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3 Reasons to Take the Lead Magnet Survey

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Most surveys are about as enticing as extra paperwork at the department of motor vehicles.

Nobody likes to answer a long sequence of questions.

Nobody chooses to take a survey just for fun – although Typeform software does make surveys more of a dynamic human experience.

Perhaps most companies stopped trying to connect with people online when they labeled customers as site users.

Thankfully, for your human experience, Typeform is used for the Lead Magnet Survey here on the Graceful Resources website.

That may not be enough of a reason to convince you to take the survey, so here are three other reasons to take this survey which is designed to gather data on what lead magnets (also called opt-in incentives or ethical bribes) are working best to grow small business email lists today.

Lead-Magnet-Survey

3 Reasons to Take the Lead Magnet Survey

  1. The Lead Magnet Survey only takes about three minutes to complete.

    The Lead Magnet Survey (click here to open the survey in a new window) can easily be completed on a mobile device and it’s not one of those generic surveys that have no end in site.

    You’ll be back to your other responsibilities (or your work break) in less than five minutes. No worries.

  2. The Lead Magnet Survey is an example of a lead magnet strategy itself.

    You may be inspired to create a similar assessment for your own online platform, and, if interested, Typeform best practices can be taught to project participants in the upcoming online Lead Magnet Project.

    If you look closely, you will discover the Lead Magnet Survey actually represents four different lead magnet strategies!

  3. Your professional opinion matters.

    If you have ever opted-in to an email list to get a coupon, receive a free guide, watch a video series, or for some other reason (and who hasn’t?), you have experience with lead magnets.

    The latest survey results were discussed publicly for the first time on Friday, May 5th at 12 pm ET.

    The event was the Authority Traffic School Session hosted by Sonia Simone, Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer of Rainmaker Digital.

    (Authority is an advanced content marketing training and networking community organized through Copyblogger – click here for more information about Authority).

Surveys are Predictably Boring

Nobody can hide from that truth.

But a survey about lead magnets should itself be a good lead magnet.

Click here to take the Lead Magnet Survey to discover for yourself.

Thanks.

5 Essential Characteristics of a Lead Magnet

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A lead magnet goes by many names (see what is an ethical bribe?), but what is most important to know, is that a lead magnet is essential for your business growth.

Your lead magnet inspires people to join your email mailing list when they visit your website or landing page.

Without an email mailing list, you can’t grow your business online.

Why Your Email List Matters

Without an email list, you can’t build relationships with your audience.

Without an email list, you can’t notify your audience of new posts.

Without an email list, you can’t share information with them about your new online course, ebook, project, etc.

Without an email list, you can’t segment your audience based on their interest (ConvertKit is recommended for this aspect – here’s why).

Without an email list, you can’t grow your business online and be profitable.

Without an email list, you can’t give yourself time and money back for what really matters in life.

Characteristics of a Lead Magnet

5 Essential Characteristics of a Lead Magnet

You now know that an email list is critical for your online success.

But without a good lead magnet, you can’t start or build a relevant email list.

Not all lead magnets are created equal.

A professional lead magnet has five essential characteristics.

Rather than outline the case for each of these five lead magnet characteristics in a really long and less memorable post, the essential characteristics are now packaged for your quick reference in a (you guessed it) lead magnet!

Specifically, the lead magnet is a 9-page guide titled The Five Essential Characteristics of a Lead Magnet. Click here for your complimentary copy.

You’ll also receive professional advice once a week to apply to your own lead magnet and to your corresponding web pages and email marketing.  There is no spam and you can unsubscribe from the list at any time.

If you choose to stay on the email list, you can also showcase your own lead magnet web address free of charge on the Lead Magnet Examples page here on the Graceful Resources website.

If you need professional assistance with a new lead magnet and the technical integration of web pages, opt-in forms, and email marketing, you will also receive a 25% discount to the strategic Lead Magnet Project.

Receive Your Free Guide

Cheering for your online success – one project step at a time!
Brent

What is an Ethical Bribe? Here’s Another Perspective

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An ethical bribe is a fancy term for an opt-in incentive to join an email mailing list.

In other words, it is a lead magnet (here are some lead magnet examples for your reference).

A Form of Business Exchange

A lead magnet or ethical bribe is a form of exchange.

You gain someone’s contact information (e.g. email address) and the other person receives your ethical bribe.

For example, the person who signs up for your mailing list receives the benefits of the ethical bribe (such as a free resource guide) and the additional benefits of the email subscription. Your business, in exchange, receives the person’s contact information (typically an email address) to stay in contact and build a relationship with the person.

A good ethical bribe will:

  1. Attract the right leads to your mailing list and business.
  2. Grow your online business automatically.
  3. Give you time back for your family and friends.

Another Way to Look at an Ethical Bribe

Long before the information age, an ethical bribe had a very common name and that is…

Free samples.

Chances are, if you walk into a local bakery or café, you will still be treated with a delicious sample from the chef.

Ethical-Bribe

Why do these small businesses give away food for free?

The reason is obvious.

The free sample demonstrates their expertise in food preparation.  If the sample is delectable, you will likely pay for more of it.

You will also feel the need to reciprocate the free offer.

In the digital world, your online ethical bribe is your free sample.

Keep it simple and related to your area of expertise.

Just like a bakery chef shouldn’t offer free wine tastings of someone else’s wine, you shouldn’t design a lead magnet that is unrelated to your line of work.

The gesture may be appreciated by someone, but the connection is lost.

Give your leads a free sample that builds trust in you and has them asking for more from the ethical bribe chef!

Ethical Bribe Example

For your additional reference, click here for an ethical bribe (lead magnet) example that outlines the other four characteristics of an essential lead magnet.

Receive the Free Guide

Cheering for your online success – one project step at a time!
Brent

ConvertKit Free Trial and Free Product Creation Masterclass

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ConvertKit is a professional email marketing service with some notable benefits in a crowded marketplace (here’s why I switched from AWeber, Constant Contact, GetResponse, and MailChimp to ConvertKit).

If you are just starting out as an online entrepreneur or you are changing direction with your web toolkit and business products, ConvertKit is a great foundation for email marketing.

ConvertKit is actually easier to use than AWeber, Constant Contact, GetResponse or MailChimp.

It’s also more powerful for your business because it allows you to create unique tags for your email list.

ConvertKit Free Trial

At any time, you can test out a ConvertKit 30-day free trial via this promotional link:

ConvertKit Free Trial

The ConvertKit free trial is good for one month free of charge for up to 1000 subscribers.

After thirty days, the cost is $29/month (until you exceed 1000 subscribers).

If you already have over 1000 subscribers (or you know ConvertKit is right for you), you can lock in two months of ConvertKit for free today by selecting the Pricing tab on the ConvertKit website and then click on the Annual Billing button:

Then click TRY IT FOR FREE in the ConvertKit column that fits your subscriber list size.

ConvertKit Free Trial and Free Product Creation Masterclass

If you are seeking guidance on how to create a new product, ConvertKit again offered a free product creation masterclass starting on January 15, 2018.

Details from ConvertKit on the free product masterclass are provided below.

As an extra bonus, if you are new to ConvertKit, you also qualify for the ConvertKit Free Trial for one month.

What is the Product Creation Masterclass?

  • A four-week long project walking you through every step it takes to create a successful product from scratch.
  • Twenty daily lessons sent straight to your inbox, Monday through Friday running April 24th through May 19th.
  • Weekly live trainings led by the ConvertKit team walking through the lessons and answering questions.
  • Four expert interviews from Melyssa Griffin, Jeff Goins, Chris Guillebeau, and Maya Elious where they share their experience in building online products.
  • Free trials to Samcart, Thinkific, Meet Edgar, and Teachable for all registrants, including a 30 day free trial of ConvertKit for new customers.

WebsiteAssessment

I hope these free resources are of value to you.

If so, here is what you need to do:

  1. Sign up for the free ConvertKit trial.
  2. Schedule time on your calendar starting January 15, 2018.
  3. Grab a good cup of coffee (or two) each day.
  4. Take great notes and make your first (or next) product happen!

Full Transparency

Graceful Resources has an affiliate relationship with ConvertKit so if you decide to invest in ConvertKit via any promotional link on this site, I am eligible for a nominal commission from the good folks in Idaho at ConvertKit if you decide to pay for the service. There is no extra cost to you.

If you start using ConvertKit, you are encouraged to set up an affiliate relationship with them as well.  You’ll want to spread the word too.  The software is that good, and I would use and recommend ConvertKit even if there was no affiliate program.

How to Promote Your Website for Free

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You’ve got a great message or product to share with the world!

And you should profit from your passion so you can serve more people. You may have a website or landing page already published – awesome if you do, but no worries if you don’t yet.

One you have at least one landing page in place, you are ready to build an email list so you can stay connected to your audience.

(If you need help getting started, there’s an inexpensive Graceful Resources project launching in April titled How to Build an Email List – Even Without a Website)

Why Your Email List Matters

With an email list, you can build relationships with your audience.

With an email list, you can notify your audience of new blog posts.

With an email list, you can announce your offerings to people who already know you.

With an email list, you can segment your audience based on their interest (ConvertKit is recommended for this aspect – here’s why).

With an email list, you can be profitable and expand your great message or product to a global audience.

How to Promote Your Website for Free

How to Promote Your Website for Free

There are multiple common strategies to promote your website (and email list) for free such as:

  1. Publish and optimize blog posts to generate organic SEO traffic
  2. Share your web content on social media
  3. Add a link to your website or landing page in your email signature
  4. Talk about your web page in person at events
  5. Include your website in your professional profile on LinkedIn

Here is one more professional uncommon option that is available to you today:

Promote your website for free on this website (specifically, on the Graceful Resources Lead Magnet Examples page)

There’s just one catch…

Ok, there are two (but they’re both helpful to you):

  1. You need a lead magnet (if you need help creating a lead magnet, the upcoming Graceful Resources project will cover that step too). 
  2. You need to be a Graceful Resources email subscriber (it’s completely free).

When you become an email subscriber, you will now experience three benefits:

  1. FREE weekly project lessons learned to apply to your current or future landing pages, website, and email marketing.
  2. Announcements about deadlines for affordable professional projects to help you build a strong email list and online business.
  3. FREE professional publicity for your website on the Graceful Resources Lead Magnet Examples Page.

Your Passion Matters

You have a special gift to share with the world, and you should profit from your passion so you can serve more people.

If you have ever wondered how to promote your website for free, you now have another professional option through Graceful Resources:

Graceful Resources Lead Magnet Examples Page

Cheering for you!
Brent

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3 Bad Words to Avoid in Copywriting

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The previous blog post about the upcoming guided project was a copywriting mea culpa.

Stated humbly another way, it was a content selfie. You deserved better.

It contained three bad words to avoid in online copywriting, both in web content and email forms.

The project announcement has now been adjusted but you can probably spot the three bad copywriting words between these original and revised paragraphs:

Original Paragraph

In alignment with my three goals to guide you strategically, keep you moving forward every week, and save you time and money, I am now preparing a new interactive do-it-yourself guided project for those who want to build an email list even without a website.

This project is for professionals like you and me who what to get things done now.

Revised Paragraph

In alignment with the three goals of Graceful Resources to guide you strategically, keep you moving forward every week, and save you time and money, a new guided do-it-yourself project is being launched to help you build an email list even without a website.

The project is going to be a meaningful experience for you as an entrepreneur to start building an email list of people who are genuinely interested in what you have to say or offer.

3 Bad Words to Avoid in Copywriting

As you probably guessed, the three bad words to avoid in copywriting are:

  1. Me
  2. My(self)
  3. I

Full Disclosure: There were originally 27 instances of these three words in the post How to Build an Email List Even Without a Website. Ouch!

Hat tip to copywriter Carrie Glenn who shared the dangers of me, myself, and I.

So as you share your passion with others, be mindful of these three words.

They are the copywriting equivalent of a selfie. 

Words-To-Avoid-in-Copywriting

Me, myself, and I focus the content on the writer (not good).

You, yourself, and yours shift the content focus to the audience (good).

Plural Words to Avoid in Copywriting

Accordingly, avoid the plural selfie versions as well:

  1. Us
  2. Our(selves)
  3. We

They are just as damaging but thankfully easy to correct too.

If you decide to join in the upcoming guided project (click here to stay connected to announcements), you’ll be able to share drafts of your content with the Graceful Resources team and with other project participants.

Copywriting selfies will be caught! 🙂

Hope this blog post helps,
Brent