information that readers can really use in their businesses. This subject is one that many misunderstand or maybe do not fully understand.
Lead magnets are to me the online version of the same thing we do for offline sales (I have been involved for years with offline sales). Gicing away something that provides real value is a super selling technique. With the online sales getting ever more sophisticated and professional from top to bottom, creating a lead magnet package that delivers is more important than ever…
I appreciate your stopping by today and look forward to more of your feedback, this is one thing that helps this site stand out from others is the intelligent commenters that add new perspectives to the subjects I cover. If you would like to have something covered here let me know..
Cheers!
Dave : )
Well I must firstly say to you that I found you page full of helpful information. It actually gave me some good tips which I definitely shall be utilizing so thank you for them. Also I found that your links were very very helpful to. Especially the ones about the landing pages as I really am looking to create one at the moment. All of your suggestions made perfect sense and I know that it sometimes helps to have someone point out things that you had over looked.
Thank you
Si
Hi Simon,
Thanks for stopping by and I am glad that you found teh 10 tips to know on lead magnets useful. This is one of those subjects that lots of people talk about, but in my searches for information, it seemed like I could only fin bits and pieces. Hence my decision to provide an article that kind of put it all together.
Certainly this is a subject that can be expanded on quite a bit. There are many nuances that have to be considered when planning a good lead magnet, one that will provide real value that prospects would normally be willing to pay for…
The reason there are links internal and external to the site is for just the reason you mention: Lead magnets are a part of a bigger picture process that as online marketers we need to be aware of and act on. At the end of the day, all the training in the world does nothing if we do not take action!
Please feel free to stop by again, I add to the site often and this year I am stepping up the pace of posts. I want to help as many people as possible through the site, and give them options to get further training in an area they feel they need it, as well as to cover new and intersting current events that are going on in the IM world!
Cheers!
Dave : )
As someone new to online marketing I found this site and the web links very useful. The 10 steps made sense, and its alway possible to sell yourself and your product. I also liked the feel of the site it had just the right amount of pictures. The site talked about banners and I sometimes feel people throw in so many the website does not make sense. Thanks for your efforts on this article the 10 things on lead magnets will help me in my affiliate marketing program!
Hi Amanda,
Glad you stopped by. Glad that the article helped you out and made sense, they are there to help lead you through the process of creating an effective lead magnet. It can be hard to get down on a page and words what used to be done verbally and eyeball to eyeball, as in a sales meeting.
Banners can put people off but they work. It is how you work with them and use them that is key. Some sites will tend to overuse them I have noticed, but if done correctly, they are not too distracting to the viewer, quite the opposite.
Cheers!
Dave : )
Loved this article on Lead Magnets. It was informative, well written, and gave me just what I needed to get my own together, I klikely will come back again in case I get stauck, and certainly will come back for the other info you have…Thanks! I most certainly will highly recommend this web site!
Hi! I’ve been following your web site for a long time now and this post was extremely beneficial. Lead magnets was always something I have struggled with and you have clearly explained to me what they are and how I can get them done. I appreciate the work you put in here and it is showing in the amount of comments you are accumulating. Keep up the good work!
This was a very good post on lead magnets and useful for me and my partner. I stumbled upon this website from a comment you made on another, and now I am glad I came over to check you out. You have a lot of information I can use…I will be back as will my partner. We need a page like this!We are currently settin up a lead magnet and this gives us some solid direction… Thanks much!