How To Get B2B Sales Leads From Content Marketing
Posted by Robert Hennessey on Wed, Feb 15, 2012
Content marketing gives small business a cost effective and proven way to generate B2B sales leads.
Boost B2B sales by using content marketing to attract your potential buyers through multiple marketing channels. In this manner, small business marketing can achieve with minimal cost and effort a constant flow of new B2B sales leads.
The reason content marketing works so effectively for small bossiness selling B2B consultative products or services is because it fosters customer rapport and relationship building two critical underpinnings of business-to-business selling.
Content marketing helps build a relationship with your sales prospects that is more beneficial than just hammering away at your sales prospects pitching your services or products. Over time, the trust and confidence you create with content marketing produces loyal customers that translate into more sales per customer.
The foundation for all your marketing efforts needs to be a focus on providing useful and relevant information as your main goal, rather than a hard sales pitch. Using a customer-centric approach in your content marketing will multiply your success in generating sales leads.
There are many ways to transmit your marketing message, but the goal in all content marketing efforts is to present your company as the main source for that information.
7 Ways to put Content Marketing into Practice
- Search Engine-Optimized Copywriting – this increases your website traffic by elevating your content higher up in search engine results making it easier for your sales prospects to find you.
- Add a Blog to Your Website – If you do not already have a blog get one. A blog beyond solid SEO website practices is the most important marketing tool a small business can have. A small business blog creates lots of great content that connect you with your sales prospects and build significant traffic to your website. Websites with blogs that post regularly have:
- more indexed pages by search engines, as much as 434% more*
- more inbound links to their website, 97% more*
- more indexed pages means way more leads, as much as 236% more*
* Source: HUBSPOT, State of Inbound Marketing Lead Generation Report 2010
- Share Links with Other Cooperative Businesses - Both businesses can reap benefits by reaching more potential buyers and the links will gain more authority with search engines assisting you in getting greater search engine recognition.
- Direct Electronic Communications – webinars, emails, newsletters by subscription, posting helpful hints on your website
- Direct Communications – trade shows, special events, printed content, direct mail and other localized advertising
- Use of Social Media Websites – Facebook, Linked In, You Tube, Twitter – your content entries can reach many new businesses and potential buyers
- Website Videos and Slide Shows, Articles and other marketing content displayed and regularly updated will keep visitors returning for new information. These are low-maintenance tools to use.
- Search Engine Optimized Press Releases - to publicize your events, products/services, white papers, case studies, application stories, client profiles, etc.
Other Content Marketing Success Keys
Business website creation and SEO copywriting are very affordable and within reach of every small business. Do not use “cookie-cutter” copy; original, new and authoritative copywriting works best for obtaining visibility with new search engine standards. If you do not have the time or ability to create your own content, then outsource marketing services to the professionals.
Use call-to-actions and landing pages liberally on your website to entice your sales prospects to download your valuable marketing content. By doing this you will be able to build your own opt-in mailing list creating a low-cost targeted sales prospecting tool. Then follow up with lead nurturing emails containing more links to quality content to your interested sales prospects.
Small business today is finding it very economical to use online content marketing to reach new customers and to find partner companies to work with for marketing purposes.
Follow-up on leads is always important, especially with electronic sales leads. Customers searching online want and expect prompt response to electronic inquires. Response time often makes the difference between making and losing a potential sale. Recent studies say that those companies that respond within five minutes of a web inquiry have a significantly better chance of making a sale than those that are slow to respond. Make responding to all inquiries from your website a top priority.
Takeaway
Content marketing is an effective and efficient sales lead solution for small business that sells B2B consultative products or services and needs to maximize their ROI with a cost efficient marketing.
