What if I told you that you could get 100+ leads in just seven days with only one piece of content?
Believe it, because that’s exactly what we just did.
via GIPHY
Media Shower CEO, John Hargrave, wrote a sponsored article for a popular outlet and in one week the article brought in dozens of new leads along with a whole lot of buzz.
Let’s look at exactly why this piece of shared content produced so many leads–and exactly how you can create a similar piece of content.
What is “Shared Content?”
Shared content, in the context of our discussion, refers to two parties sharing something of value to receive something of value in return. John created sponsored content for MarketingProfs, a popular marketing blog. MarketingProfs received payment for the piece plus a lot of engagement and shares on the article, and we received 100+ leads (people who downloaded our Content Scoring template) plus increased brand awareness.
Not a bad deal.
Why Did the Article Perform So Well?
Here at Media Shower, we know how to do content—and we do it well. But, we also like to teach others how to do great content too. Let’s break down what John created and look at why this sponsored post was so effective.
John’s article focused on the five ways Google scores content and helped marketers determine where they stand with their own content. The post also included a call to action for people to download our new Content Scoring template. This topic was valuable to MarketingProf’s target audience which is one reason why it performed so well. Here are some other reasons:
Topics with wide appeal and value
Even though search engines have been around for many years and discussed ad nauseum, Google still seems to be the popular topic at the internet water cooler. People have been trying to dissect and figure out Google’s algorithm since its inception. So when thought leaders share their expertise and personal experiences with Google, we stand up and take a listen.
If you want your sponsored content to have an impact, write on a topic that has wide appeal in your industry. What have people been talking about that they just can’t get enough of? Focus on these topics and inject your own experience and unique angle, making your piece different than anything else out there.
Relevant and on trend
This notion of Google scoring organic content was briefly introduced a few years ago but it wasn’t until the last few months that it started to catch on. Not everyone has heard about it though. So those who can report on it, share their experience and give valuable advice, will position themselves as thought leaders. And leaders breed followers who want to digest their content.
Are there current trends and new ideas catching on in your industry? Couple your experience with a new industry trend and write a valuable article on it.
Challenge the status quo; correct the misconceptions
In the article, John challenged and corrected a common misconception which further established him as a thought leader. You can see how he did that here when he discussed the real definition of bounce rate, an often misunderstood concept.
Is there a misunderstood strategy, concept or idea in your industry? Write about it and offer your expertise.
Experience-based
You can tell the difference between an article written by someone who has personal experience with the subject matter and one that is written by someone who has researched experience. The former is much more powerful.
John has firsthand experience with content. You could even say he lives it daily. As a result, he was able to dig deep and give unique advice to readers. This experience-based content has mass appeal and it will take your content to another level.
My advice to you if you want to create experience-based content like this is to… stay in your lane. Choose topics you can teach a personal perspective on and share your experience, stories, and case studies. If you have already lived the content, it will jump off the screen to your readers.
Detailed Visuals
Use detailed visuals to demonstrate your concepts. John used diagrams throughout the article to visually depict what he was saying. Here is an example of an image portraying how Google perceives visitor time on a website:
Notice how simple the graphics are. They don’t need to be magazine-quality. It’s more important that they allow your readers to visualize what you wrote, enhancing their user experience.
A seamless segue into the CTA
Your sponsored content should include a call to action to download your lead offer, but that’s not all it should include. If you wrote your article well, it should not only be targeted to your audience, but also intimately related to your lead offer. In John’s article, the segue from the content into the CTA was, in my opinion, a thing of beauty. It was effective because the entire piece wet readers’ appetite enough about content scoring that, by the end, the only question they likely had was, “How can I score my own content?”
And wouldn’t you know it, that’s exactly what the lead offer gave them, the ability to score their own content. It was a content scoring spreadsheet that allows marketers to score their most valuable content pages to look for opportunities where they can improve.
Here is that awesome segue from the article:
Do you think you can do this? Of course you can! Let’s review the game plan:
- Find a popular blog in your industry and partner with them to create sponsored content.
- The content should culminate in a call to action to download your lead offer (you want leads, don’t you?)
- Your topic should have wide appeal but also be targeted to the blog audience and closely tied to your lead offer
- Consider a relevant topic and/or one that is on trend
- Create experience-based content that lives and breathes in you (Stay in your lane!)
- Challenge the status quo
- Include detailed visuals
- Create a seamless segue into the call to action
So, that is exactly how this shared content helped drive 100 leads in just 7 days.
Here at Media Shower, this is exactly what we do. We help your brand get noticed, get leads and get revenue and we do it all with conversion-driving, high-performing content. If you want to try us out to see how we can transform your content marketing, try us out for free here.
NEW – Here at Media Shower, this is exactly what we do. We help your brand get noticed, get leads and get revenue and we do it all with conversion-driving, high-performing content. If you want to try us out to see how we can transform your content marketing, try us out for free here.
Oh, and if you want to get your hands on the same downloadable content scoring template John talked about in his MarketingProfs article, you can download it below. Developed in conjunction with MIT-trained engineers and easily linked to your Google Analytics account, this template can help you score your own content so you can improve it and, you know, get more leads. Get your Free Content Scoring Spreadsheet right here.