“Content is King” has proven to be true yet again. In this article, we would look at seven effective ways you can generate leads with content marketing.
7 Effective Ways to Generate Qualified Leads With Content Marketing
1. Take advantage of content syndication
Content syndication simply refers to the process of uploading content on third-party websites, which are bigger and more popular than yours for the purpose of generating a lot more traffic, reaching a bigger audience and increasing engagement.
When your content is being placed under such websites, and especially targeted towards your ideal audience, then you stand to gain and generate lots of leads. This is a very feasible approach when you have great content, but lack the ideal audience to covert and turn it to leads thereby making it underperform significantly.
Content syndication gives just the right amount of exposure needed when effectively used and targeted. Even with the benefits attached to this, it's still bound to possess few drawbacks; one of which includes duplicate content. Nevertheless, there's no need to worry much about this as most networks make use of canonical tags, also known as rel canonical, which is a way of telling search engines your version of the content is the original and favored version [master copy of a content] and should be the one getting all the SEO benefits. Canonical tags prevent any form of penalty or problems from search engines which may result from duplicate/identical content appearing on multiple or similar websites. Generate Qualified Leads With Content Marketing
Although some SEO experts still believe this has an impact on the organic traffic generated to the main site as well as ranking on SERPs. The reason behind this belief is that a more popular and higher-authority website is more often than not going to rank higher than a lower authority website especially when they contain the same content, even with a canonical tag attached. So this is something to take into consideration, but this won't be much of an issue if the sole purpose of syndicating content is to generate more leads from the higher ranking website. If you don't want to take the risk, you can attempt syndicating content on the higher authority website alone, and not publishing same content on your website.
Services like Netline [helps build traffic and generate leads faster; payment made only when leads are being generated] can be used for content syndication, while the following platforms can as well be considered: HubSpot, Tumblr, Medium, Quora, LinkedIn, Taboola, Reddit.
2. Carryout Independent and Extensive Market Research
Adequate research helps to understand aspects that weren't fully understood earlier, by that means promoting the development of efficient decisions found on detailed and extensive market research. This is an important procedure that's required to be performed when lead generation is mentioned.
Finding out more about your prospects or if they exist in the online world can be conducted with use of Google Ads Keyword Planner which is evaluated by looking at the number of adverts on your specified keyword; indicate your main keyword and if applicable your location to discover potential clients or customers you could reach out to. An instance, if you offer digital marketing services on a particular aspect of the industry, you could simply search for “Digital Web Services” and if you want it restricted to a specific location [France], just type this instead “Digital Web Services In France”.
Google Keyword provides the opportunity of confirming your assumption on whether your potential clients or customers exist for the products or services offered, and if positive this result to gaining a wider reach of the audience.
This lead generation from content marketing utilizes demand generation, which is the generation of demand for business products or services that includes high-commercial intent keywords which are like invitations from prospective customers or clients, making it known to you that they want what you're offering. In commercial intent keywords, evaluation needs to done in the chances that when keywords are searched by the target audience—a lead is generated.
These keywords allow you to learn and know exactly what your target audience is in search for and what they intend on purchasing. Your aim should be at providing adequate answers to any of their questions even before they think of asking [since most of them visit search engines to get answers to their questions or problems]. This helps build up their trust in your brand, and will surely promote loyalty. This research can give your website the exceptional visibility it needs when done perfectly.
3. Apply guest blogging
Just like content syndication, guest blogging plays quite a similar role with respect to promoting brand awareness, increasing engagement and possibly gaining backlinks [increasing traffic and domain authority].
More than half of websites give the opportunity to include a link back to your main site in the author bio, which is placed above or below the guest blog post submitted. You should nevertheless share a link to landing page containing lead magnet[s] that will have been promised to visitors during the course of the content [the link or a content upgrade can also be shared in the body of your guest post where pertinent to the topic, depending on the website guest post is published]. This is much more preferable than adding a link to the homepage of your website that isn't going to bring forth any accountable results.
Your lead magnet has to be in correlation with your guest post, and if you aim at acquiring targeted leads it should be directed towards popular blogs who have already achieved success in your niche or industry. Remember, your lead magnets need to be effective enough, because that's how you leads can be gotten in a straightforward way.
4. Provide content upgrades
Content upgrades are bonus content [lead generating incentive] offered to page visitors relevant to the page content or blog post being accessed, thereby elaborating or complementing it. Free access is provided when contact details are submitted by visitors or readers. This bonus or giveaway can be used to serve an explicit goal of generating higher conversions as it's related to action the visitor or reader is presently performing.
Content upgrades are much more easier to create and share and could be a downloadable pdf format of a blog post just read, more valuable and relevant information offered, checklists or any other format that could be kept for reference purposes; storing the data elsewhere. They set you farther apart from your competition, and are extremely useful when in possession of a vast amount of content.
A specific and valuable content upgrade needs to be created for every high-traffic blog post written, since it's targeted towards a particular content there's the higher chance of gaining more email subscribers. Google analytics tool can discover the content with the most traffic. You also need to consistently create high-quality content that will complement the upgrades and attract targeted leads to your website.
5. Aim for long-tail SEO keywords Generate Qualified Leads With Content Marketing
Long-tail keywords are more suitable for small to mid-sized websites especially when considering the low competition that's involved—headlines with long-tail keywords tend to rank higher in SERPs. To execute a keyword research, tools like SEMrush can be of assistance in pointing out these long-tail keywords and content should then be situated around these keywords to accomplish an effective performance.
The page where the blog post is published also needs to be optimized by adding long-tail SEO keywords to the title, meta description, image alt text, heading tags... Following the successful completion of the above process, lead magnets can then be introduced to the equation to achieve an increased rate of conversions and lead generation.
Converting a large number of qualified leads requires been able to rank high for the long-tail keywords searched for and implemented, and been extremely choosy as well as explicit with keywords selected is highly relevant. It doesn't end there, after choosing the keywords and ranking you have to make sure the content provided is value-oriented in order that leads get generated; captivating targeted audience with long-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords wraps itself around keywords that were either neglected or haven't been discovered, and Google Ads Keywords Planner can provide aid in discovering them by typing in the main keyword[s] the content is subject around, and then you'll be provided with long-tail keywords that can then be tested. Targeting those long-tail keywords in your headline can improve your search traffic.
6. Give out irresistible lead magnets Generate Qualified Leads With Content Marketing
Lead magnets, also known as lead baits, or lead generation content are information or resources that are offered as incentives to prospects in exchange for their personal details [for instance an email address], as individuals are reluctant and don't feel safe giving out their email to just anyone on the internet and so, the only feasible way to willingly get them give it out to you is by offering something enticing and of high value in exchange.
P.S. Content upgrade is a type of lead magnet.
Lead magnets promote the retention of a targeted audience and email makes this fully successful as it's the medium through which their details are been stored and used for generating future leads [leads nurtured via emails tend to have a higher number of leads converted]. Lead magnets are used to develop trust and allow targeted leads get to know a little more about your brand, what it stands for and has to offer [demonstrating your expertise]; accomplishing this result provides the chances of generating more and more leads. The chain goes those: targeted leads = email subscribers = paying clients or customers.
Getting the details of targeted leads is necessary if you wish to commit and turn them from prospective customers to paying customers, as more than 50% of visitors will exist your site at first access without converting [an email list could be a great way to get back those prospects by providing a lead magnet and then turning those leads to email subscribers with the high chance of converting in the future when utilized in the proper manner].
The lead bait created is solely dependent on your type of website, target audience and their needs. Case studies are found to be an effective lead magnet since they contain actual events, situations, or facts and will most definitely build trust in light of the fact that they serve as proof to all your claims and opinions expressed. According to research, Case studies concentrated on business/website sales and revenue increases leads. There are other lead-generating content that should be considered and can be created to attract leads; check below. Generate Qualified Leads With Content Marketing
When creating any type of lead magnet remember to make it irresistible as stated above, it should be specific and concise enough to solve prominent problems while been assimilable, and finally it needs to be easily accessible and of high-value. The lead magnet traded for valuable personal information has to be worth the while.
7. Enhance and Optimize your Landing pages
Lots of effort and consideration needs to be applied when building landing pages, as its only goal of capturing leads should be achieved. When your website receives a ton of traffic and there's no lead to show for it via your landing page[s], this directs an ineffective use of such traffic. Before anything else, knowing the purpose for creating a specific landing page and constructing content that will be presented to prospects is important, before efforts are kept into optimizing the specific landing page.
If your landing page isn't currently converting enough qualified leads as it needs to, it may be due to either an outdated lead magnet kept in place, poorly designed or complex landing page, focusing more on your brand than on the purpose of the landing page, requesting too much of personal information, slow speed of landing page, too many call-to-actions, or not elaborately giving sufficient detailed description of product or service needed for conversions.
Establishing effective conversion paths ensures prospects reach your landing page. Your call-to-action button should be placed on important pages, but do not spam as it can affect user experience. A thank you page can also prove to be effective as it shows up after prospect[s] have carried out the intended action. The about to be specified practices or strategies need to be observed with due diligence to bring out the results of an enhanced and optimized landing page which compels higher leads and improves conversion.
- Remove the Navigation Page/Bar
The navigation bar gives visitors the alternate of leaving a landing page and this has to be avoided at all costs. This provides a chance for visitors to click away proven to be a distraction, and preventing or lowering the chances of such pages converting which retrieves them from the main purpose of the landing page.
A landing page gives visitors the possibility of making two choices, either to convert or to leave the page, and I'm sure by now you know the choice made solely depends on your actions as a marketer and the precautions carried out [removing the navigation bar increases conversions and leads].
- Perform A/B tests Generate Qualified Leads With Content Marketing
Changes occur from time to time and this is no different for your landing page. Tests need to be constantly executed to make modifications to any outdated feature. This can be effectively achieved by testing different parts of the landing page and monitoring their outcomes or results on conversion rate.
- Distinct Call-To-Action Button
The CTA button needs to be visible enough, outstanding, eye catchy and attention grabbing for the visitors to notice and click. There should be only one call to action button on a particular landing page, having more than more obstructs the purpose and leaves visitors feeling confused.
But when just one CTA button is made to stand out, then the visitors understand and know exactly what's required of them. Colors play a very vital role in this area as a color like red will obviously grab more attention than black or white.
- Social and Visual proof [testimonials or reviews provided with pictures, number of subscribers]
- Easy accessibility or Concise content
P.S. Interest needs to be built as targeted prospects gain access to your landing page[s], and one way to make this happen is by starting off with strongly or irresistibly evoking interest headlines.
Unrelated information or graphics need to be avoided, and the benefits contained on the landing should provide value while appealing to the needs of your visitors in order to get them to take the required action and thereby generate leads.
WRAPPING UP
Lead generation won't just occur out of the bloom; you don't expect to create a landing page or fill your website with lead magnets, and expect spontaneous results almost immediately. No matter how good or perfect your lead generation and content marketing strategy is, there's still the need for you to consistently stick to it and then you can experience success, increase in conversions and lead generation on your website.
The sky is not your limit!
