We’ve produced more than 100,000 pieces of content. That’s the equivalent of 500 200-page books (Watch your step, Barnes & Noble.)
Because we ideate, write, edit, and publish content day in and day out, we’ve learned what works for lead generation — and what doesn’t. After working with clients in hundreds of different industries, we’ve arrived at a handful of solid conclusions about content and the lead-nurturing process.
Here are a few takeaways that you can use for your own content marketing strategy.
Connected Content Keeps Readers Riveted
Even Starbucks understands the appeal of a series.
There’s a reason why television series often generated more buzz (and more views) than movies. We follow along with the characters, get invested in the storyline, and look forward to the next installment.
In our experience, content marketing works the same way, especially if you want to generate leads. Instead of solely producing a handful of disconnected articles, we also produce content series for our clients that fall under a specific theme.
More importantly, we link the content with a single main page that covers the broad strokes and helps ground the reader. In addition to facilitating faster lead generation, this practice also helps generate backlinks and promotes social shares. We also do that for our blog as well.
For example, we created a rich, detailed page called “The Ultimate Guide to Blog Writing Services,” detailing everything from the best companies to work with to pricing estimates and more. Within that main page are links to satellite or “sub” pages/articles, including “Blog Writing Services: When to Hire and When to Outsource” and “How Much Can You Save by Hiring a Blog Writing Service?”
How to Use Connected Content for Lead Generation
We’ve noticed that our clients get more leads when they promote these series on social media, their blogs, and other platforms. Let people know about the series you’ve planned to publish so they can watch for each installment.
Additionally, consider choosing a meaty, interesting subject for your series (see below for one idea). Make sure each article in the series offers a clear takeaway that can help your audience solve real problems.
Everyone Loves Ratings and Reviews
Who doesn’t look for the five-star winner?
In case you haven’t noticed, everything comes with a rating these days. From movies and television shows to Facebook posts and product descriptions, we’re trained to look for visual symbols of a product’s or service’s worthiness.
You can use this to your advantage when creating content for lead generation.
Take our article on the top 10 article writing services, for instance. If you search for “article writing service” on Google, this article appears as the first search result:
You’ll notice that we followed the first tip on this piece of content. In addition to the ranking-style article, we also individually reviewed each company on the list as a separate piece of content.
We also discovered that the companies we reviewed appreciated the shout-out. They reached out to us to let us know they’d seen the reviews.
How to Use Ratings and Reviews for Lead Generation
This is a great opportunity to take advantage of competition-related keywords. Since potential customers might search for your competitors, you can steer some organic traffic your way.
In addition to rating and ranking competing businesses, you can also rate related companies or their products and services. For instance, if you sell vacuum cleaners, you could write an article about the top 10 cleaning supplies. Include your vacuum cleaners at the top of the list, then find the best mops, scrub brushes, and other products in different categories.
Influencers Are Worth Their Weight in Gold
Want to give your business instant clout? Interview an expert.
Here at Media Shower, we recently reached an important milestone. We’ve not worked with more than 1,000 influencers in all different types of industries, and our clients have enjoyed unprecedented success with our Expert Interviews.
Think about the last time you bought a product. Did you watch television, hoping to see a celebrity using the item? Or did you ask your best friends for their recommendations?
That’s how influencer marketing works. Influencers have become trusted allies in consumerism, and their audiences trust their recommendations. Bringing an influencer on board can help you reach more leads and convert them into customers.
How Influencers Improve Lead Generation
You can find influencers on your own, but we’ve been in the trenches. We know how long it takes to cultivate relationships with experts, so we recommend partnering with a company like Media Shower to hasten the process.
After all, your audience awaits. If you waste too much time, you’ll miss out on qualified leads who could truly benefit from your products or services.
Successful Content Marketers Follow the Trends
This isn’t high school anymore — don’t be afraid to follow the trends.
After publishing more than 100,000 pieces of content, we’ve learned to keep our pulse on the latest marketing trends. Otherwise, we’d fall behind the competition and risk letting down our readers.
Trends exist for a reason: They work. You can always try new things on your own, but don’t neglect best practices if you want to generate more leads.
After all, content exists to grab attention. You don’t want your audience to glance at your headline and click away; you want readers to stick around until the end of the piece, then sign up for your newsletter or order your bestselling product.
How to Leverage Trends for Lead Generation
Keep tabs on the Media Shower blog and other resources to learn about the newest trends in content marketing. Stick to authoritative sources written by experts in the industry so you don’t get led down the wrong path.
We’re also fans of experimenting with new types of content. If you’ve only published top-10 lists, for instance, maybe it’s time to get your feet wet with interviews, op-ed pieces, or something else entirely.
You won’t know if something works until you try it. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the next content trendsetter.
We may have published 100,000 pieces of content, but we’re not stopping there. We know how many leads content can generate for our clients, and we hope you follow these strategies to gain more leads of your own. If you’re struggling to break through to the next stage in your business’s journey, you might need a content partner. Get three free content ideas to learn how Media Shower can help take your brand to the next level.
