Content Marketing has become more than just a trend; it has evolved into a vital component of marketing and business operations, particularly for B2B establishments. As per CMI’s benchmark report for 2016, a staggering 89% of B2B organizations incorporate Content Marketing, with 62% of these B2B marketers affirming that their endeavors have yielded superior results compared to the previous year.
Content Marketing offers numerous advantages to a company’s marketing objectives, encompassing enhanced SEO, heightened social media exposure, positioning your company as a frontrunner in the industry, fostering a brand community, and more.
Lead Generation is of utmost importance to B2B organizations as it guides potential clients through the marketing funnel and ultimately results in their conversion to paying customers. This is highlighted by the fact that 80% of surveyed B2B marketers consider Lead Generation as their primary objective in content marketing.
It is crucial to emphasize that you are not seeking any type of leads, but rather specifically targeted leads. Accumulating a thousand email addresses from individuals who do not possess a high level of interest or investment in your area of expertise serves no purpose. Instead, it is preferable to obtain a limited number of email addresses from the appropriate individuals.
1. Know your buyer personas very well
Understanding your target audience is crucial when creating a marketing strategy or starting any business. The success of your marketing strategy relies heavily on your knowledge of the buyer persona.
2. Identify your long-tailed keywords
Once in a while, try to skip the keyword tool when brainstorming content ideas, even though we typically prefer using Google Keyword Planner and Keywordtool.io for conducting thorough Keyword Analysis for our clients, particularly for SEO and PPC.
Additionally, it is unnecessary for a “digital marketing agency in the UK” providing services such as “content marketing” or “keyword research and analysis” (substitute with relevant products and services) to have knowledge of the monthly search volume for these keywords. It is evident that creating content for these essential phrases is imperative.
Google Related Search
Examining the search engine results pages (SERPs) to identify the prominent competitors in relation to your target keywords is always beneficial. Take a moment to swiftly review the top 10 outcomes. If you wish to delve further, select one of these associated keywords to navigate to the corresponding result page, where you’ll discover yet another compilation of related results.
By following this straightforward method, you can avoid the need to search through numerous keywords, which are likely to be irrelevant to your intended task in any case.
3. Identify your buyer persona’s frequently asked questions
If you want to attract specific leads, the content that answers questions and offers solutions is the most effective type you should aim to create.
Reddit and Quora
These two channels are among the top platforms where people visit to seek answers and seek advice, making them a valuable resource for frequently asked questions. Additionally, these channels provide an excellent opportunity to identify potential customers who are seeking answers that you can provide. Ultimately, the objective is to attract these individuals to your website and convert them into leads.
Bloomberry (Beta)
Bloomberry, developed by the creators of Buzzsumo, is likely to be enjoyed by those who find Buzzsumo essential for daily outreach, content creation, or idea generation.
Bloomberry’s main function is to compile a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions by your desired customer. It collects authentic queries from consumers at various stages of the purchase process and categorizes them by sub-topics.
Answer the Public
Lately, this tool has become one of my top favorites. Answer the Public has the ability to generate questions based on keywords, similar to Ubersuggest.org and Keywordtool.io but with better results. By incorporating interrogative words such as “how,” “why,” “what,” “where,” or prepositions like “for” and “with,” the tool enhances content ideas by offering deeper insights and visually presenting data in an appealing manner.
4. Content marketing
According to www.ecommerce-platforms.com, the initiation of 93% of B2B purchasing processes can be traced back to an online search.
In recent years, producing content that is tailored to the target audience and distributing it through suitable communication channels has been proven to be the most popular and effective method of generating leads. As a result, content marketing has become the focal point of digital lead generation.
Giving special attention to the optimization of landing pages is crucial for companies in content marketing as they serve as valuable sources of information for potential customers and provide them with the desired content about the company and its product. Thus, a company’s own website holds significant importance in this regard.
While landing pages need to adhere to the highest usability standards, they also need to be optimized for SEO.
Having a good ranking is crucial if your article or landing page has the potential to assist potential customers with their problem. The more easily accessible and discoverable your content offer is, the greater the chance of reaching your desired target customer.
All formats share fundamental traits: They deliver in-depth information tailored to specific subjects, delivering recognizable advantages and additional value to consumers.
5. Whitepaper
Spontaneous purchasing decisions are not common in the B2B sector. Instead, potential buyers prefer to gather thorough information before even considering a product.
Whitepapers have been proven to be an effective strategy for generating B2B leads due to their ability to assist in the research process and showcase professional expertise. By offering valuable information, whitepapers incentivize potential customers to provide their business email address.
Including some form of reference to your product in your provided content is essential as it serves as the initial and fundamental stage of lead qualification. Even though your whitepaper may not primarily focus on your product, an interested reader will still naturally engage with it.
6. Webinars
In the B2B industry, there is typically a higher demand for advice regarding products or services compared to B2C. Prospective buyers in B2B prefer to evaluate multiple providers and products before making a purchase. They seek assurance that they are investing in the appropriate tool for their needs.
Do not miss the opportunity to showcase your product’s best features and the benefits it offers to customers by using a webinar as a lead generation tool. By reaching multiple individuals simultaneously, you can effectively demonstrate your product, emphasize its advantages and potential applications, as well as address any inquiries. Make the most of this chance to shine a spotlight on your product and all the advantages it presents to customers!
Registering for a webinar is typically less demanding, and people are more inclined to register for it compared to an online demo, resulting in promisingly higher conversion rates. Lead generation occurs when a prospect registers, enabling them to participate in the webinar at no cost.
7. Blog
Using a blog to generate B2B leads is highly effective. Instead of heavily marketing your product or service, provide helpful content to your target audience. Establish yourself as a knowledgeable authority in your field and cultivate trust with potential customers. By the time they decide to make a purchase, they will be well acquainted with your product and more inclined to make a purchase.
If you want to stay ahead of your competitors, it is crucial to offer content that aligns with what your target audience is searching for on Google or other search engines. A pivotal aspect here is to optimize your articles by incorporating relevant keywords or search phrases. By boosting your rankings on Google, you will gain increased visibility within your target audience, attract more views, and ultimately generate more leads.
Lead magnets can be used in the articles to generate B2B leads by offering downloads such as checklists, blueprints, or other valuable resources.
8. Web visitor identification
A B2B lead refers to someone who has expressed an interest in your product or services and for whom you possess the contact information.
On a daily basis, individuals visit your website, but not all of them take the desired actions of downloading your whitepaper, inquiring about prices, or booking a demo. Nevertheless, these individuals still hold value to you as they have shown interest in your product, albeit without engagement. The next task is identifying these visitors. The solution to this lies in visitor identification. There exist tools that unveil the IP address of your website visitors, thereby indicating which companies have a need for your product. This uncovers B2B leads that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. Additionally, these tools often present further relevant company information such as employee details and contact information. What is particularly thrilling about IP identification and visitor tracking is that they provide precise data on which specific pages were visited and how frequently, enabling you to easily prioritize subsequent steps and sales strategies for each visitor.
9. Social selling
LinkedIn is crucial, particularly in B2B contexts. It allows you to access a wealth of valuable information, as well as actively engage with others. By sharing relevant content and engaging in discussions with your target audience, you can build a network and establish yourself as an expert in your field. The ultimate goal is to attract interested individuals who may approach you or recommend you based on their repeated exposure to your expertise in a particular area. Additionally, you can also share other noteworthy content such as webinars and exciting insights on your blog or company website. This will enhance your company’s reputation and ultimately generate more leads.
Don’t overlook the trend of social media’s increasing relevance for B2B lead generation.
10. Create lead capture pages or landing pages
Even when you are not working, your landing page acts as an additional team member, continuously gathering email contacts on autopilot, functioning tirelessly throughout the day.
Nowadays, driving traffic solely through blog content to your website is insufficient. It is essential for these visitors to provide their email addresses, as this allows you to establish contact with them in the future and encourage their continued return.
Landing pages for Content Offers distinguish themselves from Sales Pages by needing fewer product details, social proof, and creative gimmicks to persuade leads into making a purchase.
A Content Offer, however, does not require excessive promotion since you are offering free content. The crucial aspect is to ensure that it is effortless for them to provide their email address. An ideal landing page for Content Offers should have a simplistic, user-friendly, and direct design.
The following elements must be present.
- A main headline and a supporting headline
- A unique selling proposition
- A straightforward description about what the content is about
- A single image, preferably a mockup of the content offer
- A sign up form
- A call to action
- A set of questions for you to profile them better, like the name of their company, their website, their job title
11. Analyze, optimize, scale
After setting up the landing pages, blog posts, and content offers, it is now time to begin promoting them and monitoring the outcomes. It is advantageous to have a well-documented strategy for Content Marketing and Lead Generation because once you discover effective tactics, you can easily replicate and expand the approach.
It is crucial to analyze the effectiveness of each content you publish and determine the metrics to prioritize. What keywords resulted in the highest number of leads? Which blog post generated the most eBook downloads? Which eBooks or case studies were successful in converting leads into sales?
