by Matt Lincoln 
A recent conversation with a customer about quality content has stuck in my head, most precisely the usage of the phrase “value exchange”.
Articles like the below which talk about “lead magnets” give an entirely different connotation to content creation.
On one hand, we have value exchange, where our main aim is to help the prospect with beneficial and useful content. Of course you get the conversion in return, but you also build up brand equity and potentially gain a long term brand advocate.
On the other hand, if we are in the lead magnet mindset, this suggests that we care less about the prospect’s experience of the content, and more about converting them. When you prioritise conversions over content quality, expect to see lower performance in terms of long term engagement, mailing list retention rates and website repeat visits.
The well-used saying tells us to ‘build it and they will come’, but I would change this to ‘build it well and they will come back’. Prioritise quality content over conversion and you will get the conversions anyway – along with a range of other benefits.
…everyone has an experience where a lead magnet does not meet their expectations. This can frustrate newly acquired leads and hurt brand perception…