Creating a Lead-Generating PDF
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What is a lead-generating PDF?

A lead-generator is a piece of information that you can give away in exchange for a potential client’s contact information—usually their email address. Though it may feel like a small accomplishment, acquiring a prospective client’s email address is a significant achievement. None of us enjoy extra junk emails, and most are cautious about signing up to get more messages dropped in our inboxes. Therefore, creating a lead-generating PDF that can really help your clients will really help your business, too!

A lead generator should offer value, value, and more value.  You should be giving away really important information in exchange for a client’s email address. Once you have their email address, you can reach out to your customers tastefully through email campaigns, hopefully leading to an eventual sale.

Lead generators can take on many forms. Your lead generators could include video series, live events, free samples, PDFs, etc. However, a PDF is a great place to start. PDFs are short, visual, helpful, and not too time-consuming to make.

Don’t stop with your first PDF, though! The options for lead generators are endless. The more lead generators you make, the more natural, authentic sales conversations you’ll be able to have with your customers. Lead generators start relationships and eventually sell products in a genuine, non-pushy way.

A lead-generator should accomplish these things:

Now that you understand what lead generators do and their importance in helping you reach clients, let’s chat about some specifics that your lead generator should accomplish.

Your lead generator should:

  • Demonstrate authority
  • Solve your client’s problem

First off, you’ll want to position yourself as your client’s guide. Let them know that you understand their problem, and that you have the expertise to help them solve it. Show them that you are a helpful guide by differentiating yourself from the crowd. Your unique knowledge on the topic should be useful to them in solving their problem.

Now, if you don’t actually help the customer, you’ll be doing more harm than good, of course. After you’ve shown empathy and authority, offer material that is truly valuable. Your PDF should create trust by solving the customer’s problem (or part of their problem) for free. By offering the customer something of value, you’re creating reciprocity. Whether they know it or not, customers will begin to feel loyal toward your brand.

Ideas for creating your lead-generating PDF:

Next, let’s talk about some ideas for your lead generator! The options are nearly endless, but we’ll talk about some great starting points.

Perhaps the most helpful lead generator is a worksheet that your audience will use over and over. Keep them coming back by becoming helpful in their everyday routine. This could be something like a freezer inventory sheet, a weekly planner, a catch-all ideas page, or a nutrition journal. When customers use your PDF on a regular basis, they’re reminded that your company exists and that you can help them.

How about an interview with an expert? Whatever your area of business, you can get the inside scoop by chatting with an influencer or a higher-up in the field. For example, a local gym might sit down with one of their personal trainers and ask, “What are the five biggest mistakes people make when trying to lose weight?” A real estate office could interview one of their top agents and ask, “Will you explain the steps to buying a first home?”

Depending on your area of business, you may be able to give something away in the form of a sample. A sample could be a physical product, like grocery stores give away food. Samples could also be coupons or free information. For example, if you’re selling a recipe book, how about giving away one recipe as your PDF? Samples lead to sales!

Lastly, a checklist is a great strategy to try if you want to crank out a lead-generator without investing a lot of time. If you sell skin products, you could ask a series of questions, such as:

“Does your face always feel dry and itchy?”

“Is your skin breaking out more often than you’d like?”

“Do you know what ingredients you’re putting on your skin?”

After each question, highlight the ways that your company can help.

What to include in your PDF:

Now that you’ve chosen the type of document you’d like to design, let’s think about some important aspects to include when creating your lead-generating PDF. Here are some points to consider:

  • A catchy title – Reel ‘em in! Give customers a reason to download your PDF.
  • A problem your customers are experiencing – Speak to the problem, and show empathy toward the frustration they may be experiencing.
  • A way to elicit trust that you can solve this problem – Have you helped others solve this problem before? What credentials do you have that will convince customers that you can help?
  • A solution to the problem – Whether it’s four tips, a recipe, or a formula, offer the customer a solution.
  • Optional: the stakes—what will be won or lost if they do or don’t take your advice?
  • A call to action – What is the next step? Contacting your company? Signing up for your webinar? Purchasing your product? If you don’t direct your customers, they won’t take the next step.

What to do with your lead generator:

Congrats! You’ve created your first lead-generating PDF!

Now what?

Offer that thing! Stick it on your website, promote it on your social media pages, or even use paid advertising. Get the word out that you can help your customers, and you’re offering to begin helping them for free! Remember, the payback of generating interest in your brand will be well worth it.

Collect those email addresses! Then, keep an eye out for our coming post, Boosting Your Business with Automated E-mail Campaigns. 

Need help with your lead generator?

Lifedge is obsessed with helping companies succeed in digital marketing. We want to see your online presence be transformed from average to dynamic.

Want to offer your customers an engaging lead generator, but don’t have the time? Let us do the heavy lifting for you! We’ll schedule a quick chat about your company, then create a quality PDF for you to offer to your customers. Created your lead generator, but not sure if your writing is up to par? Let our copywriter look it over. Need to add some killer graphics? We can do that for you! We’d love to be a part of creating your lead-generating PDF.  Reach out to us today. 

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