If you’re reading this because you want to understand how to create a lead magnet, I assume that you already have a blog.
A blog on your website has become extremely vital these days especially after the unprecedented advancement in content marketing. Needless to say, all kinds of businesses are considering blogging in order to boost their growth in terms of customer leads and profit.
Blogs are still popular and relevant today.
In fact, it has been seen that blogging businesses show a 126% increase in lead growth rate and companies with blogs generate 55% more website visits as compared to businesses that do not own a blog. The content you share on your blog organically creates traffic and helps you to connect with your customers. It instills a belief in them that the brand understands and accepts their needs. And when done right, it leads to leads! (pun intended)
But with everyone jumping on the content marketing bandwagon, the competition for your blog’s attention is getting more and more intense. Thus, gaining the attention of the consumers and holding it long enough to convert them into potential leads has become more challenging than ever.
What are Lead Magnets?
A lead magnet is an offer or service that is given away for the purpose of gathering personal information from prospective customers to create sales leads.
When you visit a company blog, the boxes you see which offer you trial services, newsletters, free consultation, etc are examples of lead magnets, as they are designed to collect your contact details. They are then used to advertise the company’s products through personal outreaching techniques and gradually converting leads into customers. The thing to remember about lead magnets is that the magnet needs to be relevant enough to grab consumers’ attention. So that when you provide more information, you can, in turn, ask for more details, which eventually help you in leads conversion.
How to turn your blog into a lead magnet
Creating a lead magnet from scratch can be time-consuming, so it is a wise idea to use your blog as a lead magnet as it serves two purposes in a single effort. Here are a few tips which will help you convert your blog into a lead magnet:
Title optimization
The title of your blog is seemingly a teeny tiny part of the whole thing, but most bloggers forget that it is the first thing to catch the attention of the user. If your title is not catchy, no one is going to even spend a moment further on your blog or click on it when they see it in search results.
Most ventures online start with search engine queries, so make sure you use a heading that is SEO-friendly and has a ton of impactful keywords. This improves the visibility of your content.
Create a name that establishes a sense of trust amidst your prospective users, else they are not going to catch up on your material. If you wish to create a successful business blog, make sure you do not commit a beginner’s mistake of choosing overused titles. Another trick that might help is to gate the most visited content on your blog by providing download options.
Content upgrades
63% of consumers said that they would think more positively of a brand if it gave them interesting and valuable content. A content upgrade is a very simple-to-use strategy that can result in better user engagement.
If a potential customer reads a valuable article on your site, which offers exclusive information about the product, then he or she will have a tendency to want to know more about it. In this case, if you offer them a highly specific piece of bonus content related to the matter they are currently engaging with, it helps them to take an action as well as decide whether they want the product or not.
Calls to action
Those of you who are geniuses of marketing strategies know that this is the most obvious trick on the list, but yet, a lot of businesses, while structuring their blogs, forget about it – a call to action (CTA).
In simple words, a CTA is a link between your blog and the landing page, which gives more valuable content to the users. All they have to do is leave some basic information in return of which you have to provide them with premium content.
Make sure your CTA is crisp, precise and easy-to-understand. You can keep it simple like providing more information or following the brand on social media, etc. Incentives like free samples, shout outs and similar other marketing tricks can also work very well. It has also been found that personalized CTAs perform 202% times better than basic ones. So, don’t shy away from exploring your creative side
CTAs are amazing hooks to catch serious consumers and help them convert. It’s time to stop ignoring calls!
Opt-in options
If you have impactful information to share with your prospects, enabling opt-in forms are a great solution to correctly channelize that without seeming too greedy for consumers. Pop-ups sure are unwelcomed but if you use them correctly, they can prove to be a boon for your blog.
The right pop-up strategy can considerably increase the number of opt-ins you receive. The point to note here is that you should have a delayed pop-up in accordance with the content on your site.
They are important because they give the consumers enough time to read and connect with your post, making them even more interested in the pop-up, which should definitely have some material related to that particular post.
Pop-ups are just a type of CTAs. You can align your pop-ups with the time the user spends on the site, the amount they scroll and at the time when they are bidding goodbye. It’s simple, easy to use and provides better user engagement.
Make sure you use software that gives you a variety of opt-in options. Below is an example of creating opt-in forms through the email marketing automation software ActiveCampaign, but another option is to use a WordPress or web-based tool.
Loading speed
Yes, the loading speed of your blog also has an effect on the number of people you can convert to customers.
Just as the saying goes, that time and tide wait for none, even prospects visiting your sites do not wait. It’s the age of 4G networks (and soon 5G…), so you cannot expect consumers to keep on waiting for your blog to load and then engage with it.
53% of mobile users abandon a website if it does not load within 3 seconds. It is hence very accurately advised that you must optimize all your pages, posts, landing pages, CTAs and other elements on it.
Put in lightweight graphics and visuals so that they do not take much time to load. Make sure you test your blog on all devices and browsers to avoid any rendering issues. Along with this, the placement of the right element in the right place is very important. It not just helps you with the loading speed, but also catches the eye of any user who is just scanning through the blog without actually reading.
Personalization
Is there anyone who does not love personalization? When the clothes we buy are also custom made, then who would say no to it when it comes to acquiring leads? Potential consumers love customized and personalized stuff.
74% of consumers feel frustrated when content on websites is not personalized. You can offer something special to each lead, which can be a limited time offer or giveaway in return for a sign-up.
If you’re marketing a product, you can use a personalized chat service where you interact with each customer to inquire about the problems they are facing with their products and how your products can help them.
You can even keep a track of the comments on your blog and reply or interact with consumers there to show that you are human and not just a bot behind the logo. These measures make users feel that you care for their time and choice, luring them into giving more attention to your blog and business.
Email Marketing
If there’s anyone who tells you emails are long-gone! DON’T BELIEVE THEM. It’s still one of the most effective measures to attract leads if put-to-use correctly.
While your blog is getting in viewers, close the loop by luring them into subscribing to your list and following up with them with irresistible emails! The ROI that email marketing has to offer is better than any of the other marketing techniques. Plus, it’s not so difficult. Be aware of the recent industry trends and know what your prospects like to read. Craft an email around it and press send! Of course, don’t forget to add a CTA that leads them to your website.
The Last Word
Business blogging is taking the world by storm and companies are reaching new heights in their marketing strategies due to the efforts they put in their blogs.
Most companies meet with their content marketing team on a daily basis. Brands that blog for over 4 times in a week have recorded fantastic results in their lead generation.
The 6 tricks we have listed are super simple and effective in learning how to create lead magnets from your blog posts, so make sure you incorporate them into your structure. Business blogging is the core of content marketing and if you can create a blog with all the elements perfectly, your prospective will turn into consumers very quickly!