Lead generation is not just for the sales team. Strategic activity from the marketing team can generate a wide variety of leads that broaden a small to medium business’ pipeline with a mix of longer-term prospects and hot leads ready to make a purchase.
Content marketing is one strategic activity that can be used to draw new people into a company, such as clicking on an article that pops up in a Google search result. Content also can be used to engage or re-engage existing customers through direct communication.
Following are critical questions business owners ask when determining how to increase their lead pipeline, and how content can play a part in meeting lead gen goals.
- How are potential customers vetting us? – Potential customers at every stage of the buying process are vetting your company through your website. Just like consumers, they look for visual cues that a company is credible – cohesive web copy, informative About Us section, current information published in the last 30-60 days. They are also looking for testimonials, reviews, pricing, product or service detail breakdowns, and downloadable items to share with their colleagues. A great way to differentiate your company from others and build trust early on in the buying process is to contribute expert insight as part of a monthly blog.
- How do people who don’t know we exist find us? – Pages from your website will appear in search engine results when they match with a keyword someone entered, but if you want to guarantee your article is being seen by a specific target audience, go vertical. Industry trade and local business publications offer robust sponsorship opportunities to position your brand in front of an attentive, focused audience. Select the programs that deliver open and click lists back to you with contact email addresses you can add to your database.
- What makes people convert from a follower or subscriber to a customer? – Emails sitting in a database will not convert themselves. Consistent communication in the form of a monthly ePublication, sales eBlasts, and lead nurturing drip campaigns are effective tactics to keep your company and value proposition top of mind. To cut through a cluttered inbox, make sure the content of each email is valuable to the audience – what information can you share that will make their job easier?
- Are our customers buying everything they can from us?- How can they buy more if they don’t know what else you sell, or how much they should be buying? Content such as case studies, white papers, eBooks, and product videos are great reasons to reach out to a customer and either introduce or remind them of your broader capabilities. These materials should be promoted heavily through all channels – social, website, digital ads, email – because they are typically high-quality pieces that take time. Sales executives can pick and choose content to send directly to the customer contacts they own.
Content is an effective way to shed light on all your company has to offer. It’s also a great way to give people some of the answers they are searching for so they see you as a trusted expert. The goal is to give just enough information that entices a webform submission, email, or phone call.
If you have a question about content marketing, reach out to Gravity today. Our journalistic approach to thought leadership and automated approach to email nurturing campaigns have proven to attract leads that convert to sales.
