Content marketing is an important part of lead generation and digital marketing strategies.
However, it’s not just about throwing together content to fill a page or hit a word count.
Consumers and clients are bombarded by information – both helpful and not – every time they log onto the internet.
In order for your content marketing strategy to stand out and generate new leads, the content you are offering your clients should be concise, helpful, and directly related to their needs.
In short, creating content is all about cultivating trust and building value.
What is content marketing lead generation?
Content marketing lead generation is a marketing strategy focused on producing relevant, valuable, and attention-grabbing content with the goal of creating new leads from within a specified target audience.
However, in a crowded digital space, for created content to stand out, it must be well-written, well-organized, and must clearly add value for the reader or consumer. In fact, poorly crafted content can have the opposite effect, driving potential clients away from your content, and towards that of a competitor.
This is why it’s so important to understand how content marketing works, how it drives lead generation, and how to leverage it to connect with your audience.
Types of lead generation
There are many types of lead generation, and what works best for your company will depend on what sort of content your potential clients are in search of, what your business does, and how you can most easily connect with your target audience.
However, when done correctly, using content marketing can be an extremely effective and powerful way to generate new leads.
Here are a few examples of how to do it.
1. Publish an e-book
Brands don’t need to charge for e-books. The mere content provided within the e-book itself is value enough and can help to generate new leads.
An e-book is an excellent way to showcase what you know and use it to teach potential leads about your industry, company, or services. This directs leads into your sales funnel and increases the visibility of your online marketing efforts.
2. Offer guides and white papers
White papers aren’t exactly a new concept. In fact, they’re pretty old-school. However, there’s a reason they’re still around – they work to generate leads.
A good white paper uses four elements to engage the reader and give a comprehensive overview of the topic at hand.
First, a good title draws readers in and gives a clear idea of the topic of the paper.
Next, as the saying goes, “content is king.” A white paper isn’t worth writing unless provides helpful and specific content about your target customer’s buying experience. This isn’t about getting them to buy from you at that exact moment. It’s about building trust and cultivating a relationship.
Once the white paper is written, it’s time to promote it. Link to it on social media. Email it to potential clients. Make sure your internal team has read it and understands its content.
Finally, be aware of your follow-up strategy.
Instead of an aggressive call to action, consider emailing a follow-up offering to send another white paper, inviting the customer to a webinar, or informing them of an upcoming event.
3. Write a case study
A case study is a great way to use examples that are specific and personal to convey the value of your brand. Rather than just listing facts, case studies are powerful tools that can make a topic seem relatable, and help to humanize a cause, product, or business.
Just be sure to make your case study interesting, by delving into unique aspects, adding value, or providing interesting information. A dry, dull case study won’t help generate leads.
4. Produce a webinar
The inherent structure of a webinar lends itself to human connection. Leveraging this can be very powerful in generating new leads.
This is an excellent way if done correctly, to collect contact information from webinar attendees in an organic way. After using the webinar to prove to potential leads that you have something of value to offer, they will more than likely be willing to happily offer up this information.
4. Host an in-person event
It’s easy to get caught up in the online aspect of content marketing, but that’s only one part of a successful marketing strategy. Hosting in-person events can be an excellent way to generate leads, make connections, and offer networking opportunities for potential customers and clients.
Plus, it’s a unique way to generate leads that will help you to stand out from the “digital only” crowd.
What content type is mostly used for lead generation?
Well-crafted content is well-crafted content. This means that many different types of content can be successfully used for content marketing.
However, to truly stand out against an ever-growing sea of content, marketers must be able to catch the eye of the consumer. This is where images come in. Even the best copywriting, if left as a dense collection of words on a page, will be overlooked.
To help your content stand out, no matter what format or type it is, it’s essential to include photos, screenshots, or other interactive content such as infographics, and/or charts and graphs.
Not only does this add color and excitement to a piece of content, but it also helps to break up thick blocks of text, making the content easily digestible for the consumer.
How content marketing can boost lead generation
As previously discussed, content marketing plays an important role in marketing strategy by adding value for your customers and clients.
Customers are always looking for valuable content – pieces that answer questions they have, events that delve into a subject they’re interested in, or documents that walk them through a relevant process or topic.
By providing this information in an accessible, understandable, and educational way, brands can begin to build trust among their customer and work towards generating new leads.
Transform Your Lead Generation with WriterAccess
In the world of content marketing, having access to qualified professionals can make all the difference in lead generation. This is where WriterAccess comes into play. The platform offers a wide range of experts, including writers, designers, and strategists, all ready to help you create and implement effective content strategies.
But WriterAccess goes beyond that. With integrated AI features and access to image banks, the platform provides everything you need to optimize your marketing campaigns. And now, with the new WriterAccess Humanizer service, you can ensure that AI-generated content is enriched with the authenticity and creativity of human input. This not only engages your readers but also aligns with search engine guidelines, keeping you ahead in the ever-changing digital landscape.
Experience WriterAccess for free for 14 days and discover how the platform can transform your content strategies and boost your company’s lead generation.
Take this opportunity to elevate your content marketing to the next level. Click here to start your free trial!
