Content Marketing: Key to Thought Leadership and Leads

Content is King for more than one reason. One of the reasons we want to put out good-quality content is to become the thought leader in our market segment.

Content like white papers, fact sheets, case histories and webinars are just a few examples and might be used at different stages of the sales funnel. Online content is the fuel for new leads in the B2B arena.

It stands to reason that if people see that you both identify problems/issues and address possible solutions, that you not only will accomplish the first goal, but they might even identify themselves as a possible new lead.

Top 3 Priorities for the Marketing Funnel According to US B2B Marketers, June 2011 (% of respondents)

A recent survey from MarketingSherpa was highlighted in a post in eMarketer.com that highlighted the kind of content customers are looking for. Highlights include:

  • Why content marketing is essential to B2B leads.
  • How B2B buyers use content.
  • What type of content is best for generating leads.
  • How marketers can leverage content marketing formats.

 

Sonnhalter is partnering with Joe Pulizzi, a nationally-known content marketing expert and founder of the Content Marketing Institute, in hosting a webinar on the growing area of content marketing for B2B. This free, one-hour webinar will be Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. EST. Participants can click here to register for the “8 Content Initiatives You Need to Seriously Consider for 2012” webinar.

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Blogging: Helps Increase New Business Leads by 69%

Blogging greatly improves search engine optimization, which has proven to be a key lead generating factor for new business. Following are some highlights from a post from my social media mentor, Michael Gass.

How new business is being acquired for companies is currently undergoing a paradigm shift; instead of pursuing clients, it’s now more important for your prospective clients to find your co
mpany.

Blogs make their search easier.

 

 
2011 HubSpot ROI Study
In a recent 2011 HubSpot ROI Study, 69% of businesses surveyed said that blogging attributed to their lead generation success. The study also found that 75% of businesses believed SEO was a primary factor. The study shows companies that blog attract 55% more website visitors than non-blogging companies.

Blogs generate far more visitors by:

o Search visibility – blogs are organized to be search engine friendly. Plus the more content you have (well-linked), the more chances there are of attracting search traffic.
o Click-through traffic – through posting interesting articles a blog gives a reason for other people to link to you.
o Repeat traffic – regularly updated content and comments bring visitors back… and back… and back. Most company websites are not conducive to repeat traffic, particularly if your website hasn’t been updated in 5 years.
o Personality – create a blog around your company’s culture and let your personality shine through. People will be attracted to you. People like to associate with people they like. It’s hard to make friends with a business, but easy to warm to an individual with a welcoming personality.
o Viral effects – you create something cool and visitors tell their friends, who tell their friends… and so on.
o Authority/credibility – blogging allows you to become an expert in the minds of your prospective clients.

Company Website | Blog
Your company’s website functions well as an online brochure, a place for your credentials and credibility. A website doesn’t have the potential that a company blog has for significant online traffic and to provide prospects a reason to visit often. A blog can be the gateway to your company. Through content marketing, focused toward a specific target audience, a company’s blog can become a great lead generation tool for new business.

Your company’s website is about YOU, but your blog should be about THEM. Blogging keeps you focused on what is important to your prospective clients. It forces you to speak to their benefit instead of your company’s products and capabilities. Blog content, if developed correctly, will have more appeal to your prospective client audience because it is focused on their marketing needs and challenges.

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Does Blogging Fit Into Your Overall Marketing Strategy?

Not all companies should be blogging. How do you determine if you’re one of them? Most manufacturers, unless they are making commodity items, should fit into the “do” column. If you sell through a distribution channel, there should be another check, and if you ultimately want to reach your targeted end user, put a bunch of checks!!!

Blogs are becoming more popular all the time, and according to eMarketer, blogs have increased from 16-39 percent in companies blogging for marketing purposes.

US Companies Using Blogs for Marketing Purposes, 2007-2012 (% of total)

Our blog is the hub of all activity for us generating several times the number of page views than our web site. By utilizing other social media tools like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to drive more eyes to our blog by posting links on these sites, it insures that people keep coming back to the blog.

Why should you blog?

  • Position yourself as an expert in your field
  • Build your brand
  • Use SEO to build readership

Why is a stategy is important. The main reason is you don’t want the ready-fire-aim approach to be your guidepost. Consider these points:

  • Develop a policy and guidelines – This is new to everyone so someone has to set the ground rules.
  • Identify topic categories and resources – Don’t think you have to be responsible for creating all the posts. Get sales customer service, engineering and of course marketing into the mix.
  • Define frequency – You can start a blog and then do one post a month. That’s like trying to date and only calling the girl once a month. In order to build relationships, it takes time to get to know, like and trust people. I suggest at least once a week for a post; more if time permits.
  • Define the audience – This is key so you can write to the interests and issues (content).
  • Choosing the right voice – Remember, social is like having a conversation. Save the features and benefits for the sell sheets.

The key when considering blogging is that IT IS A COMMITMENT. But the upside is you can position your brand very favorably and generate lots of traffic, some of which will turn into relationships and maybe even business.

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More Corporations are Blogging: Is Yours?

While blogs have been around for over a decade, it hasn’t been until the last few years that traditional media (journalists) have embraced the tool. Companies similarily were slow to adopt, but now blogging has become an important marketing tool for both large and small companies alike.

eMarketer estimates that 34% of US companies will be using blogs in 2010, and they estimate that it will continue to grow to 43% by 2012.

US Companies Using Blogs for Marketing Purposes, 2007-2012 (% of total) 

The main reasons companies are starting to blog are:

  • Develop thought leadership
  • Develop leads
  • Brand building
  • Full control over content
  • Searchable database of information
  • Key word searchable

These reasons coupled with the fact that when journalists are looking for sources and info, guess where they go? Search engines, and if you do your homework, they will be calling you instead of the competition.

Research Tools Used by US Journalists When Conducting Research for a Story, 2009 & 2010 (% of respondents)

If your company hasn’t started blogging, maybe this will help you make the move.

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Have You Started a Company Blog? Maybe You Should.

Blogs are a great way to build thought leadership within specific categories. While personal blogs have stalled in recent years as consumers move towards social networking and microblogging, company blogs are on the rise. Maybe you’re missing an opportunity.

According to Paul Verna from eMarketing.com, over a third of companies have a public blog used for marketing and it’s anticipated to rise to 43% by 2012.

US Companies Using Blogs for Marketing Purposes, 2007-2012 (% of total)

 

Studies had shown that marketers perceive blogs to have the highest value of any social media in driving site traffic, brand awareness, lead generation and sales – as well as improving customer service,” said Verna. He also said that smaller companies are embracing blogging at greater rates than larger firms due in part to more constraints whether it be legal, regulatory or other reasons.

So what does this mean for manufacturers? Those who get on board now will have the advantage long term since they will be developing relationships through thought leadership and will become a “go to” resource for customers and potentials.

If you like this post, you may want to read:

Pros and Cons of Starting a Blog.

6 Tips to Make your Blog more Successful in Reaching the Professional Tradesmen

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