Picture this: transforming casual website visitors into high-quality leads with just one compelling piece of content. This is the magic of an effective lead magnet. By offering something valuable, you can captivate potential customers and nurture them into loyal clients.
Here’s how you can create lead magnets that convert, with a mix of thorough customer research, offering useful content and utilising follow-up nurture emails.
To create a lead magnet that hits the mark, start with some good old-fashioned customer research. Understand your ideal clients' needs, challenges and interests. Social media is a goldmine for this kind of intel. Platforms like LinkedIn, X and industry-specific forums allow you to see what your target audience is buzzing about and what content they are engaging with.
Identify industry trends and common pain points. For instance, if consulting leaders frequently struggle with time management, create a lead magnet that directly addresses this issue. For example, you could offer a "Utilisation-to-profit calculator for consultancy leaders with 10 minutes spare". Surveys and polls are also effective tools for gathering insights. Ask your existing clients or social media connections what resources they find most valuable.
Once you have a clear understanding of your audience’s needs, it's time to create content that packs a punch. Here are some examples of different lead magnets:
Checklists: Simple yet powerful, checklists can help your audience streamline tasks or ensure they don’t miss any crucial steps.
Example: ”A checklist for effective client onboarding processes”
Guides: Comprehensive guides that address specific challenges or goals can position your consultancy as an authority.
Example: “The AI blueprint for healthcare professionals”
Templates and spreadsheets: Provide ready-to-use templates or spreadsheets that can save your audience time and effort.
Example: “A financial strategy template for leaders in construction”
Cheat sheets: Concise and to the point, cheat sheets offer quick references that your audience can use regularly.
Example: “Key metrics for measuring employee productivity”
Other magnet ideas include offering exclusive video content or webinars that delve deeper into industry-specific topics. This not only adds value but also positions your consultancy as a leader in the field.
Ensure that your lead magnet is well-designed and easy to consume. Use clear headings, bullet points, and visuals to enhance readability and engagement.
Your lead magnet needs a home, and that’s where a well-crafted landing page comes into play. Here are some tips for an effective landing page:
Remove header and footer navigation: Minimise distractions by removing the header and footer navigation. This keeps the focus solely on your lead magnet and the action you want visitors to take.
Clashing colour for the button: Make your call-to-action button stand out by using a clashing colour. It should be impossible to miss and compel users to click.
No competing CTAs: Ensure there aren’t any competing calls-to-action on the page. Your goal is to guide visitors towards one clear action – downloading your lead magnet.
By offering gated content that requires users to fill out a capture form with their email address, you can follow up with them effectively. Alternatively, provide an option to access the content on LinkedIn via a SmartLink.
Here's an example of this from our landing page:
Creating lead magnets that convert involves a deep understanding of your target audience,
Creating a lead magnet is just the beginning. To convert leads into clients, you need to nurture them effectively. Follow-up emails are essential in this process. Here’s how you can craft an effective email sequence:
Welcome email: Immediately after someone downloads your lead magnet, send a welcome email thanking them for their interest. Include a brief overview of what they can expect from your emails and how you can help them further.
Value-add emails: Over the next few weeks, send emails that provide additional value related to the lead magnet they downloaded. For example, if they downloaded a guide on digital strategies, follow up with case studies or success stories of businesses that successfully transformed themselves after following a digital strategy.
Engagement emails: Encourage interaction by asking questions or seeking feedback. This helps you understand their needs better and makes your communication more personalised.
Offer emails: Once you have built a rapport, send emails that highlight your services and how you can help them achieve their goals. Include clear calls-to-action, such as booking a call or downloading another resource.
Ensure that each email is personalised and relevant, showing your understanding of their challenges and how you can help solve them. This approach will help you build a robust email list of high-quality leads.
Creating lead magnets that convert involves a deep understanding of your target audience, offering valuable content, and following up with strategic nurture emails. By investing time in customer research, crafting useful resources, and maintaining consistent communication, you can effectively attract and convert leads, ultimately driving growth for your consultancy.