Content marketing is one of the hottest trends in marketing today, and it’s tailor-made for B2B use. When working with B2B clients, you’re dealing with an already knowledgeable audience; delivering useful content to prospects who know your industry gives you greater freedom to show what you know too. Over time, you build a resource library both current and future leads will value. Rich content also enhances your reputation with search engines, and better SEO is always a boon.
Not all content is created equal when it comes to B2B lead generation. Unlike entry-level content, what you set before B2B prospects must be more in-depth and specific. The following formats are proven lead-builders in B2B marketing.
White Papers
One surefire way to build interest and earn leads is with customized white papers. These authoritative, long-form reports take an in-depth look at a key aspect of a specific industry and present cogent solutions for common issues facing your prospects. What makes white papers work so well as a lead generation tool is their value. Visitors to your site have valuable information, but they won’t share it unless they feel they’re getting an equal or greater value in return. White papers offer that high value and encourage prospects to share their data. They do cost a bit more to commission, but white papers pay off in huge lead generation. Better yet, they continue to generate leads for as long as you make them available.
Webinars
Like white papers, webinars offer a tremendous perceived value that readily convinces B2B company owners and executives to share their information. These online training courses also draw high-quality leads as well as bringing in bigger numbers. Online workshops and conferences range from interactive events you or your marketing team hosts to video presentations you make available for download anytime. Both possibilities have their merits, and today’s interactive webinar can become tomorrow’s video presentation after a little editing. When using webinars to increase your B2B leads, make the most of the publicity they bring by featuring your offer on all your social media channels, in your blog and on your website.
Newsletters
People like getting the latest details about their industry delivered straight to their in-boxes. Develop an interesting, content-rich newsletter, and new leads will seek you out to read what you have to say. Another feature of newsletters is their versatility; what you put in your newsletter can also tie in with your blog posts, social media streams and upcoming releases of other content. The key to using newsletters as a lead generation strategy lies in paying attention to the first part of that word: news. Save the advertising for other email blasts and reserve your newsletters for industry-targeted, high-value content.
Interviews
When industry leaders talk, they draw an interested audience. Showcase your knowledge or pick the brains of your resident experts to develop a surefire lead generation tool via video or text interviews. Like newsletters and webinars, interviews can be versatile content, letting your content marketing team create feature articles, transcripts, podcasts and video clips from a single hour or two of your interview subject’s time. Because they put a face and a name to ideas, interviews can also engage people on a more personal level. Prospects are more willing to share their contact information with a recognizable name and face than with a corporate entity, so don’t be shy about featuring yourself or a colleague as the face of your company.
Content marketing connects with your prospects and gives them something valuable in exchange for the data they give to you. It’s the direction B2B lead generation is taking, and it continues to pay off over time.
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