Acupuncture Marketing School Podcast #4: The Number One Thing Your Email Marketing is Missing to Help You Get More Patients

Today on the podcast we’re talking about one of my favorite topics: Email marketing!

Are you familiar with lead magnets?

A lead magnet is usually a free PDF download from someone’s website that you get in exchange for giving them your email.

Typically lead magnets are educational in nature – they teach you something, answer a question, solve a problem you have, or relieve a frustration.

You’ve probably downloaded a ton of these – they’re super popular because they really work!

The primary goal of a lead magnet is to grow your email list faster, so that you have the opportunity to turn those subscribers into patients with further email marketing.

In addition, lead magnets also build the know-like-trust factor with your audience, and help establish your expertise in a certain area of practice.

Plus a REALLY good lead magnet will not only build your list quicker, but it will also help fill your email list with your ideal patients.

But figuring out how to create a lead magnet (what to say in your lead magnet, and how to design it, etc.) is a big stumbling block for most small business owners. They don’t know where to begin, so they never create one. Such a missed opportunity!

In this episode I explain some of my best lead magnet tips, including my technique for creating a lead magnet that attracts your ideal patients.

🎙️ And, the Acupuncture Marketing School Podcast is now available on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify! Click to subscribe:

If you enjoy the podcast and have moment to leave a review on your favorite platform, I’d appreciate it so much! Reviews help other acupuncturists find the podcast and know whether it’s a good fit for them 🤩

Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on lead magnets after listening to the episode!

Episode #4: The Number One Thing Your Email Marketing is Missing to Help You Get More Patients

Show Notes:

Transcript:

Hello, and welcome back! It’s so great to have you here with me, talking all things marketing.

This week we’re going to dig in deep on one of my favorite topics – email marketing, specifically, lead magnets.

  • What is a lead magnet
  • Why your website absolutely needs one
  • How to create a stellar lead magnet that grows your email list with your ideal patients
  • And more

So we have a lot to cover today, and I want to dive right in.

What is a lead magnet?

A lead magnet is anything free that you give to someone in exchange for their email.

For example, if your specialty is acupuncture for runners, you might give away a one-page PDF titled, “5 things you can do to prevent running injury,” or “3 tips to complete your first 5k without injury.”

The goal of a lead magnet is to entice more people to sign up for your email list so that you can build your list faster than a basic “join my newsletter” box.

The most common kinds of lead magnets are PDFs. So you’ve probably downloaded a million of these online. Lead magnets are everywhere because they really work to grow your list.

But a lead magnet doesn’t have to be a PDF. It could be a free mini course, a free case study, it could be free templates, a video, an audio file or secret podcast episode.

Typically within the lead magnet you are teaching your audience something, and so you can almost any format to do that – video, audio, PDF ebook or PDF single page, etc. Totally up to you.

Let’s talk about why you really, REALLY need a lead magnet on your website.

Why’s it worth your time and effort?

First and foremost, lead magnets help you grow your email list faster. I already mentioned this twice I think, ha, it’s that important.

The purpose of getting more people on your email list is that you can then market to them through future emails, educating them about how acupuncture might be able to help them, and giving them the opportunity to get to know you and your clinic.

Now, lead magnets are special.

They typically have a much higher opt-in rate than simply inviting someone to join your monthly newsletter.

Here’s the thing. A person’s email is a form of currency, right? It has value. And their email inbox is a little bit sacred. It’s a very personal space, if you think about it. People are protective about who they let into the space.

So there’s an internal debate that goes on in someone’s head when they’re deciding whether or not to share their email. There’s got to be some strong motivation there for them to hand it over. You’ve got to give them a really good reason to share it.

And if we’re honest, an opt in box with a call to action to “Join my email newsletter for updates” is actually not that appealing to most people.

And don’t get me wrong here, YES, I am hating on the boring, basic “Join my newsletter” opt-in box on a website, but I am NOT hating on email newsletters as a form of marketing.

Quite the opposite. I LOVE email newsletters as a powerful way to get more patients on your schedule.

The whole point of a lead magnet is to get more people in your subscriber list so you can send them your email newsletters and educate them about acupuncture so they become your patients.

Email marketing in general, including regular email newsletters, is super effective. And we’re going to talk about that more later on in this episode.

But what I’m saying here is that the “join my email newsletter” thing is not an effective call to action and that’s what we can do a lot better in a lead magnet.

I don’t personally want to sign up for an email newsletter where it’s unclear what kind of emails you’ll be sending. Even if you say, for example, “Sign up for health tips and updates about our office,” the phrase “health tips” is still pretty vague.

What kind of health tips? How do I know if they apply to me? And what are updates about your office? Do I want that cluttering my inbox?

It’s really just too vague in terms of a call to action. Most people aren’t going to fork over their email address, share this personal space with you, for something so non-specific.

Whereas lead magnets are very specific to your target audience, part of what makes them more effective at building your email list.

🎉 Okay, a quick PSA! I’m so excited for this.

Before we get deep into this topic, I want to share with you a pre-invite, so to speak. By the end of this episode you’ll understand why this upcoming training is so important, but let me lay it out for you.

I know the idea of creating and installing a lead magnet on your website can be intimidating, so I want to walk you through the entire process.

In a few weeks, on Sunday, February 28th, 2021, I’ll be offering a live workshop all about how to create an effective lead magnet and get it set up on your website.

This will be a comprehensive live training. We’re going to cover:

  • What topic to talk about in your lead magnet to get more of your ideal patients on your subscriber list.
  • We’re going to actually create this one-page PDF lead magnet together in Canva. I’m going to walk you through it.
  • We’re going to design and set up the opt-in box on your website, you know the place where people submit their email.
  • And we’re going to set up the automated email that delivers the lead magnet to people after they subscribe.

So I’m going to show you how to set this up using a free email marketing platform called Sumo, which integrates with many, many email providers like MailChimp, ConstantContact, etc.

The reason I’m showing you how to do it in Sumo is that you can create really beautiful, on-brand opt-in boxes that I personally think are more attractive to subscribers than the average opt-in box.

And as I said, it’s easy to integrate it with most email providers, so it’s a great fit.

This will be a two-hour workshop, and it’s a steal at $47.

I actually teach all of this, and much more, of course, inside my foundations online course, Acupuncture Marketing School. But you can learn with me live for just $47 on Feb. 28th. So much bang for your buck!

So I really hope you’ll join me for this. Let’s take this off your plate. Let’s take “create a lead magnet” or “get serious about email marketing” off of your to-do list. Magic. I love teaching this kind of thing so I really can’t wait to see you there.

Click the link in the show notes (or click here) to learn more and save your seat!

Okay, so, back to this topic, let’s dig in deep here.

In episode 2 we talked about defining your target market and ideal patient avatar, and how getting really nitty-gritty with that helps you create a specific marketing message for a specific patient.

And we dove deep into why that makes your marketing more effective overall. If you missed that episode, definitely take a listen, it’s a good one. I’ll link it in the show notes. (Or you can click here.)

But one thing from that episode that I want to remind you of in relation to lead magnets is this:

A really broad, watered down message, in which you attempt to reach every single person, every single potential patient, is unlikely to have much impact.

Compared to a specific message that makes your ideal patient sit up and say, “Hey, that sounds like exactly what I’m struggling with,” or “That sounds like exactly what I need.”

A more specific message creates a higher rate of action in your audience.

And this matters for our discussion of lead magnets because only having a newsletter opt-in box on your website is that broad, watered down message.

Whereas when you create a lead magnet, you’re crafting it for a specific kind of patient. Or you should be. That’s how to create a really powerful lead magnet with a higher opt in rate.

So your marketing message in a lead magnet will grab their attention. And don’t worry, I’ve got some tips for you on how to know what the heck to teach or talk about in your lead magnet to make it specific for your ideal patient. We’re going to talk about that later on in the episode.

There are also quite a few other reasons that a lead magnet is a powerful marketing tool.

One that we’ve touched on already is that a really good lead magnet builds your email subscriber list with people who A) are your ideal patient, and B) who are primed to become your patients.

How are they primed to become your patients?

Because in the lead magnet, typically you’re teaching something that solves a problem for the potential patient.

This establishes your authority with the patient. It helps them to see that you know what you’re talking about, you have experience in this particular area, and you can very likely help them.

And if they give you their email, they’ve already taken an action, made an exchange, and given you a small piece of their trust, right? So they are very interested in what you have to say, in how you can help them feel better or live better.

A lead magnet builds your authority and at the same time builds trust.

If you teach them something useful, something they can put into action to get a small win or success in their daily life, for example, or clear up a concern or answer a question, that is growing your know-like-trust factor with that person. Naturally, right?

I’m sure you’re familiar with the know-like-trust-concept in marketing, but just to make sure we’re all on the same page, there’s a very common adage in marketing: we like to buy things from people we know, like, and trust.

And so whether we realize it or not, a huge goal of marketing should be to build trust.

As acupuncturists I think we have to build up more trust than the average business owner, because convincing someone to let us put needles in them is not as easy as selling them a pizza, right?

So showing up consistently and authentically over time is one way we build trust. It’s all the little components of your marketing that come together to build up trust – every time they see you or your brand over time.

And a lead magnet can play a really huge part in this. Because as I said, you’re giving this person a taste of your expertise and how you can help them.

A lead magnet also automates your marketing.

Email marketing in general is SUCH a powerful way to automate your marketing.

I want you to think about social media and how you have to keep showing up and sharing your message. That takes time, interaction with your audience, and content creation – all on a regular basis.

But if you have automated email marketing, such as a lead magnet, and/or an email funnel, you have this incredibly opportunity to build the know-like-trust factor, position yourself as an authority in the minds of your audience, and help people genuinely understand how acupuncture can help them – without having to show up over and over.

So let me repeat that a lead magnet is automated email marketing.

Because when a person gives you their email in exchange for your lead magnet, they hit the ‘submit’ button on your opt-in box, the immediate next thing that happens is that they receive an automated email from you delivering the lead magnet.

So you’re marketing on autopilot there, because your lead magnet is educating your audience, establishing your expertise, and building the know-like-trust factor, while you sleep or treat patients or have dinner with your family.

And you can take this automation one step further, and use your lead magnet as the first step in an email funnel.

An email funnel is a series of emails that you schedule to be sent out, auto-delivered, over time. Sometimes it’s also called a “drip emails” or an email series or email sequence – it’s all the same.

Funnels vary widely but they’re typically anywhere from 5 to 12 emails. And just like your lead magnet, it’s kind of set it and forget it. You write the content of your email once, schedule when you want them to be delivered, and let it do it’s job of educating, building the know-like-trust factor, etc.

Now – a lead magnet is a beautiful and super effective way to get someone into this kind of email funnel.

What do I mean by that, for those who are unfamiliar with email marketing? I’ll lay it out for you.

  • Someone sees your lead magnet box on your website.
  • They want whatever you’re offering, so they give you their email.
  • Automatically, they receive that email that delivers the lead magnet.
  • Then, inside your email marketing platform, we’ll say MailChimp, you can use that opt-in as a trigger for that person to go through your email funnel.
  • And of course the funnel will be built of emails related to your specialty and written with your ideal patient in mind.

The ultimate goal, of course, is to get people become your patients.

Okay, so that is one really powerful way to use a lead magnet – as a trigger for an automated email funnel.

Now as I said, the email funnel is optional. It’s more advanced email marketing, but the beauty of it really is the automation.

It allows your marketing to happen, to grow that know-like-trust, without having to show up over and over again or create that content over and over again.

And by the way if you’re interested in this level of automation in your marketing, this is something I teach inside Acupuncture Marketing School. I have an entire email chapter and it includes a discussion of funnels plus funnel templates. So that’s out there if you need help with that, I’ll include a link to the course in the show notes.

BUT you do not have to have an email funnel for your lead magnet and overall email marketing to be effective.

You can accomplish the same goals with your monthly newsletter.

If you’re actually sending it, and my question to you is, are you sending it regularly? Because email marketing is only effective if you send the emails!

For now, let me just emphasize that once people have opted into your lead magnet, you have this massive opportunity to use your email newsletter to continue marketing to them over time, building up that know-like-trust and helping them understand how much acupuncture can help them.

Let’s talk about how to create an effective lead magnet.

And by effective I mean, it not only builds your email list faster, but fills it with your ideal potential patients and helps prime them to become your patients.

So how do you do that? I think this is one factor that really stops people from even trying to set up a lead magnet – that they don’t know what to write about, so they never create one. A total missed opportunity.

First of all, you’ve got to get familiar with your target market and ideal patient, so that you can speak directly to them in your lead magnet.

So again, listen to episode #2 if you need help with this.

And then I want you to brainstorm a list of the pain points this person has, or the things they’re struggling with related to your specialty.

For example, if you specialize in digestion, your ideal patient avatar will likely struggle with gas, bloating, constipation, irregular bowel movements, etc. So those are the symptoms they’re struggling with. I want you to list those out.

And then make a second list – how do those symptoms make the person feel? How are those symptoms impacting the life or limiting them?

We want to get deep here because so many times when people come to acupuncture, they come for a specific set of symptoms, right? Of course.

But their big goal is to find freedom so they can go back to living their life.

Okay so we don’t want to skip that – it’s a powerful part of their experience.

Then make a list of the ways you can relieve some of these pain points. Get specific.

This is essentially going to become the topic for your lead magnet.

So you can help people with acupuncture, dietary therapy, sharing recipes, other lifestyle advice, etc.

What can you teach them or share that would interest them enough to give you their email?

What speaks directly to their pain points or their experience that would catch their interest?

I recommend thinking about this in a list format. So what are 3-5 points that you can teach someone to relieve their pain point, answer a burning question, resolve a problem, etc.? People really like lists.

So for your digestive patient, your lead magnet could be: “5 tips to reduce belly bloat.” Or “3 essential steps to reduce bloating and constipation from Chinese dietary therapy.” Something like that.

Include their symptoms in the title of the lead magnet if you can.

Or you can phrase it as a question. “Tired of struggling with the irregularity of IBS? Download the top 3 tips we teach all our patients to regulate and soothe their digestion.”

I want you brainstorm 10 of these titles. 20 even, if you have time.

Okay, so then review your list and just pick one.

You’ve got to start somewhere so don’t overthink it. Pick one idea and then go to work fleshing it out.

Keep it to one page, that’s fine. So for the last example I gave, “Tired of struggling with the irregularity of IBS? Download the top 3 tips we teach our patients to regulate and soothe their digestion,” for that one my top three tips would be basic, but as we know, powerful:

  • One, cook your veggies and stop eating raw salads.
  • Two, incorporate warming herbs and spices into your diet.
  • Three, incorporate warming herbs or spices into your diet. Or maybe number three could be, start keeping a food journal.

And then I’d add a bonus, tip #4, because everybody loves a bonus – GET ACUPUNCTURE. Okay. You get the idea.

All right my friend, this turned into a longer episode, so I think this is a good place to call it quits. I’ve given you quite a bit to think about AND some homework.

And if you’re thinking to yourself, all of this is great, Michelle, and you’ve convinced me how important and useful a lead magnet is – but I still don’t know HOW TO DO THE THING, then definitely join me (click here) at the live workshop on Feb. 28th and we’ll do it together.

As I mentioned earlier in the episode, we’re going to walk through all the moving parts of this so you can get it off your to-do list:

  • Coming up with your lead magnet topic
  • Creating the lead magnet PDF
  • Creating an email opt-in box
  • Setting up the email to auto-deliver

That’s a lot! And we’re going to take care of it.

And then your lead magnet can get started growing your email list on autopilot with the kind of patients you love to treat!

Click the link in the show notes (click here) to save your seat, or visit bit.ly/aculeadmagnet

If you can’t make it live, don’t worry, there will be a replay for everyone who registers.

Okay, I’ll see you for the next episode in two weeks! Thanks for being here with me. Talk to you soon.