With content marketing, ROI can be tricky to measure. Often, it’s challenging to make a direct link between your efforts and positive outcomes, such as sales. However, that shouldn’t be a reason to overlook the impact of content marketing on increasing brand visibility, awareness, and even lead generation.
Smart businesses know that top-notch content and design do more than just engage—they convert. By aligning content strategy with lead generation goals, companies can create a win-win: valuable information for the audience and qualified leads for the business. It’s about making every word count towards growth.
Keep reading to explore our 7 content marketing strategy tips that will help you generate more leads!
Table of Contents
Understanding the challenge of content marketing ROI
Content marketing ROI hinges on recognizing the intricacies involved in tracking and measuring the effectiveness of content-related investments.
Unlike more direct marketing strategies, content marketing often involves a long-term approach, where engagement and brand awareness are gradually cultivated through quality content over time. The intangible nature of these markers poses a dilemma in quantifying success, as increases in website traffic or time on page don’t always translate straightforwardly into sales.
However, it’s important to recognize that consistent, strategic content marketing can unlock the sales you’re aiming for. Explore the benefits of on-brand, goal-aligned collateral.
Aligning content marketing with lead generation
Content marketing supports lead generation by offering valuable and relevant information that attracts potential leads. Through targeted content, businesses establish trust and authority, fostering relationships with audiences. Effective lead magnets, like eBooks or webinars, convert interested visitors into leads, seamlessly integrating content marketing efforts with lead generation strategies.
Below, we’ve put together tips and examples to help inspire your content marketing strategy. Let’s dive in!
Content marketing strategy for lead generation: 7 must-haves
To support and accelerate your lead generation efforts, make sure your content marketing strategy includes the following:
1. Targeted content
Crafting content that resonates
Targeting specific content towards defined audience segments ensures higher engagement and relevance. It allows businesses to address specific needs or pain points, thereby increasing the likelihood of conversion.
To draw in a niche or specific audience, identify the details that are relevant to them. For example, you can tailor blog posts to address industry-specific challenges or client success stories, and offer detailed product breakdowns highlighting unique benefits.
- Example: An IT company creates a series of blog posts on overcoming common cloud migration challenges, directly addressing their target audience’s pain points and attracting high-quality leads.’
Action it:
- Identify key challenges and topics by engaging directly with your audience through surveys or social media.
- Use SEO practices to optimize content for relevant keywords that your target demographic is searching for.
- Regularly update content to reflect the latest industry trends and solutions, keeping it relevant.
2. Multi-format engagement
Diversifying content formats
Using multiple content formats helps reach a broader audience across different platforms and preferences, improving engagement rates by catering to varied consumption habits and enhancing the reach of your message.
Utilize blogs, social media, videos, and infographics to engage prospects. Repurposing a webinar into a series of blog posts or social media snippets can extend content reach and lead generation potential.
- Example: A manufacturing firm publishes a comprehensive video tutorial on their new machinery. They then repurpose the video content into shorter clips for social media and detailed blog posts, enhancing lead engagement across platforms.
Read: ‘Do You Actively Repurpose Content? Here’s Why You Should Start.’
Action it:
- Analyze platform metrics to determine which content formats perform best with your audience.
- Ensure that all content, regardless of format, maintains a high quality and consistent tone.
- Use audience feedback to fine-tune the types of content formats you produce in the future.
3. Brand communication
Maintaining consistent branding
Ensure every piece of content, regardless of the platform, reflects your brand identity and messaging consistently to enhance recognition and trust.
Consistent brand communication across all channels helps in building brand recognition and trust. It ensures a unified experience for consumers, aiding in higher recall and reinforcing the brand’s market position.
- Example: A health tech company uses the same tone, style, and logo placement in all content, from white papers to social media posts, solidifying brand identity and aiding in lead recall and conversion.
Action it:
- Conduct brand audits periodically to ensure consistency across all platforms and collateral.
- Develop a brand style guide that includes specifics on tone, language, and visual elements.
- Train all content creators and marketing teams on brand standards to maintain a unified voice.
4. Creation of lead magnets
Offering value to gather information
Create and offer lead magnets—i.e., valuable resources like e-books, checklists, or access to exclusive webinars—in exchange for contact details.
Read: ‘Using Webinars for B2B Lead Generation: Best Practices and Tips’
Lead magnets are essential for gathering valuable contact details willingly provided by interested leads. They act as a trade-off for useful resources, efficiently building a quality database for marketing communications.
- Example: A cloud security company develops a comprehensive guide on the latest IT security trends and offer it as a downloadable PDF after users submit their email addresses, efficiently generating leads.
Action it:
- Segment your audience to offer more targeted lead magnets that cater to specific interests.
- Use A/B testing to optimize lead magnet landing pages for higher conversion rates.
- Promote lead magnets through targeted ads and strategic partnerships with industry influencers.
5. Effective design and copy
Combining visuals with persuasive writing
Align impactful visual design with compelling copy to create engaging and informative marketing materials that drive lead generation.
A balanced integration of compelling design and persuasive writing grabs attention and communicates effectively. It plays a critical role in making marketing materials both appealing and convincing to the target audience.
- Example: A fintech company designs an eye-catching infographic that highlights key data points from a recent industry report and accompanies it with engaging copy, enticing viewers to learn more by contacting their sales team.
Action it:
- Employ A/B testing on different designs and copy to see what resonates best with your audience.
- Collaborate with graphic designers and copywriters to ensure alignment and cohesiveness, and to avoid common design oversights
- Continuously gather user feedback to innovate and improve the visual and textual content.
6. Quick turnaround and customization
Adapting content swiftly to meet audience needs
Ensure content can be quickly modified to reflect trending topics or specific audience inquiries, keeping the lead funnel active.
Being able to quickly produce and adapt content according to the latest trends or audience feedback keeps a business relevant and responsive. This agility helps capitalize on opportunities and maintain audience engagement—something we’re committed to helping our clients achieve.
- Example: An IT company notices a surge in queries about remote work security. They quickly produce a series of blog posts addressing these concerns, attracting and capturing leads actively seeking solutions.
Action it:
- Dedicate a resource or team to monitoring industry news and trends for immediate content opportunities.
- Develop templates and have a content library ready for quick customization and distribution.
- Train your team on rapid response strategies that align with your brand messaging and goals.
7. Authority and credibility
Establishing industry leadership through in-depth expertise-focused content
Create white papers, detailed blog posts, and informative videos that showcase your expertise, building trust and authority.
Establishing authority in your industry sets you apart as a knowledgeable leader, fostering trust and respect from potential leads. Detailed, well-researched content demonstrates expertise, influencing purchasing decisions and building professional credibility.
- Example: A manufacturing company produces a series of white papers on the future of robotics in manufacturing, citing their own research and development efforts, thereby attracting leads looking for innovative solutions.
Action it:
- Partner with industry experts for guest posts or co-authored research to enhance credibility.
- Regularly update your content to include the latest data, standards, and best practices.
- Host webinars and participate in panel discussions to showcase your expertise to a broader audience.
Read: ‘Creating Impactful Thought leadership content: Establishing Your Brand as an Industry Authority’
Each of these points, when effectively incorporated into your content marketing strategy, can significantly enhance lead generation outcomes. Our B2B clients experience these benefits, leveraging our professional content writing services to ensure their content is not only engaging but also meticulously targeted and aligned with their lead generation goals.
Scenario: A technology startup builds a content marketing plan to generate leads
Here’s a scenario to help illustrate how a content marketing strategy can be built to generate more leads:
A technology startup looking to generate leads for its new project management software could execute a content marketing plan as follows:
- Targeted content: The startup identifies its target audience as small to medium-sized business owners and project managers in the tech industry. It creates detailed buyer personas to tailor content that addresses specific issues related to project management challenges within tech companies.
- Multi-format engagement: The company decides to use a mix of blog posts, infographics, short and long videos, and webinars to share insights on efficient project management, cater to different preferences, and maximize reach across social media, its website, and email newsletters.
- Brand communication: Across all content formats, the startup maintains a consistent tone and style that reflect its brand identity as innovative, user-friendly, and reliable. Key messaging emphasizes the software’s unique selling propositions, like AI-driven analytics and integration capabilities.
- Creation of lead magnets: The company develops a comprehensive e-book titled ‘The Future of Project Management in Tech’ and offers it for free in exchange for email subscriptions. This e-book is promoted across all platforms, especially in webinar sign-ups and video call-to-actions.
- Effective design and copy: Professional designers and copywriters ensure all content, from website landing pages to webinar presentations, is visually appealing and written compellingly to engage and persuade the target audience at every touchpoint.
- Quick turnaround and customization: Responding to feedback from initial content, the startup quickly adapts its strategy. It introduces more case studies in its blog posts and adjusts its email campaigns to highlight software features most relevant to the audience’s expressed interests.
- Authority and credibility: To bolster its credibility, the startup collaborates with recognized industry experts for guest blog posts and webinar appearances. It also produces case studies showcasing successful software implementation by early adopters, highlighting measurable improvements in project management efficiency.
Combining these elements, the startup weaves a cohesive content marketing strategy aimed at generating leads by providing value, building trust, and demonstrating expertise in the field of project management for the tech industry.
For more ideas, read: ‘5 Must-Try Content Marketing Techniques’
Conclusion
Content marketing, when strategically aligned with lead generation efforts, can be a powerful tool for B2B businesses. By implementing the seven must-haves discussed—targeted content, multi-format engagement, consistent brand communication, effective lead magnets, compelling design and copy, quick adaptability, and establishing authority—you can create a robust content marketing strategy that not only attracts potential leads but also nurtures them through the sales funnel.
Remember, while ROI may be challenging to measure in content marketing, the long-term benefits of increased brand awareness, trust, and customer relationships are invaluable.
To watch your lead generation efforts flourish through the power of content marketing, get in touch.
