Content marketing is all the rage and the web is full of tips and tricks but it’s not just a fashionable marketing trend – if done correctly, it is a strategic approach that can attract and importantly engage a clearly defined audience that will drive leads and prospects through the sales funnel much faster than other strategies.
The secret to generating content
As mentioned, content marketing needs to be strategic, there is no point in creating content for the sake of it – it needs to serve a purpose. If you’re new to content marketing it can seem like a struggle to know where to start but the good news is that you have all you need to get inspired at your fingertips. Your current customers and your target audience are your best source of inspiration. If you know who they are and the problems they face, then you need to create content around helping them to find solutions. Content marketing is a great way to position your business as the ‘trusted’ advisor and a market leader which will pave the way for more inbound enquiries.
Choosing the right content for the buyers journey
You’ll be familiar with the concept of the sales funnel and one of the key points with content marketing is matching the right type of content to the different stages of the buyer’s journey. Rushing prospects into ‘closing’ by talking about your product or service from the outset can turn them off, they might not be ready to buy and as we know B2B sales require more nurturing than B2C. This is especially important if your business has a sales gap – a lag of time between prospects becoming leads and then converting to customers. Allow prospects to feel safe in your hands with helpful and supportive content such as blogs and educational content whilst they are building their awareness of what you have to offer. Produce whitepapers or webinars to help them consider if your product or service is right for their needs and only then can you offer specific product literature once the prospect has decided on their strategy for moving forward.
This inbound marketing approach will generate more opportunities for your sales team to sell and can deliver results more quickly, especially if you choose to implement a marketing automation platform such as Hubspot. The right information, delivered at the right time with will move your prospects through the sales funnel faster. This content marketing approach makes your campaigns more effective and can significantly improve ROI and your bottom line. Good news all round!
If you’d like help with understanding more about how the Content Marketing approach could work for your business, download our tip sheet.
