HOW TO DEVELOP A LEAD MAGNET IDEA THAT WORKS?

As an internet marketer, or at least as someone who is familiar with the internet, you would come across the term “Lead Magnet” a lot. A lead magnet is essentially an incentive offered to a prospect in exchange for their contact information. An effective lead magnet idea is one that maximizes the number of targeted leads that you get for a particular offer.

Here are some of the Lead Magnet Ideas that you should know about…

#1: A free software tool or download

#2: Free coupons

#3: A quiz or a test

#4: A free webinar or a recorded video recording

#5: A case study

#6: A toolkit

#7: Free consultation or sales material

#8:  A free eBook or a report

#9: A PDF checklist

Each of these lead magnet ideas are proven to work and are guaranteed to get the attention of your audience. But it is not as simple as you think. You will need to work hard and take effective action to develop lead magnets that get you the expected results.

Follow the step-by-step guide given here to develop lead magnet ideas that work, time and time again.

 Step #1: Choosing a lead magnet

We have listed some of the best lead magnets above. You can pick any one of these ideas, depending on the information you would like to share. For example, if you’re going to offer a free report, what is it going to be about? If you want to offer a quiz instead, have you properly considered the questions?

An effective lead magnet does the following for you…

#1: It is attractive and grabs attention.

#2: It offers quality information that the client would want to have and would benefit them in some way or another.

#3: It is relevant to your products, business or service.

#4: It is simple enough for a potential client to understand, but hard enough so that they would want to have more information from you.

#5: It tells your clients what they need, is educational and descriptive about a problem and offers a simple solution. It tells them why they might find your product or service useful.

 Step #2: Create great content

Now that you know which lead magnet would be the right one to offer, the next step is to create great content for it. Some lead magnets such as eBooks or reports need more content than others; each lead magnet idea would require quality material.

Here are a few tips on content creation for a lead magnet…

#1: Designing a landing page for the lead magnet – The landing page should have enough descriptive content that explains what the lead magnet is and what it has to offer. The landing page will also have a download button to access the lead magnet.

 #2: Designing a form page – On the form page, the customer fills up a form before downloading the lead magnet. Most internet marketers ask for the subscriber’s phone number, name, e-mail address, business or profession and website URL. Only the name and the e-mail address need to be mandatory, the other entries can be made optional, this way, the subscriber doesn’t feel like they are being asked for too much information. As soon as they fill up the form, send them an email with the download link for the lead magnet.

#3: Designing a “thank you” page – The subscriber should be led to the thank you page after downloading the lead magnet. This is where you thank them for downloading the lead magnet and explain where they can find the download link. The “thank you” page allows you to track the number of times the lead magnet has been downloaded. This way you will know how many leads you’ve had.

 Step #3: Setting up the lead magnet on your website

You’ve done the hard work – created the landing page, form and the “thank you” page. You probably have the material for the lead magnet read as well. Now, it’s all about setting it up on your website. Add a web page called “resources” with links displayed right on top of your website. This should be unique and distinctive from the rest of the website and make it easy for people to opt-in, should they want to. Clicking on this link should take them to the landing page for the lead magnet.

Next, place effective calls-to-action for the lead magnet at various places on the website. This could be in the sidebar of your blog, below the web page or in other easily accessible places. The call-to-action should include attractive, clickable visuals for best effect.

Step #4: Optimizing the Conversions

The next step is to see if the lead magnet actually works. Track the number of downloads and find out how many of them have developed into leads. If you’re getting a fair share of downloads and a high conversion rate with your lead magnet, then you’ve done well. If not, find out why.

 Why a lead magnet fails to convert…

Reason #1:  Perhaps it supplies irrelevant information, which is not related to your business, product or service.

Reason #2: It is hard to understand.

Reason #3: It doesn’t offer enough information; lacks descriptive content or material.

Reason #4: It’s designed very unattractively; is an eye sore.

Reason #5: The email link or the download button is not working.

Reason #6: The email with the download link ends up in the SPAM folder of your subscriber.

Conclusion

We have discussed the importance of lead magnets, given you examples of effective lead magnet ideas and explained how to develop them. If your lead magnet fails to give you the expected results, do read the tips given here once again, try out different ideas till you get one that works.

INTERVIEW - Egypt's al-Azhar to launch Islamic TV channel

(Reuters) - Egypt's seat of Islamic learning, al-Azhar, will launch a satellite channel to give the world a better understanding of Islam and counter some Islamic outlets preaching "extremist dialogue", its architects said on Sunday.

Sheikh Khaled Al-Guindy, a scholar at al-Azhar mosque and university, said the new channel would reach out to the world's 1.5 billion Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Al-Azhar, one of the oldest institutions in Sunni Islam, is headed by Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, who is selected by Egypt's president. The institution receives most of its funding from the Egyptian state.
"In the Age of Obama we realized it was time to look at new ways to deliver our message," Guindy said, four days before U.S. President Barack Obama visits Egypt to address the Muslim world.
"We cannot have a conversation with ourselves. We will include politicians, actors, thinkers, writers and all religions in our dialogue," he told Reuters in an interview.
The launch is planned for the start of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting and religious reflection, that begins in mid-August.
The channel, to be called Azhari, has received initial funding of 15 million Egyptian pounds ($2.7 million) from Libyan businessman Hassan Tatanaki, who estimated annual operating expenses at around $2.5 million.
"Associating with al-Azhar is the ultimate in the sense of promoting the proper interpretation of the religion," Tatanaki said.
DIALOGUE
Guindy did not name Islamic outlets he said were misleading the world about Islam but said "some of these channels unfortunately are preaching extremist dialogue, some of them are not respecting the freedom of others or the culture of others."
"Some of them are doing more harm to Islam than they are serving Islam," he said.
Guindy said the channel would engage in topical issues such as globalisation, cloning and genetics and organ donation, but would not challenge government decisions or be used for other political reasons.
"In short, we are dealing with religion for life, before it is for the afterlife," he said. "Our Islam is not going to be involved in politics. It is Islam without violence. Our Islam depends on interaction and dialogue with others."
The channel will feature a daily sermon from Tantawi, documentaries relating to al-Azhar, talk shows and an animated series on the Koran.
The channel will broadcast 75 percent of its output in Arabic, with the rest initially in English and French. Other languages will be added next year.
Azhari plans to extend its reach with the launch of a newspaper, a radio station, blogs and mobile services in 2010.
Guindy launched a telephone hotline in 2000 offering Koranic interpretation and guidance on legal and family issues. That project is available in twelve languages and recently launched in Britain.
($1 = 5.62 Egyptian pounds)

Azhari TV to cater to wider audience in four other languages

Azhari TV to cater to wider audience in four other languages

By Safaa Abdoun
Daily News Egypt

CAIRO: In a bid to bridge cultural gaps and clear misconceptions about Islam, Azhari TV is reaching out to a wider audience and is now available in English, French, Urdu and Pashto in addition to its original Arabic language programming.
Azhari TV was first launched following US President Barack Obama's address to the Muslim World in June 2009 where he called for a dialogue based on mutual respect and understanding between people of different faiths.
One year later, Azhari TV, the educational and entertainment satellite channel created to promote moderate Islam, has decided to expand.
“[Through Azhari TV] we're trying to show the people in the west and the rest of the world that the problem isn't in Islam but it's the misinterpretations by certain people that's the problem,” said Hassan Tatanaki, chairman of Azhari TV, in an interview with Daily News Egypt.
The satellite channel was founded with the aim of promoting a moderate interpretation of Islam and intends to counter extremist rhetoric which they saw dominating the debate.
Breaking language barriers
Operating on a new channel, Azhari TV 2, the dub of the Arabic language channel's original content into four additional languages, will enable the station to reach homes across Europe and Asia, spreading its message of reason and tolerance.
The channel aims to serve as a direct counterweight to more confrontational and aggressive interpretations of Islam that have proliferated in the last several years and exacerbated the turmoil that has plagued much of the Muslim world.
Through the expansion, Azhari will be reaching non-Arab Muslims that don't have access to a correct interpretation of Islam because they are limited to certain outlets.
The languages were not chosen after thorough research, especially in Afghanistan, Pakistan and South East Asia. French and English were selected to cater to the Americans and Europeans, Arabs and non-Arabs residing there.
Faces of Azhari TV
Prominent television presenters and journalist Mahmoud Saad is the head of Azhari TV. “Mahmoud Saad, highly educated in religious matters in a civil way, a subject close to his heart, truly believes in the mission,” said Tatanaki.
“What happened during the past period is that there has been many television stations coming out which present fatwas and extremist views by people that aren't scholars, we need to fight this trend and the only way to do that is through the media, not by attacking but by presenting another view since this view is far from true Islam,” Saad told Daily News Egypt.
“[The channel will present] a viewpoint that is moderate, rational, scholarly to present a true image of Islam which has been marred,” he explained.
Azhari TV faces the challenge of attracting viewers and distinguishing itself from other religious channels that are available in abundance.
“I will get popular religious preachers and scholars,” Saad said, “and we are giving the audience the correct viewpoint, by time you will know that this is the correct interpretation.”
“We need to explain that Islam is about moderation, forgiveness, understanding, we need to show the west and non-Muslims in general so that they understand,” said Tatanaki. “We also need to understand that we have to fix ourselves before we fix the view of others of us, instead of just blaming the west for being anti-Islam we have to do something about it,” he noted.
Tatanaki cited the misinterpretation of the world ‘jihad.' “It was misused by extremists and it now means ‘to kill yourself' to the world, and it's because of us not them,” he said.
Azhari TV is named for and is closely affiliated with Al-Azhar, Islam's oldest and most venerable institution and seat of learning. Programming includes news programs, cartoons for children, drama series, lectures and call-in shows.
The channel's content is developed by religious scholars educated at Al-Azhar University.
The star of the channel, considered by many as popular and charismatic, is preacher Sheikh Khaled El-Guindy, who is also a partner.
El-Guindy explained that the drive behind launching Azhari TV was the lack of a moderate voice of Islam in the contemporary media.
“[Furthermore,] the fierce attack on Al-Azhar scholars made us persist in our call on Al-Azhar institution to have a television channel speaking on behalf of this historic institution which led the Islamic rhetoric one day spreading moderation, tolerance,” El-Guindy told Daily News Egypt.
“Al-Azhar [has] not kept up with the advancements of the media, [and] this allowed other bodies to take control of Islamic preaching, spreading certain views that we have many reservations about,” he added.
El-Guindy explained that they have embarked on the expansion as there are over a billion Muslims in the world, out which Arabs only count for about a third.
“So why have we excluded these people from the religious dialogue and left them at the hands of those who misinterpreted Islam and misguided them on a certain path and at the end of the day we all pay the price,” he said.
“We can't sit back and stay silent anymore, Allah said ‘We have sent you for the mercy of all mankind,' so why has that changed that to ‘We have sent you for the mercy of Arabs?'” El-Guindy asked.