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lead magnet examples

One of the Best Lead Generation Ideas

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Generating online leads for your business or non-profit cause requires some creativity.

There are countless lead generation ideas and it takes time to figure out the best strategy.

If your goal is to build an email list, you need to inspire people to sign up for your list (here are 10 different opt-in email marketing offers to help you decide on a creative lead magnet).  Once leads are on your email list, you can then guide them through a journey of new discoveries and resources.

If your goal is to inspire your website visitors to directly inquire about your products or services, you need a creative lead generation form (the next post on this site will add a second form software product review to the Graceful Resources recommended website resources to help you out).

The Story of Notch, the Rescued Dolphin

Martina S. Wing is a manta ray and marine life advocate, educator, author, and underwater photographer.

Her work is based on the Kona coast on the big island of Hawaii.

MartinaWing

In January 2013, she recorded underwater the true story of a wild dolphin in need and the humans who helped it.

Here’s the spectacular video itself of the dolphin (named Notch) rescue:

If you would like to watch the complete (10 minute) film festival edit of Notch’s rescue and opt-in for free to Martina Wing’s mailing list, you can do so via this film festival video landing page.

Martina is a very gifted storyteller and educator, and her email newsletter is an absolute treat to read every other Sunday.

You can sign up for her email list via this same video landing page.

One of the Best Lead Generation Ideas

Inspired by her video with over 30 million YouTube views, Martina is now sharing the amazing story of the rescued dolphin Notch with children around the world through a new children’s book (planned release later this year).

To build her email list in support of the book and all of her inspirational work, Martina’s free lead magnet is a downloadable coloring book.

The coloring book is one of the best lead generation ideas you will encounter. This lead generation idea aligns with her children’s book project, and the coloring book is just as popular with adults as it is with kids.

To date, her active email list is now over 1,600 subscribers.

Free Lead Magnet Guide

Martina is a client of Graceful Resources, and you can preview the Marine Life Coloring Book via this link.

If you are equally inspired by her team’s work, you are encouraged to directly opt-in to her list and coloring book via this book announcement landing page as well.

For more information on her children’s book project – which recently exceeded its Kickstarter campaign goal by 20% – please reference the following video and campaign-funding link.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/martinawing/notch-the-rescued-dolphin

What are the Best Lead Generation Ideas?

As Martina Wing’s lead magnet demonstrates, the best lead generation ideas don’t have to be the most sophisticated.

But lead generation ideas do have to be creative.

And when in doubt for your next lead generation ideas, never forget that we are all kids at heart.

That’s where inspiration begins!

Other Resources for Your Lead Generation Ideas

  1. Lead Magnet Guide (5 essential characteristics of a lead magnet)
  2. Lead Magnet Survey (share your own opinion about email sign up incentives and discover what other entrepreneurs recommend)
  3. Lead Magnet Project (an interactive online project for professionals building email lists)
  4. Lead Magnet Examples (Graceful Resources email subscribers can add their own web address for free)
  5. Recommended Website and Email Software Resources (you’ll also discover why these resources are recommended)

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

Brent

How to Create a Winning Title for Your Free Email Offer

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There is an old adage in writing that goes:

When the tension is lost, the audience’s attention is lost.

Authors are advised to withhold information in their works so the audience will keep reading until the very end.

Anytime you’ve kept reading another chapter, it is because the author maintained tension in the story.

Headlines on your business or community website should be designed with this adage in mind (for additional guidance, see the Online Lead Generation Guide and the free eBook below).

free email offer

The same advice also applies to public speakers to keep live audiences engaged in presentations – whether they are trying to persuade or enable the audience.

That’s why good speeches often begin with titles such as “3 Reasons to…” or “4 Steps to…”

Nobody likes tension in their lives and humans strive every day to release tension by discovering answers and solving problems.

Your free email offer (i.e. lead magnet) and blog post headlines should also be titled with this advice in mind.

Otherwise, the audience’s attention is lost the moment they see a free email offer that creates no tension.

Additional Resource to Help You Create a Winning Title for Your Free Email Offer

This additional resource is available to you free of charge with permission from Copyblogger (Rainmaker Digital, LLC).

Title: How to Write Magnetic Headlines

eBook Length: 56 Pages

View / Download:  How to Write Magnetic Headlines

eBook Summary © 2016 Rainmaker Digital, LLC:

Your headline is the first, and perhaps only, impression you make on a prospective reader.

Without a compelling promise that turns a browser of your content into a reader of your content, the rest of your words may as well not even exist. So, from a copywriting and content marketing standpoint, writing great headlines is a critical skill. Here are some interesting statistics:

On average, 8 out of 10 people will read your headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest. This is the secret to the power of your headline, and why it so highly determines the effectiveness of the entire piece. Remember, every element of compelling copy has just one purpose — to get the next sentence read.

And then the sentence after that, and so on, all the way down to your call to action. So it’s fairly obvious that if people stop at the headline, you’re already dead in the water.

The better your headline, the better your odds of beating the averages and getting what you’ve written read by a larger percentage of people.

This ebook will provide you with concrete guidance that’ll have you writing better headlines in no time.

Other Resources for Your Free Email Offer

  1. Lead Magnet Guide (5 essential characteristics of a lead magnet)
  2. Lead Magnet Survey (share your own opinion about email sign up incentives and discover what other entrepreneurs recommend)
  3. Lead Magnet Project (an interactive online project for professionals building relevant email lists)
  4. Lead Magnet Examples (Graceful Resources email subscribers can add their own web address for free)
  5. Recommended Website and Email Software Resources (you’ll also discover why these resources are recommended)

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

Brent

How You’ll Start the Lead Magnet Project

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The new Lead Magnet Project is about you.

It is about your professional dreams to serve people around the world through the web.

The Lead Magnet Project ends with the successful execution of your lead generation strategy.  How the project starts for you will be a unique and transformative experience (more on that in a moment).

As a Lead Magnet Project participant, you will:

  1. Determine you best email list building strategy
  2. Create a winning professional lead magnet
  3. Write effective copy for your opt-in form, web page, or advertisement
  4. Integrate and test your lead magnet with your email marketing service
  5. Strategically connect your lead magnet to your (current or planned) product or service through your own professionally-crafted email marketing
  6. Grow your email list and business with a relevant target audience

Free Lead Magnet Guide

LeadMagnetProject

Note about the Lead Magnet Project

The Lead Magnet Project is not another expensive and isolated online course full of modules and lessons – that may teach you what to do, but not how to do it.

Instead, the Lead Magnet Project is an inexpensive and interactive professional-managed online project – that will guide you through what to do and how to do it.

Specifically, you will be guided step-by-step through the strategic and technical steps for your new lead generation strategy.

And you control the project duration – leave after one month or stay connected. It’s up to you!

Project registration opened on Thursday 6/29 – click here to stay connected. You will also receive a 25% off discount opportunity that stays active for as long as you decide to stay connected to the Lead Magnet Project.

LeadMagnetExamples

How You’ll Start the Lead Magnet Project

Once you join the Lead Magnet Project, you will immediately have an opportunity to complete a personalized and strategic Typeform questionnaire.

(If you have never used Typeform, you are in for a real treat – click here for some Typeform examples.)

The questionnaire will help you get clear on your business goals and offerings.

Once you complete the questionnaire, you will automatically receive a copy of your responses for your own strategic planning.

While you are focused on your strategy, your Teamwork Projects account will be set up to welcome you into the Lead Magnet Project with a round of applause!

The Lead Magnet Project Starts Thursday, June 29th

Email subscribers will receive a project announcement and a special 25% off discount opportunity.

You don’t want to miss out!

Start with Your FREE Lead Magnet Guide

10 Opt-In Email Marketing Offers

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Opt-in email marketing refers to the process of inspiring someone to join (or opt-in) to your email mailing list.

A simple opt-in email form to “receive your newsletter” is likely not going to inspire people to share their email addresses with you.

You need an opt-in email marketing offer (also called a lead magnet).

A good lead magnet 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 (because the process is on auto-pilot).

Opt-In Email Marketing - Family

An opt-in email marketing offer can be of many different types.

No matter the lead magnet type, the incentive has to be offered at no extra cost to your email subscriber (other than the personal cost to exchange an email address for the benefits of the lead magnet and subscription).

10 Opt-In Email Marketing Offers

Here are ten common lead magnet types to inspire you to create that perfect opt-in email marketing offer to your business leads:

  1. Discounts (Coupons)
  2. eBooks
  3. Resource Guides (e.g. Checklists, Quick Reference Sheets, Reports)
  4. Audio Files
  5. Online Assessments / Quizzes
  6. Video Training
  7. Software Trials
  8. Swipe Files (Communication Templates such as Email Messages)
  9. Free (but Short) Consultations
  10. Email Autoresponder Series (Automated Series of Emails About a Specific Topic)

FREE Lead Magnet Guide

Which Lead Magnet Type is the Best?

Take the 3-minute Lead Magnet Survey to share your own experience and to discover what other entrepreneurs recommend.

Your family is waiting for you to put your business growth on auto-pilot.

Opt-In Email Marketing

Other Resources for Your Online Success

  1. Lead Magnet Project (an interactive online project for professionals)
  2. Lead Magnet Examples (Graceful Resources email subscribers can add their own web address for free)
  3. Recommended Website and Email Software Resources (you’ll also discover why these resources are recommended)

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

Brent

Domain Name Advice: 3 Tips for Your Lead Magnet

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Domain name advice for small business websites is relatively common (see 10 Tips for Website Names), but custom domain names can also be a valuable marketing strategy for your email opt-in incentive (aka lead magnet*).

* A lead magnet is an extra incentive to inspire someone to join your email mailing list. Lead magnets are the starting point for online marketing and have become essential in the competitive online marketplace to grow email lists (click here for the Free Lead Magnet Guide).   

The Value of a Custom Domain Name

A custom domain name is a powerful form of branding and it is arguably the least expensive marketing cost you’ll have this year for your online business (it’s typically a $20/year investment through a registrar like GoDaddy.com if you avoid a premium domain name – a domain that is being resold by a third party – and you include private registration** for about $8/year).

** The advantage of private registration is that it keeps your public registry information (your full name, mailing address, email address, and phone number) off the public Whois database. Without private registration, you will get hit with unsolicited sales offers from around the world within minutes of your domain registration. Registrants like GoDaddy offer private registration at checkout for domain purchases.

Whatever it is you are offering, a unique trade name – and corresponding custom domain name – will help you connect with your target audience.

domain-name-advice

Domain Name Advice: 3 Tips for Your Lead Magnet

If you invest a few extra dollars for a custom domain name for your lead magnet as well, you’ll make another smart marketing investment.

A custom domain name for your lead magnet (or for other purposes) has two main advantages:

  1. The custom domain name is uniquely and legally owned by you.  Nobody else can use it for another web property.
  2. The custom domain name can be set by you to automatically forward to another web page (like a landing page or blog post).

To help you get started, here are three domain name advice tips for your lead magnet:

Domain Name Advice Tip #1

Select a custom domain name that helps describe your lead magnet.

For example, if your lead magnet is a guide, consider a custom domain name that includes the word “guide” (e.g. “HomeschoolBeginnersGuide.com“). If it is a quiz or survey, it is also easy to include the lead magnet type in the domain name (e.g. LeadMagnetSurvey.com).

If your lead magnet represents a specific market niche (e.g. LoveYourPetRabbit.com) or a special cause (e.g. NotchDolphinBook.com), a custom domain name is also helpful in your marketing efforts.

Domain Name Advice Tip #2

Use your lead magnet custom domain name both online and offline.

A unique URL for an opt-in incentive can be easily added to your social media profiles (e.g. Twitter, LinkedIn), email signature, and in your bio at the end of a guest blog post on another website.

Custom domain names for lead magnets also work great if you are a guest on a podcast or webinar because of the audio communication format.

Offline at a conference, party, or reception, a custom domain name for your lead magnet that is easy to say (and spell) will help grow your email list too.

Domain Name Advice Tip #3

Embed another custom domain name within your lead magnet to promote your current or future product offering.

In the Graceful Resources Lead Magnet Guide (click here for a copy), there is a cross-promotion of the Lead Magnet Project.  Instead of a long URL, the custom domain name LeadMagnetProject.com is used as an automatic re-direct to a landing page about the project.

(FYI: Prior to this month, the URL re-direct was connected to a blog post about the project, but then the forwarding address was changed to a more formal landing page. You may have a similar transition for your next product offering as you go from concept to project.)

In another example, Associate Certified Coach Nancy Christenson is cross-promoting her upcoming course within her (soon-to-be-released) free lead magnet 7 Keys for Stability Through a Christian Divorce.

Since the web address about her course is subject to change, she invested a few dollars in the custom domain name HoldingontoHeaven.com to promote her course (by the same name) for Christian women living through divorce.

Final Domain Name Advice

The custom domain names you select for your website, lead magnet, and product offerings are only as valuable as you make them.

Investing about $20 per year in a custom domain name is a smart first project step.

After that, plan your work and then work your plan.

In 1886, Atlanta pharmacist John S. Pemberton and his bookkeeper, Frank M. Robinson, started with a unique name too:

domain-name-advice-lead-magnet

Other Graceful Resources for Your Online Success

  1. Recommended Website and Email Resources (along with the reasons why)
  2. Lead Magnet Project (an interactive online project launching June 2017)
  3. Lead Magnet Examples (email subscribers can add their own web address for free)
  4. Lead Magnet Guide (5 essential characteristics of a lead magnet)
  5. Lead Magnet Survey (share your own opinion and discover what other entrepreneurs recommend)

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

Brent