Imagine the last time you clicked on an ad for a lead magnet (the freebies that you download such as e-books or guides) and found that you were required to enter in your email to get it. Sometimes, you think “nah, not worth it” and close the web browser. Other times, you are so impressed and excited to get the content that you give them your email in exchange.
We’ve used this strategy for clients time and time again and witnessed excellent results. You can grow your email list from scratch using this method.
But what is the differentiating factor between saying ‘yes please!’ vs. clicking away? People don’t want more emails. People want something in exchange for getting on your email list. They are looking for value, and they need to trust that you will give them value. And there are some psychology-based tactics you can use to help people trust you.
So let’s dive into the psychology behind why this works and how to get them to react the right way. What drives people to opt-in to your email list, and how do you provide enough value for them to engage with your brand?
There are a few things you’ll need to set up to create the right impression. Follow this list to make sure you have the proper digital infrastructure in place before you begin. If you already have these things, scroll down.
- A nice-looking website. Make sure your website looks professional and represents your brand’s visual identity. An unprofessional website can make this strategy far less effective. Your website also needs to have the ability to integrate with your email marketing software.
- An email marketing subscription. If you don’t already have a subscription for email marketing software, set that up. Constant Contact, MailerLite, and MailChimp are good email marketing tools. There are also higher-priced subscriptions with more bells and whistles, like HubSpot.
- A professional business email address. Make sure you have an email address that contains your domain name @yourwebsite.com. You can get your own domain-associated email addresses through Google Suite for around $8 – $12/month for each user. Don’t go with an email address @gmail.com or @hotmail.com. Most inboxes see those types of email addresses as spam if they are used in a mass-emailing sort of way.
Now that you have the basics in place, here are a few important psychological tactics to help viewers engage with your brand. Get more potential ROI from your lead magnet by…
Selecting the right topic:
Think about what your clients might want to learn from you. What can you uniquely teach them that others cannot? How are you able to be a thought leader? The more interesting the topic is to them—the more irresistible—the more your email list will grow. They will also be more like to open future emails because you already delivered a lot of value.
Your lead magnet should take a lot more time to create than a simple blog. It should be something not readily available on Google (or at least, you should be able to market it as more exclusive).
Pieces that directly draw from your expertise are perfect; a tiny glimpse into what your paid services are. Find a tiny aspect of your knowledge that you can give away for free.
Checklists and step-by-step guides can work very well. Here are 42 lead magnet ideas from Content Bistro to get the ideas flowing.
Portraying your value:
What is the goal behind your lead magnet? What knowledge will they have that they didn’t before after reading it? Write a list of 3+ key takeaways and put that list on your landing page so they can easily see it. You can portray it in short paragraphs or in bullets.
Building trust:
There are tons of ways to build trust. A few easy ways to build trust on your landing page for your lead generator include:
- Include reviews. On your page, include 2+ customer reviews for your lead magnet that specifically explain why they liked it.
- Add an ‘about the author’ section. Whether it’s an individual or your company who you are attributing as the author, write a bio and include a photo if it’s an individual. It will seem more personal and therefore more trustworthy.
- Make it beautiful. You don’t have to go crazy with the design, but it needs to look professional. So keep in mind that you need to follow brand guidelines—fonts, colors, etc, so it all looks consistent on your landing page.
As you start using your lead magnet to grow your email list, keep these factors in mind. They are the magic key. If you fail to get these things across while asking for their email address, you will miss out.
Want to explore more about this topic? Click here to learn about 3 types of magnets or read about how to use lead magnets in a marketing funnel.
