One of the primary reasons we return to certain websites is because the content on those websites is always new and fresh. This is true whether it be a news site, Facebook, amazon, or YouTube – the content is always up-to-date. Your website should follow this example if you expect to get a continuous stream of new visitors.
On a recent podcast, I was discussing how you need to be in the business of running your website. After all, your website is your business on the internet. You probably wouldn’t hire someone to come in and update your physical store (except for employees). Likewise, you need to update the content of your digital storefront as well. The host of the podcast asked me if was talking about blog posts, e newsletters, downloadable eBooks, or homepage content changes – the answer is all of the above. If you take a look at the sites I mentioned above, the content of those websites changes continuously. Not just once in a while, once a monthly or even weekly – the top performing website change at a minimum, daily. That’s why they get the kind of traffic that a typical website never will. They give people a reason to come back.
One particular piece of content that you as a website owner can update more frequently is your lead magnet – that irresistible offer that you give away for free in exchange for someone’s email. Notice that I said this as an irresistible offer, not just a form saying “sign up for our newsletter.” No one cares about yet another newsletter anymore. You need to give them something of real value if you want them to give you their email address and then be able to market to them without them unsubscribing. In fact, I contend that you should make your offer so compelling that they will willingly share it with their friends.
So what kinds of things can you offer that would cause someone to share it with their friends? It depends upon the type of website you have. If it is an ecommerce site, a coupon that offers a substantial savings might be appropriate. If you have a consulting firm, perhaps a free consult will do the trick. If you are an author, maybe a free chapter out of your latest book. There is no perfect lead magnet that will work for everyone – just like everything else in marketing you need to experiment and see what works for you. Then, just like with other forms of content on your website, you need to change it up on a regular basis so as to get visitors to return to your site over and over again (to see what new thing you have to offer).
I put together a complete training class on exactly how to do this which is now available on SkillShare. There you can learn not only what kinds of lead magnets you might create, but how to actually create them, build a landing page for them, and create a form to capture the visitors contact information. One of the popular ways to collect email address is by having people sign up or register with Facebook. When this happens, the visitor simply clicks on a button that says “register with Facebook” and you receive that person’s name and email address. Not only is this easier for the visitor since they don’t actually have to enter any information on your site, but you are assured of getting their real email address, and not some bogus one they use just for downloading free stuff. I show you exactly how to do this in that course as well.
One of the mistakes I see people make frequently is to immediately present someone with a popup asking for their email address. Here’s the thing: popups actually work to collect more email addresses, but you must do it in the right way. Asking for someone’s email before you have provided any value to them will only annoy visitors and quite likely cause them to leave – you made someone mad rather than making a fan who knows, likes, and trusts you. Do not annoy your visitors. Give them real value first, then ask for their email. On one website I run, I offer a free certificate maker for scout units. The visitor can create the certificate and see what it is going to look like before they are ever asked for their email address, and then it is only so I can email them the certificate so they can print it out. Do the same with any popups you plan on using. One of the best uses of a popup that I’ve seen is what is called an exit-intent popup. That is, the popup only appears when the visitor is about to close the website, then the popup appears offering a great value in exchange for their email. The SkillShare course shows you exactly how to build these exit-intent popups as well.
As you can see, there is a lot to be considered when creating lead magnets for your website. But the important thing is that you need to take charge of the content on your website and change it up regularly in order to keep getting customers to return to your site over and over again.
About The Author
Greg Jameson is the president and CEO of WebStoresLtd.com, an ecommerce web design firm and digital marketing agency located in Colorado. In addition to the course mentioned above, Greg is offering readers of this blog a complimentary course on how to create the perfect product listing page.
I dig this post because it preaches posture. See your site more like Facebook and less like a simple blog. Put out good content regularly and like you said ask for email on the back end. Excellent post.