Are you making any of these five lead magnet mistakes?
1. No BIG Unifying Idea
Many lead magnets fail because they are not centred around one BIG IDEA that makes it easy for your prospects to realise “this is something I need.” Your prospects are seeing in excess of 5000 marketing messages a day. So, you need to cut through the clutter. And a BIG Idea can do that for you. For example, if you run a business that sells beautician services, avoid bland, general titles for your lead magnets such as “Your Guide To Good Skin.”
Instead, you want to think of each lead magnet as having it’s own brand. You need to make it jump out and be irresistible to your target audience. Ensure your BIG idea answers a specific need and make it compelling eg “5 Skin-Care Shortcuts – The Busy Woman’s Guide To Better Skin.”
The big idea here is the “short cut” and you’ve made it clear that if a busy woman is reading this, this guide is for her! Now you’ve ensured you stand out from the pack and made it easier for your prospects to be interested.
2. Message to Market Mis-Match
Many people spend hours creating their lead magnet, thousands of dollars preparing their campaigns and virtually no time making sure the message is a match with their target audience.
Get clear on WHO you are talking to – age, problems, wants, needs, fears. Before you create your lead magnet, try creating a survey, talking to clients, reading forums – just make sure you’re clear on who your lead magnet is for and create your content as if you were speaking specifically to that one persona.
3. Not beginning with the end in mind
Many people get the idea they need a lead magnet, but they are not really clear what the specific job of that lead magnet is.
BEFORE you create your lead magnet, always ask yourself “what is the next step I want my prospect to take when they download my lead magnet” and, ideally, be clear not only on the next step, but the ultimate step you want your prospect to take.
For example, if you are a mortgage broker and you offer a free home loan calculator, the next step you may want your prospect to take is to request a consultation. And the ultimate step you want them to take is to use your services to acquire a loan. Your lead magnet needs to support both the next step and the ultimate step. So make sure it’s going to attract people who are most likely to buy your ultimate step.
4. Making it too complicated
Many people make it difficult for their prospect to download their lead magnet through poor layout, confusing instructions, offering too many alternatives and asking for too much information. Always offer your lead magnet on a page with as little other distractions as possible. Be clear and specific, use as little text as possible, create a very clear call to action and only ask for minimal information (eg email and name) in exchange for the lead magnet.
Also make sure the lead magnet’s central promise does not make the prospect feel like they are going to have to work too hard to implement the solution. For example, you wouldn’t want to give someone an eBook that offered “The 87 Step Guide to Losing Weight.”
Instead, you want to offer something that feels achievable for your prospect eg “The Simple Two-Step Guide To Losing Weight and Feeling Great in 30 Days or Less”
5. Not being “agnostic”
Your lead magnet needs to be seen as providing MAJOR value to your prospect. After all, your potential clients are busy, they don’t have a lot of time and they are already over-marketed to. So anything that “smells” like a glorified sales pitch is not going to get much traction. Too often lead magnets jump into the “selling” phase too soon, providing very little information and lots of sales spiel. You want to be doing the opposite of that at the very front end of your sales funnel. Look at ways you can provide MASSIVE value in your lead magnet by answering a real need and keeping your content relatively “agnostic.”
For example, if you sell sporting goods, you might ultimately want your prospect to buy the particular brand you stock, however, your lead magnet needs to provide content that is not overtly brand-specific. So, you might provide “A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Elliptical Trainer That’s Right For You” where you talk about the features, benefits, pitfalls and aspects of all elliptical trainers and genuinely help a person find the right one for them, before offering your services.
This will demonstrate your value. Position you as a trusted expert and authority and make your prospects more likely to value your opinion and want to buy from you.
Lead Magnet expert Michelle Falzon has produced dozens and dozens of campaigns using lead magnets. Michelle will be taking business owners through a step-by-step process for choosing the right lead magnet during the upcoming Turn Your Leads into Sales webinar.
