How a lead-generating freebie offer can help grow your business
Imagine your business offers something useful — like a helpful checklist or template, for FREE on your website. Why would you do that? Well, it’s not just to be generous (although that’s nice), it’s a smart business move. When visitors grab your freebie offer by sharing their email, you’re building a list of potential customers who are genuinely interested in what you offer. That’s your email list, and it’s gold!
With this list, you can send them personalized messages, keep them in the loop, share more valuable content, and then when the time is right…nudge them toward booking your service, or making a purchase. Plus, you can learn more about what they like and what they need, making your marketing efforts even more effective. So, a freebie offer lead capture is like making new friends for your business – you get to know them, and they get to know you. It’s a win-win!
Let’s break it down…
What even is a freebie offer?
A freebie offer (aka a lead generator) is like your friendly sidekick in the world of marketing. It’s a tool that helps you catch the attention of folks who are itching to know more about what you’ve got to offer but aren’t quite ready to make a purchase. The magic happens when it captures the lead – aka an email address – from someone who’s been browsing around on your site. So, in simple terms, it’s all about making new pals in the digital world, one email address at a time! 😉📧
Why is capturing leads important for your business?
Building an email list is crucial for any business. Having direct access to your potential client’s inbox is beneficial on so many levels…
- You don’t have to go toe-to-toe with the algorithms on social media and only rely on a hope and a prayer that your posts are *actually* popping up on your followers’ feeds
- Your email list is YOURS! If you ever experience waking up to the highly dreaded message that your Instagram has been hacked and you have to pay $67238 to get it back (which has actually happened to a handful of my clients) you will still have access to your email list
- You break down your list into segments, so you can be ultra-specific on the information you’re sharing and can speak DIRECTLY to the pain points of each lead — like you’re talking to your BFF 👯♀️
- Your Return on Investment (aka ROI) in email marketing is a gold mine 💰 — it’s one of the highest in all of the digital marketing strategies out there. Real-life stat: On average, for every $1 spent on email marketing, businesses can expect a return of $42, according to the Data & Marketing Association (DMA) 🤯
- You’ll build a squad of raving fans — these folks aren’t just casually scrolling through Instagram and hitting the follow button; they’ve raised their hands and said, “Hey, we’re into what you do!” Subscribing to your emails is like joining your VIP club, and that’s a big deal! 💌😊
So why a freebie?
The days of saying, “Sign up for our newsletter” are OVER! With everyone’s inboxes being bombarded with emails throughout the day, no one is going to give their precious email address away for free. They want something in exchange, and that’s where your freebie comes in…
A freebie lead generator is typically a free pdf download that you offer website viewers in exchange for their email address.
Oftentimes, before a potential client chooses to book a service with you, they are in the testing-the-waters, getting-to-know-you phase. The more expensive your service offers are, the longer it’s going to take the potential client to trust you enough to invest their hard-earned money in your service. If you offer something of VALUE to them for “free,” but more importantly in exchange for their email address, they are more likely to take the bait.
What kind of freebie should you offer?
The best freebies are the ones that give away valuable information (that someone is actually looking for) related to the service that you provide. Typically some sort of checklist or template. They allow you to show off your expertise and impress them with your skills. Here are some real-life examples of freebies:
20 Must-Have Decor Items for a Rustic & Chic Wedding // A free pdf download from a wedding decor rental business that rents rustic and chic wedding decor in a simplified trailer solution. It offers a checklist for brides who are currently waist-deep in wedding planning woes and searching for some extra help. It introduces the owner of the business, breaks down decor for the ceremony/cocktail hour/reception, and then pitches their service as a solution to not having to buy all of the items on the list because it is included in their offer, the decor trailer rental.
8 Website Essentials to Turn Browsers into Buyers // This is my personal freebie offer. It outlines 8 things every website needs and gives a brief description of each. If someone is going to DIY their website, this checklist would be helpful to them to make sure they are including all essential elements. On the last page, it pitches my web design services as a solution if they decided it was too much of an undertaking to design their own site — which often happens after a business owner is either halfway through designing or after their site has been up for a few months and they haven’t received a single inquiry.
If you have a product-based business or alternate business model (like the AirBnb host below) you can also offer a discount to incentivize viewers to sign up for your list:
What email marketing platform should you use?
We’re super excited to introduce you to our personal favorite, Flodesk. It’s not just any email marketing platform — it’s like your creative sidekick, with user-friendly superpowers. Flodesk comes with gorgeous templates that practically beg to be clicked, and our clients swear it’s easier to use than Mailchimp (although Mailchimp is a good starting point if you’re on a budget). The best part? Flodesk lets you set up workflows that deliver your freebies to new subscribers automatically. There’s really nothing better than automation as a busy business owner. You set it up once and forget it! 🌟💌😊
You can use our code NORTHDESIGNCO for 50% off your first year of Flodesk.
Nurturing and Converting Your Leads
Once you have their email address, this is where the real magic happens. Comment below if you’re interested in learning more about nurturing your email leads and we will do a follow-up blog post.
This post contains affiliate links. When you buy from the affiliate links mentioned in this post, I may earn a small commission. I NEVER recommend any product or service that I have not personally tried, and loved.
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