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    The world of digital marketing is full of competitors trying to get your customer. If you want your message to stand out, you must consider every possible technique and customer touch point. One effective strategy for attracting attention is called a lead magnet.

    Lead magnet is a marketing tool that increases the number of new customers by offering some value in exchange for contact information. You’ve probably been influenced by a lead magnet more than once without awareness. Just think! How often have you provided contact information in exchange for a discount or access to content?

    Lead magnet is effective because more than half of consumers trust the emails they receive from companies with which they have registered.As a result, email marketing is still one of the most effective methods for providing the highest return on investment, especially for small and medium-sized businesses.

    lead magnet

    Why is using lead magnets so important for your business?

    Most people don’t buy at the first better opportunity. Business relationships are the same as other human interactions. For this reason, it is very uncomfortable to ask someone for personal information at the first meeting, especially if you have nothing to offer in return.

    That’s why it’s important for your company to offer a low-involvement source first in order to continue the relationship with the potential customer. Offering a lead magnet on your website encourages visitors to give you their contact information and establish a relationship.

    The first time you offer a lead magnet on your website, you’ll be able to get them to give you their contact information and establish a relationship.

    Another important aspect is competitiveness. In highly saturated industries, showing differentiators and value at first contact is very difficult. At the same time, investments in media and traffic generation are ongoing. To maximize efficiency in the first phase, the goal is not to sell but to build a database. On this basis, it is easier later to maintain customer interest and eventually generate sales.

    What are the advantages of the lead magnet strategy?

    This strategy helps generate leads, build a contacts database and ultimately increase a company’s sales. To maximize the effects of lead magnet:

    1. Show yourself as an expert

    Your lead magnet should contain interesting, useful and relevant information for your target audience. This will help you stand apart from your competitors and be seen as an expert in your industry.

    For example, if you sell athletic shoes, you could publish a guide to choosing the best shoes for your needs.

    2. Create a sense of reciprocity

    Offering free, valuable content will make people more likely to use your services in the future. Example?

    In 1974, sociologist Phillip Kunz conducted an experiment. He sent out handwritten Christmas cards along with a note and a family photo to about 600 randomly selected complete strangers. Soon the responses started coming in.

    Kunz received about 200 responses. But why would people respond to someone they didn’t even know? That’s what reciprocity is. Kunz’s kind gesture to them (a Christmas card) prompted these people to do something in return.

    3. Position yourself as a guide

    Your customers (or, let’s say, prospects) are not looking for another store; they are looking for a guide to help them find the easiest way to achieve their goals. Your company should be a guide to help customers solve a specific problem. With this approach, you will not only get more people to listen to you but you will also be seen as an authority that customers will turn to when they need your solutions (your products or services). Example?

    In addition to training plans, you can offer no-fee support, motivational meetings, or the ability to revise the option you originally purchased.

    4. Base yourself on high-quality, potential customers

    People’s contact information is the most valuable thing, and they don’t want to give it away easily. If someone offers them valuable content in exchange for their contact information, they must deliver on their promise. Keep this in mind not only in the first phase of data acquisition but also in subsequent periods when you want to keep the customer in the lead generation process.

    5. Continue the relationship with your customers

    With a lead magnet, you will gain information that you would not otherwise receive. This approach can help you gain their trust and build a relationship with them. Once a potential customer receives a lead magnet, you must stay in touch and maintain their interest. You can use, for example, marketing automation class tools for this.

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    Lead-magnet ideas for online store

    Here you go! Here are ideas for an e-commerce offering frozen food *right from the Lead Magnet Generator tool within FLOWGPT:

    • Free recipe e-book: Offer a free downloadable e-book with delicious and easy-to-make recipes using frozen foods as ingredients. This will attract cooking enthusiasts and foodies looking for new meal ideas.
    • Discount Coupon: Provide a discount coupon for first-time customers who register or for those who subscribe to your newsletter. Everyone loves a great deal, especially quality frozen foods.
    • Weekly meal plan: Create a free weekly meal plan that includes a variety of recipes using frozen foods. This can save your customers time and effort in meal planning.
    • Interactive quiz: Develop an interactive quiz to help customers discover which frozen foods best suit their taste preferences and dietary needs. Based on the quiz results, offer personalized product recommendations.
    • Behind-the-scenes video: show behind-the-scenes footage of how frozen food is sourced, prepared and packaged. This transparency can build trust among your audience.
    • Loyalty program: Run a loyalty program where customers earn points for every purchase. These points can be redeemed for discounts or free products. This encourages repeat purchases and strengthens customer loyalty.
    • Contest or drawing: Hold a contest or drawing where participants can win a gift basket filled with various frozen foods. This can generate buzz and excitement around your brand.
    • Educational webinar: Host a live webinar or online workshop with tips on cooking frozen foods, storing them properly and creating nutritious meals. This will position your brand as an authority in the frozen food industry.
    • Seasonal promotions: Offer seasonal promotions and time-limited discounts on specific frozen foods to take advantage of vacations or change consumer preferences throughout the year.

    Each paragraph is an introduction to something you can use and customize for your own business. At the end of the day, a lead magnet is also a personal cost and commitment, and content marketing, contrary to popular belief, is neither free nor cheap. You must remember to evaluate a lead magnet like any other marketing action – count the cost of producing the lead magnet, the media cost, the cost of acquiring the contact and conversion and ultimately, the increase in sales in the long term from the database obtained.

    6 recommendations on how to optimize the effect of a lead magnet strategy

    1. Make your material more specific

    A lead magnet should NEVER be generic and comparable to other materials that have been available on the market for a long time. It must offer something new and specific to the niche.

    2.

    2. One big thing

    Everyone would like a magic bullet, so it is always better to focus on and fulfill one big promise than many small, insignificant ones. Look for something that has the potential to be a breakthrough.

    So look for something that has the potential to be a breakthrough.

    3 Instant satisfaction

    Avoid using multi-day or week-long courses as lead magnets. The market needs a solution, and they want it now!

    Take advantage of this.

    4. High perceived value

    Just because it’s free doesn’t mean it should look like free. The creative and packaging is just as important as the content.

    The content is not free.

    5. High real value

    There is no point if your lead magnet does not deliver on its promise. You’ll lose trust and the data you’ve acquired.

    6. Quick gratification

    In our dopamine world, you certainly don’t want your lead magnet to be an obstacle in your sales path, so ideally, it should be able to be experienced within minutes. Experiencing doesn’t mean reading and fully analyzing, but getting the experience that it’s worth it 🙂

    Summary. Lead magnet

    Lead magnets are an essential part of a successful digital marketing strategy. Essentially, they are valuable content or offers that you provide to your target audience in exchange for their contact information, such as an email address. The goal of the magnet is to attract potential customers and build an email list, while establishing your brand as a trusted source of information in your industry. To create an effective lead magnet, you must understand your target audience and provide them with information matching their needs and interests. By the way, don’t skip competitor and market analysis to make sure you’re delivering unique value.

    The most popular lead magnets are e-books, documents/templates, webinars, graphics, charts, etc. To optimize your lead magnets for conversions, you must ensure they are easily accessible, visually appealing and offer a clear call to action. Remember to monitor the effectiveness of the lead magnet in terms of database building, cost of contact acquisition, and final sales effects from inbound marketing activities.

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    Tomasz Starzyński
    Tomasz Starzyński

    CEO and managing partner at Up&More. He is responsible for the development of the agency and coordinates the work of the SEM/SEO and paid social departments. He oversees the introduction of new products and advertising tools in the company and the automation of processes.