From August to October 2014, I intentionally slowed down my blogging to make a few tweaks within my consulting / copywriting business. The results are in the headline: a 680% increase in profit. The biggest change: using a service called LeadPages.
LeadPages is a software-based lead generation platform. Basically it helps you increase and track the number of people that visit you blog and eventually make a decision: whether to signup for an email list, buy a product, etc.
If you aren’t familiar with LeadPages, I suggest you check them out. If you already use LeadPages for webinars and landing pages, these additonal tweaks may help you max out what you’re already doing with it.
Content upgrades to grow my email list.
The first thing I did was give away extra content with each blog post or podcast episode, usually a simple PDF to”upgrade” the reader or listener’s experience. In most cases, this was an interactive PDF that allowed users to respond to questions I asked within a blog or podcast.
In one instance, I offered my personal notes from a conference. I didn’t create anything fancy, or hire a designer to do it; it was just my notes on a PDF. That post alone grew my list by about 100 people.
So far, my email list has grown by several hundred names. That’s a lot of leads, especially for someone that offers personal services (consulting, copywriting) like me.
Less form fields, more opt ins.
One of the things I love about LeadPages is that it takes the opt-in forms off my site. According to LeadPages’ Clay Collins, when people see form fields for a name or email address on a site, they subconciously judge that page as a “taking” page rather than a “giving” page. It may seem like a small difference, but I’m just one of the many case studies that show it can have big effects.
I can also see what’s actually working to convert my existing traffic into leads. This pic shows exactly which opt in option is working:
Since taking the form fields off my site, my list has grown but more importantly my conversion rate (number of people that see the link vs. opting in) has shot through the roof. The number in the right column represents the number of people that have clicked on the link, the middle number is how many opt in. Again, not huge traffic, but the conversion rate is awesome.
Quality traffic, not quantity.
Here’s the thing: I have NOT had record highs in my traffic the past two months. This “content upgrade” tactic has helped me maximize the traffic I was already getting. What if you could take the traffic you’ve already been working so hard to get … and convert more of them into subscribers?
That would mean less stress, frustration, and perhaps most important: less number watching. More traffic is great — if it comes, I know I’ll be ready to maximize that. Instead of having one “on ramp” to my email list, I now have many.
Sniper-targeted opt-ins.
I use MailChimp for my email service. It does the job for me, but segmenting can be a pain. I create a separate LIST (not segment) for my main lead magnet (the DIY Blog Guide), my blog posts (using a LeadBox), and my podcast (again, using a LeadBox).
Yes, you can dump all these opt-in ramps into one email list. I chose otherwise because I want to know who is specifically connecting with me on my podcast vs. blog. This is awesome because I can now email my podcast listeners, which I’ve never been able to do before.
When my podcast was recently featured on Entrepreneur.com, my subscribers increased … but more importantly LeadPages allowed me to get a bunch of those subscribers onto my mailing list.
Podcasters: if you follow this tactic, you can even email your listeners list and ask them directly for those coveted iTunes reviews!
Goodbye, “epic” lead magnet?
The next tactic I want to try is to completely remove a “primary” lead magnet. In my case, it’s the Do-It-Yourself Blog Guide. I don’t want to change this because it’s converting really well for me … but I’m going to experiment with this tactic on my wife’s upcoming blog, haha.
One of the most frequent questions I get is, “Mike! I don’t know what to create as a lead magnet!” So many people get stuck here and don’t create a lead magnet at all … and thereby kill list growth.
But what if LeadPages lowers the bar for the everyday blogger, giving her the chance to still grow her email list by just offering up say, a PDF that has the blog post for the reader to download? Anyone can do that. This may help solve the pain point of creating a primary lead magnet.
In their webinars, LeadPages claims the highest converting lead magnet they’ve ever created is a short resource list. After tons of testing, their conclusion is that the time you spend on a lead magnet, or the value / size of what you offer has no correlation to conversion rate.
After experimenting with LeadPages for just two months, I totally agree. If you’re struggling with a lead magnet idea, just put your blog post into a PDF and offer it. The solution really could be that simple.
How this made me money.
Consulting / Copywriting leads: I now use LeadPages for everything on my site that involves lead generation. While the majority of my business comes from consulting or copywriting contracts, those leads are moving down the “know / like / trust” spectrum through my autoresponders once they join my list. A number of my recent clients have come this way.
Automated Sales Funnel: I’ve also used followed LeadPages’ advice on building a reverse funnel for one of my paid courses. Once someone opts in to this particular list, they are sent a series of videos that ends in an offer to purchase the course at a huge discount. It’s a 24/7 fully-automated sales process that has resulted in sales. Previously, I always had to manually push out a promotion through my list or a webinar.
Bonus Content: My LeadPages Setup Cheat Sheet
Click the button below to download my cheat sheet on setting up LeadPages. It’s quick and easy, but I make one tweak to save an extra step in the process.
If you want to find out more about LeadPages, I absolutely recommend signing up for one of their free webinars. These presentations are absolutely killer. I met the main presenter Tim Paige at the first Podcast Movement conference, and he’s a super cool guy. Do yourself a favor and enroll in a LeadPages webinar.
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