Be irresistible

Are you losing potential clients that hit your website because they are not ready to buy from you right now? The easiest way to tackle this problem is to create a lead magnet. A lead magnet offers a free piece of valuable and irresistible information in exchange for a potential client’s information. The goal of the lead magnet is to maximize the quantity of potential clients you can market to in the future. The use of a lead magnet can benefit your business in three big ways. First, it can greatly reduce your cost per client acquired. Next, it helps create a qualified database of leads that are segmented by pain point in which you are the expert in solving. Finally, the lead magnet allows you to provide unequivocal value to the potential client that creates a more intense perceived need for your service before allowing you to charge higher prices with fewer objections.

Potential customers search the internet for snow removal companies before the winter hits or better yet, during a storm when their current service provider is not performing to expectations. Even though they may not be able or willing to change contractors at that given moment, there is an exact pain point in which they are searching for a solution.

The question you must ask yourself is simple: When these potential clients hit your website, is there anything to capture their information at that moment if they are not ready to contact you in that moment? Enter your lead magnet. Trust me, if you do not have one, you are literally throwing money out the window. Your lead magnet provides these potential clients with free information that solves the specific problem they are experiencing. Once you have their information, you simply create the segmented database and begin marketing to these leads. By capturing their information on demand when they hit your website, you are driving your client acquisition costs down dramatically. In essence, you are only paying once to acquire them through your website as opposed to having to re-target them or acquire them through another source.

There are several types of lead magnets you could create to add value to your business. A report allows you to share specific information with leads such as a report on the cost of slip and falls and how to protect yourself against these lawsuits. A free guide or checklist is another way to create a lead magnet. You could provide a checklist of “the top five things you must know before hiring a snow removal expert.”

You could also offer a toolkit or resource list which may include providing leads with a template or glossary of things they should know about a certain pain point. A great example of this could be a free snow removal contract that property managers could download and customize.

The final example is a video training series. This is one of my personal favorites because you can convey your expertise through a very engaging medium. In my snow removal market, one of the biggest pain points for our commercial clients is the clearing of loading docks. By creating a video that highlights the proper way your company cleans and maintains loading docks, you could easily differentiate yourself and educate the potential consumer. In addition, they see your face in the video, which personalizes the interaction.

If this sounds like something you want to implement, remember that a lead magnet must solve a particular problem and provide a specific solution for your potential client. When creating your lead magnet, be sure you are very specific to the pain point you are solving; concentrate on one big thing you are addressing and provide the magic solution. In addition, remember to be sure your lead magnet represents your brand image.

Just because you are giving the information away for free does not mean it should look cheap. The whole point is to set yourself apart from the competition and be irresistibly attractive to your potential clients.

The author is owner of Callahan Lawn Care and Property Maintenance in New York.