Health conscious nutritional and wellness supplement buyers are already looking for answers online, which means they are primed and ready to start a relationship with you – if you know how to effectively leverage step 1, the Lead Magnet.
In the previous article we outlined the five steps you need to fully maximize the value of each and every customer.
If you missed it you can go back and read it here.
And, if you combine these five steps, which we’ll be going over in detail with this article and future ones, you can truly double or even triple your online eCommerce conversion rates and revenue without increasing your traffic. And, no matter what state your website is in. You really can attract high paying customers in droves with the first of these 5 steps…
Let’s go in-depth with step 1 right now and show you some examples of what to do and what NOT to do.
Your Top of the Funnel Customer Lead Magnet
To recap from the last article, a Lead Magnet is an irresistible offer that compels your target market to opt-in and give you their email contact information.
Unfortunately, most websites don’t offer anything for a visitor to do other than to buy.
But the truth is, NOT every visitor is ready to buy from you.
Some visitors are in research mode, others are just undecided and need more nurturing.
Smart marketers don’t let valuable traffic leave without offering them an opportunity to engage and sell to them later by getting their email through a lead magnet.
This step alone can increase your sales opportunities and dramatically increase your profits. Because increasing your email list, also brings you the chance to build trust, establish a relationship and provide future selling opportunities. i.e. nurture that relationship over time.
But…
Not all lead magnets are created equal.
Most marketers simply ask visitors to sign up for their newsletters and hope for the best. A newsletter is the worst possible lead magnet, and I would argue it’s not a lead magnet at all.
Gone are the days where people are rushing to be on your newsletter. Maybe after they have a relationship and purchased from you, or maybe if they are EXTREMELY motivated and trust you already. In todays world of savvy online shoppers, you have to offer something of value in exchange for the start of that relationship. That thing in which you offer is your lead magnet.
Let’s dive in and take a look at what not to do first before we go deeper and learn what to do, to attract the right kind of customer like a magnet.
Here are some bad examples of what Not to do.
Both of these nutritional supplement websites HerbsPro.com and MuscleFreaksNutrition.com simply ask their visitors to subscribe. From the customers point of view there is very little value offered in exchange for their email.
Now, you might be thinking but wait, the Muscle Freaks Nutrition lead magnet on the right below promises “offers, discounts and promotions”.
That’s good or good enough right?
Wrong…
Remember the ideal lead magnet is an irresistible offer that compels your visitors to opt in.
There is nothing compelling about either of these offers.
Plus from a customers point of view, there’s a lot of anxiety related to both offers. Especially with the Muscle Freaks Nutrition offer.
Let me explain…
Anytime an exchange takes place, it could be the exchange of an email for something or the exchange of money, it doesn’t matter, the thought process in the prospects mind is the same.
One barrier in that thought process is anxiety. Not the kind that keeps you up at night but the psychological concern that comes from something in the process of the exchange.
The anxiety created in the mind of the Muscle Freaks Nutrition prospect can be best explained through the concern that a prospect might have with this exchange. (Email address in exchange for “offers, discounts and promotions”.)
Here is the psychological concern or “anxiety” that goes through the mind of a prospect when they see the Muscle Freaks Nutrition offer and ask in their head:
“OK, I’ll get promotions but from who? Just Muscle Freaks Nutrition or everyone?”
“Will they sell my email address?”
“Will they send me tons of promotions to get me to buy and spam me?”
“What kind of discounts will I get? 5%, 50%?”
“Will the discounts be worth the hassle of getting more junk email?”
“Will I get discounts when I don’t need them like after I already bought?”
This is just the tip of the iceberg. But I hope you can start to see how the this offer has created these concerns in the mind of a prospect with their newsletter offer.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case, lead magnet offers are notoriously weak across the Internet. Even the big boys over at Puritan’s Pride do a horrible job.
Yes, the same anxiety exists over at the Puritan’s Pride website. Their lead magnet in addition to creating anxiety, also suffers from a weak value proposition, which is is the promise of value that will be delivered. A strong value proposition is possibly the highest leverage point you can impact, but that’s going beyond the scope of this article.
So what’s a better way?
Here’s an example from Healthy Goods that adds specificity to the lead magnet in the form of of a discount offer. Thus eliminating a great deal of anxiety.
It’s very clear how much of a discount you get for opting in, 10%. And it’s clear when you get it, “on your next order”. There are still things that can be improved here but it’s at least a better lead magnet.
Better… but it may not be the best.
Offering discounts is great for the short-term but, make it a habit and you’ll be training your buyers to always wait for things to go on sale. Or worse, you’ll be left competing on price.
The smart marketer has a better lead magnet.
Vital Choice uses an eBook “100 Days to Better Heart Health” as their lead magnet.
Offering a special report, eBook or other piece of information that hits your target market square in the irresistible spot is almost always the better long-term option.
This also appeals the part of your traffic who is in the research mode and not ready to buy from you right this very second. Where as the other lead magnet examples for newsletters or discounts don’t clarify what you get or assume a purchase in the future. One of pure information in exchange for an email comes across as helpful and supports trust and relationship building which goes much further than a discount in exchange for future selling opportunities.
Once you have an irresistible lead magnet, your next step can really be a game changer.
But only if you apply it right, so stay tuned next week and, we’ll go in-depth with your Welcome Matt as step 2 for this 5 step optimization plan.
If you can’t wait you can opt in 😉 below to get all five in-depth steps instantly.
