In online marketing in the B2B world, the goal of the marketing team is not to sell goods or services directly - that's the job of the sales or distribution department - but to generate new leads. But how do you find people on the internet who are interested in a certain offer?
Of course, you can attract your target group to your website or blog post through appropriate targeting and expensive ads - but the basis for successfully generating new leads is the content of the website, which must be adapted for a specific target group in order to offer the recipient added value
In order to be able to record a website visitor as a lead in a database, they must be able to de-anonymise themselves on your website. With regard to the customer journey, we speak here of the so-called convert phase
Here, the visitor, who was previously unknown to us, is given the chance to register in order to be officially stored in a database with his consent and to receive the lead status.
Unfortunately, hardly any visitor to your website will make the effort to enter their personal data into a form without expecting some kind of return. In order for the potential lead to feel a value for his registration - and by that we mean more than a few product news after the newsletter registration - it is recommended to create a corresponding Lead Magnet, which offers the potential lead a real added value. The Lead Magnet is relevant content that is provided to the user free of charge in exchange for their personal information.
Lead Magnets come in all colors and shapes, making them customizable. There are various types of Lead Magnets, from white papers to online podcasts and templates, everything is possible. The focus is always on a corresponding added value for the potential lead.
Now the key question is: How do you create a top lead magnet?
1. Identify and attract desired customers
Before a Lead Magnet can be created, it must be defined who the desired customer is that you want to attract with the Lead Magnet. So-called buyer personas reflect the typical customer who represents an entire target group. Basic details about demographics, working title, possible interests, problems and so on must be clarified in advance in order to create tailored content for this persona
Put yourself in the shoes of the buyer persona - What problems or issues does this persona have? What is she struggling with?
2. Create content with added value
As we all know, the internet is overflowing with content. Therefore, it is even more important to define captivating and meaningful titles for the articles as well as the title of the lead magnet. Otherwise, there is a risk that even the best lead magnet will be overlooked
The problems and questions of the persona, which have been defined in the first step, should be solved by a product or service of your company. So you define which of the products will solve the problems or answer the questions and present this to the persona as a solution
If your company has the right know-how and valuable expertise, then you should share your knowledge. Use opportunity to position yourself as an expert in your field. With checklists, best practice examples and other content, you can demonstrate your knowledge and show that you know what you're talking about - after all, you're offering your personas the solution to their problem.
A lead magnet doesn't have to be the length of a novel to be good. It's all about the added value for the recipient and this is where the motto applies
Quality instead of quantity
If the solution can be presented plain and simple, then please do so. Long beating around the bush does not bring much except boredom and lost interest
A Lead Magnet should be placed in the right place. So if an article on tomato plantations includes a Lead Magnet on cocoa beans, it is most likely irrelevant. In the same place, a Lead Magnet with best practice examples from tomato farming would provide much more relevance and value
3. Professional Texts
Not every company has the skills and resources internally to create appropriate content - but that shouldn't stop them from using lead magnets to generate leads. Meanwhile, content creation agencies are familiar with creating lead magnets. So you can define the topic, the problem and the solution in advance and conveniently outsource the content creation job
If only the text of the lead magnet requires external expertise, freelance writers are also a suitable solution. With a well-structured copywriting brief, high-quality content can be created
Of course, a Lead Magnet can also be created by the company itself. If the necessary internal marketing and PR skills are available, you should use them
4. Professional design
Not for nothing it is said:
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Analogous to choosing a good title for an article or the lead magnet, you should also give enough thought to a suitable imagery in terms of semiotics. The image should be related to the content and leave a positive impression on the viewer. Text in the image should be avoided, as the images are displayed differently on different platforms and devices
If Lead Magnets are created in-house, the following design programs and templates can be used with little prior knowledge and as freeware to create professional looking Lead Magnets.
5. Grant access
Once a Lead Magnet is created, access to it should be made as easy as possible. In other words, Lead Magnets should not only be created and published online, but also actively distributed on various channels. Some ideas to implement this are:
-
Distribute through
-
Blog articles that include a Lead Magnet
-
Email / Newsletter with reference to blog article which includes a lead magnet
-
Social media post referencing blog article that includes a lead magnet
As mentioned earlier, accessing a Lead Magnet should be made as simple as possible. Thus, the form that the interested user has to fill out in order to get the content from the Lead Magnet is the last important point in the procedure. Here, attention should be paid to the following:
-
Simple download forms
Attention: Even though it may seem tempting, don't ask for too much information from your readers and potential customers. Because every additional line in the form means effort for your audience and will scare them away. Better ask yourself twice which information you will really use in the further customer journey
Conclusion
Lead Magnets are increasingly being added to blogs and articles as an attractive conversion element. Companies can have Lead Magnets created internally or externally. In either case, you need to address key issues such as defining the buyer persona and solving pain points.
To create a Lead Magnet that actually generates leads, pretty design is not enough. The focus needs to be on the added value of the content and be accessible to the potential lead without much effort. Once a lead magnet has been created and published, it requires appropriate distribution in the digital world to generate traffic and ultimately turn unknown users into leads
