To develop the right lead-generation strategy, you need to develop a precise blend of art and science. After all, you’re asking prospects to part with something precious to them, a little bit of their privacy, in exchange for something that’s usually intangible.
Making sure you ask in the right way and at the right time is paramount, because an enticing hook can generate hundreds of leads for your business every day. Formulating a plan can mean the difference between a robust lead campaign and a ho-hum effort with lackluster results.
To make your target market customers an offer they can’t refuse, start with these six simple rules.
Lead Magnet Rule #1: Know Your Audience
Everybody should know their customers, but to reel in new ones, you need to learn as much as possible about your prospects, too.
Start by asking your current clients about what about their wants, needs, and desires. Ask them to think back to the time before they were your client, and suggest what lead them to choose your company’s products or services.
Once you know what sets your company apart in the marketplace, you can start to hone in on the particular niche you serve, and the specific problems you can help your prospective customers solve.
Lead Magnet Rule #2: Select an Appropriate Content Vehicle
Next, you need to create content that informs and delights. Once again, your current customers will be a good starting point when deciding what medium to use. If your last whitepaper on a hot-button industry topic was well-received, and you can create another one of a similar caliber, by all means go for it.
However, if your previous content offerings have fallen short of your expectations, consider mixing up a little. You could create:
- Fun, informational videos
- Podcasts
- Print media (flyers, direct mail, etc.)
- Regular email updates
While it’s important to keep up with the times when preparing content for your audience, it’s critical to ensure you don’t miss the target completely. Pay attention to customer acquisition hotspots and be sure to maintain a presence.
Lead Magnet Rule #3 Pick a Topic that Accentuates Your Positives
All too often, when a company publishes something online or in print, the spotlight is shining in the wrong direction. Companies like to talk about themselves, but customers don’t really care about your company. They care about themselves, the frustrations they encounter when running their business, and the solutions that can help them overcome those obstacles.
Pick a problem that your company can solve, and then write a piece that entertains and informs your prospects. Give advice on how to evaluate service providers in your industry. Offer tips that help them negotiate the best prices for the products or services they need.
A lead magnet is how you create an unforgettable first impression for your potential customer. With the right lead magnet you are empowered to attract as many ideal customers as you can handle. ~ How to Create A Lead Magnet, Infusionsoft
Think of a lead magnet like an online dating profile. At this point, you’re not trying to talk them into marriage; you just want them to consider meeting you for a cup of coffee. If you get down on bended knee too early in the relationship, you’re going to make your prospect back away, very slowly.
Lead Magnet Rule #4 Spend Time Creating an Enticing Headline
We ingest news 140 characters at a time. Every tweet is a headline, and it makes you decide whether or not you want to go to the effort of clicking a link or watching a video.
Every title should stand alone as a headline, and it should never be an afterthought. Case in point, the title of this article is eight words, less than one percent of the total word count. It went through six revisions and took 10% of the total time spent writing this piece.
Wondering if it was worth the effort? Well, it brought you here, for starters…
Lead Magnet Rule #5 Create an (Almost) Perfect Piece of Content
The most engaging content is that which is useful, but it also has to be short, crisp, and clear. Your 20-page magnum opus on the state of your industry might be exquisite, but nobody is going to read it during what’s supposed to be a quick information exchange.
There are three questions you must answer before you hit publish:
- What problem am I solving for my prospects?
- How is my company qualified to address this problem?
- What benefit does the customer receive when they provide their contact information in exchange for a piece of my company’s wisdom?
You’ll note we said an “almost” perfect piece of content. Of course anything you publish, in print or online, should be accurate and error-free. But if you find yourself at Version #10 of a white paper, it’s time to acknowledge that good enough is good enough. Consider these words of wisdom when your fear of doing something wrong keeps you doing anything at all:
“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure.” – Thomas J. Watson
Lead Magnet Rule #6 Review, Revise, and Refine
No lead generation program is effective until there are measurable results to back it up. Track the total number of sign-ups, where they came from, the cost of each lead, and how many of them became customers. Test different mediums, different sharing platforms, and even different times of day for distribution. Armed with this data, you can continuously tailor your lead generation strategy to your customers and prospects.
Perfect the Art and Science of Lead Generation
Through understanding your audience, developing and sharing content that solves their problems and explains why your company is the best choice to solve those problems, you gain trust. With that trust, you can grow your business by perfecting the art and the science of lead generation.
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