Around 120 zettabytes of data will be added to the internet by the end of this year. For those of us who don’t regularly deal in units that large, one zettabyte is equal to one trillion gigabytes (for comparison, cell phones typically have between 64 and 256 gigabytes of storage). In other words, there’s a lot of content online.
Cutting through the noise is difficult but possible. You must develop the right content strategy for your target market and, critically, a redistribution strategy to ensure your story gets noticed.
In this post, we’ll discuss creating strategic content and how to utilize it to generate leads and, ultimately, customers. Let’s begin!
Developing Your Content Strategy
You have stories to tell. You also have insights, answers, and solutions that your target market wants to hear. It’s time to get that wealth of knowledge and history out in the world so more people know about your business and the value you provide.
So, where to start? We always begin with the audience. Who are they? Where are they? What challenges are they facing? What do they want to know? Brainstorm topics that will resonate with them and develop a content calendar.
Before jumping into writing, there are a few steps to take to ensure your content will stand out.
- Do keyword research. People need to be looking for your chosen topic in order for it to perform well. If they are, how are they phrasing their searches? Incorporate high volume, low-to-medium competition keywords to increase your discoverability.
- Conduct competitive research. Are your competitors talking about the same topic? How can you mix it up and add even more value?
- Determine your call to action. What do you ultimately want your readers to do? Ensure the call to action is relevant and flows with the content.
Once you know what you want to write about, it’s time to choose the type of content you’ll create.
Creating Content for Lead Generation
When it comes to content creation, you’ve got options. There are blogs, social posts, emails, SMS, eBooks, whitepapers, and press releases – to name a few. You’ll want to utilize several different methods of communication in your content strategy, but when it comes to lead generation, there are a few types that, when executed correctly, can drive a significant number of leads.
Blogs, social media, and press releases are great for brand and reputation building as well as SEO. Email and SMS are excellent for nurturing leads, but you’ve got to get them into your database somehow. This is where eBooks and whitepapers come in.
An eBook, or electronic book, is a tool that allows you to dive deep into a particular topic. They’re thorough, visually compelling, and made interactive through videos and links. EBooks provide insights that intrigue and inform, for example, Autoquip’s eBook. They guide your target market and show your authority on a particular subject.
A whitepaper is typically more academic. These reports break complex topics into digestible chunks for your audience. Whitepapers are used to present new research and position you as a thought leader in your industry.
Either way you go, both of these documents should be filled with brilliant nuggets of information you’re audience wants to know. This is what makes them so great for lead generation. Create a landing page with a capture form so leads enter your database to gain access to your content.
We mentioned blogs above and we don’t want to discount their usage as part of a lead generation campaign either. The right article can be utilized very similarly to an eBook to draw the target audience in but you may not be able to capture contact information as often.
While there are other tools you can use to generate leads, such as quizzes, webinars, and giveaways, when it comes to long form content, eBooks, whitepapers, and sometimes blogs are the way to go.
Now it’s time to start driving traffic to your landing page!
Promoting Your Content Online
You can drive traffic directly to your landing page to generate leads, but sometimes you need to give a bit away for free to entice readers to provide you with their details. At Square 205, we recommend incorporating calls to action for lead generation tools, such as white papers and eBooks, into service pages as well as other blogs.
Create posts relevant to the topic in your lead captures and let users know they can learn more by downloading your digital content. These blogs can be found organically, shared through social media, sent directly to your database, or promoted through various advertising channels.
Platforms for Content Promotion
Now it’s time to identify how your target audience behaves and spends their time online. Once you’re clear, or developed an informed hypothesis, you can choose which platforms to use for distribution.
Here are some of the top platforms for sharing content:
Google is a powerhouse online platform, and having a presence here is essential. You should list your business on Google Places, strive to optimize your site for organic placement, and utilize the advertising features that make sense for your business.
Google is responsible for over 85% of search market share, so if people actively seek your product or service, enhance your presence with Google Search Ads, which strategically improves your website rank on the search engine.
If your offering is a solution that may be less well-known, Google Display is a great option to help you get discovered. Your brand will be placed on relevant content using a combination of visual and text advertising. Responsive Display Ads are one of the best options to expand your reach. Upload your assets, such as logos, images, headlines, and descriptions, and Google’s AI will generate and test variations across multiple apps, websites, YouTube, and Gmail.
Work with a Digital Marketing Agency to ensure proper set-up, optimization, and maintenance of your Google search engine and display advertising.
Facebook is the most popular social media platform with 2.96 billion monthly active users. It’s also linked to Instagram which has 2 billion monthly active users, giving you the opportunity to reach just about any target audience you can imagine.
You can share content through your business profile, your personal profile, or in relevant groups.
Facebook’s Ad Manager allows you to promote your content to a specific audience, using images, videos, polls, and more.
There are multiple options and ways to enhance your Facebook presence, so working with a Social Media Marketing Agency can ensure your content stays visible and your business is competitive.
LinkedIn is a social platform designed for professionals. This is an excellent platform for your business if you’re a B2B company or have a product or service created for people in a professional environment.
Like Facebook, you can share content on your business page, your personal page, or in relevant groups. LinkedIn also offers several advertising options, including:
- Sponsored Content that appears in targeted users’ newsfeeds
- Messaging Ads that appear as direct messages
- Dynamic Ads which are personalized for members of your target market
- Text Ads which are simple pay-per-click ads.
- Document Ads build lead capture directly into the ad format
Using Native Content for Lead Generation
One of our favorite paid mechanisms for blogs is native advertising. The US Chamber of Commerce defines native content as “any type of brand-sponsored content that is commissioned or paid to look and feel like a natural piece of the publisher’s website.” This type of advertising is non-disruptive, adds credibility, and has a higher click-through rate than traditional display advertising.
Platforms for Native Advertising
There are many options when it comes to native content. With its robust features, Google has native advertising capabilities, but several companies specialize in these high-engagement ads. We’ll be discussing two of the most popular.
Taboola
Taboola touts itself as the world’s leading discovery and native advertising platform. High-quality publishers, such as USA Today, Business Insider, and NBC, allow marketers to reach over 500 million daily active users. Your content appears seamlessly to drive relevant traffic and engagement.
Outbrain
Outbrain is a discovery platform driven by native ads. It provides 344 billion monthly recommendations on trusted publishers, such as Hearst and CNN. Its robust bidding options make it a more complex platform, but it can deliver incredible results.
Working with a Creative Agency that Specializes in Content
Content should be intriguing, engaging, and visible to generate leads. When you have a full workload already, creating content and executing distribution isn’t always feasible. Work with a creative agency that can capture the attention of your audience while having the expertise to amplify your message.
Square 205 is a boutique agency with big ideas. We know content, and we know the digital space. If you’re ready to share your story in a way that generates leads and drives sales, reach out so we can discuss how to achieve your goals.
