Lead magnets are marketing tools in the form of valuable resources – like white papers and ebooks – that a business can exchange for a potential client’s contact information.
To be effective, lead magnets need to do one or more of the following:
Contain something of value
Solve a problem
Demonstrate expertise
Answer a question
Here are five types of lead magnets you can use to reach more potential clients.
1. Templates
A template should make it easier for people to reach their own goals. It should offer a starting point so people only need to fill in the blanks.
For example, a mortgage broker can create a template for a budget so clients can work out how much they could spend on mortgage repayments each month.
The broker could include a list of common expenses, to make sure clients didn’t overlook any, and even provide estimated values, to help people who don’t accurately track their spending.
2. Checklists
A checklist is a simple but powerful lead magnet. It saves potential clients time by giving them a prewritten list. For example, a real estate agent can create a checklist to help homeowners prepare for selling their homes. The checklist could include everything from contacting real estate agents and budgeting for staging costs to preparing for open homes and organising removalists.The checklist can either be presented on a letterhead that includes the real estate agent’s contact details, or the real estate could prefill their contact details on the checklist next to the line item: ‘Contact a real estate agent’.
3. Tutorials
Tutorials should share broad knowledge or teach a specific skill. They can be in the form of PDF files, video tutorials or audio recordings. They should also be short because long tutorials can be overwhelming. You could also publish interactive tutorials on your website or as an app. For example, a buyer’s agent could write a tutorial on how investors can work out whether buying a particular property is a sound investment, and freely publish it on their website. They can then post a link to an online calculator that provides the return on investment under multiple scenarios, like different interest or vacancy rates, but requires investors to log in to access the calculator.
4. Ebooks
Ebooks can provide longer or in-depth answers to frequently asked questions. For example, an accountant could write a guide for small business owners on key financial performance indicators, and include information on how to calculate them and use the information. Ebooks could include diagrams, images or other visual elements to make them more interesting and engaging. Ebooks should be written in simple language so all readers can understand the content. To help you achieve this, you could outsource writing the ebook to Hunter & Scribe. We specialise in writing about property and finance. So we can source much of the information ourselves and explain it in plain English. Finally, when promoting your ebook, you should clearly communicate the benefits a reader can expect so they’ll want to download it.
5. Free consultations
Consultations, or strategy sessions, allow you to quickly demonstrate your expertise to potential clients.
For consultations to be effective, you must be helpful and avoid hard-sells. If your focus is on helping the client, you will come across as trustworthy and the client will be encouraged to work with you.
Want a free consultation with Hunter & Scribe to chat about your content marketing needs? Contact us for an appointment.