.. it’s likely that you’re missing one of these components:
- Lead magnet
- Landing page
- Reliable traffic source
Last week we talked about types of content that generate leads. We mentioned that there are two types of content that work well to generate leads:
1) Lead magnets – A valuable resource that is exchanged for someone’s contact information. (Like this from Unbounce or this from Gabby Bernstein.)
2) Webinars – A live or recorded event that requires registration. (Like this from Pardot.)
Lead Magnets
So, let’s talk lead magnets, shall we? What is the most important characteristic of a good lead magnet offer?
Speed.
You could certainly give away a 300-page e-book or a 52-week email course but that’s putting a mighty big speed bump between your prospect and the results. We’ve talked about building speed into lead generation offers before using offers that communicate instant value like:
- Templates (Like this from Hubspot)
- Self-evaluation Test (Like this from King Lasik)
- Digital tools (Like this from Dave Ramsey)
As Mark Twain said, the difference between the right lead magnet offer and the almost right lead magnet offer is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug. (We might need to fact check that.)
Does your lead magnet offer get the prospect value quickly?
Landing Pages
Next, let’s talk landing pages. Take a look at this home page from DaveRamsey.com.
Before we even start scrolling down on this home page, there are 14 different calls-to-action competing for our attention. And that’s fabulous. The home page is supposed to allow the visitor to select their path. After all, a visitor to the home page could have any number of goals in mind.
Now, look at this landing page (sometimes called a ‘squeeze page’) from the same company.
Notice how focused this landing page is. There is only one call-to-action. Zero navigation or outside links. Zero distractions.
A solid lead magnet offer will convert 40% to 70% of traffic into a lead or subscriber on a focused landing page like this.
So, how do you create a focused landing page?
Easy peasy. Use landing-page-building software. Landing-page software is worth its weight in gold because it makes it dead simple to build proven, high-converting landing pages and publish them to your website.
Seriously, do not try to cobble together a landing page in WordPress or anything else. Use good landing-page software.
We use Instapage and Unbounce to build landing pages at theCLIKK. They are both fantastic and fairly priced.
Reliable traffic source
Web traffic can be divided roughly into two categories:
- Paid Traffic – You cut a check, they send you clicks. Facebook Ads and Google Ads are the most obvious example.
- Organic Traffic – You create great content, products, services, and you earn traffic from search engines (SEO) or from social sharing.
So, what kind of traffic generates leads?
Organic traffic is fabulous because traffic from Google search or a Facebook share, for example, doesn’t have a direct cost. These clicks are “free.”
But here’s the thing…
Organic traffic is like rain, while paid traffic is like a hose. You can get water from both but the rain is hard to predict. You don’t know:
- where it’s going to rain,
- when it’s going to start or stop raining,
- how much rain you will get.
And so it is with organic traffic. You cannot direct a predictable amount of traffic where you want, when you want, for the length of time you want. With paid traffic you can direct the traffic in the same way you would direct water with a hose. Of course, as with your hose, when you turn the water on — you start paying. When you stop paying, the water stops coming.
But remember, with a good lead magnet and landing page your page should convert visitors into subscribers at 40% or greater. Assuming you have something (or somethings) they’ll want to buy, you’ll likely want to direct as much traffic to the page as you can.
Organic traffic is wonderful. But bust out the paid traffic if you want to predictably generate leads and subscribers.
What if you have all this equipment in place but you’re still not getting leads?
Let’s assume you have a good lead magnet offer, a proven landing page (use Instapage or Unbounce), and a reliable traffic source.
Brace yourself, because this is the part of the article where we call your baby ugly. Take a hard look at each of the following:
- The copy – You might have a great lead magnet offer but did you articulate its benefits clearly and in a compelling way? If not, study copywriting. Most importantly, learn to write more persuasive bullets and headlines.
- The targeting – It’s true. It’s hard to sell ice to an Eskimo. So, if your landing page is not converting, make sure you’re aiming at the right people.
- The design/layout – This is rarely the case if you use proven landing-page-building software (like Instapage or Unbounce), but occasionally the design or layout of your landing page can look so unprofessional that it limits conversion.
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