If you’ve spent a significant amount of time in the digital and content marketing industry, you’ve probably noticed a trend. Back in the day, when Facebook was still growing and Snapchat and Instagram didn’t even exist, there was a huge explosion in the number of inbound marketers using lead magnets like white papers and webinars to gather data on potential customers.
It’s an approach that works, and it’s one of the reasons why HubSpot was able to go from small startup to $880 million IPO in the space of ten years. But at the same time, marketers eventually ruin everything, and it often feels as though every time you visit a website they’re trying to push you towards an ebook or a whitepaper. It can actually drive you away if that’s not what you’re there for.
Here at Bant.io, we’ve found that there’s still a huge amount of value to be had from lead magnets, both for marketers and for their target audience. As with most forms of marketing, the lead generation landscape is super competitive and hard to get noticed in. We have to work harder than before but that value is still there.
Defining value
The key to answering this question is to consider the word ‘value’. More specifically, we need to think about value for both the brand and for the consumer. One of the big problems with modern lead generation is that so many of the resources that people are sharing are of inferior quality. Worse, many of them don’t actually help the people that access them. Brands are so busy trying to capture data that they forget to actually offer something in return.
In some ways, that’s forgivable. After all, with so many lead magnets on offer, brands are finding it difficult to break through the noise. Many teams are witnessing diminishing returns – and some are questioning whether it’s still worth the effort.
The good news is that lead magnets aren’t dead, they’re just evolving. Now more than ever, marketing teams need to follow the data and do more of what works and less of what doesn’t. But as a general rule, we tend to find that it’s best to put the extra effort in. After all, while capturing email addresses is all well and good, it won’t boost your bottom line unless you convert those leads into customers. And they’re not going to want to work with you if you wasted their time with a sub-par piece of content.
Conclusion
Lead magnets still work and they work for a reason. As long as people have needs and you’re able to meet them through the creation of quality content, you’ll be able to use that content to capture leads and to turn them into customers over time. You just need to remember to never be lazy with your content creation or to fall into routine. Make content that you can be proud of. Then measure the results and see what happens.
Struggling with lead gen? Don’t worry – we’re here to help you to gather the leads you need to boost your business. Request a demo of Bant.io to find out how we can help your company to grow by sending hot B2B leads directly to your inbox. You won’t regret it.
Dane
Dane Cobain is a published author, freelance writer, book blogger, poet and (occasional) musician from High Wycombe, UK. Before going freelance, he worked as a social media marker, now specialising in writing about publishing, technology and marketing.