I want to be completely honest, with the amount of health coach competition out there, a fancy website on its own isn’t going to get you sales leads (although it definitely helps you stand out!) Even one with great content that’s search engine optimised, mobile-ready, and has a great user experience won’t always convert straight away.
In the current climate, it’s all about how you nurture your leads. Lead nurturing is all about establishing and building on the relationship you have with potential clients.
And the best way to draw prospective clients requires a hook or magnet. When you have a website lead magnet you drastically increase your chance of website conversions.
How can you optimise your website for lead generation?
Firstly, let’s understand the jargon. A lead magnet is an offer to prospective clients in exchange for sharing their details with you. It is sometimes referred to as an “opt-in.”
To reduce friction and increase the likelihood of a conversion, lead magnets mostly just require prospects to subscribe to an emailing list. But some will ask for basic profiling information that facilitates targeted marketing. This might include asking for the age, gender, and location of the subscriber. Or it might ask for a more detailed explanation of their interest in the product.
To be effective, a website lead magnet should:
- Be simple to understand. People will be suspicious of complex, multistep offers. They don’t have time to “read the fine print.”
- Offer something of value that prospective clients want and can’t get elsewhere.
- Solve a problem that your target audience is likely to have.
- Provide immediate gratification. The prospective client shouldn’t be kept waiting for delivery, or they could lose interest and go elsewhere.
- Demonstrate the superiority of your services and products over competitors’.
- Be placed strategically, so prospective clients receive them when they are receptive and before they leave your site.
Lead magnets can be effective when put in the header or footer of your site. Or when placed in the top or sidebars.
The following are six of the best, and more unusual places to put lead magnets on your health coaching website to find results.
#1 Include a lead magnet in a blog post
Blog articles are excellent places for targeted website lead magnets. If someone is reading an article on plant-based nutrition, they will likely be interested in a free vegan recipe ebook, for example.
You can handle article lead magnets in either of these two ways:
- Text magnets containing links to your email subscription page can encourage readers to subscribe for more information on the topic they are currently reading. Place it midway through the article, and again at the end for longer pieces.
- An opt-in image that links to your subscription page. Use royalty-free stock images or create your own branded image using Canva or similar products.
Top Tip: Convertkit allows you to create customised email opt-in images that allow readers to enter their contact details without leaving the page!
#2 Create a squeeze page
A squeeze page or “welcome mat” invites readers to subscribe the minute they get through to your site. Some sites don’t allow further access without subscription details.
Be aware, a squeeze page is anything but subtle and may chase people away. But they can be suitable for limited-time offers like webinars that are due to take place or very high-value content and opt-ins, for example a course or webinar series.
Don’t forget to optimise your squeeze page for mobile. More and more people are using their mobile devices to browse for services and information and screens and keypads are smaller on these devices. Make sure it’s easy to opt-in from a mobile device.
Top Tip: Squeeze pages are excellent for linking to from social ads. You can show off the value in the ad, and potential leads are ready to input their details to gain access.
#3 Use pop-ups or slide-ins
Place your website lead magnet on a pop-up designed to appear “randomly” or when a reader hovers over select text on your site. Pop-ups can be annoying, though. Consider a slide-in as an alternative – they are generally regarded as less intrusive, and make sure the triggers aren’t repetitive so that it shows up too many times.
One place pop-ups do work effectively, without being obtrusive, is on exit. A pop-up opt-in that appears when a visitor looks set to leave your site gives them a final chance to stay in touch and take advantage of a valuable offer, and you’re not interrupting them whilst they are reading.
Top Tip: If you have a WordPress site, things like Thrive Themes offer pop-up plugins that can be customised. They also allow you to create quizzes, courses, and campaigns.
#4 Customise your error page
A 404 error page will tell readers when your website’s requested page is unavailable or no longer exists. In many cases, this will be the last time you see the prospective client, but instead a website lead magnet makes use of this opportunity.
Speak to your web designer, or make sure whichever lead magnet you use is ‘evergreen’. An offer that expired two years ago will not create a good impression, and you don’t want to pay for regular development to change your 404 lead magnets regularly.
#5 Add magnets to your About Me and Contact Me pages.
Viewers looking at your About Me and Contact Me pages are a little bit further down the buying chain. They like the product and want to find out a bit more about the person behind it.
This is an ideal time to make them an offer they can’t refuse in the form of a freebie that allows you to maintain contact. It also gives them an idea of what to expect from you, without much commitment from them, so always include lead magnets on these pages.
#6 In the navigation menu
If you want to keep your opt-in in constant view, and you have a web designer, you can create a button in the navigation menu. This would lead to either a page with a form, or trigger a pop-up on whichever page your reader is on. This is becoming more popular for evergreen opt-ins, or even those that are time sensitive.
Top Tip: Make the button a standout colour rather than just another link in the navigation bar. You can even include icons and borders too.
What are the common mistakes to avoid with your website lead magnet?
Sometimes what NOT to do can be as crucial as what must be done. Avoid the following these common mistakes that people make in when creating their lead magnets, and where to place them:
- Creating non-credible content. If you’re offering free information, make sure it’s on a topic in which you have expertise. Producing content that is easily proven to be incorrect or that comes across as superficial will do you more harm than good.
- Not following up on opt-ins is also a no-no. Providing personal details in exchange for something that never arrives is a sure-fire way to destroy trust! Make sure your website is set up properly so that if someone signs up, it’s a smooth user experience the whole way. It sets the tone for your services and potential conversion later.
- Poorly edited magnets and pop ups that lack punchy titles or contain spelling and grammar errors create an unprofessional image. They will make prospects question whether you are the right health coach for them.
- Too much or too little information will make it hard for prospects to scan the offer or make informed decisions quickly and decide if the lead magnet is for them.
- Offering too many lead magnets on your website can have the effect of making you look desperate. It can undermine the value to clients of paying for your services later. And it could also build resentment in those who are already paying for what you are giving away for free. Make sure that pages and pop-ups don’t conflict if you have more than one pop-up too.
- If your opt-in intent doesn’t align with your purchasing intent, your lead magnet won’t serve its purpose. Hooking audiences interested in your lead magnet offer but not in what you ultimately want them to buy is crazy. But it happens more often than you would think! Be intentional about your lead magnets. Don’t just offer anything that gets people’s attention. You only want attention from the right kind of people.
Overall, a website on its own is not enough to sell your services. You need people to engage with your brand and become part of a conversation, and by offering them a small piece of value in exchange for more personalised communication with them (a lead magnet), you can begin the sales cycle!
Deciding what magnets to offer and how to place them on your website can be critical to your efforts’ success. Reading this article should inform you what will work best for your brand and what mistakes to avoid.
All that’s left is for you to go forth and attract, and if you need any help integrating them or making them pop on your website, get in touch and I can help.
Leave a Reply