The Inbound Growth Blog

The Inbound Growth Blog covers all topics relating to an integrated marketing strategy. We write about inbound marketing, social media, integrated marketing strategies and the sales process.

Give It Away! Drive Inbound Marketing Revenue Growth With Free Content

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Posted by John Beveridge on Nov 18, 2013 5:30:00 PM

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Can “free” information lead to new customers and drive revenue growth? That’s the theory behind content marketing, the hottest inbound marketing trend for 2014. Two out of every three businesses currently spend more than one-quarter of their marketing budget on digital marketing, including content marketing, according Accenture’s CMO Insights Study, and this figure is expected to grow significantly over the next year. Is your business on board with content marketing?


Why Content Marketing Matters for Lead Generation & Revenue Growth

Content marketing is the creation, distribution and curation of valuable online content. In essence, it’s the art (and science) of understanding what your customers need to know and delivering it to them in a relevant and compelling manner. Google’s latest “Hummingbird” algorithm update reinforces the importance of effective content marketing as part of a complete inbound marketing strategy. When content is consistently is liked, tweeted, and re-shared through social media, this signals to Google that the website contains valuable information – boosting a site’s page rank.

When executed correctly, content marketing can be a gold mine for businesses, building your company’s reputation as an industry through leader, enhancing SEO, boosting web traffic, and cultivating new sales prospects. However, without a clear inbound marketing strategy in place, this “free” content may be costing companies more than the content is helping. Keep the following tips in mind for creating effective content.


3 Keys to Effective Content Marketing

1. Solve a problem.

Traditional content marketing “tells” customers that your business knows ABC and XYZ. With content marketing, you don’t just tell them – you show them. Giving away valuable content proves to current and prospective customers that your business knows exactly what it’s talking about. This creates a positive association in your customer’s minds between your company and the product or service your business provides, establishing your business as an industry thought leader. Case studies, white papers and even “how-to” blog posts build this credibility and demonstrate your business’s ability to solve problems. When customers face another problem, they’ll be more likely to turn to your business first in order to find a solution.

 

2. Be visual.

Today’s consumers have shorter attention spans than ever before – many check email or read blog posts while waiting in line for their morning coffee. Visual content is easier to consume and share, increasing the efficacy of your content marketing efforts. For example, rather than burying key findings from your latest report in a lengthy blog post, turn these findings into a visually appealing infographic. For truly interactive content marketing, schedule a free webinar to share your findings. Have participants sign up in advance by submitting an email address; at the end of your webinar, you’ll have a ready-made list of highly qualified sales prospects who are already familiar with your business. That sure beats cold calling!

3. Be sharable.

Thanks to Google’s “Hummingbird” update, producing high-quality, original content is not enough. This content also needs to be “valuable” in order to improve your website’s page rank and drive more traffic to your site. The key to producing shareable content is to balance longer, in-depth white papers with shorter “snippets” for easy sharing via social media. The good news: there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Simply “atomize” your existing content into shorter, sharable forms. For example, turn a lengthy white paper into a “Top 5 Tips” blog post, and then share one tip each day via your company’s Twitter feed.


When making decisions, people don’t want advertising slogans – they want valuable information. Content marketing spreads this valuable information via social networks, generating powerful word-of-mouth exposure. Content marketing accomplishes exactly what “traditional” online advertising cannot do ­– it gets people to know, like and trust your brand. Most importantly, it brings prospective customers to your website and into your sales funnel, boosting your inbound marketing sucess and driving revenue growth.

 

Topics: Inbound Marketing, Content Marketing

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