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A Business Guide to Capturing Leads
Prospective customers visit your website every day. You spent plenty of time and money getting them there through web development, design, advertising, social media, search engine optimisation, and outreach efforts. The leads you worked so hard to attract are now clicking around your website, thinking about whether to become your company's customer.
And then, many of them vanish without a trace. If those website visitors don't turn into buyers, you may never know who they are, how to contact them, and what you could have done to follow up and earn their business. That's why attracting and capturing leads is essential—ideally, using a lead magnet. A lead magnet is an offer compelling enough that a prospect would provide her contact information to receive it. It could be a piece of content (like this e-book—a lead magnet about, yes, lead magnets). Or it could be a free trial, a discount, an entry to a contest, or any other offer that your prospective customers would find valuable.
Lead magnets are a win-win for your company and your prospective customers. A lead magnet assists prospects with the problem that brought them to your business, whether it's a tutorial video that helps them develop a skill, a quiz that helps them determine what to buy, or a sample of a product they want to experience before purchasing.
In return, your company will receive a prized possession: access to the email inbox.
The real value of the lead magnet is in the follow-up, just as it is in networking. Getting contact information allows you to start a conversation that can turn a stranger into a customer and a fan of your business. It's great to meet people at an event, but the relationship can only continue if you get their business cards and then call or email them.
But if you emailed the lead magnet to each prospect individually and later followed up with them one by one, those tasks could start to consume your day. That's why lead magnets are used most effectively and efficiently when paired with marketing automation software.
A tool like HubSpot, which combines marketing automation with customer relationship management (CRM), allows you to deliver and follow up on lead magnets without thinking about it. When a prospect completes a form on your website requesting the lead magnet, the software automatically sends the asset via email while storing the information on the prospect's CRM contact record for future reference.
The software can then send automated emails in which "you" ask prospects for their thoughts and questions in the following days. Meanwhile, the software tracks her behaviour, recording which emails she opens and links she clicks— allowing you to evaluate her interest and determine your next move.
Any small business can use a lead magnet to capture leads, especially with the added help of automation. In this email series, we'll explore how to choose a lead magnet offer, share twenty ideas for lead magnets, and explain how automation can help you convert those new leads into customers.
Webinar
If only you could give a real-time presentation to customers outside your local area or even on the other side of the world. With a webinar, you can. Webinars effectively share a tutorial, presentation, or interview with an expert— valuable content worth trading for an email address. After learning about you and your company through a webinar, prospects may be more ready and inclined to buy—especially when you send follow-up content.
How to create it:
Use a platform like Goto Meeting or GoToWebinar to host a webinar with audio and screen-sharing.
Course/content series
If the information you want to share in your lead magnet would require thousands of words or hours of video, consider organising the content into a course or series that’s easier and less overwhelming for your prospect to consume. Using automation software, you can automatically email content in instalments over days or weeks. Each instalment can cover a different topic or become increasingly advanced.
Discount
But beware: Some consumers might immediately cash in on the discount—only to unsubscribe from the email it arrived, never to be heard from again. It’s the bribe that works on practically everyone: an email address in exchange for a promo code. In that email containing the discount, explain what your future emails will entail (like exclusive offers or helpful tips) so that customers understand the value of staying on your list.
How to create it:
Using an e-commerce platform like Odoo, create a promo code for a discount applied to a specific product or any product.
Free sample
Think of the ice cream shop employee standing on the pavement with a tray of free samples. Some people will grab one and continue down the street, but others will be drawn inside for more. Free samples can become sales, mainly when you collect customers’ email addresses and follow up with an enticing offer when you know the sample is spent.
Contest entry
Host a giveaway, entering those who provide an email address. You make the rules, so you might as well ask for more social media followers or demographic information that informs your future marketing efforts. If you can’t afford to give a discount or freebie to everyone, give it to one lucky winner. While some entrants will bail once they don’t win, others will decide the giveaway offer is worth paying for.
How to create it:
If you don’t want to draw a winner manually, a tool like Rafflecopter or Woobox can host your contest and collect entries through social media actions and entry forms.
Free Consultation
For service-based businesses, the relationship with a new customer might begin with a little free advice. An accountant might offer a free consultation, a personal trainer can provide a free one-on-one session, and a digital marketing firm could perform a free website audit. In each case, the prospect learns something from the company—but he’ll have to become a paying customer to make lasting improvements.
Free event
Some products and services are best sold in person. Invite potential customers to sign up for a free event, like a class, seminar, or open house. If your business doesn’t naturally lend itself to related events, host a social outing like a happy hour or dinner where you can start getting to know your prospects.
Free trial
The best way to experience something new is to try it. Give prospective customers a shot, whether you’re a gym offering a free class or a subscription service offering the first month free. Consider following up at the end of the trial with a time-sensitive offer that encourages the prospect to commit to more.
Demo
If prospective customers need to see a demonstration to understand the potential of your products or services, ask for an email address before you show them how it’s done in a screen-sharing call, video, or interactive experience.
Gated information
You likely have information all customers need to see before they buy, like pricing or a schedule. Rather than display it on your website for all to see, consider “gating” it so prospects can enter an email address to access the information. This move might discourage casual browsers from becoming buyers, but that's not necessarily bad if you’re looking to weed out unqualified prospects.
Work samples
In some businesses, prospects want to see your previous work before deciding whether to become clients. Create a collection of your best stuff—whether it involves photos, presentations, or content—combined with testimonials from former clients, and make it available for download in exchange for an email address.
Printed materials
Got a book, brochure, catalogue, or other printed item best experienced offline? Ask for email addresses in addition to mailing addresses, then follow up via email to see what thoughts and questions your prospects have after receiving the materials.
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