In my last post, as we continue our exploration of The Consulting Business Blueprint, we talked about how valuable it is to have an in-house email list for your educational consulting business.
We talked about all of the benefits of having such a list and how it’s one of the most valuable assets you can have in your business.
But building a list of engaged fans for your business is harder than it used to be.
Once upon a time (5-10 years ago), you could simply write a regular (weekly to monthly) newsletter and put a form on your website saying, “Sign up for my free newsletter” and some people would actually subscribe.
But that was then. This is now.
And NOW, people are a lot more skeptical. They’re bombarded with email offers, with every Tom, Dick, and Harriet trying to get them to join their lists.
NOW nobody wants your stinkin’ free newsletter.
And that’s because many of these people have been burned.
They signed up for something and it wasn’t like it was advertised. Or it was a complete waste of time. Or the list owner scammed them, or spammed them, or tried to trick them into buying something they didn’t need.
So nowadays, people are very reluctant to hand over their valuable contact information. And I can’t blame them.
But what if you could create something that they would find valuable–so valuable, in fact, that they would gladly trade their email address to get it?
That valuable thing is called a “lead magnet” because it magnetically attracts people onto your in-house list.
So, What Makes a Good Lead Magnet?
Good question! Here are the basics…
Most important, a good lead magnet solves a burning problem and gives your opt-ins a quick win.
Let’s break that down a bit.
First of all, a good lead magnet solves a burning problem.
How do you know what your Ideal Clients consider a burning problem? The answer to that question comes from the research into your audience that you did as you created your Ideal Client Avatar during your Positioning work.
If you did that work as we discussed, you should already have a list of problems that your Ideal Clients are dealing with and that they need solved ASAP.
So, take a look at that list of problems and identify one (and only one) to which you can offer a quick-win solution.
The “quick win” aspect of this is crucial.
Some of their problems might be solvable, but the solution you offer to those problems takes a while for them to achieve the benefits. This would include cases where they need to build their knowledge of a topic or develop certain skills–and knowledge building and skill development takes time.
So, for you lead magnet, don’t address those problems that have longer-term solutions.
Instead, pick a problem to which you can give them a solution quickly by providing some information, a problem/solution framework, a tool, etc. That becomes your lead magnet.
What Should Your Lead Magnet Look Like?
The good news is that there are lead magnets of many types.
Here’s just a partial list off the top of my head:
- A PDF
- A video
- An email series
- A short online course
- A checklist
- A flowchart
- A step-by-step process
- An ebook
- A self-assessment
- A survey
- A webinar
- A set of templates
I could keep going, but I think you get the point.
A lead magnet can be just about anything that your Ideal Clients would deem valuable and helps them with their problem.
So don’t get hung up on the format. If the information is actionable for your Ideal Client, they probably don’t care what format it comes in.
Another point that will probably make you feel better…
Your Lead Magnet Doesn’t Have to be Long
In fact, in many cases, shorter is better.
That’s because people want to be able to consume the lead magnet and get the answer to their problem as quickly as possible. Remember, they have a burning problem, and if you’re on fire, you want to put that fire out as quickly as you can.
So, don’t stress about creating some mega-lead magnet. It should be as long as it needs to be to present the solution to your Ideal Client’s problem, and no longer.
Use Your Lead Magnet to Prime Your New Opt-In for the Next Sale
Finally–and this is important–it should set up the next thing you have to offer your Ideal Client.
Think about it this way…
Your Ideal Client has this current burning problem. And your lead magnet is going to give them the solution to that problem.
Now, ask yourself, “Once they solve their current problem, what’s the next problem they’re going to want to solve?”
And there’s always a “next problem.”
By signing up for your lead magnet, they’re going to land on your list.
So, after you give them a few days to consume your lead magnet, be ready to offer them the next thing inside your email welcome sequence.
And welcome sequences are the topic of my next post, so I look forward to seeing you again next week.
Till then…
To Your Success,
Willy
P.S.–Hopefully, at this point you understand the value of having an attractive lead magnet to draw people into your world via your email list.
But I realize that not everyone is jazzed about creating a lead magnet for their business.
That’s why lead magnets are one of the most popular ghostwriting services I offer to educational consultants.
I’ve written many of these for consultants over the years.
Basically, we look at your current business assets, discuss the challenges your Ideal Clients are facing, and come up with a lead magnet idea.
I then take that idea and turn it into a lead magnet that you can then use on your website to attract people to your list.
So, if you really, really want a lead magnet for your business, but you really, really don’t want to have to create it yourself…
Just click here to schedule a call to learn how I can do it for you.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Willy
