If the Facebook media blackout in February proved anything – it is for businesses to NOT keep all their marketing eggs in one basket (especially when that basket is owned by someone else!).

Businesses who only relied on Facebook who were inadvertently caught up in the blackout quickly found they needed another option.

I get very sad when I see small business owners only using social media for their marketing.  Back 8 or 10 years ago, that may have worked, but now, being at the mercy of a platform you have little or no control over, can ruin a business overnight.

And not only was the February Facebook media blackout a very high profile display of the pitfalls of only relying on social media for your business marketing presence, I could sit here and fill the entire post with tales of clients, acquaintances, and audience member stories, of just this exact thing.  Business one day, social media gone, no business the next.

So, this year I am on a crusade to help you see the power of email marketing.  It’s the one marketing strategy you need in 2021.  Not the only one but definitely the biggest! And having a lead magnet to draw people in to join your email list is KEY!

So, how do you use a Lead Magnet with Email Marketing as a strategy in your business?

To be able to do email marketing, you need an email list!

A list of people who know, like and trust you enough to say, “Yes, here’s my email address, I give you permission to email me”.

I’ll admit – it used to be easy, now not so much.

You might get an email address, but is it the one the person reads?

I’m not sure about you, but I have an email address that I give out to people who I don’t really want to receive email from. So not only do we need to get an email address, but we also need to get that email opened and read! (Check out the end of this blog for links to my other email marketing posts!)

So how do you start your email list?

Well, you need an offer, a carrot – something that the person needs or wants, and wants it enough, to exchange their email address for it.

This is the Lead Magnet.

The Lead Magnet should be a free piece of content, but something people would be willing to pay for – as in it has to be that GOOD!

It should be solving one of your clients or customer’s biggest challenges, problems or roadblocks.  If it does this, people will download it in droves!

Many retailers use a “20% off your first order voucher” as their lead magnet – which is great, and often not only gets your email opened and read and a sale.

But if you do this, I will then challenge you – perhaps you could do more, and make it better – to get to the point that people are LOOKING for your emails to hit their inbox?

As you may know, after my days in law, I purchased a retail store with my bestie, it was a kitchen shop – The Kitchenware Queens it was called.

A lead magnet for that business, besides the 20% off first order promo, was something that took time and effort to get to.

My mentor at the time was a huge help.

The lead magnets we created were recipe books! We used to print 500 copies of these as giveaways and then you could download them from our website (once you subscribed of course) and we also had an eBook that was all about choosing the right cookware.

Both of these things – thinking of meals to cook everyday and choosing the right cookware (because there’s so much to choose from) were two challenges or problems we consistently heard from our customers.

Again, we didn’t come up with these ideas in 5 minutes, it did take some time and it did take some listening to customers and thinking and brainstorming.

So, if you’ve been struggling with an idea for a really good lead magnet, think about the most frequently asked questions are from your clients.  What do you see coming up on social media, time and time again, from your ideal client – perhaps in Facebook groups?

These are the little pieces of gold you need to create a free piece of content around.

In my social media business, my 108 Social Media Content Creation Ideas eBook is, hands down, the best lead magnet I have created.

Small business owners are always stuck for ideas to post on social media.  They get writers block or posters block as it were!

So, when I brainstormed ideas, which actually started out being for a presentation a long time ago, I came up with 38 ideas for content creation.

When I did the presentation, almost everyone in the room stood up, with their phones, and took a screen shot of that slide.

It was in that moment that I thought “This would make a good lead magnet!”

So, I went home, brainstormed some more and got to 108 social media content creation ideas – put it into a downloadable form and put it out there!

That one lead magnet has been downloaded over 5,000 times.

If you don’t have it – you can still get here on my website!

However, just as a heads up – this eBook is undergoing a facelift this year, and won’t always be free – so get it now if you don’t already!

Now, it’s important to know that a lead magnet doesn’t have to be a PDF document to download – there’s LOTS of ways you can create a lead magnet.

In fact, I have a little sheet for you that’s got 69 of them – 69 Irresistible Lead Magnet Ideas and funnily enough, you don’t need to give your email address for it – just click the link and up it will come!

If you want to see the list of 69 Irresistible Lead Magnet Ideas go to https://socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/magnetideas

I also want you to know that I am a firm believer in the power of email marketing, I have used email marketing successfully in all my businesses.

When you look at the life cycle of a customer:

• Attraction
• Nurture
• Sell
• Ascend

You can see how email marketing can play a big role in attracting new business but also nurturing your existing customers until they are ready to buy again. And having a great Lead Magnet is such a vital point in this whole thing!

Make sure you click through below to my other blog posts that dive into email marketing:

• Email List Building for Small Business
• How to Get Your Emails Opened and Read
• Email Marketing and the PS

So do you have a Lead Magnet in your business? I would love to chat to you about this more – head over to my Like Minded Business Owners Facebook group– or send me a DM on Instagram or an email jenn@jenndonovan.com.au

ABOUT THE AUTHOR!

Jenn Donovan is a marketing strategist and social media extraordinaire, coach and mentor to savvy business owners. Owner and Founder of Social Media & Marketing Australia.

With a passion for making business simple, because it’s isn’t easy but it should be simple or at least simpler, she’s built a reputation for helping other small business owners simplify their marketing and businesses so they can reach their goals, be more profitable and live the dream (finding the freedom they set out to achieve when they started … the illusive small business owner freedom dream …!)

Jenn believes in giving before asking and that’s why she’s the host of the popular Small Business Made Simple Podcast.