Get your FREE reference list of content types here
In this blog, I explained why it’s a good idea to take out time to plan out an inbound marketing strategy. If you need a refresher on that check out this blog and come back after for advice on where to start.
So, most marketing professionals will tell you that you need to start your marketing strategy by building awareness for your business through blogging, vlogging, podcasting, social media, or any other type of attraction technique.
I’m going to tell you something different.
See, the vast majority of people already have some kind of online presence. Even if it’s just as a private person. I mean, who isn’t on social media these days? That’s why I advise you to work on your business’ awareness and lead generation through your personal online presence because I believe that’s the fastest way to get results.
“But how?” you ask.
Well, – and here’s where I’m telling you something different than anyone else again – you start out with your lead magnet.
Crazy, right?
Or, is it?
Before you give me the side eye, keep on reading… (via GIPHY)
I’m telling you it’s not.
Why start with your lead magnet?
Just so we’re on the same page: a lead magnet is a free piece of content that you can give to people in exchange for their email address. Those email addresses are what you’re after. You have to build a list of prospects so you can reach out to them, nurture them and eventually sell them your product or service.
So, the sooner you can get some email addresses, the sooner you’ll be able to start selling.
Most people procrastinate on creating their lead magnet because it seems like it involves a lot of work. And that’s true for some types of lead magnets. But think about it, when you create your lead magnet first, it means you get that one thing that seems to be the hardest to create out of the way. And when you do, you’ll feel like a boss!
But I’m not only a fan of creating your lead magnet first just to get it out of the way. No, when you have your lead magnet in place, you have something that you can build on. That works in two ways.
First of all, you know exactly what you’re offering prospects so you can build your content such as blog posts or vlogs around your lead magnet. That way you’re able to target your prospects more accurately than when you write a bunch of blog posts first and create a lead magnet after that sort of needs to fit those blog posts. Second, if you decide to create a long-form lead magnet like a white paper or a guide, you can use pieces of it and repurpose it into different types of content such as articles, social media posts, and videos.
And you can then use your repurposed content to nurture the people that downloaded your lead magnet. Did I say it works in two ways? Apparently, I meant three ways!
Get your FREE reference list of content types here
Lead magnet done. Now what?
Before you do anything else, you need to create an opt-in page where people can leave their email address and download your lead magnet. That way you can make sure to capture the email addresses of every single person interested in your lead magnet. You’ll also need an email sequence that’s sent to anyone downloading your lead magnet. This is a good time to set that up but if you’re really pressed for time, you could do that later as well. Maybe when you actually have content to share with your subscribers. Although, you shouldn’t be afraid to share third-party content either. But I digress…
Thank you page
The best time to convince a prospect to share your lead magnet with their connections is right after you convinced them to download your lead magnet. So, if you really want to get the most out of your lead magnet you should set up a thank you page where you can encourage downloaders to share your lead magnet on their social media. The more exposure your lead magnet gets, the better.
Share everywhere
Your lead magnet and funnel are done. Now it’s time to share it on every social media platform you’re on. But don’t just stop at sharing it publicly (and don’t forget to ask your connections to share as well). Try sharing your lead magnet privately to anyone who you think might be interested in it. That way you can target specific people and make sure they see your lead magnet.
By the way, if you happen to have an email list already, you can send your lead magnet to the people on that list as well. You know, to give them some love a.k.a nurturing.
But do remember to always share your lead magnet’s opt-in page when you’re sharing with people that aren’t on your email list yet. Otherwise, you won’t get the email addresses that you need for the following phases of your marketing.
So, in short…
What do you need exactly to make all of this happen?
- Email service provider
- Opt-in page
- Lead magnet
- Thank you page
- Email sequence
That’s it. Your first step to building your inbound marketing empire.
Good luck with getting your lead magnet done!
Don’t know what to use as a lead magnet?
As a bonus, you’ll get to go through my own funnel and see exactly how I’ve set up my opt-in and thank you pages and my email sequence including useful nurturing content.
