A Quick How To Guide
Automated emails can bring in great results in less time. According to data from Epsilon, triggered email messages average 70.5% higher open rates and 152% higher click-through rates than traditional bulk messages.
Given those stats, you know it’s time to set your own marketing automation plan in motion. But where to start? WebbTips are here to help: first by guiding you in creating an irresistible lead magnet; second by building an effective welcome series; third by using email nurturing to convert those leads. Let’s start with some tips on how to create an irresistible lead magnet:
Picture this: someone is visiting your site for the first time. Yay! They poke around for a few seconds, and then, chances are, they leave without visiting another page. Bummer.
This is where your email signup form comes to the rescue!
Your email list is your chance to turn that momentary visit into a long-term relationship … and lead … and purchase.
But you have to be smart about it. Tie your signup form to a good lead magnet and automatically collect email addresses from potential leads hungry for your great content. After all, an email signup is the start of a relationship, and a valuable lead magnet is a thank-you gift. The quality of that relationship is up to you, but your lead magnet starts things off well, it’s a way of saying thanks for your email address.
So, what makes an effective lead magnet? A few things:
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- It’s incredibly valuable. Give away something that your typical customer cannot resist. As in, “Oooh, that’s FREE? I gotta have it.” And then craft something that truly delivers on that awesomeness.
- It’s not for everybody. Lead magnets can help you qualify who’s really interested in your product. Sure, everybody could use a $5 Amazon gift card, but how many of those people will also buy from you?
- But it’s for everybody who’d buy from you. Offer something that appeals to all subsets of your customer base, and make sure it offers the same kind of value as what you’re selling offers.
- It’s immediately useful. Your lead magnet becomes particularly irresistible when your customer can put it to use right away. Nobody likes waiting for stuff, and what you offer becomes even more valuable when there’s an immediate benefit.
- It’s got a great title. A great title is audacious and unexpected, often offering a specific value in a mysterious way. Check out Jeff Goins’ headline-writing formula.
Need more reasons to put time and thought into your title? Consider these statistics on headlines that get results.
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What lead magnets will work for you?
Please note: Every organization has different target audiences that respond to different types of content. There isn’t one surefire lead magnet that will appeal to all audiences, but here are a few that many organizations find effective.
Discounts
A discount for great stuff in exchange for an email address? Absolutely, sign us up! This is the overwhelming choice for retail, hospitality, and personal services because it’s incredibly effective. We’ve all done it at one time or another and will continue to do so as long as email exists.
eBook
If your focus is being a thought leader and creating in-depth content, try an eBook. By definition, an eBook is a longer piece that requires more time commitment from your audience, so be sure to break out some tweet-able key points. They’ll serve as the delicious appetizers that encourage people to download the main course.
Webinars
More than just a powerful lead magnet, a webinar can bring your whole company to life for potential customers and lay a memorable foundation for future sales by putting your thought leadership (and people) at the forefront.
Quiz or Assessment
Thanks to BuzzFeed, quizzes are more popular than ever – which Dr. Suess character are you? (I got Horton!) What insight can you deliver to your customers on the fly? It will take some engineering, but the questions you ask will also give you rich, invaluable data about your prospects that you can use for smart segmenting down the road.
White Paper
For the B2B crowd, white papers are a popular lead magnet. Serve up relevant advice, statistics, and how-to for your industry, but try to focus that advice on those things that differentiate your company.
Once the lead magnet does its job of attracting people to join your email list, it’s time to say hello with a smart welcome series.