Do you feel lost when you try to think of ways to generate leads for your business?
In the wake of Google’s Panda and Penguin updates, which, as you’re aware, dealt a disastrous blow to
many websites, thesearch engine giant has not been coy about its desire to see more fresh, relevant, and original content on websites.
You know the drill. “Content is king” has been the mantra on many marketers’ minds for more than a few years. In my experience, content marketing has proven to be very effective when done right.
But you probably already know all that. What you most likely really want to learn is how to better use content marketing for lead generation. What types of content yields results, and which don’t? More importantly, how do you use specific types of content to capture leads?
Here are some of the best methods that I’ve tried, tested, and observed to produce outstanding results.
1. Produce an e-book
According to an industry forecast by PricewaterhouseCoopers, total revenue from e-book sales are expected to hit nearly $8.7 billion in 2018, an increase of over 3,000% since 2008. What’s more, the United States is expected to reach 112 million e-book readers by 2020.
Total revenue from e-book sales are expected to hit $8.7B in 2018 & 112M readers by 2020 via @PwC_LLPCLICK TO TWEET
All of that represents a huge market just waiting to be tapped, which is why creating and releasing an e-book is a strategy that has proven to be highly effective at capturing leads.
Obviously, you don’t need to charge for your e-book. As a free resource, it provides value up front, increasing the likelihood of introducing leads into your funnel. I like e-books because they let me do three important things cleanly and efficiently:
- Educate potential leads
- Let me show what I know
- Capture leads in the sales funnel
Let me walk through each of those points.
22 Ways to Promote Your E-Book
Educate potential leads
A well-written e-book should offer something of real value to readers who can walk away with specific answers to questions that urged them to read the material.
The e-book usually is the first contact point between you and the reader, so it’s absolutely critical that you deliver the information you promised in your landing page or email, otherwise you’ll end up killing your reputation and any relationship you might have had with your audience.
Show what you know
Do you want to show people what you know about a certain subject or industry? Then write it down in an e-book. Unlike blog posts — even long ones — an e-book really lets you discuss a subject in an in-depth manner. The deeper you go into a topic, the more information readers will get from you. This, in turn, will increase your e-book’s value.
People will see you and your e-book as rich sources of information, and will expect to get more valuable information from you in the future.
Capture leads in the sales funnel
Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of making an e-book is that it allows you to collect your readers’ email addresses, effectively putting them in your sales funnel. The success of this phase, however, ultimately depends on your landing page, which is where you let readers know what information is in your e-book, why it’s worth their time, and why it’s fair to ask for their email address in exchange.
Top 5 Lead-Generating Ideas for Your Content Marketing
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