How to Use a Lead Magnet to Find Clients for Coaching Services
With instant gratification waging war on attention span, it’s no surprise that our audiences are gravitating more towards free content.
Even now, you’re hard-pressed to get users to accept cookies or engage with a pop-up before clicking the back button. I would know, as I’m guilty of it myself.
It’s quite curious then, that one of the oldest marketing techniques, a tried and true mainstay, has been long forgotten, discarded in favor of elaborate referral rewards, confusing membership programs and even paid subscriptions that lock users out of the very content we hope they consume.
I’m talking, of course, of the lead magnet.
What is a Lead Magnet?
Whether you’re targeting ticket sales, link clicks or raw engagement, your core goal is almost always the same: generate leads that ultimately convert into customers. To enter an adequate lead into your CRM, you need a user’s contact details – email, phone number, address, etc.
Marketers have a wide array of tools at their disposal to generate leads, but many newer, modern techniques bring in users with less than desirable quality and more than dubious intentions… spam bots, giveaway hounds or the ever-persistent internet troll.
Enter: the lead magnet. On the surface, a technique straight out of the content marketing playbook, but lead magnets pre-date the rise of content marketing by quite some time. In its purest form, a lead magnet is a piece of content, offer or service given for free in hopes to generate leads – well, mostly free. The lead magnet is an exchange: the brand or product offers something of value in exchange for the highly-coveted contact details of the user. The key to providing that value is developing your lead magnet according to the interests of your target audience, demographics and customer personas.
With the right lead magnet, marketers can maximize their chances of getting the user to engage with the content or offer and eventually convert.
What types of lead magnets can you create?
If you’re creating a newsletter, offering a free webinar or providing a free trial, all lead magnets have the same goal: generate leads.
The most powerful lead magnets are an actual slice of your business – something you can package up and provide to potential customers that ladders back to your value proposition.
Soft Lead Magnets
These types of lead magnets are easy to implement, but may not be strong enough to convert leads. These need a bit of extra narrative framing and promotion to demonstrate value, as they are often accessible prior to providing contact details. The CTA here comes at the end.
- Newsletter / Email Subscription
- Blog / Content Marketing
- Guides / How-To’s / Listicles
- Quizzes / Tests
- Case Studies / Testimonials
- Infographics / Cheat Sheets / Industry Resources
Hard Lead Magnets
These lead magnets have inherent value to the user. It is clear this is a special offer or an exclusive look into your business. These are often locked behind a user providing contact details upfront. The CTA here is presented prior to the content or experience.
- Free Trial / Demo
- Discount / Coupon
- Live Webinar / Training Session Recording
- Downloadable E-Book
- Consultation
- Podcast
What types of formats work to present a lead magnet?
Depending on the type of lead magnet, a number of formats or presentations can be used to deliver the content to the user.
- Persistent Website / Navigation Bar CTA or Button
- Website Pop-ups
- Email list / Newsletter Prompt in Website Footer
- CTA at end of Blog Posts / Articles / Content Marketing
- Social Media Engagement / Direct Messaging
- Automated Chat Bot
How can lead magnets be added to a marketing strategy?
The lead magnet is quite puzzling – compared to other strategies and approaches, it has a proven track record of success and was, at one point, a vital part of each and every marketing plan. Unfortunately, many marketers have opted for paywalls or locking content behind membership in attempt to drive sales. These techniques often rub potential customers the wrong way, leaving a bad taste in their mouth and driving them away from your product.
Market research is your ultimate tool – craft your customer personas, analyze your sales funnel, conduct surveys and find your users needs. Define what qualifies a lead for you.
From there, experiment. Mix and match delivery methods with lead magnet types. Be honest with your audience: ask what they’d like from a trial, what they’d like to discuss in a webinar or what they’d like to see in a infographic.
Flex your social media muscle – the users here are filled with ideas, and vocal about it, too.
A word of warning, however – as with most lead generation approaches, fatigue is imminent. When used to incite, you’ll generate hot leads ready to convert. Abuse lead magnets and you may see a rise in leads, but a lower percentage of conversions. Similarly, if everything is free, you’re giving up your business. Choose two or three lead magnets and really knock them out of the park. Offer too many and your potential customers may feel content with what you’ve provided for free.
Deliver that small slice of your business on a simple, hassle-free platter. Show your value and users will convert soon enough.
Interested in becoming a Certified Jungian Life Coach? Experience the transformation and click here to download a free program brochure.
This blog post has been adapted from its original source here.
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