The best B2B lead magnets do a lot more than just getting “more email subscribers”!
High-performing lead magnets bring you quality leads consistently and also turn leads into sales quicker.
However, there are so many different lead magnets you could use, it’s easy to understand why so many business owners and marketers get confused with all the options available.
So, let’s help you find the right option for your business and goals – and no, it’s unlikely to be yet another PDF download such a checklist or cheat-sheet.
What is a lead magnet?
A lead magnet can be any type of free resource or offer that you present to your target prospects in exchange for their contact details. They’re generally used to turn website visitors into email subscribers.
That way, you can retain your audience, email them directly and move them further through your sales funnel – so that some of them become paying clients.
In most cases, B2B lead magnets tend to be PDF downloads. Maybe that’s what you were planning on creating, too? Well, here’s why we don’t think you should…
What are the problems with traditional B2B lead magnets like PDFs and cheat-sheets?
The problem with traditional B2B lead magnets is that… PDFs and cheat sheets no longer work as well as they used.
They’re too generic – Because they’re created once and then offered to everyone, they rely on a cookie-cutter approach instead of personalised advice
They’re pretty basic and (let’s face it) not really that impressive anymore – Having a PDF as a B2B lead magnet did use to be effective, but then EVERYONE started offering them. Since your audience keeps seeing them all the time, they’ve basically developed “opt-in blindness”. So, not only would these PDFs prevent you from standing out: your audience is less likely to sign up for them in the first place
They only work if your prospects use them and get value from them… and they often don’t!
How many times have you “opted in” for a free PDF checklist, opened it once, and then… let it gather dust in your Downloads folder? Hint: that’s the same for your audience
What are the best b2b lead magnets? 5 game-changing options that stand out (and actually work)
To grow your audience and fill your pipeline with the right prospects, you should consider a free resource that goes beyond static and outdated PDFs.
Here are the best B2B lead magnets and their pros and cons – so that you can figure out what would work best for your specific business.
A lead generation quiz
People LOVE learning more about themselves or their own situation. And 70% of marketers say that interactive content is effective at converting website visitors into subscribers. A lead generation quiz is one of the best B2B lead magnets to bring the two together.
Pros of a lead-gen quiz
Personalised results – Each participant will receive results that are tailored to their unique situation. You can take the personalisation element to the next level by using quiz software like ScoreApp, where the results are divided into categories
Targeted email sequences – Rather than a single generic one, you can create separate sequences for different scores and category results. This will be incredibly helpful for your prospects and allow you to convert many more of them into warm leads and clients (over 3 in 4 consumers are more likely to buy from brands that personalise!)
Gamification – You’ll get to keep your audience more engaged by offering them a fun and interactive experience
Real-time – Unlike traditional B2B lead magnets, a quiz won’t get buried in your prospect’s inbox or downloads
Valuable data – The right quiz will provide you with a tonne of juicy insights to inform your marketing copy and increase your sales call close rate
Cons of a quiz
Additional tech – Setting up a quiz on your own can be fiddly and require some trial and error (unless you use software that facilitates this)
Time-consuming – As well as planning and writing the actual quiz questions, you’ll need to spend additional time writing their results (but that’s exactly why we built an AI quiz builder: so that you can create your quiz in 3 minutes!)
Ongoing Cost – Good quiz software generally comes with a monthly or annual fee so you want to make sure you keep this in mind.
A webinar
Yes, whether they’re live or pre-recorded, these “online seminars” can be used as a B2B lead magnet, too. In fact, 44% of marketers are already doing that!
Pros of a webinar
Thought-leadership – Webinars allow you to get in front of a group of people who’re actually interested in your expertise (and to impress them by sharing it)
Relationship building – Because they’re more personal and involve videos, using webinars as a B2B lead magnet can build a connection more easily and right from the start
Promotional opportunities – You’ll get to talk about your offer, mention your clients and bring relevant examples throughout the webinar
Accessibility and convenience – Webinars can be accessed from anywhere
Cost-effective and repeatable – Rather than expensive tools, the main thing you need is… your knowledge. And you can plan the webinar structure once to then rely on it every time (or create a pre-recorded webinar)
Cons of webinars
Time-consuming – Pre-recorded options aside, you still need to plan the webinar, make time for it and show up every single time
Limited seats – To deliver a valuable live webinar, you can only have a small number of participants in one go
Pre-recorded limitations – If your webinar isn’t live, you’ll save time but miss out on audience participation and engagement
Time zones – Webinars can be some of the best B2B lead magnets if you only target clients within your country or part of the world. Unfortunately, they can get tricky for global markets
Audience participation – Many people do sign up for webinars. Because they’re free, however, they don’t value them enough to make time for them and actually show up
A report or white paper
Think of this type of B2B lead magnet as a premium and unique problem-solving guide. As well as providing an in-depth report on a relevant industry topic, the right marketing and sales document will position your company as the obvious solution.
Pros
Thought-leadership – A white paper allows you to share your knowledge and stand out as an authority in your field
In-depth – Unlike a quick PDF, white papers are some of the best B2B lead magnets because they don’t just scratch the surface. They provide your prospects with a comprehensive analysis, back it up with stats and often include extremely valuable content, too (like case studies and real-world examples)
Warmer leads – Given their specificity, white papers will help you grow your audience with more qualified leads
Authority – When using original research, you’ll also become a trusted source of information, which can lead to all kinds of additional opportunities (like backlinks)
Cons
Time-consuming – You can’t expect to churn out a white paper after playing with Canva for 15 minutes, especially if you’re using original research
Hard to get right – Many B2B white papers end up being overly wordy, stuffy and challenging to read. So, your prospects might give up and forget about them… just like with traditional PDFs
Narrow audience reach – While their specificity is what attracts the most qualified leads, it also means fewer
Buyer’s Guides
Is your target audience still trying to fully understand their problem? Jumping from one option to the next to solve it? Figuring out what to invest in can actually feel quite overwhelming. That’s why buyer’s guides are often the best B2B lead magnets.
Pros of buyer’s guides
Warmer leads – You’ll get email sign-ups from prospects who are actively looking to buy the type of product or service you offer!
Valuable – Because it makes it easy to compare different options, the right buyer’s guide will be really beneficial and alluring (hence more sign-ups)
Trust and connection – It shows honesty, increases trust and positions your company in a good light because you’re helping your prospects make the right decision for them
Cons of buyer’s guides
Biased – Most buyer’s guides are geared towards presenting a company’s product as the only solution… and your prospects will be able to sense that
Hard to get right – They’re often too wordy and complicated, putting their audience off
Non-personalised – This type of B2B lead magnet doesn’t allow you to customise your advice to match your prospect’s specific situation
5. Templates and Toolkits
Practical advice and tools that’ll help your audience accomplish a task faster and more easily? Most of them will instantly go “Yes, please!”
Pros of templates
Valuable – These B2B lead magnets are usually seen as useful resources because they help your audience save time, money or energy (or all three of them)
Popular – As long as you create the right template or toolkit for your target clients, you’ll keep bagging yourself lots of email subscribers
Cost-effective – They’re cheap to create, and you can then use them over and over
Expertise – You’ll showcase your knowledge and authority, positioning yourself as an expert in that specific topic or field
Cons of templates
Wrong leads – “More leads” isn’t always good news! These templates will also attract plenty of prospects who’d rather DIY everything instead of investing in a better solution (you)
Usage – You’re still relying on your prospects to take action after downloading them
Can some of the best B2B lead magnets work together?
Which lead magnet should you choose?
You don’t necessarily need to stick to one of these B2B lead magnets.
For example, most ScoreApp users create a personalised quiz to generate direct leads, and then harness it to promote their webinars, too.
Now that you’ve seen the pros and cons of the best B2B lead magnets, I’m sure it’ll be easier to choose the right one for you – but we bet it’s NOT a generic PDF or cheat sheet!
And if you like the idea of a lead generation quiz that will also increase the quality of your leads and sales and give you a goldmine of valuable data, how about trying it for FREE?
