Using Buying Guides to Generate Leads

Using Buying Guides to Generate Leads
  1. Benefits of a lead magnet
  2. What is a Lead Magnet?
  3. Elements of a successful Lead Magnet
  4. Sample Lead Magnets
  5. What you will need to implement a successful lead magnet
  6. Where you can use Lead Magnets
  7. Lead Magnet results

You have a website to help people learn more about the BENEFITS of your products and services, right?  You want your website to attract relevant traffic, initiate a call to action of some kind and ultimately to generate a lead and then a sale, right?

While there are many ways to generate leads from your website, I wanted to discuss creating “lead magnets” or “buying guides” which are designed to provide useful and relevant information connected to one of your main product or service offerings.  As the expert in your field, following the problem-solution formula is a great way to position yourself as a helpful resource.

WHAT IS A LEAD MAGNET?

Lead magnets are usually a type of content that “speaks” to the “pain point” or challenge that one of your main types of prospects is trying to solve.  The lead magnet is usually something in digital form that’s delivered by email.  Helping your prospects solve their problems is a great way to begin building trust.  The lead magnet offers a solution in exchange for a piece of contact information, usually an email address, that allows you to follow up with that prospect and then possibly convert them into a paying client or customer over time.

Creating a Buying Guide as a lead magnet is the PERFECT way to start engaging your prospect because just by calling it a “Buyer’s Guide” you’ll actually be attracting … buyers!  What better way to get people to voluntarily raise their hands and say “I’m interested in buying your stuff” then to get them to provide their contact information in exchange for your topical information?   As I always say:  “Help people make a buying decision.”

Elements of a Successful Lead Magnet

  • Addresses a specific need of one type of prospect for your business
  • Explains, clarifies or simplifies a topic that is complex (not all products or services lend themselves to the lead magnet approach)
  • Relevancy to your product or service
  • Attractive layout with eye-catching design
  • Clear and concise title with a descriptive sub-title (Myths You Must Know About Job Searches – How to position Yourself For The Job Market When Over 50)
  • Digital format which can be delivered via email (PDFs, links to videos, webpages, private Facebook Groups)
  • Well-written landing page to display the lead magnet
  • Automated email follow-up sequence
  • Marketing Budget

Keep in mind that the lead magnet will not, nor should not, try to solve multiple issues for multiple types of prospects.  Pick the most important problem you can help solve for one type of prospect and if successful, you can always create additional lead magnets.


Here are some lead magnet examples we created for various clients that may inspire you to create the right type of lead magnet for your business:

MedTile

Target:  Upscale homeowners looking for kitchen and bath renovations:

lead magnet cover for home improvement contractors website developer New Jersey


CBRG College Planning Specialists

Target:  Parents of high school students concerned about paying for college:

SEO company New Jersey


Franchise MatchMakers

Target:  People looking to buy a franchise business:


Positive Workplace Partners

Target:  One is aimed at entrepreneurs interested in personal branding while the second one is aimed at people on career transition:

SEO Company NJ


Susan Ascher

Target:  Entrepreneurs, especially solopreneurs

Search Engine Optimization NJ


What You Will Need To Implement a Successful Lead Magnet

  • Identify your buyer persona.  In other words, identify the type of prospect you are trying to reach.
  • Identify one major problem your product or service can solve for that prospect.
  • Write a detailed, relevant solution that provides answers to the buyer persona’s questions
  • Make sure the lead magnet matches up to one of the products or services you offer as the solution
  • Write 3 – 30 pages of content and turn into a PDF (3-5 pages is often enough)
  • Write a straightforward title that describes what the lead magnet is about and the problem it addresses
  • Design an attractive cover
  • Create a landing page that explains the benefits of the lead magnet and how it benefits the prospect
  • Attach the lead magnet to an email marketing program like Aweber
  • Create an automated email follow-up sequence
  • Promote the lead magnet prominently on your website and social media to encourage sign-ups.
  • BONUS TIP:  Consider creating Facebook ads to drive traffic to the lead magnet

WHERE YOU CAN USE YOUR LEAD MAGNET

Now that you have something of value to a specific type of prospect, you should offer and promote it far and wide.  You are not limited to your website to send traffic to your lead magnet.  You can funnel traffic to the lead magnet via:

  • Your email signature
  • Radio, TV or cable commercials
  • Newspaper or other print ads
  • Social media
  • YouTube videos (within the actual video and within the video description)
  • Press releases
  • Guest blog posts
  • Power Point presentations
  • SMS messaging
  • On-hold phone messages

And because you’re using a professional email marketing program to gather the opt-in emails and dispense the lead magnet, you’ll have precise stats and reports about who opted in and from where.  Very valuable intel.

LEAD MAGNET RESULTS

Just like a website, the greatest lead magnet in the world won’t generate much in the way of results without some amount of promotion.  So make sure you have a plan and ideally a budget in place to get the word out about your lead magnet and the problem it helps to solve.

The is a subtle but critical shift in your marketing mentality and way of thinking.  Instead of trying to sell and promote your services, GIVE AWAY and PROMOTE your lead magnet as a way to attract prospects to your offerings.  Lead magnets can help people make a buying decision.   From you!

PRICES:  Range from $1,250 to $1,750 (depending on who writes the lead magnet content)