By Dave Smith
Today I want to share with you some quick training to follow up on all the SEO work we've been discussing lately (see here and here).
Once you start generating more traffic to your website, you need to be able capture those visitors as leads. The way that we do that is with what's known as a "lead magnet."
You probably already know that a lead magnet is something you offer for free in exchange for someone's email address. You create this offer so that you can] build up your email list with prospective clients, and can then use email marketing tactics to turn those prospects into paying clients. Pretty straight-forward.
So what is a good lead magnet? Well, you can watch this video to answer that question, or keeping reading the video transcript below:
How to Create Fitness Lead Magnets that Actually Produce Leads [Full Text]
I've tried a LOT of lead magnets over the years, and to be honest, most of them were flops. But in that process, I've developed some killer lead magnets that convert at over 80%. Believe it or not my current one converts at about 81%. That means that out of every 100 people who see it, 81 decide to give me their email address. Pretty cool!
First, I'm going to show you why some lead magnets don't work, and then you can ask yourself, "Am I doing this too?" Let's start with the lead magnet that I put the most effort into. It's called Body Reboot 7...
Body Reboot 7 was an awesome program, complete with exercise videos, healthy eating tutorials, meal plans, shopping lists... but it didn't generate any new clients for me!
This is a 7-day program that's supposed to help people lose weight. I created this to show prospects that I can help them get some results. I wanted to prove to them that online fitness training works. I thought, "Of course they're gonna want to buy my paid for programs so they can continue working with me!"
Don't Try to Solve a Problem
This was my worst lead magnet ever. It also served as the best lesson I could ever get when it comes to building effective lead magnets...
You don't want to attempt to solve someone's problem with your lead magnet.
I know that sounds like the opposite advice from you typically hear. Aren't we supposed to offer as much value as possible to gain people's trust?
Sort of.
But here's the reason why your lead magnet shouldn't be pitched as a solution to someone's problem: When someone downloads your lead magnet, they are doing so free-of-charge. How much "skin" do they have in the game? Zero. How much incentive do they have to actually follow your lead magnet program? Very, very little.
That's why you've probably downloaded tons of ebooks, and how many of those have you actually read cover-to-cover? How many of those e-books have you actually followed through on and put into practice?
Think of the lead magnets that you've downloaded. How many of them just sit on your computer without ever getting opened? Do you end up just trashing them within a couple days because they're not useful to you?
No matter how much work you put into your lead magnet, there's a very low likelihood that they're going to commit to whatever you're trying to teach them. They're not going to follow your instructions. Then, at the end of your free program, so in my case at the end of the seven days, what message is left in people's minds?
"Dave, I've followed your program for seven days and I didn't lose any weight. Why would I want to buy a paid program from you? What you're offering doesn't work."
Now, I'm not saying that people consciously thought it was my fault that they didn't lose weight when they downloaded my program, but there certainly is a subconscious thought along those lines. They THINK they saw what I had to offer, even though they didn't try to implement it.
In the end, I went to all the work of building videos, having checklists and grocery lists, and doing all these different types of exercise programs. It was a great program. Hundreds of people signed up for it, but very few converted into paying customers.
I gave away a "solution" but people weren't committed to actually getting the results with that solution. In the end, my lead magnet was not useful and it didn't serve its purpose (i.e. generate paying customers!)
Do Motivate People to Take Action
If you're not going to solve a problem, what's the alternative?
Well, instead of creating a little program or a downloadable ebook or something like that, think about, "What can I do highlight a person's pain point?" How can you highlight the fact that they need help and motivate them to get that help from you.
What kind of a lead magnet is that?
You main goal with a lead magnet is to inspire someone to take action.
Many lead magnets focus on the "what" and the "how," but a really great lead magnet explains to prospects the "why." It answers the question, "Why should I try something new?"
I'll give you a great example. You're probably familiar with the company Leadpages. They provide landing pages for people that have small businesses or online businesses.
I once watched a webinar by Clay Collins (founder of Leadpages). He explained that their most successful lead magnet was a simple PDF that they put together in 15 minutes. The PDF explained five tools that Leadpages staff use to create beautiful looking video without buying any video equipment.
Clay explained that this was effective because it gave instant gratification. People can download that PDF, read it in 2 minutes, and instantly feel inspired to put together that video kit. Right away, they can start making better video.
Even though this lead magnet was super practical, it didn't solve people's deeper problem. Think about Leadpages, they develop a software that helps people generate leads. So, giving their website visitors the ability to create better video may be a useful step, but it doesn't solve their real problem. It doesn't show them how to convert more website traffic into leads and then paying customers.
The same is true for you. Going back to fitness...
I help women who are in menopause lose weight. My lead magnets should not advertise the steps they need to follow - that's what my paid-for programs offer. Instead, I want to say, "Here is the potential you have for losing weight. Here's what you can accomplish. You CAN do it!"
Then, once my lead magnet casts an exciting vision of their future selves, I can offer those leads an opportunity to work with me to make that vision a reality.
Can you see the difference between this type of inspirational lead magnet versus a solution-based one? Do you see why inspiration is what leads to sales while educating them does the opposite?
What Does an Inspirational Lead Magnet Look Like?
I could give you a bunch of examples of how I'm doing this, how I'm inspiring my leads, not teaching them or attempting to solve their problems, but your niche is going to be different from mine. Maybe you're serving specific athletes. How can you show them their potential? How can you get them excited to take the next step?
The same is true for anyone. Men who want to muscle-up. Women who want to run a 10km race. Seniors who want to eliminate their aches and pains. Use your lead magnet to cast an inspirational vision that gets your prospects excited, then offer your help.
You may think that I'm leaving you hanging by not giving you the answer, but that's the point. It's time for you to be creative and come up with your own lead magnet. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in our Facebook group.
