BY HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHY COACH, Vanie Poyey

Creating stunning images is your forte but when it comes to attracting and booking clients, you have no idea what to do.

*This* is where a lead magnet comes to the rescue.????

A lead magnet is a freebie that you offer to potential clients in exchange for their contact information, typically their name and email address. Although as of late, I’ve also started collecting phone numbers for text campaigns. Studies have shown that roughly 95% of texts get read while roughly only 25% of emails get opened. But I digress…

The key to a successful lead magnet is to provide something that can solve your clients’ biggest pain point (their biggest problem) as related to your services.

To be able to do that, you need to identify your ICA (ideal client avatar). Who are your ideal clients? When you talk to them, what do they consistently express to you is their biggest pain point?

By the way, if you’re not talking to your clients, you should be!

????????I spent years getting on the phone with my leads and learned their biggest pain points inside out. That’s how I’m able to book 7 out of 10 inquiries on an automated basis now. But that’s a whole other topic for next time.

If you don’t talk to clients regularly, for now, ask 10 clients, or would be clients, to hop on a quick call with you and ask them open-ended questions about their biggest struggles with photography. This is how you’ll gather intel to make sure your lead magnet will actually help them. Don’t skip this step if you’re not confident about your ICA’s pain points!

Once you have enough information, decide what type of lead magnet will best serve your ICA. You can create a guide, a checklist or even a promo as your lead magnet.

For example, if you shoot weddings, something like a “Wedding Photography Planning Guide” might be useful for your clients. 

Once you create your lead magnet, make sure you have a link to it from the most visited pages on your website. This can be in the form of a Pop-up or a bar above the fold (above your menu), or an inline item.

PRO TIP: If you use a pop-up, make sure it’s not on your home page because that’ll work against you for SEO.

Next, have a link to your lead magnet on your social media profiles and start including it in your call to action after each post. A lead magnet isn’t going to get you leads unless your audience knows about it– so keep shouting about it off ALL rooftops!

By downloading your lead magnet and willingly providing their email addresses to you, these “leads” become active participants in your community. That’s when the nurturing begins– with email campaigns. Read this next to learn more about emailing your list.

With weekly email campaigns you have a direct line of communication with your audience and this is where you’re going to make the most sales, NOT on social media. One, because only 2% of your audience sees your posts on social media and two, because you don’t own your space on social media.

Social media can disappear at any moment. Remember Vine? Remember when Facebook went down for a day? Use social media to turn followers into leads on your list.

With email marketing, not only can you offer ongoing value to your client base but you can also establish yourself as an expert in your niche. You can send tailored content, special offers, and personal updates so your audience gets to know you on a deeper level.

As you nurture leads through your email list, you increase the likelihood of turning these leads into paying clients. I can tell you from first hand experience, every time I send out an email or text campaign with completely unrelated topics, I naturally get a few bookings! And my email list is how I sell out every single “Mini Sale Day”.

Can you think of a freebie you can offer now? Comment below????