Over the past two years, content marketing has emerged as a major priority for companies looking to lower their marketing costs while, at the same time, boosting the number of incoming leads. And, in fact, according to the Content Marketing Institute, the top content marketing goal of B2B marketers is now lead generation. But how do you go from just posting new content each day to actually generating new leads?
Focus on content that has real value for readers
The first question you should ask yourself before posting new blog or social media content is: Does this content provide value to my readers? The goal here is to produce useful, actionable content. Every blog article, every video and every white paper needs to be practical for readers. That’s what can turn a reader into a lead. They will want to hear more about how your company’s solutions can help them.
Streamline the landing page
Sometimes it can be difficult to find the right content when arriving on a landing page. That’s especially true if you try to barrage the reader with all kinds of pop-ups and messages before they even have a chance to get the lay of the land. Having a streamlined landing page means clear, concise headlines and calls to action that help to guide the reader to the right content.
Provide free downloadables
There’s a reason why B2B companies tend to provide so many case studies, e-books and whitepapers – they’re great for educating the customer. That’s especially true if you sell a highly complex or sophisticated product. If that’s the case, then the buyer’s journey is going to be longer than if you are selling a relatively low-cost or less sophisticated product. And these “downloadables” don’t have to be particularly long – a simple e-book might be just 20-30 pages long.
Experiment with video
One of the best ways to generate leads is by integrating video right on the home page. This could be a clip from a past webinar, or it could be a brief two-minute explainer video that highlights what your company offers and how it can help prospects solve a specific problem. Just don’t forget to include a clear call-to-action at the end of the video! In a best-case scenario, you want that prospect to pick up a phone or shoot off an email after watching that video.
Content marketing really refers to all the different types of content that you can use to attract potential prospects to learn more about your company and what it offers. With a robust content marketing strategy that includes a number of different types of content (i.e. e-books, case studies, whitepapers and videos), you can help to turn all those website visitors into leads.
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Dane
Dane Cobain is a published author, freelance writer, book blogger, poet and (occasional) musician from High Wycombe, UK. Before going freelance, he worked as a social media marker, now specialising in writing about publishing, technology and marketing.