{"id":7840,"date":"2021-04-16T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sisudigital.fi\/?p=7840"},"modified":"2021-06-01T12:29:28","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T09:29:28","slug":"maximize-lead-generation-content-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sisudigital.fi\/nb\/maximize-lead-generation-content-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Can\u2019t-Miss Steps to Maximize Lead Generation with Content Marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Flat Coke.<\/strong> People have been bouncing off your site in less than 9 seconds without ever thinking about leaving their emails, and that\u2019s why. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your website content is as good as an opened can of Coke that has been left in Kaivopuisto for 4 days. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s flat<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you want to gain more emails<\/strong>, more customers<\/strong> and ultimately, more sales<\/strong>, we need to turn this around. This 5-step guide is just what you need to get back in the groove: to maximize lead generation with content marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s dive in \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Step 1: Research, research, research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Exclusive market research is not ever an option, but a necessity that should initiate any marketing effort – let’s say, a content marketing strategy. “Smart decisions are based on in-depth market analysis,<\/strong>” Neil Patel, recognized as one of the top 10 marketers by Forbes, says so himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building a customer persona is a key pillar in getting to know your audience, which may determine if your business is going to make it or just fall off the ledge. A customer persona is a semi-fictional character, with characteristics and traits that represent your ideal customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Maximize
Customer persona is key to understanding your target audience.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Content marketing is, before all else, <\/strong>putting out content that appeals to your target audience. Without a well-thought-out customer persona, you end up attracting no leads, or worst, wrong ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the customer persona in mind, keyword research<\/strong> is a great place to start getting acquainted <\/em>with the potential customers. We already discussed this particular practice and strategy in an earlier blog post<\/a>. So, if you\u2019re really looking to be the Master of Keywords<\/em>, I\u2019d highly recommend you check it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, it is an SEO practice of figuring out what your target audience is searching for, and how to actually rank for those keywords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use keyword discovery tools like UberSuggest<\/a>, SemRush <\/a>or GoogleAds Keyword Planner<\/a>. With Keyword Planner, sign in with your GoogleAds account to yield the most relevant results, set up desired filters, and plug into the search terms that relate to your business or offers (e.g. \u201cweb design service Helsinki\u201d, \u201csauna installation and maintenance\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While plucking out potential keywords, you want to practice these following pointers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. If your site is commercial (offering services or products), look for keywords with commercial intent<\/strong> besides search volume. If your site is to provide resources, take keywords with more informational intent<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"Maximize
    The more appropriate your keywords are, the higher chance you have of generating quality leads.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
    1. Look for that sweet spot of high search volume and low competition.<\/li>
    2. Look for keywords with high search volume, with which your top competitors have low domain authority and few backlinks.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      .<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Utilize the keywords to understand what concerns <\/strong>your target audience is looking to solve. Once you produce contents that provide solutions to the customers\u2019 concerns, you officially join the conversation and can guide traffic to your site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      It is important that keywords are incorporated in the contents to help potential leads find you on search engines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Step 2: Create a landing page that sticks like honey<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      A lot of folks jump the gun<\/strong> when they first start out looking for leads. All the time spent worrying about steering people to their landing page\u2026 not realizing it just does not matter if the page sucks<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"Landing
      Your landing page must get people to stick around for at least a minute or two.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Lead generation requires a landing page. A study<\/a> conducted by Marketing Sherpa suggests that nearly 70% of B2B businesses <\/strong>have a landing page to source leads for conversion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      This is where content can be leveraged to turbo-charge lead generation. Much like other marketing campaigns, the anatomy of a perfect landing page <\/strong>follows a golden rule of copywriting \u2013 it must embrace the AIDA <\/strong>Model: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      A<\/strong>ttention, I<\/strong>nterest, D<\/strong>esire and A<\/strong>ction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The AIDA Model essentially outlines the decision-making flow people go through when one makes a purchase. First, you grab people\u2019s A<\/strong>ttention. Second, you spark their I<\/strong>nterest. Third, their interest is transformed into a D<\/strong>esire. Finally, you give them a nudge to take A<\/strong>ction – e.g. drop their emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Allow me to give you a prime example from Hey<\/a>. Hey.com simplifies email as a communication medium, and empowers users over how they read emails, sort documents and eliminate endless spams. Their landing page is an excellent <\/em>example of how AIDA can be applied to create one strong, high-converting opt-in page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      1. Attention:<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        \"Optimize<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

        Hey grabs your attention with a concise copy for a headline: \u201cEmail\u2019s new heyday<\/strong>\u201d \u2013 a sneaky play on words that amuses passers-by and steals their attention, just like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Your headline and imagery are the attention-grabbers here. Use something that is on-brand, authentic and relevant to your specific audience. It is not sufficient to just tickle the visitors\u2019 attention \u2013 you must steal <\/em>it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        1. Interest:<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \"Optimize<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

          Hey starts the conversation by resonating with people: \u201cEmail sucked for years<\/strong>,\u201d \u2013 they present the problem. The copy then turns from good to great with these next 3 words: we fixed it<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          They pique visitors\u2019 interest, making them stay on the landing page and read further. Folks now wonder, \u201cSure… How did you fix it?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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          1. Desire:<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            \"Optimize<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

            Here is where it gets interesting: they sprinkle in some rankings and sparkly awards right above the headline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            The layout diverts your attention from the headline right to the assurance. Before even telling you what the product is, they\u2019re already establishing credibility, making whatever product they are having more intriguing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \"Optimize<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

            People *really* like HEY.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            In case you\u2019re not sold yet, they slide in the fact that tens of thousands of people have made the switch from bigger names, among others<\/em>. There are also a handful of testimonies praising some of Hey\u2019s desirable features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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            1. Action:<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              After the testimonies, an animation guides you towards the desired direction: 3 simple and highly effective CTAs. Visitors can either explore a bit more of Hey, tour its 28 features, or go ahead and tap try it for free<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \"Optimize<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

              If you find yourself in need, we discuss landing pages more extensively in our step-by-step guide on building a sweet, high-converting landing page<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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              Step 3: Create an irresistible lead magnet<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

              Lead magnet<\/strong> is a valuable resource you offer for free, which makes folks turn their heads and drop their emails in pursuit of said resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              These magnets<\/em> can take on any forms, as long as they have enough juice \u2013 be it downloadable content, consultation, demo or entertainment. Here is a crash course on literally everything you need to know about lead magnets<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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              Having an irresistible lead magnet is non-negotiable if you want to maximize lead generation. Some good rules of thumb where it concerns creating and presenting a lead magnet:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              1. Be specific<\/strong> \u2013 your lead magnet is a real solution to a real problem of your potential leads.<\/li>
              2. Be easy to digest<\/strong> \u2013 figure out the most sensible mediums for your audience. Should it be a PDF checklist, a personality quiz, or a visual tutorial? <\/li>
              3. Be instantly accessible<\/strong> \u2013 folks appreciate instant gratification. Don\u2019t drag it on forever!<\/li>
              4. Be quick to flash your expertise<\/strong> \u2013 or your unique value proposition. This helps convert leads into paying customers later down the funnel.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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                Step 4: Make content that sells<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                1. Know what people want<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                  One of the most fool-proof ways to identify what content your audience wants is to look at what they are already viewing<\/strong>. Observe visitors\u2019 behaviour, find out which type of content generates <\/strong>most views, has lower bounce rates and cultivates more interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Google Analytics\u2019 Behaviour reports<\/a> might be the next best thing since sliced bread in the world of content marketing. On the dashboard of Google Analytics, you want to go Behaviour > Site content > All pages<\/strong>. Total pageviews, average time on page, bounce rates and more can be found in the Overview report. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  The Behaviour Flow<\/a> report visualises the path folks go: what content has brought them in, where they go next and at which point, they exit the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Though, note that a page may receive more views not because it is the exact content people want \u2013 it may just have been promoted heavily. Nevertheless, this is a neat start to generating and developing effective content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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                  1. Tweak that boring headline<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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                    Why do catchy headlines matter?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Here\u2019s what David Ogilvy has to say<\/strong> regarding the topic of headlines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \u201cOn average, five times as many people read the headline as they read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.\u201d <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

                    Does Ogilvy need an introduction? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Every day, 24\/7, folks are surrounded by hundreds of big, fat headlines. They see it on the 9AM news. While browsing a bookstore. Looking for a tutorial video on YouTube. Mindlessly thumbing through newspapers. As the list goes on and on, you understand why your headlines need<\/strong> to stand out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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                    4 Tactics To Sell With Your Headlines \u2013<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n