Lead generation, along with awareness building, converting, and nurturing client relationships, is a crucial aspect of the online sales process. But did you know that content marketing can actually help your business generate leads?
According to CMI statistics, 72% of surveyed marketers believed content marketing is crucial in building customer engagement.
Plus, content marketing is hugely entwined with SEO or search engine optimization. Great content helps drive search engine results, while also generating more traffic and thereby increasing a website or webpage’s ranking.
Content marketing, without a doubt, is an important strategy when it comes to generating more leads. But why is this so?
In this blog, we discuss the 5 lead-generating rewards of content marketing and the ways your business can take full advantage of them.
#1 Content Marketing is "Story-Telling"
Everyone loves a good story. And when a story elicits all the right emotions,the audience becomes hooked. This is where and how a story could elicit the right responses, too.
At the heart of any content marketing strategy is a story —- whether you’re writing a blog, publishing a guide, or posting a how-to video. It’s marketing without being overly sales-y or pushy.
For many customers, this is a good way to start knowing about a brand or offer.
This makes a lot of sense since96% of website visitors do not make any initial purchase at first encounter — they would rather get to know about the business (and even its competition) first.
With content marketing, you have the opportunity to fill in your prospects with stories, statistics, testimonials, and others. This is how you can increase your leads and possibly convert them into customers along the way.
#2 Content Marketing Builds Trust
The fact that content marketing helps to build trust is related to the first reason why it’s so great for lead-generation in the first place — content marketing is story telling.
When you strive to become more transparent and accountable through the content you share, you are effectively building brand trust.
And trust is very crucial in your goal to generate leads.
Offering a free e-book to your followers or hosting a free webinar not only shows that your business is willing to educate them on certain subject matters at no extra cost. It’s also an opportunity for you to showcase your expertise or breadth of knowledge on relevant topics.
With content marketing, you can show your target customers that you are a trusted expert in your niche.
#3 Content Marketing is Flexible
As already mentioned above, content marketing is many things: blogs, videos, social media posts, e-books, infographics, webinars, white papers, case studies, etc.
This means that as a business owner sharpening your own marketing strategies, you are not just limited to one format. Content marketing allows you to generate leads by tailoring each strategy or tactic according to what your target market requires.
And, according to HubSpot 2020 marketing statistics, 40% of those who do marketing whether for their own companies or others consider content marketing to be a highly crucial component of their marketing plan, with 77% of all companies being surveyed saying they continue to invest in content marketing efforts.
#4 Content Marketing Can Be Used Across Platforms
And because content marketing is flexible, it is also friendly with different kinds of platforms, from landing pages and paid ads to social media posts, e-mails, and mobile websites.
Even a visual image becomes more engaging if you add some copy-written text with it. This is why great content serves as great investment. And with a few tweaks, such as making smart use of social media ads or inserting content upgrades into your blogs, you can potentially get more leads and even conversions.
You can also guest blog and drive more traffic back to your site through a snappy call to action or post explainer videos that bring even more trust collateral into your business.
With the opportunity to experiment with various content forms across platforms, you can pull in more leads whether from a single market segment or different segments within a market niche.
#5 Content Marketing Propels Conversions
Lead generation is a two-part component of the online sales funnel, which involves the consideration and decision stages. The decision stage is where conversion happens, or when the sales lead finally decides to become a customer.
And according to this Ascend2 survey, content marketing performance is measured best by conversion rates, followed by quality of leads. Content marketing is not just building brand awareness and getting leads; it is, more importantly, converting leads into customers. Other metrics include website traffic, quantity of leads, sales revenue, and increase in subscribers, among others.
Prioritize Content; Generate Leads
In this time and age of the internet and social media, customers can and will find what they need in a snap. They can search for any information with just a few taps and clicks. Aggressive marketing just won’t cut it; to make a sale, first you will need to build awareness and forge relationships.
The right content will always bring value to the table. With content marketing, you can successfully turn any prospect into a lead, convert him or her into a customer, and further the relationship into making them advocates for your brand or business.
And because you’re giving them something of value first (whether it’s a free e-book, an infographic, or even a webinar), it’s easier to build trust. Although content marketing requires considerable investments in time, money, and creativity, the rewards are nonetheless plenty.
Start discussing with a digital marketing agency to begin your content marketing plan today.