Buyers are savvy, and they don\u2019t want to dole out their contact information without getting something tangible in return, even if they like your brand and your content.<\/p>\n
In short: you\u2019re not as irresistible as you think.<\/p>\n
But your lead magnets? They can be.<\/p>\n
Quick Takeaways:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Lead magnets are free content you give your website visitors in exchange for their contact information.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n In a nutshell, whenever a prospect lands on your website, your end-goal is to drive profitable action. But visitors are <\/span>seldom ready to make purchase decisions right away<\/span>. That\u2019s where lead magnets come in. <\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n B2B lead magnets are high-value assets offered by companies in exchange for a potential buyer\u2019s contact information. They\u2019re typically used during to capture customers early on in their journey, when buyers are researching their problem and checking out potential solutions. <\/span>Lead magnets offer your visitors something in addition to your regular website content. When used effectively, they can increase opt-in rates by 85%<\/a>.<\/p>\n When you use lead magnets, you grant them access to gated content, and in return, they fill out a signup form on your site. And voila! You just got them to join your email list, which can make it a whole lot easier for you to engage with and convert them into future buyers through email marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n Think of lead magnets as a reward for opening a dialogue and engaging with your brand.<\/span><\/p>\n But it\u2019s not as easy as offering extra blog content or more details on your product. In order to drive conversions, lead magnets have to offer real value to potential buyers and ideally help them accomplish something meaningful so they see the benefit of working with your company.<\/p>\n You\u2019d do well to create and use lead magnets if you are<\/span><\/p>\n The vast majority of first-time visitors aren\u2019t ready to buy. Rather, they\u2019re more likely just looking around as they shop for options. Maybe they\u2019re doing some product research. Maybe they\u2019re just interested in an educational infographic you published.<\/span><\/p>\n But you can\u2019t give up just yet and let your prospect slip away. The simple act of browsing your site is a promising indication that sooner or later, they might become a customer. <\/span><\/p>\n While they\u2019re at this stage of the buying process, you can take the opportunity to offer free content. It\u2019s a good way to connect with your leads, especially when you\u2019re able to give them something valuable and relevant in a <\/span>content format<\/span><\/a> that appeals to them.<\/span><\/p>\n Your free offer can also help you build a sense of confidence, trust, and authority amongst your sales prospects. It\u2019s a gesture that reflects serious efforts from your end to provide \u201creal\u201d value.<\/span><\/p>\n Lead magnets are particularly useful for your content marketing team if your focus is on the quality of leads and not quantity. Gated content is not available for everyone, but anyone who wants it enough will be willing to share their personal information with you. (This includes their name, email address, occupation, company, annual revenue, and anything else that helps your sales team personalize and improve their communications).<\/span><\/p>\n By getting these details, you can paint a better picture of these prospects, and in the future, you can also take advantage of qualitative information to craft better lead magnets that are more attractive to your target audience segment.<\/span><\/p>\n Gating your content might lead to a reduction in traffic and page views, but you can pretty much guarantee that the users who do end up viewing your content will be <\/span>better in terms of quality and relevance<\/span><\/a> to your product offering.<\/span><\/p>\n Now that we know the traits of an irresistible lead magnet, let\u2019s talk about some of the most popular types of lead magnets for B2B marketers specifically.<\/p>\n Unlike in the B2C world, B2B lead magnets are not about instant gratification. This is because B2B buyers aren\u2019t about instant gratification \u2014 they\u2019re looking for a solution that will require a serious investment from their company, and they\u2019re willing to put in the time to learn how your product can be valuable to them.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t shy away from high-level language or lots of detail. B2B buyers are looking for expertise, and your lead magnet should show them that you have it.<\/p>\n Here are some of the most popular types of lead magnets used by B2B marketers.<\/p>\n Checklists and guides get people motivated and help them feel organized. They can also take a complex problem or solution and make it more manageable.<\/p>\n Checklists can help your potential buyer feel like they have a better understanding of both their problem and the solution you can provide. Here\u2019s a good B2B example from AutoGrow:<\/p>\n For digital users with <\/span>short attention spans<\/span>, sometimes it\u2019s worth considering <\/span>interactive content<\/span> that forces users to engage. Enter the quiz lead magnet, where you provide some form of assessment or test and interpret the result of their answers at the end.<\/span><\/p>\n For example, young parents might want to take a quiz to know if their parenting style might be too restrictive or too liberal for their children. Since it\u2019s natural for parents to want to know whether they\u2019re raising their kids right, it\u2019s almost a guarantee that they\u2019ll be inputting their email address to get a copy of the test results.<\/span><\/p>\n E-books and whitepapers can both be used to demonstrate your industry expertise. Both are educational; the main difference between them is the expertise level of the potential buyer.<\/p>\n E-books are written for non-experts and include introductory, educational content. Whitepapers are more academic and provide an in-depth analysis of a very specific topic. E-books are more approachable in general, but whitepapers are often better for highly regulated or technical industries. People love eBooks because they\u2019re easy to download, save, and read, especially those in PDF format. <\/span><\/p>\n Your eBook could be something as simple as a PDF version of a blog post so users can download it for offline reference at a later point. Online users don\u2019t always have the time to read long-form articles, so offering a \u201ctakeaway\u201d version can sometimes be enough to compel prospects to sign up.<\/span><\/p>\n On the other hand, you can also create a comprehensive whitepaper that\u2019s related to a particular blog post but offers more detailed actionable tips. You can then use it as a <\/span>content upgrade<\/span> so users can choose to sign up if they\u2019re interested in the blog post and want to learn more about the topic.<\/span><\/p>\n Here are two examples that show the depth differential between e-books and white papers.<\/p>\n Everybody loves cheat sheets because they save people a lot of time by cutting to the chase. They work similarly to a checklist, only cheat sheets have a more <\/span>actionable nature<\/span><\/a> to them. <\/span><\/p>\n Cheat sheets are especially useful if you\u2019re sharing tips that help readers understand complex tasks for the first time. A good example of this type of content might be \u201cA Handy Cheat Sheet for Beginning Ad Writers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n When developing a cheat sheet, always remember to keep things brief and concise. It\u2019s not about telling a story; it\u2019s about getting straight to the value of your content.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re trying to drive sales on your ecommerce store, free coupons can be highly-effective lead magnets. By offering discounts, you\u2019re creating a <\/span>sense of exclusivity<\/span><\/a>, giving prospects more incentive to make purchase decisions. Further, instill a sense of urgency by making your discount offer limited. This usually creates enough \u201cfear of loss\u201d to drive initial purchases. <\/span><\/p>\n Airlines, travel agencies, fashion stores, food and beverage companies, and other retail businesses are more likely to offer free coupons because of the high price sensitivity of their markets.<\/span><\/p>\n A free trial is a very logical offer for your sales leads. By signing up for a free trial to, say, a SaaS tool, your leads can <\/span>see how your product works<\/span><\/a> first hand and determine if it\u2019s something that can be integrated into their operations. <\/span><\/p>\n These factors are helpful as your potential customers decide to continue with the purchase down the road. You should also design your free trial lead magnet with an email workflow that follows-up when leads don\u2019t convert into buyers after the trial period expires.<\/span><\/p>\n Video content is always a winner \u2014 it consistently beats out all other types of visual content when rated by consumers. Video is great for B2B marketing because it can be educational without being boring.<\/p>\n Two of the most effective strategies for using video lead magnets are product demos, which allow potential buyers to see your product in action, or webinars, which demonstrate thought leadership and connect buyers to real people at your company.<\/p>\n Webinars are usually highly anticipated and well received because prospects want to learn from the experts. Their interactive nature and opportunity for learning make them <\/span>highly sought after<\/span> and are often the highest-converting lead magnet formats.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the most important things to keep in mind with webinars is to engage and interact with your audience. Remember, you\u2019re doing this for them, not your brand. Relevant interactions create even more value for your audience, so the more you\u2019re able to engage, the more likely your webinar will be a success.<\/span><\/p>\n To further enhance your webinar\u2019s magnetism, offer it live as well as via a pre-recorded video so your prospects can view it at their own convenience. Not everyone operates in the same time zones and working hours.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s an example from Kapost that includes a strong value proposition (learning from world-class marketers) and a clear description of what you\u2019ll get from the content (webinar highlights).<\/p>\n Lead magnets should have higher value than the regular content you offer on your website. This doesn\u2019t mean your web content isn\u2019t high-value, too. It just means that your lead magnets offer something more.<\/p>\n Think of it like this: if you were a potential client reading your content, what would you want next?<\/p>\n If your website offers an overview of your product, your lead magnet could offer a full product demo video. If one of your blog posts gives tips for creating an effective marketing plan, your lead magnet could be a downloadable marketing plan template.<\/p>\n Lead magnets offer value by both enhancing the public content you publish on your website and giving your client something applicable to their job and company \u2014 ideally, something that helps solve the original problem that led them to you in the first place.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s go back to one of our original points: buyers are savvy, and they don\u2019t want to give companies their contact information unless they\u2019re getting something tangible in return.<\/p>\n Vague suggestions of \u201cmore details\u201d or \u201cfrequent updates\u201d or \u201clearning more\u201d won\u2019t get it done for B2B buyers who are trying to accomplish important goals for their companies.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re using lead magnets, be specific about what they offer. Give your potential buyers details about what they\u2019ll be receiving, both in terms of content and value.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t make potential buyers jump through hoops to access your lead magnet content. Deliver what you promise and do it quickly \u2014 after all, this is their first impression of what it will be like to work directly with your company.<\/p>\n It\u2019s great if you can offer an instant download link after buyers share their contact information so that they don\u2019t even have to leave the webpage to get access.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re emailing the content, give clear information about the delivery time and make it as quick as possible. Instant email delivery (or within a few minutes) is best so you don\u2019t give your potential buyer time to lose interest or move on to researching other options.<\/p>\n We talked about making your lead magnet content applicable to your potential buyers, meaning they\u2019ll learn something they can actually use. Even better is to make your lead magnets actionable, meaning they help your buyer do something that improves their lives and adds value for their company.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s revisit our two previously mentioned lead magnet examples: the product demo and the marketing plan template.<\/p>\n The marketing plan template is the more actionable of the two here; it gives potential buyers the ability to take what they\u2019ve learned from your content and apply it to a plan they can actually implement at their company. At the same time, they get to know the kinds of strategies and tools your company provides.<\/p>\n The product demo is more informational. It\u2019s going to add value because buyers can see how your product works and understand how they\u2019ll use it, but there\u2019s no real action on the part of the buyer.<\/p>\n In this case, you\u2019d want to think about how to enhance your product demo lead magnet so it\u2019s both informational and actionable. One way might be to end the demo with an opportunity for clients to try out your product through a free trial. If free trials aren\u2019t possible with your product, you could include a clear call to action for buyers to schedule a free consultation.<\/p>\n In the end, making your lead magnets actionable means increasing your potential buyer\u2019s time investment in your company.<\/p>\n Research says that when you give your subscribers a good idea of the kind of content they\u2019re signing up for, the opt-in rate can rise by <\/span>almost 85%<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n Here are the stats: <\/span><\/p>\n You probably won\u2019t want to gate all the content on your website because that will likely have a negative effect on traffic. It\u2019s always a good idea to build up a healthy balance of gated and ungated content, so you\u2019re still making the most of <\/span>content marketing for SEO<\/span><\/a> while saving your best content for those that really want it.<\/span><\/p>\n The best lead magnets provide something valuable, specific, accessible, and actionable \u2014 but they should still leave potential buyers wanting more. In other words, when they finish interacting with your lead magnet content, they should still feel like they need your company to solve their problem.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s apply this idea to our product demo and marketing plan examples. This time, it\u2019s the product demo that does the job naturally. After watching the video, your potential buyer knows how your product is valuable, but they can\u2019t do anything about it without actually buying the product (or scheduling that free consultation).<\/p>\n The marketing plan template is a different story. In this case, you might want to think about how you can thread your product into the template to emphasize its necessity.<\/p>\n For instance, if you\u2019re selling an email marketing system, you\u2019d want to be sure there are clear steps in that marketing plan template for launching an email campaign. This way, your potential buyer can make their plan, but they can\u2019t implement it without your product.<\/p>\n Check out this great 3-step tutorial for a deeper dive into building lead magnets that will leave potential buyers wanting more from your company.<\/p>\n\n
What Are Lead Magnets?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Who Needs Lead Magnets?<\/b><\/h2>\n
trying to initiate interaction with leads and prospects<\/h4>\n
looking to generate more qualified leads<\/h4>\n
Lead Magnet Examples for B2B Marketers<\/strong><\/h2>\n
PDF Checklists<\/h4>\n
![\"Checklist](\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Autogrow-Checklist-260x300.png\")
<\/p>\nQuizzes<\/h4>\n
E-Books and Whitepapers<\/h4>\n
![\"E-book](\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/E-Book-300x185.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"White](\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/White-Paper-2-300x188.png\")
<\/p>\nCheat Sheets<\/h4>\n
Coupons<\/h4>\n
Free Trials<\/h4>\n
Demo Videos or Webinars<\/h4>\n
![\"Webinar](\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Webinar-Lead-Magnet-300x129.png\")
<\/p>\nTraits of an Irresistible Lead Magnet<\/strong><\/h2>\n
High Value<\/h4>\n
Specific<\/h4>\n
\n
Accessible<\/h4>\n
Actionable<\/h4>\n
Use Your Lead Magnets Wisely<\/b><\/h2>\n
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