Let's define what a lead magnet funnel is, rename it as a "freebie funnel," and then talk about WHY your business needs a freebie funnel.
I'm confident you've heard of it before ... a freebie, a lead magnet, a funnel.
If it hasn’t been important to you then perhaps you glaze over any time you hear any of those marketing jargony words, so today I want to break it down for you.
I want to start by renaming this stupid term “lead magnet” into something WAY easier to remember and know exactly what it is.
So firstly, the definition, without the word itself －
I’m talking about a valuable-to-your-potential-buyers FREE resource that you send them in exchange for their email address.
Sharing this free resource in exchange for email addresses is how you grow your email list. This is how you grow a following of people who are genuinely interested in your upcoming product/program.
Now, what do we call this thing?
For the past several years, I almost always have called it a “lead magnet” but I was always aware how that term can have zero meaning to someone who’s new to online marketing.
It’s just that this is what “the industry calls it” and so obviously we all as sheep should just go with what the industry says to do right? Even if everyone glazes over and we lose sigh of what the point is…. ?
Nah. Let’s fix this right now.
It also bothered me because “lead magnet” itself is an analogy, and when you’re autistic and literal, you might not automatically gather what an analogy REALLY is supposed to mean.
The actual term lead magnet comes from the fact that “the marketing industry” calls people who are interested in your product “leads”.
So yeah, people are leads.
It’s quite impersonal.
And then you have the word “magnet” to indicate that you’ve got something that will magnetically attract potential buyers to your product or program.
Still quite impersonal eh?
So, I propose that we let go of that weird phrase “lead magnet” all together, and start just simplifying it to what it is.
It’s a free resource. That’s all it is.
And since we like simplifying it, we could shorten that to “freebie.”
Whew. That was hard work right?
But thank you for bearing through with me because I think it’s important we lay aside what’s not making sense for our brains and moving forward with something much lighter and easier to use.
So what’s a freebie funnel?
(formerly known as a lead magnet funnel)
Well let’s identify now what we mean with a “funnel.”
Man I’m telling you they don’t make this shit easy with all the weird words.
But I do want you to know your way around the online marketing world and you’re going to hear this terminology ALL OF THE TIME so let me define this one for you too.
I’ll make it super easy.
It’s a slide where your people slide down into the pool of your awesome product or program 😅.
What is a funnel?
A funnel is this thing that you use when you’re canning your garden vegetables or orchard fruits.
You put the funnel in a jar and it creates a wide mouth to catch all the fruit pieces so that the fruit can be neatly guided down into the jar.
In marketing, a funnel is an intentional pathway you have mapped out that you want people to go through, if they express any interest in your product or program.
And once you’ve intentionally planned out that pathway, you automate it so that the steps happen pretty much automatically without you doing anything extra every time someone expresses interest.
So now instead of blueberries, we have people with desires and they are looking for solutions.
If they come across your business, and they realize you are talking about THEIR specific desire and that you might possibly have their solution, they will joyfully jump into your funnel and slide all the way down into your jar (your program or your product).
The mouth of your funnel, the top, where they jump into . . . that is your freebie.
Your freebie attracts them and that’s where they decide if they want to jump in (happy jumpy blueberries 🙂
As soon as they say YES to following your business, they click your link to the landing page where they can drop their email address.
When they hit submit, they are now subscribed to your email list (benefit for you) and your email marketing platform is set up to automatically email them that freebie (benefit to them).
Then over the next few days and weeks, you keep sending them emails that you have intentionally written in such a way that they’ll get to know your vision and mission better.
This is you nurturing your relationship with them (and this is known as a “nurture sequence” by the way).
They’re sliding in deeper into your jar. Into the very yummy jam that you will ultimately provide for them, once they’re ready to purchase your program!
There can be many or few steps in this funnel. Everyone teaches it slightly differently.
You get to make decisions for your own business and decide how long of a funnel you want to take your blueberries on.
But the point is, the more they get to know you, the closer they can get to purchasing your blueberry jam. I mean, your program.
Yum.
Why does having a Freebie Funnel matter?
Perhaps you are wondering by now, why exactly does a freebie funnel matter to your business?
A freebie funnel is an essential tool for coaches and course creators and anyone who’s turning to online marketing for their program or product.
It serves as a powerful strategy to
- attract potential buyers
- build relationships
- convert them into paying customers
- and ultimately scale your business effortlessly (ish).
1. Freebie funnels Attract Potential Buyers
This free resource could be a free eBook, a webinar, a mini-course, a video training, a 5 day challenge, a one week bootcamp, or any other piece of content that your target audience finds useful and irresistably perfect for the stage they’re currently.
2. Freebie funnels Build Relationships with Potential Buyers
3. Freebie funnels Convert Potential Buyers into Actual Buyers
4. Freebie funnels help you to Scale Your Business
So as you can see, if you’re a coach or a course creator, a freebie funnel is a vital component of your online marketing strategy.
👉🏼 It helps you to attract people who are interested in your program and is one of the easiest ways to find those who will want to purchase from you.
👉🏼 Not only that, but also a freebie funnel plays a crucial role in scaling the business later on once you’ve got a solid foundation set.
Have you created your first freebie funnel?
I created a free audio mini course for you to quickly set up your freebie funnel using MailerLite, the easiest to use email marketing platform.
It’s a private podcast so when you sign up for it, you’ll get access right in your regular podcast app!
If this sounds exactly like the help you’ve been looking for to get started, click this lovely big purple button to access the free mini course.