By Dan Monaghan
What makes a good lead incentive for motivating people to give their contact information on a landing page? The answer is simple: one that provides value. Lead incentives should be enticing enough that someone is willing to give up his or her contact information to get it. It could be something like a free trial, or a discount on a product or service, but it also could be some information or education that they are curious about.
A good lead incentive:
- Demonstrates expertise
- Proves why you are the business to buy from
- Shows you are an expert in the subject matter
- Shows you produce high quality products
- Builds your credibility and trust
- Leads to a buying decision
Here is a look at the five most common (and most effective) lead incentives.
1. White Paper or Ebook
These are 5-10 page documents that give quality information related to the product or service you’re selling. An effective white paper or ebook piques the person’s interest by answering a question that they feel like they need to know the answer to. It should help them make a buying decision by countering any doubts that they may have about the purchase, and contain enough information to demonstrate your knowledge so you are seen as an expert. If you’re not confident in putting together your own, you can hire a freelance writer to help put it together for you or you could write it then just hire someone to edit it.
2. Case Study
These are real life examples featuring existing customers who faced similar issues or problems that the prospect has, followed by the solution that you provided and the final results. Position it as valuable by providing testimonials – quotes from others who found the material beneficial – right on the landing page. The case studies should demonstrate your knowledge and successful track record to build confidence that you’re the business to buy from. It should also focus on painting the vision of how the customer’s life will improve once they buy your product or service.
3. Event Registration
If you have a product or service that is more complex and not easily explained in a case study or white paper, then you may decide to hold an event for prospective customers. The event can be a seminar, webinar (a virtual seminar held over the Internet), an open house, product demonstration, or luncheon. The downside of holding these events is they can be costly to put on, depending on the venue and if there are any marketing materials you want to hand out. Also, it does take a time commitment, whereas a publication is something that you prepare one time, and the prospect can read on their time. Landing pages for any of these events should include a registration form.
4. Sample or Trial
Consider offering a free sample or trial of your product/service so people can experience the benefits firsthand. Being able to use it increases confidence in your product/service and alleviates fears of risks that could be associated with the purchase. With a sample or trial you want to make sure they have enough time or product to see the benefits, but you don’t want to give away too much, or they may not see the need to make a purchase.
5. Coupon or Discount
Coupons, discounts and promotion codes are another way to drive people to share their contact information. These will reduce the risk of the purchase to the potential customer since they will pay less money, which encourages them to buy. The downside to this strategy is that you’ll be cutting into your profit margin by receiving less money.
Hopefully now you see how valuable a landing page is for lead generation, and how that process can help to get prospective customers knocking on your door. You should also have some ideas now of the type of lead generation tool you can offer visitors to your site to begin the engagement process, based on your business.
