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For many years, it has been argued that email remains the most intimate form of communication. It contains the fewest distractions, and in most cases, you have the reader’s undivided attention once they open the email.
Also, the concept of offering a lead magnet to get someone on your email list has been around for almost two decades. In fact, sending email sequences and newsletters have been possible since 1998…
(Aweber was launched in 1998)
However, with the arrival of AI, and especially AI capable of generating high quality, human-like content, has muddied the waters on that one. Suddenly, anyone could create a lead magnet, in a matter of minutes. In another half an hour they could turn it into a video with professional-looking slides and an AI voice-over.
The result was that the bar was lowered so much that it devalued – in most cases – lead magnets to the point where optin rates took a knock.
Yes, some companies have had some success with advanced AI chatbots that “lead” potential customers or clients to signing up for an email series that contain more information. But then again, not everyone can afford to build such a chatbot – partly because the chatbot is only as good as the knowledge base it relies on for answers.
But…
There is a new kid in town: Score card quizzes.
And judging by the data, they work extremely well. Here’s how it works:
1. You come up with a set of say, ten questions which you would normally ask potential customers or clients. Questions with specific choices for answers.
(You can use AI to help you come up with the questions.)
2. You assign a points value to each of the multiple-choice answers.
3. You set up a “results evaluation” – where you determine the need for your products or services based on their results. For instance, if you have a maximum of 50 points, with 50 being someone who doesn’t need your services, zero to 20 may be your ideal prospect, 20 to 30 may be a potential buyer, and over 30 is unlikely to do business with you.
4. For those who fall within the zero to 30 points range, you offer a free consultation, or a free email series, or a free callback.
Side note: While it is possible to create these quizzes on your website, there is a tool that makes it very easy indeed – Score Card App.
(Disclosure: referral link. We may be compensated if you make a purchase from this site)
Why does the score card system work so well?
1. Interactive content works best:
It has been proven – quite a while ago – that interactive content (a) keeps people on the website for longer, and (b) is more likely to get people to do business with you.
There is an old saying by Benjamin Franklin: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
Our brains are wired that way – we find it easier to relate to things we can be part of.
2. It uses a hidden psychological trigger:
In his book “How to win friends and influence people”, Dale Carnegie points out that if you can make someone feel important, they are much more likely to do what you ask of them.
By allowing someone to explore for themselves, and draw their own conclusions about whether they need help or not, without any “pushy salesman”, you emphasize that their choices are their own, and they are important.
Add to that the offer of being there for them if they need you, and they are likely to feel more important than if they just saw or heard a sales pitch.
3. It qualifies your prospects:
If you have a lead magnet and an email funnel, many people who are unlikely to become buyers will sign up. Why? Because you created a desirable lead magnet, and they want to know more.
In the end you have a big list with low open rates and even lower response rates.
However, if every person on your list is someone who feels they need help, you end up with a small list with conversion rates that are incredibly high (compared to those experienced using normal email marketing techniques).
4. It saves you a lot of time:
Instead of having to work through mountains of tire kickers, the score card quiz technique allows you to eliminate most of the unlikely prospects without lifting a finger – or wasting a minute.
In conclusion:
Fair enough, this method might not be for everyone. If you have – for instance – an e-com site with a wide range of products, using score card quizzes might not be viable for you.
In most cases, however, it generates leads that come on board with the mindset of your ideal client or customer.
At the end of the day, the size of your list is what marketers refer to as “a vanity metric”.
What’s important is the revenue generated from the people on your list.
Would you rather have 2,000 people on your list, and get five sales per month, or would you prefer having 100 people on your list, and getting ten sales per month?