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Boosting Lead Generation Using Content Marketing: The Complete Guide

Lead generation

Today, about 94% of B2B small businesses make use of content marketing in their digital marketing efforts. Despite its widespread adoption, many businesses struggle to effectively use content marketing for lead generation and maintaining profitability. The US Bureau of Labour Statistics estimates that despite having a content marketing strategy, approximately 20% of these small businesses fail in their first year, an additional 45% during the first five years, and 70% during the first 10 years. Clearly, a content marketing strategy is no magic wand that immediately solves all lead generation woes. However, when used properly, content marketing can be a powerful tool for lead generation. This blog post will discuss how you can effectively use your content marketing efforts to drive leads and convert them into customers. We have prepared an ultimate content marketing guide and curated practical battle-tested steps guaranteed to help generate quality leads. Lead Generation Through Content Marketing What comes to mind when you hear the word “lead”?  You’re probably thinking of scenes from your favorite crime thriller where the detective is following a lead to solve the case. Lead generation through content marketing works in much the same way.  You create content that captures the attention of your target audience, and use it as a clue to help them find you. A lead is a potential customer who has shown interest in your product or service. Any content marketing strategy aims to attract the right audience, engage them, and ultimately generate leads that can be converted into customers. Imagine you own a skincare brand and have created a blog post about the benefits of using natural ingredients in skincare products. A reader who clicks on the article, reads it, subscribes to your newsletter, and finally makes a purchase can be considered a lead generated for your skincare brand through your content marketing efforts. Therefore, lead generation through content marketing involves creating valuable and relevant content that attracts your target audience to your brand, provides solutions to their problems, and encourages them to take a desired action. Such action could include filling out a form, subscribing to your email list, or purchasing a product. Benefits of  a Lead-Generating Content Marketing Strategy Apart from attracting and converting quality leads, a strong content marketing strategy can bring numerous benefits to your business. Here are some of the reasons why you should invest time and effort into creating a solid lead-generating content marketing plan: Improved Brand Awareness and Credibility By consistently producing high-quality content that addresses your audience’s needs and interests, you increase your chances of being seen as an industry expert in your niche market. This improves brand awareness and builds trust and credibility among your target audience, leading them to consider your brand when making purchasing decisions. If you are a business owner or marketer, it is important to remember that leads can come from any source. However, the quality and relevance of your content will determine whether these leads are worth pursuing and converting into paying customers. Increased Website Traffic Creating valuable lead-generation content that speaks directly to your target audience allows you to attract more visitors to your website. This ultimately drives more traffic to your website and increases the likelihood of generating leads through your content marketing efforts. Improved Search Engine Optimization (SEO) SEO has a significant impact on your website’s visibility and search rankings. By regularly producing high-quality, keyword-rich content, you improve the chances of your website appearing in the top search results on popular search engines like Google and Bing. This means that when someone searches for terms related to your industry, there is a higher chance that they will come across your website and potentially convert into leads. Increased Conversion Rates Content marketing can also improve the overall user experience on your website by providing valuable information and solutions to their problems. This can lead to increased conversions as satisfied readers are more likely to purchase or take other desired actions on your website. Expanded Reach In today’s digital age, content can easily be shared across various online channels such as your website, social media platforms, and email. This allows you to expand your reach and attract a wider audience, potentially bringing in more leads for your business. Cost Effectiveness Compared to traditional marketing methods, content marketing can be more cost-effective. Once you have created your content, it can potentially bring in leads for a long period of time with minimal additional costs. Steps to Generating Leads Through Content Marketing Now that you understand the advantages of lead generation through content marketing, here are some practical steps to get started in your content marketing lead generation process: Conduct Extensive Market Research Before creating any content, it’s important to understand your target audience and their pain points clearly. Conduct market research through surveys, focus groups, or social listening to gather insights into their needs and interests. This will allow you to create more targeted and relevant content that speaks directly to them and encourages conversions. In conducting your market research for a content marketing strategy that generates leads, we recommend using keyword research and paying attention to search intent. Making Use of Keyword Research Part of your market research should involve identifying the keywords or search terms your target audience will likely use when looking for solutions to their problems. Using keywords is an effective way to understand your target audience’s interests. Commercial keywords specifically reveal what your prospects are interested in buying. Incorporating these keywords into your content will improve its chances of appearing in search engine results, potentially bringing in more leads for your business. This can be done through keyword research tools such as Google Ads Keyword Planner or SEMrush. Let’s say you own a catering business. Your target audience may use keywords such as “catering for weddings” or “corporate event catering.” Including these terms in your blog posts, website pages, or social media content can improve the chances of attracting leads interested in your services. The idea is

Strategies for Making the Most Out of Your Content Distribution Matrix

Content Distribution Matrix

As a marketer, you understand that in order to maximize your reach and boost customer engagement, you need a content distribution matrix. But most times, your sweats don’t just measure up to the results you ultimately see. It feels like the content is just floating around in space with no real direction or purpose. “What’s the missing puzzle?”, you might wonder.  Well, if you find yourself in this position, we know one thing for sure – you need an efficient content distribution matrix that specifically works for your business.  In this one-stop guide, you will learn how to identify the most effective channels for your specific audience, create a clear distribution plan, and track results to ensure maximum ROI. Before diving into the various channels, let’s first understand the concept of the distribution matrix. What is a Content Distribution Matrix? Content distribution matrix has to do with the visual representation of where and how your content will be shared. It allows you to outline the different channels and platforms that you’ll use to distribute your content, along with the frequency and timing of these distributions. The concept behind the content distribution matrix is to recognize that certain content types and channels work better for certain audiences. By understanding the specific needs and preferences, you can develop a distribution plan that maximizes reach and engagement. Let’s illustrate.  Say you’re a B2B marketer targeting C-level executives. Your content distribution plan will likely involve LinkedIn and industry-related events instead of a B2C marketer targeting Gen Z on Instagram. So, content distribution matrix helps you prioritize where to focus your efforts and track the success of each platform or content distribution channel. And as a marketer, this can help you plan out their content strategy and allocate resources accordingly. Overall, the idea is to map out the specific content distribution channel that best aligns with your audience and content type rather than randomly posting on every single platform without a clear strategy. Content Distribution Strategy – Step-by-step Process As it is well known, planning is the key to success. The same goes for your content distribution strategy. When you always wish to achieve the most in the content distribution matrix, we recommend you follow these steps. 1. Identify Your Audience Before creating a content distribution matrix, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of your target audiences. This will help you determine the most effective channels for reaching them. Ask yourself who they are, what their interests are, their demographics, and their pain points. Then, research where they typically hang out online – which social media platforms do they use the most? What kind of websites or publications do they read? Consider conducting audience research through surveys, interviews, and online analytics tools to gather more insight. By understanding your audience, you’ll be able to zero in on the channels that will best reach them. 2. Set Goals/Objectives and Measure Results It’s important to define what you want to achieve with your distribution strategy. Do you intend to increase organic traffic to your website? Generate leads? Improve brand recognition? By having specific goals in mind, it will better guide your decision-making and give you a precise measure of success. In all, your goal must be SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Also, set specific goals for each channel and track your results to see what’s working and what may need improvement. This will help you continually optimize your content distribution plan. Use analytics tools such as Google Analytics or Hootsuite to track and measure metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, and conversions. 3. Match Content Types with Channels With a clear understanding of your audience and goals in mind, it’s time to determine which content distribution channels will work best for your content distribution strategy. As mentioned earlier, consider where your audience hangs out online, where your competitors are most active, and where your content will perform best. Some options to consider include social media platforms, email marketing, owned websites or blogs, paid advertising, PR outreach, industry publications, and influencer marketing. For example, if you’re a B2B business, LinkedIn may be a better choice for distributing content than Instagram. And if you have visual content, platforms like Pinterest and Instagram may be more suitable than Twitter. You can also consider creating different versions of the same piece of content to cater to various preferences. For example, you could repurpose a blog post into an infographic for visual learners or create a podcast episode for auditory learners. Note that the content distribution channels you eventually choose must align with your overall objectives and target audiences. 4. Plan and Determine the Frequency Next, consider when and how often you’ll distribute your content on each channel. To start, create a content calendar and schedule when you’ll publish new content and when you’ll repurpose or promote older content. This will help keep your distribution plan organized and ensure a consistent flow of content. When determining frequency, consider the platform’s algorithm and what works best for your audience. For example, LinkedIn’s algorithm favors frequent posting, while Instagram tends to favor quality over quantity. Also, consider the peak times when your audience is most active on each channel and schedule your content accordingly. This can greatly impact engagement and reach. 5. Promote and Amplify Your Content Once you’ve outlined your distribution plan, it’s time to get the word out about your content. Consider paid advertising options, such as promoting social media posts or Google ads, to increase visibility and reach a wider audience. Also, consider reaching out to influencers in your industry (“influencer marketing”) who may be willing to share your content with their followers. Additionally, don’t underestimate the power of employee advocacy. Encourage your employees to share company content on their personal social media profiles or reach out to their professional networks via email. This can significantly expand your reach and increase trust in your brand. And finally, make sure you have sharing buttons readily

The 8 Content Marketing Goals That Are Critical to Your Business

content marketing goals

If you’re running a business, having a content marketing strategy is key to success. Why? Because it helps ensure your content is working towards your overall business goals. Plus, today’s customers are bombarded with choices, and if you want them to pick your product or service, you need to have great content that cuts through the noise.  Not sure where to start? Check out our list of eight goals for any successful content marketing campaign. These tips will help you create content that resonates with your audience and drives conversions. Why Alignment With Content Objectives Is Crucial Here are some benefits of aligning your content marketing campaigns and strategy goals between all relevant stakeholders within the company:  The 8 Critical Goals of Content Marketing Now that we’ve defined content marketing and discussed its importance, let’s dive into our eight critical goals for a successful content marketing strategy. 1. Increase Brand Awareness and Recognition One of the primary goals of content marketing is to increase brand awareness for your business. After all, if people don’t know your company exists, they can’t become customers or clients. Creating high-quality content is one of the best ways to get your name out there and attract the attention of your target audience. Think about the relevant content that will help you achieve these marketing and business goals.  For example, if you’re looking to increase brand awareness for a new product launch, you might create blog posts or social media updates leading up to the launch date. Or, if you want to raise awareness for your business in general, you might create thought-leadership content that showcases your company’s expertise. No matter what type of content you create, you aim to get it in front of as many people as possible. So be sure to promote your content across your channels, from your website and blog to social media and email. You can also use paid advertising to amplify your reach and ensure your target audience sees your content. One company that has successfully used content marketing to increase brand awareness is Coca-Cola. For example, in 2016, they launched their “Taste the Feeling” campaign, which featured a mix of print, TV, digital and out-of-home advertisements. The campaign was designed to underscore people’s emotional connections with Coca-Cola products. This strategy raised brand awareness, as the “Taste the Feeling” campaign garnered over 278 million online views. And it helped Coca-Cola boost its sales by 3% in the first quarter of 2017. By creating high-quality content that resonates with its target audience, Coca-Cola has effectively built awareness for its brand and increased its bottom line. 2. Generate More Qualified Leads Generating leads is an important goal of content marketing. Businesses can attract potential customers and convert them into leads by creating compelling and engaging content. While some customers may immediately commit to a product or service, others may require more nurturing before they are ready to make a purchase. Businesses can develop targeted marketing campaigns to move leads through the sales funnel by collecting data from each interaction with potential customers. Effective content marketing can thus result in increased sales and revenue for businesses. One of the best ways to generate leads is to create gated content, meaning people have to give you their contact information to access it. For example, you might create an eBook or whitepaper and require people to fill out a form with their name and email address before they can download it. You can also use lead magnets, such as free trials or coupons, to entice people to sign up for your email list. Once you have their contact information, you can follow up with targeted emails that will move them further down the sales funnel. 3. Build Brand Loyalty and Trust Fostering brand loyalty is essential for any business that wants to build a lasting relationship with its customers. After all, why would someone continue to buy from a company they don’t trust or feel loyal to? As a content marketer, you have the opportunity to help build both of these things through the stories you tell and the experiences you create. Loyalty is often built through shared values and everyday experiences, so tell stories highlighting these things. For instance, if you’re marketing a sustainable fashion brand, you could tell stories about the people who make the clothing and how they work to reduce their environmental impact. On the other hand, if you’re marketing a new kind of workout gear, you might share stories about how it’s helped people achieve their fitness goals. In both cases, you’re giving your audience a reason to feel loyal to your brand. Trust, on the other hand, is built through transparency and consistency. Be clear about who you are and what you stand for, and be consistent in the messages you share. In addition, with content marketing, your company may host a giveaway or a contest, offering your consumers the opportunity to win a reward and, as a result, celebrate your customer base. Customer loyalty and trust are essential for any business that wants to thrive in the long term. As you achieve this, your audience will come to trust you as a source of reliable information. 4. Garner More Web Traffic With Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Websites are much like storefronts; the better they look, the more likely people will come in. But, of course, there’s a little more to it than that. Just as you wouldn’t put a store in the middle of nowhere, your website also needs to be easy to find. One way to do this is to use search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. SEO involves using keywords and other strategies to improve your site’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). This ensures that your website comes up near the top of the results when people search for keywords related to your business. You can also generate traffic by advertising your website on social media or through pay-per-click ads. And, of course,

The Know-How to Boosting Your Content Marketing ROI

The Know-How

You’ve probably heard it said that “content is king” when it comes to online marketing. That’s because high-quality, well-written, informative content can help attract and engage potential customers, build trust and credibility, and drive conversions. But what’s often missing from the equation is a discussion of content marketing ROI – or how to measure the return on investment on content marketing efforts. There are many ways to determine content marketing ROI, but before we get into that, let’s take a step back and look at what ROI is and why it matters. Content Marketing ROI “ROI” stands for “return on investment,” a way of calculating the profitability of an investment – in this case, content marketing efforts of any business. Therefore, content marketing ROI is the return on investment you get from one’s content marketing activities. Content marketing ROI is important because it helps you to understand how effective your content marketing performance is in relation to the amount of money that you have invested. Interestingly, there are a number of different ways to calculate it, but the most basic formula is: ROI = (Net Income – Cost of Investment) / Cost In other words, ROI measures how much income or return from investment in content marketing activities minus the cost of those activities, divided by the cost. For example, let’s say you spend $100,000 on content marketing in a month. From that investment, you generate $200,000 in return. The ROI would be: ($200,000 – $100,000) / $100,000 x 100 = 100% So, in this case, the ROI is 100%. That means you’re generating an additional dollar as income for every dollar spent on content marketing. If there are doubts about things to include in the calculation of the ROI, a good rule of thumb is to think about anything that goes into producing and distributing the content, such as: Writing or creating the content itself Editing and proofreading Tools for content marketing Publishing or hosting the content Promoting and distributing the content Measuring and analyzing the results And anything else that’s involved in the process Make sure to have Google Analytics set up to track traffic from the website to the content accurately. That’s because Google Analytics is very handy in determining which pieces of content are most successful in attracting an audience and what topics they’re most interested in. It’s also useful for understanding how people interact with what’s on the website after they’ve read the content. It provides deep insights into the changes needed to improve the user experience. Once you have google analytics set up and can track organic traffic from the website to your content, you can start calculating the content marketing ROI – easy After calculating the ROI, use that number to compare the profitability of different content marketing successes, activities, and strategies and decide where to allocate resources going forward. This way, you can continue to invest in and improve upon what’s working for your business. 6 Reasons Why Content Marketing ROI Matters When content marketers don’t track and measure the ROI of their content marketing efforts, they simply won’t know whether or not they’re actually paying off.   And if they don’t know whether or not their content marketing is working, they could be wasting time and money on activities that aren’t actually helping you achieve their business goals. So, why does it matter after all? Here are six reasons:  1. Improved Decision Making With awareness of how much profit your content makes, you can more efficiently use your resources by making smart decisions on where to invest time and money in the future.  For example, let’s say you’re trying to decide whether to produce more blog posts or create more videos. If you know that each blog post generates $100 in revenue on average, but each video generates $500, then it’s a no-brainer – you should create more videos. 2. More Accountability Measuring ROI holds content marketers accountable for their actions and ensures they produce profitable content.  Having high website traffic and social media engagement is not enough. The content must ultimately drive profits for the company. With this, content marketers will be motivated to produce content that generates revenue for the business.  3. Better Budgeting To maintain or increase your budget, you need to be able to justify your expenses – and that’s where content marketing ROI comes in. Suppose you show that a content marketing program generates a positive return. In that case, it will be much easier to convince decision-makers to give the needed resources to continue doing what you’re doing. 4. Setting Realistic Goals Measuring ROI helps set realistic goals for content marketing strategies and campaigns. It can clearly show whether or not a campaign is successful and if it needs to be tweaked or improved upon in the future.  It will make it possible to measure progress toward reaching specific business objectives, such as increasing sales or website conversions. Usually, setting specific and measurable goals is a crucial step in successful content marketing.  5. Competitive Advantage Competitive advantage is said to be achieved when a company can successfully offer the same or similar products or services as other businesses but at a lower cost or higher profit. Businesses that don’t bother to calculate their ROI are flying blind when it comes to making decisions about their content marketing strategy. So, understanding your content marketing ROI can help compare and analyze how your performance stacks up against competitors in the industry. This can give any business a competitive edge and provide insights on where to improve for future success.  6. Better Demonstration of Value Measuring ROI allows content marketers to demonstrate the value and impact their efforts have on the overall success of a business. This can be crucial for securing buy-in or budget from higher-ups in the company. In essence,  tracking ROI helps justify the time and resources spent on content marketing.  What’s more?  It can also attract potential investors or partners as they will be

An Ultimate Guide to Successful Inbound Marketing

inbound marketing

Digital marketing can be overwhelming, with a constant stream of new tactics and technologies to keep up with. But at the end of the day, all inbound marketing comes down to making good content and connecting with your audience in a tangible way.   Customers don’t want to be bombarded with sales messages – they want valuable content that speaks to their needs and interests. And that’s where inbound marketing comes in. Building real relationships seems to be a lost art these days, but it’s an integral part of successful inbound marketing. Yet, building connections can be done by throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks- it’s about creating a strategy that works for your business and then following through with consistent execution.  So, how can you make sure your inbound marketing efforts are successful? In this ultimate guide, we’ll cover everything from creating a buyer persona to measuring your ROI. Let’s dive in.  What is Inbound Marketing? Inbound marketing is a type of marketing that focuses on creating and distributing valuable content to attract, convert, close, and delight customers.  It simply shows you the process of bringing customers to you instead of you going out and finding them. It serves the goal of attracting strangers and turning them into happy customers. What’s more? Inbound marketing is holistic and consumer-centric. This means that it goes beyond just getting your business name out there.  NO! It’s more about building relationships and creating a positive brand image that will last long after the sale.   When you offer such an exceptional customer experience, it’s pretty easy for them to do business with you again and recommend you to others.  What Are The Benefits of Inbound Marketing? Several benefits come with using inbound marketing to attract and convert customers. Some of these benefits include: Inbound Marketing & Outbound Marketing Inbound marketing and outbound marketing are two sides of the same coin. Outbound marketing is the traditional form of marketing that involves interruption tactics like cold-calling, TV commercials, and pop-up ads.  Inbound marketing, on the other hand, Inbound marketing focuses on building customer relationships by giving them helpful content. The main difference between the two is that inbound marketing takes time and outbound marketing gives you results right away. However, in the long run, inbound marketing is more effective because it builds trust and credibility with the customer, which leads to more conversions.  Outbound marketing is usually less effective than inbound marketing because it is more disruptive and can be expensive.  Inbound marketing is generally more effective because it’s more targeted and efficient. Inbound Marketing & Content Marketing Inbound marketing and content marketing are often used interchangeably, but they are two different things.  Inbound marketing is a more holistic approach that covers all aspects of the customer journey, while content marketing is just one piece of the puzzle. This means that inbound marketing and content marketing are that inbound marketing covers the entire customer journey from awareness to purchase. In contrast, content marketing focuses on the relationship between a business and its customers.   Be that as it may, inbound marketing is a type of marketing that focuses on attracting customers to your business. On the other hand, you can use content marketing to support your overall marketing goals. It involves creating and sharing valuable content to attract and retain customers – blog posts, ebooks, infographics, etc. Although content marketing is often used as part of an inbound marketing strategy, you can use it independently. Why is Inbound Marketing Important? Inbound marketing has become increasingly important as the world of marketing has changed. Outbound marketing tactics like cold-calling, TV commercials, and interruptive ads were the norm in the past.  Today, that has completely changed!  Potential customers are much more likely to do their research online before ever contacting a company. Why? Because they can.  The internet has enabled customers to find the information they need without talking to a salesperson.  Interestingly, they often don’t even have to leave their living room to do it.  That’s why inbound marketing is so important. It’s a way to reach your target audience where they are – online.  So, inbound marketing is crucial because it helps you: Whatever your product or service, inbound marketing can help you attract strangers and turn them into customers.  If you’re not using inbound marketing, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to grow your business. How Can You Use Inbound Marketing? There are several ways you can use inbound marketing to attract and convert customers. Some common methods include: Blog Posts Blogs are a great way to reach your target audience and show that you are an expert in your field. You can do this by regularly creating, publishing, and distributing relevant content in different forms, such as articles, infographics, videos, and others. SEO “SEO” stands for “search engine optimization.” It is an excellent way to get search engines to notice your website and the content you post. When you optimize the content on your website, you can reach your target market once they search for information related to your business.  In other words, SEO makes your content appear higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). By doing this, your website may increase in search results, leading to more traffic.  To effectively achieve this, you have to choose the right keywords, create an engaging title/headline and make the format of your content easy to read.  Social Media Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are excellent ways to share your blog posts and other pieces of content with a broader audience. Recent statistics show that While 91 percent of companies use some kind of social media for marketing, 96 percent of people who discuss brands online follow and interact with those brands. Social media provide that platform for building relationships with potential and current customers and promoting your business.  You can also build relationships with current and potential customers by answering their questions and concerns through social media.

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