Are your Content Marketing campaigns not as successful as they can be because you’re making this simple mistake?
Many different marketing pieces go into a Content Marketing campaign – blog posts, emails, white papers, case studies, webinars, video sales letters, etc. Yet up to now very little has been written about when to use each of these to have the greatest success.
Most marketing departments use some of each marketing piece throughout their campaigns. No thought is given to what effect they will have on turning prospects into customers. There also is no consideration of when using each will be most successful.
The Fractal and Buzz Stream Study
A study by Fractal and Buzz Stream had some very interesting findings. This revealed the most consumed type of content is Blog Posts. The least consumed type is white papers.
Think about that.
People, Including Business People, Read Blog Posts
More Frequently Than Anything Else
White Papers are the last thing they want to read.
Look at a current Content Marketing campaign you are running. How have you used Blog posts, white posts and the other forms of marketing? Did you plan in advance how to use each one to give you the greatest return or did you create several of each and use them all at the same time?
Use Blog Posts at the Start of a Campaign
If blog posts are read most frequently, they are going to be most successful at the start of a Content Marketing campaign when you want to get new prospects. You want people to know what you have to offer. You also want to give them some general information on your company.
You might have a blog now and are disappointed because no one reads it. You know you have to get readership up. How do you do that?
Increasing the Number of Prospects
Who Read Your Blog
Let people know you have a blog and be deliberate about attracting them to it. Start by developing a list of people or companies you would like as customers. Also – ask your sales department to give you the names of people or companies they have targeted.
Get their email addresses. Whenever you have a new blog post, send them an email letting them know about it and providing a link to it.
Start to post your blog posts on LinkedIn or in any groups on LinkedIn your prospects belong to. There are 2 reasons for this. First, it increases the chances of your prospects seeing it and reading it. Second, there may be other people on LinkedIn or in these groups who are interested in the product or service you offer. They may read it.
Remember your objective is to get new prospects. In each blog post, invite the reader to contact you with any questions they might have. Also, have a link to a free report or something useful they can use. Require them to give you their email address for that free report or useful information.
Moving Prospects Through the Marketing Funnel
Connecting with people who call or getting the email addresses of people wanting the free reports is the trigger to move them from the prospects to the Leads category.
You may wonder what you do when a prospect doesn’t call or request a free report immediately. It doesn’t mean they’re not interested. It just means they may not be interested now. They may be at a future date. So, continue to let them know about new blog posts every time you have one.
Start to make your marketing more specific to those in the Leads category. Give them more specific information about the product or service they’re interested in. Do this through new blog posts. Add articles written for associations and white papers to your mix. At the same time start to tell them a little about your company.
At this point you will start to see those who are really interested in learning more about what your product or service and your company can do for them. So, you move them to the great leads category.
Here also continue to market to those who don’t move out of the Leads category. (Do this until you learn they no longer need what you offer or have purchased from someone else.).
You use the same marketing materials with those in the great leads category as you used in the Leads category. Add in Case Studies. Make sure to become more specific in each explaining why they really need the product or service you offer. Also, let them know why your company is the best to provide this product or service to them.
By this point you will know which are ready to buy and you turn these over to your sales department.
Successful Marketing Campaigns are
Planned out Ahead of Time
You increase the success of any Content Marketing campaign when you plan it out ahead of time.
- Know exactly when you are going to use blog posts, articles, white papers, case studies and webinars.
- Know exactly what each is for and the information you will have in each.
- Remember to start with Blog post since your prospects read those more frequently than any other form of marketing.
Here is a graphic for you to use to easily remember what marketing pieces to use at the different stages in your Content Marketing campaigns.
By planning out your Content Marketing campaign like this ahead of time you are guaranteeing it will be far more successful.
