In the marketing realm we’ve seen these two topics, content marketing and lead magnets, trigger a wide range of reactions such as,
- I can’t give away services for free.
- It takes too much time to develop.
- I don’t know what to create.
- Lead Magnets are only for those hard pitch sales funnels.
- Or the worse one yet – I don’t have anything of value to give away.
We want to clarify some misconceptions, and most importantly outline strategies that could empower you to leverage your educational content. It could be worth more than just leads.
Leveraging Two Powerful Tools – Content Marketing & Lead Magnets
The Tools
Let’s back up a few steps and define exactly what we are talking about, because unfortunately content marketing sometime is confused with lead magnets, and lead magnets are sometimes called landing pages or funnels. They do work together but they are all separate items. We also want to provide our definition of Content Marketing (CM) and Lead Magnets (LM).
How we use these tools could be the key to implementing some of your own marketing strategies.
Content Marketing
Content Marketing is a valuable strategy that uses resources to benefit a specific audience or the community in general. Basically, anything that has educational value. This blog is a form of content marketing.
CM involves creating and sharing material that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to provide value-driven information, which piques interest to perhaps seek more information about a product, service, or cause. It is valuable in both the business and nonprofit sectors and can establish the author as an authority in their field.
The most common ways to share the content is on a website, as a digital download, via email, or on a social post.
As depicted in the Pyramid of Effectiveness, there are many formats that have different levels of effectiveness. The higher up the pyramid, the greater the value it has in establishing you (or the brand) as an authority. The key is to develop quality content that is relevant to your audience, and many have the misconception that it takes a great deal of time, expertise, and research. Not really! You probably have material at your fingertips right now that could be converted into content marketing.
Content marketing involves creating and sharing material that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to provide value-driven information, which piques interest to perhaps seek more information about a product, service, or… Click To TweetLead Magnets
Lead Magnets are a great strategy but unfortunately, they often get a bad rap because of some bad players. I am talking about those obnoxious, way too long, just give me the info, sales funnels. You know the ones that go on and on about making millions of dollars, and if you do click, you still must go through a series of upgrades. We are NOT talking about those.
As we define and use them, Lead Magnets are a form of content marketing, that utilizes a one step process versus a sales funnels approach. They get what they need immediately. It is not a sales pitch, upsell, or brand promotion, just the info.
The lead magnet provides valuable content that solves an immediate problem (what attracts the audience), and to gain access to the content, they must provide an email or phone number.
However, the objection we hear most often is, I can’t give away valuable content for free. I know the belief that sharing knowledge is payment enough doesn’t aways resonate with business owners so can.
However, look at it through another lens. Sharing educational content with the masses has profound results – it creates social impact, social change, for community good. Learn how creating social impact can be leveraged in our next blog – THE SYSTEM.
Lead magnets provide valuable content that solves an immediate problem (what attracts the audience), and to gain access to the content, they must provide an email or phone number. Click To TweetCiao,
Miss Kemya
Click here if you need help with lead magnets!
After retiring from the public education sector, she taught nonprofit management at UNLV, and explored many opportunities. However, her entrepreneurial spirit emerged, and she became an author, trainer, and founder of The Philantrepreneur™ Foundation (TPF), a 501c3 nonprofit whose mission is to build capacity through education, awareness, and resources.
She has authored several books and most recent include, ‘Webinar Secrets: How to Create Training to Educate, Engage, and Energize your Audience’ and ‘Board Bound Leadership: The Four Essentials: Governance, Leadership, Assessment and Fundraising.
For more information, contact her at VBoyd@DrVictoriaBoyd.com.
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