The point of a lead magnet is to get people to opt into your email list, so you can sell your products and services. But it’s not enough to throw any old lead magnet out there. You need to prove to your potential customers that your products and services will work for them, specifically.
The question becomes, how to create a lead magnet that shows you know what you’re talking about, and that your products and services will solve their problem?
Fortunately, it’s a lot simpler than you think.
Start With Your Ideal Customer’s Problem
You should know who your ideal customer is and what problem they are trying to solve. If you don’t, please read this blog post about researching your target audience.
You should also understand how your product or services solves the problem your ideal customer has. If not, please read this blog post about crafting your marketing message.
(Candidly, they’re both good posts and you should read them for reference, even if you read them when they were originally published.)
When you understand the problem your ideal customer has, you’ll do a much better job of creating a lead magnet that appeals to people who have that problem.
Yes, that sounds very basic, but there’s more to it.
You want to know the underlying problem your ideal customer faces, not just the immediate or “surface level” problem. You need to truly understand your customer. That involves more research and a certain amount of delving into your ideal customer’s psyche.
Once you have this information, it’s time to look at your product or service.
How Does Your Product or Service Solve Your Ideal Customer’s Problem?
Ideally, this is something you already know from your research.
Once you understand your ideal customer’s problem, you should be able to see how your product or service solves that problem, at least on the surface level.
I want you to go deeper, so you can identify their underlying problem. That is what typically drives them to purchase.
It’s not enough for your product or service to solve that surface level problem. When you can get to the root of the underlying problem, your message can truly resonate with the pain point your ideal customer is feeling.
This is what draws them in, as they’re searching the internet, late at night, in their pajamas, staring at their computer screen, trying desperately to find the solution that will fulfill their need and bring this underlying pain point to an end.
Yes, this sounds overdramatic but for a lot of people, this is what it feels like when they’re trying to find a solution in a sea of products or services that just don’t feel “quite right.”
When you can “speak their language” they’ll choose you over your competition.
How to Create a Lead Magnet That Truly Resonates with Your Ideal Customer.
You know your ideal customer. You know their surface level and underlying problems. You even know how your product or service solves those problems.
Now, you need to transform that into an irresistible lead magnet.
I’ll show you how to do this in 3 easy steps.
1. Look at the Solution You Offer and Find a Piece That Gives a Quick Win
Your solution should have a few steps or a few aspects that you can promote to your ideal customer.
Select one of these that is easy for them to act on and get a “quick win” meaning, when they take action, they will see clear and satisfying results.
It’s fine if they need to put some effort into whatever you ask them to do, but it needs to be simple and show results as fast as possible.
2. Separate This Piece from Your Overall Product or Service
This is what you will make into your lead magnet. It needs to stand on its own, even though it’s not a complete solution. Don’t worry, this is intentional.
3. Create a Downloadable File That Walks Your Ideal Customer Through Getting Their Quick Win
This can be a PDF, a document, a spreadsheet, whatever it is you need to deliver this “quick win” to your ideal customer.
If you make this available via Google Drive, make sure you set the link to “Anyone with the link can view,” so you’re not inundated with requests for access.
This is the “slice of bread” theory that my friend Chris Davis of Automation Bridge came up with years ago. The idea being, when you offer someone a sample of your product or service, or your best “slice of bread,” they’ll want to buy the whole loaf.
Setting your ideal customer up to buy the whole loaf is what comes next.
Show Your Ideal Customer Their Ultimate Dream
Your ideal customer has just seen proof that you can deliver a solution to a small piece of their problem.
Now, you need to show them their ultimate dream.
Your follow-up emails and sales page should paint a picture of what their life will look like once they’ve solved their entire problem, because they bought your product or service and found equal, if not even more success.
Don’t lie. Don’t fabricate results.
Do use testimonials from other customers in similar situations showing their success.
If you don’t have testimonials yet, lay out a clear path from where they are now, with their “quick win” to where they could be with their full problem solved.
Demonstrate that this small success is just the start and they’ll see even more success, once they go all in.
Some will buy right away; others will take some persuading. Perhaps they’re not ready to buy yet. Or maybe they need to see more evidence.
That’s what your long-term email nurture sequence is for.
Ready to Build a High-Converting Lead Magnet and Lead Generation Funnel of Your Own?
Now that you know how to create a lead magnet that shows you can solve your ideal customer’s problem, it’s time to make that happen.
Next week, I release my newly updated list-building course, Email List Building Made SIMPLE!
This course walks you through the entire process of building a lead generation funnel, from conducting that all-important audience research, to creating that irresistible lead magnet, to writing the beginning of your long-term email nurture sequence.
Click on the button below to join the waitlist for the course, so you’re the first to find out as soon as it’s ready. Plus, you’ll get something special for letting me know you’re interested in advance.