Needle Mover: Creating an Opt-In That Will Attract Your Ideal Client

Unlock the secret to effortless productivity with Annie Veblen-McCarty, as we explore how to harness the power of freemiums to elevate your business and attract your ideal clients. Ready to challenge the status quo? This episode promises to shift your perspective on traditional business strategies, pushing you to embrace authenticity and align your actions with your core values. From choosing the right format and topic for your freemium to understanding the genuine needs of your target audience, we cover it all. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting your journey, Annie's insights will help you craft a freemium that not only builds your email list but brings in clients you're excited to collaborate with.

As we dive into the specifics, we'll tackle common pitfalls, especially within the health and fitness world. Ever thought a comprehensive 30-day workout plan could actually deter client engagement? Annie sheds light on why offering too much upfront might backfire and how to maintain the right energy during freemium creation. With a focus on the unique value and support you provide, you'll learn how to differentiate your approach and highlight the "why" behind your methods. By engaging with potential clients and reflecting on their challenges, your freemium will become an irresistible magnet for growth. Tune in for actionable advice that ensures your freemium contributes effectively to the expansion of your business.

Chapters

• 0:00 Effortlessly Productive
• 11:05 Creating Effective Freemium Offers

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey, this is Annie Veblen-McCarty and I'm gonna teach you how to be effortlessly productive. I've been an entrepreneur for over 20 years and I got sick and tired of experts preaching what business and life should look like and what I should be doing as a leader and to turn a profit, only to find myself wasting time, burned out, feeling inauthentic and still not making any money. On this show, we are ditching the shoulds. I'm giving you permission to do business differently. As a certified master coach, I believe that everything you need to have success and build the life and business of your dreams is already living on the inside. I'm gonna empower you to lean into what you do best, help you see your path forward clearly and give you the strategy and action steps along the way to become effortlessly productive. Let's dive in. Welcome to this episode of Effortlessly Productive. This is one of my needle mover episodes. If you don't know what I'm talking about with a needle mover, if you've never heard that term before, go back to one of my very first episodes, where I give a deep dive into what that means and why this has been such a powerful tool in my business. I wanted to share my needle mover with you today, of something that I will be doing in my business to help grow and scale, and we're going to dive into why this is so important and what the process is for creating this. So what we are talking about today, what I am going to actually be doing in my business today is creating a new opt-in.

Speaker 1: 1:50

Sometimes people use lots of different terms freemium, free offer, sometimes people call it a lead magnet. We get sometimes these terms that are very like salesy bro marketing and, as you can tell, that's not really my jam, but you may have heard it called that. So I wanted to throw some of these terms out there so that you knew what we were talking about, that you and I were on the same page with this conversation. So we have something. Basically, we were talking about something that we can offer to our ideal clients for free. That's going to bring them into our world. It's going to have them get to know us. Number one, it is going to get them onto our email list, ideally. So we are building our list. We are building our bank of people who are interested in what we are doing. The word prospect might come to mind. I don't particularly love that word, but if you've heard that term or are familiar with that term. It's people who are interested in what we are offering and could potentially turn into a buyer, could potentially turn into one of our ideal clients that we get to work with and help them on a beautiful transformation.

Speaker 1: 3:04

A lot of the time when people think about creating this opt-in or freemium I'm going to use the word freemium because, again, opt-in sounds very like bro marketing to me. It's not my favorite thing, but I used it in this episode because, again, I want you to understand what it is that we're talking about and since that's a very common term, I just want to make sure that we know what we're talking about here in this episode. So, when we create our freemium, a lot of the time I work with clients who I actually had somebody say this to me yesterday, and it's not just them. I get told this all the time with people that I am working with. She said that she has been thinking about what kind of freemium she could create for over a year and she just can't figure it out. She can't figure out what her ideal client would want. So I wanted to share a little bit with you about my process creating a freemium or something that we can offer to our ideal clients for free, and how we come up with this idea, how we create something for them that is really going to be able to attract our ideal client. Not just bring in a ton of people onto our email list, but bring in the right people and I'm using right in air quotes, if you are listening to this, because obviously there are many different versions of right. It's not just like the one person, but people that you will love working with and be so excited to work with.

Speaker 1: 4:35

I think that a lot of the time where people go wrong in this process again, using the word wrong loosely where people get stuck in this process is they are sitting there by themselves trying to just brainstorm ideas, and if you know your ideal client very, very, very well, this might be a process that works. Let's say you are a coach and you have done a bajillion sessions with people and you know exactly which one of those sessions you love doing and you know exactly what kind of struggles where those people were stuck, what transformation they want to have, what it is that you help them with to have that transformation. You might be able to just pull something right out of your brain and you're like I know. You know because you have done so many sessions with people, you have talked to so many people and you are very clear on your ideal client and what transformation they wanna have and what is going to get them there. However, there are a lot of people who are just starting out in their business. They're a little bit newer, maybe they've never created a freemium before, maybe they have not done as many sessions, but they want to be able to offer people something for free and they're like I don't know what this looks like. I don't know.

Speaker 1: 5:58

Number one, what format this should be in. Should it be something people can download? Should it be a video? Should it be something people can download? Should it be a video? Should it be a PDF? Should it be a live training? Like there's so many different things we can do right in terms of the package that this is delivered in. Number two, they don't know what topic it should be on. And also, I'm going to share with you a huge pitfall that a lot of people fall into of why their freemium does not work the way that they think it would or think it should or think it will. So let's start first with the package, like how we're packaging this and delivering this.

Speaker 1: 6:36

So this is the process that I am going to go through. Today, I actually have a little bit of a jumpstart because I have a freemium that I offered a few years back that was hugely successful. I stopped offering it when I made this transition in my business. I used to work kind of with any kind of entrepreneur, any kind of online solopreneur, and now I am very specifically working with people who are creative spiritual coaches, healers. It's similar. It's similar to my ideal client a few years ago. We just have a few tweaks to make, so I do have a little bit of a leg up on this. However, this is the process that I will sit down and analyze my old freemium with and figure out how I want to adjust and how I want to tweak it to really make it perfect for my new ideal client.

Speaker 1: 7:32

So when we think about what kind of package we want to deliver this in, first of all, I want you to think about your ideal client. Think about how much time they have. Are they sitting on the couch looking at things? Are they in their car on the move? Do they have a lot of time to dedicate to trainings and learning and things like that, or are they very short on time? I hate the word busy, but like, how busy are they? How much other things do they have going on? Because this is going to dictate number one the length of whatever it is.

Speaker 1: 8:11

We also can start to think about do they want something that they can just kind of listen to and digest, more like podcast format, video or audio, or is it something where they want something really interactive, where, like a PDF might be more ideal? We can also do a video that's very interactive, even when you record it and then send it out to people. If you are having them take notes, let's say you're giving them a little quiz, live on the video and having them score themselves, they're going to need to be more in place than like driving around in their car. Same with, like a PDF, that's going to be something where they have to actually read, whereas a video or audio they can listen to on the go. So take all of this into consideration.

Speaker 1: 8:58

I also want you to think about for you how do you best communicate? If you are super strong with writing, let's think about maybe something like a very short ebook or something like that, where they can actually read some of your beautiful writing. If you are very strong on video and that's how you connect best with people, maybe think about doing a live workshop, a recorded workshop, something with that video, or even an audio, if your voice is very engaging and that's something that you love doing and you just have this energy that comes through when you record. So that is kind of how I start thinking about all of this, because some of the packaging is going to dictate. It might not dictate the topic that we're doing, but it is going to dictate. It might not dictate the topic that we're doing, but it is going to dictate what we create. So we want to think about the deliverability of it. Right, like what this, what the outside wrapping is, what this format is.

Speaker 1: 9:55

Number two what topic are you going to deliver to your client? Think about what it is that your ideal client, something that they might get stuck on, a problem that they run into. These are going to be more of a problem-based solution. However, if you don't like thinking about more of the problems, right like where people are stuck, what issue they're running into, what struggle they are having. Sometimes we don't want to call out to people who are very stuck or very in the struggle. Maybe you do, maybe you love working with those people, but if you're somebody who's like I don't really like working with people who are, like, really having a lot of struggle maybe we want to think more about the transformation that they want to have, the solutions that they are seeking to all of these things. So really framing it more around the transformation, the results, the solution that we are going to deliver. Think about too, like how interactive it is again, like that's part of how we're going to start to build this and what kind of topics we might be talking about. So think about all of those things.

Speaker 1: 11:05

One of the biggest pitfalls I see people fall into when they offer a freemium is giving too many answers and I don't wanna say answers in that like we're not gonna help people at all. We definitely want to help people. We want to show them that we have the solution for them. We have the ability to give them that transformation and those results that they are looking for. However, what I often find is people jump to something like. I'll throw out a health and fitness example, because this is probably easily relatable. Most of you listening will understand how this is related. So let's say we were to create something that was a full workout and nutrition, like full workout plan and meal plan for the next 30 days. We have now given somebody something where they feel like they have a full solution for a month. Right, you have given them a full solution for a month, and it's not that we don't want to help them, but when we offer something like that, most of our ideal clients are going to want to start that and finish that before they do any other work with you. Right, they want to experience what you have to offer, and if you give them a month for free, that is a lot and they are again probably not going to take the next step.

Speaker 1: 12:33

Also, think about, with health and fitness, a lot of people. Their actual struggle, where they get stuck, is that they fall off of the routine. They have a hard time being consistent and sticking with it. What they really need is that accountability. What they really want is probably some support and accountability, and if you just hand them a plan for 30 days and send them on their way, there's a good chance that they're going to start it, not finish it, and not come back to you for more help and support. So this is part of what I want your brain to start to work on right. Oftentimes, rather than telling them the complete full how right. This is how we do this. This is how we have the transformation. This is how we have the results.

Speaker 1: 13:20

What we forget as entrepreneurs and we forget because we are so far along on this transformation that we are helping people with is people don't need the how. Oftentimes, people need the why. They need to be shown what that one thing is that they are missing. Because again, let's go back to the health and fitness example People know that they need to work out, that they want to be doing something active. Most of the time when they are looking for a fitness solution, they know that workouts are there. They can go get workouts all over the internet. I can go to YouTube right now and pull up a bajillion free workouts. They already know they need to need and when I say need, this is all in quotes, but this is what they have in their brain is that they need to work out. They probably know that they need to do something with their nutrition. So you could give them a full meal plan, but what if, instead, we highlighted where those things are that they have been running into before, why they have not been successful in their endeavors before, and what it is that you offer that is different? We actually want to show them why our way of doing things and our way of teaching and our way of coaching or supporting them is actually different than things that they have tried before and how that is going to help them be successful in the future. So, rather than giving them the actual answer and the actual solution and the actual format, save that for your paid program and use your freemium as a way of highlighting to them, of opening their eyes to the thing that is truly going to make the difference in their life and why you are the ideal person to help support them on that journey.

Speaker 1: 15:13

The next part of thinking of a topic is, again, people, I find, try to sit there isolated by themselves and pull this out of their brain. Go ask some of your ideal clients. If you have people that you've worked with, who you absolutely love working with, and you're like this is my person, go ask them what are the things that would help them the most in their journey, or what was that one thing at the beginning that was the turning point for them. What was the thing that made you stand out to them as the person who could help? These are all really important things that we can go out and ask people and get more input so that we can create something absolutely amazing.

Speaker 1: 15:58

Another idea especially if you're somebody who's like well, I haven't really signed that many clients yet, I don't have those people that are super great information to go ask. You can go out to your followers on social media, especially if you've come up with a list of things where you're like I think these could be really good. Number one we could just go ask like, hey, what would be valuable to you? Or what do you get stuck on the most? Or what transformation are you even looking for? What results would you love to have? Because that might give you some clues. If you have a list of ideas, you can also go create a poll on your stories or on your social media posts, or just ask in a social media post in general. If you have an email list, send something out to them and just ask hey, if I were to offer one of these four things, what would you be the most interested in what would be the most helpful for you where you are in your journey right now.

Speaker 1: 17:02

We forget that we have this amazing resource that is, other people, that we can literally go out and ask them what it is they want and then they can tell us so that we can make sure we are creating something right. We're putting time and a lot of energy probably a whole lot of energy into creating this freemium. Little side note make sure, when you are actually in the creation process, that you do some things to set your energy so that you are creating this from the energy that you would be in working with that ideal client in the future, because that will come across especially if you're doing video, but also if you're writing and creating a PDF, creating a quiz, anything like that. One of the biggest pitfalls that I see people fall into is, again, they give away too much. They try to do it sitting there, thinking all by themselves and not talking to anybody else. They try to pull this out of their brain when they don't have a pool of things to pull from and they're not going and talking to people. And then, on top of that, when they create things, they are literally basically giving people a mini version of their program.

Speaker 1: 18:17

We don't want to give people a mini version of our program. We want to show people how this program is literally going to change their lives and why this is the solution that they have been looking for. That is just as valuable, right? If somebody doesn't even know that these solutions exist, or these solutions are out there, or that the way that they've been trying to do things is why they're stuck, then highlighting for them that there's a different way of doing it is just as important as giving them that full process. So save your full process for your program and share with them how this is literally going to change their life and why this is different than anything they've ever done before.

Speaker 1: 19:04

We also have to be really careful. We want to be thinking about limiting beliefs in here. Right, there are reasons why your client thinks that it won't work for them. So if we present people with a solution that is similar to something they've tried before, they are literally going to bring all those limiting beliefs along with them, whereas if we can create something that is so totally different and brand new and even just feels very different, they're going to leave those limiting beliefs and be able to come into your world with a completely fresh slate. Now. We all have limiting beliefs, right, but we're at least going to leave the limiting beliefs about all the things they've tried and why those didn't work for them behind in the past so that they can give your program and your freemium a fresh view with fresh eyes and really give it their all.

Speaker 1: 19:57

So this is what I will be sitting down and working on today, taking my old freemium and if you have something that worked in the past but it just is not feeling aligned anymore for you, definitely sit down and just look at it. I am not going to create something totally brand new, but I am going to look at my freemium through fresh eyes and see where it is that I can tweak this, how I can make this for my ideal client now and have it really speak to them and address this transformation they're looking to have. I hope this was helpful. I cannot wait to hear if this helped. Drop in the comments what part of this stood out to you the most. Maybe there is something that you've done in the past or you're like, oh, I never thought about it that way. Maybe I'm going to try something different. I would love to hear in the comments what that is. I hope you have a beautiful day and I will catch you on the next episode of Effortlessly Productive.