How to Get Even More Subscribers from Your Lead Magnets
If you’ve already tried generating leads from your site, then I’m sure you’ll agree:
Lead generation can be so disappointing.
Although you’ve done everything by the book – created a powerful lead magnet, wrote a compelling call to action, and optimized it for higher conversions – I bet you’re still not getting even a fraction of leads you were hoping for.
And what’s worse, it seems that there’s just no chance you could improve it.
Luckily, that’s not entirely true.
Because you see, you can dramatically boost your lead magnet’s conversion rates, without having to attract a single new visitor to the site at that.
How? By figuring out what compels your visitors to act.
And then, using that insight to design calls to action that will leave them no choice but to download your eBook.
And in this post, I’ll show you 5 super-simple split tests you could try to get even more subscribers to your lead magnet.
Intrigued? Then let’s do it.
#1. Test Having Multiple Calls to Action vs. Just a Single One
This one feels like a no-brainer, right?
The more calls to action you display, the greater the chance someone will actually act on them.
And yet, many sites include just a single call to action to a lead magnet, right after the content.
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Others only feature information about the lead magnet in the sidebar.
And although there’s nothing wrong with using the below the content CTA or a sidebar banner, there are many other call to action types you could include in the content.
From in-content links, top-of-the-page ribbons to popups and slide-ins, you can use various calls to actions to promote your lead magnet.
So, as the simplest test, launch additional calls to action to identify which one would attract more subscribers.
As a bonus, using multiple calls to action will also allow you to test different placements.
For one, you can test having calls to action above and below the fold (and contrary to common belief, sometimes below the fold CTA actually works better).
#2. Test Different Call to Action Button Formulas to Find the One that Engages Your Audience
Here’s one particular lead generation misconception that drives me absolutely insane.
One you set a call to action, it’s done.
No. Absolutely not.
In fact, your call to action is a work in progress. You should constantly refine and test the copy to see what approach compels the most visitors to act.
Lucky for you, I’ve already shared with you different call to action button formulas that you could use to entice visitors to click.
So, as the next test, try different formulas. Run split tests, to compare the performance of your original idea with a different one.
Not convinced to this split test idea? Then check the results others got from testing different formulas:
- 198% increase in conversions by changing the button copy (via Leadpages)
- 49% more clicks after making the button copy clearer (via Wishpond)
- 139% lift in conversions after changing just one word in the call to action (via Wishpond)
Quick Tip: Although it may seem daunting to try a couple of formulas at once, don’t do it.
Use your original copy as the control version (the original your testing the other version against), and pick just one other formula to test against it.
#3. Find Out If Adding Arrows, Icons, and Other Visual Cues Helps Attract Visitors’ Attention to the Call to Action
You know:
The hardest part in converting web visitors is actually attracting their attention to a call to action.
That’s why, to make it work, you should set the CTA in contrasting colors, and make it big enough so that it draws a person’s attention to itself.
But sometimes this may not be enough.
As the next step, test if adding visual clues like arrows or icons to a call to action would increase its conversions.
For example, take a look at the little arrow on this banner. Even though it might seem insignificant at first, subconsciously you follow to where it points – the call to action button.
Here’s another example of a call to action using a visual cue to increase visibility.
But why arrows and visual cues work?
As Steven Bradley points in this article:
“When an arrow points to a location it helps the viewer filter out the extraneous and focus on where the arrow leads. It keeps the focus on the essential which is a first step in comprehension.”
Simple, isn’t it?
#4. Test Using Negative Headlines to Grab Visitors’ Attention
As it turns out, we’re so used to seeing positive headlines, so we often miss them.
For example, call to action headlines like these often have no effect on us:
- “10 Ways to Be More Productive’
- “Best Ways to Overcome Procrastination”
- “How You Could Become More Productive”
But twist them around to focus on the negatives, and suddenly, we’re all ears.
In fact, a study conducted by Outbrain discovered that headlines that focus on the negatives perform 30% better than their positive counterparts.
How to Turn a Positive Headline into a Negative?
One of the simplest ways is to replace positive superlatives (i.e. biggest, best) with negative ones (i.e. worst) and build your headline around it.
To use the sample positive headlines I listed above, here’s how their negative counterparts could sound like (note, I also added a commanding verb to make them sound like a call to action headline):
- “Discover the 10 Worst Ways to Increasing Productivity”
- “Do You Know Any of These Worst Ways to Beat Procrastination?”
- “See How You Might Easily Become Even Less Productive (And Learn How to Avoid It)”
Of course, when experimenting with negative headlines, make sure that, although they might be turning the lead magnets title upside down, they still relate to it.
After all, nothing irritates visitors more than false promises made by advertising.
#5. See If Changing the Pronoun Would Create a Stronger Personal Connection
Did you know:
We all respond differently to a pronoun in calls to action.
Where some of us might react to calls to action in the first person (i.e. “Download MY ebook”), the others would respond better to this button – “download YOUR ebook.”
And although it seems almost impossible to be true, there are plenty of research findings that confirm this behavior.
For example, in this test, changing the pronoun from “your” to “my” increased the click-through rate by 90%.
Given how simple it is to run this test, I’d certainly recommend you try it to see what effect it would have on your conversions.
But Are These Tests Guaranteed to Increase My Conversions?
No, of course not.
That’s the idea of split testing – trying out new things to find out which ones can compel visitors to take action.
And so, not every test will result in success. At times, your new idea might flop, and only prove that the original worked better.
But even failures like that provide you with insight that you can use to improve your conversion rates.