Daniel Zarrella, Social media Scientist with HubSpot, has a background in web development and uses his passion for social marketing to study social media behavior from a data-supported position. http://danzarrella.com/bio#
Recently, Dan conducted a webinar on “The Science of Social Media” for Denver-area marketers where he busted some of the common myths around social media:
Myth #1 – “Ideas spread because they are good”
Nope. Ideas don’t spread because they are good. Sometimes it’s just plain luck that turns a blog, video or social media post into viral marketing material. However, Dan believes that there are 5 factors that increase the probability that something will go viral;
- Exposure – this is where numbers play a big part. The larger number of social networking connections (friends and followers), the more people you can expose your marketing content to and increase your exposure.
- Attention – this is where interesting, funny… maybe even exciting viral marketing content comes in. If you have something interesting to say, and a creative way of sharing it, you will grab people’s attention.
- Style – write in a style that is simple and plain, not full of adverbs and adjectives.
- Positive—stay away from negative issues. Stories of hope and positivity work the best.
- Motivation— how do you get social networking contacts to share your content? First make it easy for people to share your content. (Be sure you have placed social networking buttons on your page, etc.). And, if you have written viral marketing content that is constructive or positive it is more likely to get shared.
Myth #2– “Engaging in conversations is the most important thing on Social Media”
According to the data, people with lots of social networking contacts are not usually involved in on-line conversations. It’s the people who share a lot of links that tend to have a lot more followers.
And, according to the data, more Facebook conversations don’t necessarily mean more views. Dan’s research shows that “engaging in conversations” doesn’t work, publishing interesting content works!
Myth #3 – “Don’t call yourself a guru”
In fact, people that call themselves “Official,” “Founder,” “Speaker,” “Expert,” “Guru” or “Author” have on average 100 to 200 more followers at Twitter than the rest of us. The bottom line here is that social networking contacts respond when you identify yourself authoritatively.
But be careful… Dan also finds that when people talk mostly about themselves and how great they are, they will have fewer social networking contacts.
Myth #4 – “Friday, Saturday and Sunday are bad days to publish content or send out emails”
Actually, the email click through rate is higher during the week-end. And, people tend to "share" more often during the week-end. (But I believe this tends to be a myth targeted more toward the consumer side of marketing rather than the B2B side, but you be the judge.)
Bonus tip:
Finally, Dan shares the fact that “requests” (“Please re-tweet this,” etc.) work really well. When you ask nicely, your readers will respond, so don’t forget social calls-to-action. also, articles that have the word ‘comment’ in them – get more comments.
So, as always, thank you for re-tweeting (or linking to this) and please comment below!
Thanks!
It’s true—content is king, but...
While it's true that quality, compelling content attracts visitors, builds authority and converts leads into sales like nothing else, there’s a deep, dark secret about web content that only smart and savvy Denver-area marketers know...
Content without a strategy is useless.
If you don’t have a plan for your content, it can’t help you achieve your goals and objectives. On the other hand, if you build your copy around a content marketing strategy, it can make things happen in a big way.
Here are 5 essential goals that drive content marketing success:
1. Establish trust and authority with your audience.
This is listed number one for a reason. Without trust, potential buyers will walk away from you—and fast. So, your content must be transparent and problem-solving. It must put their needs first. It must prove that you have real answers to their questions.
Today’s savvy consumers demand respect. Content that drifts into self-serving “I am great, buy my stuff” type of content will not work with them—e-v-e-r.
2. Address their pain points
Let’s face it—for the most part, what motivates people to act is their problem, the issue that needs to be resolved. A contractor looking for a more efficient way to communicate with employees in the field wants to know how your products will make that happen. A parent concerned about the security of her family needs to know how you will make her feel safe.
Listen to what your audience is saying. Ask questions and invite feedback. Only when your content marketing plan addresses the right pain points will it be able to convert leads into sales.
3. Break down barriers
With every solution comes a possible reason why it won’t work, and most likely, your buyers have already thought of it. When someone is looking to make a purchase, part of the process involves exploring potential problems. These obstacles could prevent people from completing a transaction.
When planning your content marketing strategy, think as your readers do. Keep in mind all possible objections to the purchase and address them in your content. Will a high initial cost cause hesitation? Show them how they can save money in the long run. Does your product seem difficult to use? Include a demo video to show how easy it is to use. Minimize concerns by including examples of how others have found success with you.
4. Point out benefits
Pain and obstacles are negative points that need to be addressed. But, don’t forget to illustrate the benefits of your offerings. This is a good place to use the “show, don’t tell” approach. It’s easy to wax poetic about how great you are, but this isn’t what people are looking for. They want hard proof.
Rather than describe the product, describe the user experience. Rather than talk about the service, talk about what the user will ultimately get out of it.
Use white papers, articles, videos and eBooks to illustrate problems and how you can solve them. Without mentioning your company or services, you can let them know get it. You are the source for what they need.
5. Optimize for search engines
This is listed last for a reason. SEO is an important aspect of your content marketing strategy and should not be neglected. But, always remember when creating content that search engines will only notice you if people do first. People will only notice you (and share you with others) if your content is written for them.
So, resist the urge to put SEO first in your list of content goals. If people find value in your content, the search engines will soon follow.
5 Great Tips to Get the Most out of Twitter for Business
As most everyone knows, Twitter is a social media micro-blogging tool. What many Denver-area businesses don't know is that Twitter can be very useful to business and marketers becuase it helps “break the ice” with potential customers, and engage them in (hopefully long-term) relationships.
It works because it offers marketers a way to build a foundation of trust and authority well before any transaction takes place.
Getting to know your customers through Twitter is a smart marketing strategy. And, with a limit of 140 characters, it’s the perfect complement to mobile. So, you can reach these people anytime, anywhere, even on the go.
If you’re interested in Twitter for marketing, have a plan! A social media service in Denver makes it easy to develop the strategy that’s right for you. First, let’s get you started:
Set up an account. This is as simple as adding some basic information.
-
Hashtag. This is your “handle”—for example, @dbcdigital. People use this to find you, so keep it simple, as close to your business name as possible, and leave out dashes and numbers.
-
Photo. A logo or photo of the team works well.
-
Company bio. Hours, contact information, who you are and what you do. Link to your site here.
Post information. These are your daily or weekly updates, or “tweets”.
-
Blogs. If your company has a blog, have it fed automatically to your Twitter account so that followers can see each post as soon as it’s live.
-
Links. Post a short intro phrase, then a link to anything that you think your followers might find interesting. Use a URL shortener such as bit.ly to condense link addresses.
-
Comments. You can do more with 140 characters than you might think. Contribute short, engaging comments frequently, to maintain reader interest. Skittles is one brand that does this very well.
Build a following. This is the community of people interested in your company. Keep adding fresh content, engage with people by following their Twitter accounts, comment on their content, and gradually build your following.
Once you’ve gotten started, consider using a Denver social media company to help plan your overall long-term strategy. Here are some ways to find success:
1. Involve the executives. We’ve talked about social media and the C-Suite. People want to hear from your higher-ups, so get executives actively involved with the Twitter account. Emphasize how quick and easy it is to participate. If they can send a text message, they can tweet!
2. Promote content. This includes not only your own content, such as the latest blog post, but also relevant content from other sites. Linking to interesting articles, sites and videos turns your business’ Twitter account into a resource for useful information.
3. Keep it updated. In fact, live updates are best. Do you have a booth at an industry trade show? Did you just launch a new product line? Followers want their information fresh and hot, so shoot out a tweet the moment something interesting happens.
4. Maintain contacts. Follow other bloggers and industry leaders, comment on their posts and invite them to comment on yours. It’s faster, easier and more convenient than emailing or calling them.
5. Monitor your brand. As with any marketing campaign, you want to constantly check for customer/follower feedback. With the help of a social media service in Denver, it’s a simple process that helps you engage with followers and keeps your reputation intact.
Twitter offers many advantages for business. It allows each member of your team to directly engage with customers. It expands your reach. And, it can be used anywhere, wherever you are. It is an agile marketing tool that just about anyone can utilize for knockout results.
What other beneifits have you found using Twitter for business? Let us know in the comments section!
Find time for Social Media in the C-Suite
You may be an experienced social media marketer; in fact, if you’re like a growing number of employees and team members (or clients of dbc!) in the Denver area, you’re becoming a real pro and understand how valuable being active with social media can be. But what about the C-Suite? You know, the top executives in your company lurking around in the background, happy to let others do the posting, friending and tweeting?
Let’s assume you’ve already convinced them of the value of social media for your business. Now that they’re on board, how do you get them actively involved?
For many busy executives, the hesitation is due to a fear of the time commitment. Having a carefully planned-out approach to daily social media marketing, as well as a clear strategy, may help alleviate this fear. Getting help from an experienced social media service in Denver is not a bad idea, either.
Here are some ideas to help take your C-Suite from passive observers to active players:
1. Break Down the Schedule
Plan out a set-up schedule, or, the actions needed for your C-Suite to get started with social media. This will make the process less intimidating and more doable for busy, stressed-out executives. It might include:
- Time required to set up accounts
- List of all daily activities
- List of all weekly activities
Here’s a tip: Schedule an initial educational meeting with executives where you lead them through the process and give them opportunities to get hands-on with these activities. Make sure that each member of your C-Suite is set up to have access to all accounts and tools at this time.
2. Set Expectations
Your execs want to know up front how much time their social media engagement will take each day and each week. This depends on certain factors, such as which activities each individual will engage in. Go over the scenarios, find out which activities each executive is interested in, set their expectations and be realistic.
For example, setting up a LinkedIn account might take less than an hour, and involve about an hour of activity each week.
3. Prioritize and assign
How important is each social media account? Who should be involved in each one? You may be focusing on Twitter, you may be going deep with Google Plus, or you may be dabbling in a little of each. Let your C-Suite try them all out and decide which activities they want to be involved in. Then assign daily and weekly activities according to the time commitment and how much time each executive has to spend.
For example, LinkedIn offers your top executives the opportunity to make direct connections with fellow businesspeople. Your CEO may welcome this as a quick and easy way to create a network of professionals in the industry, and a place to share resources and ideas without having to travel or make phone calls.
4. Offer analytics
We all know that the C-Suite loves measurable results. Provide them with a way to track the results of the social media marketing campaign through monitoring software. A social media service in Denver is the simple and easy way to monitor your social media conversations and feedback to get the best results.
Is it time for your C-Suite to get involved with social media? In today’s digital marketing environment, the real question is—can they afford not to? Use these tips to help your reluctant higher-ups harness the power of social media and gain greater marketing success this year.
Give us a couple of examples of how you got Social Media going in the C_Suite. We'll publish some of the best ones in a follow-up posting!
Okay, Denver-area marketers! We’re almost through January. Did you develop a marketing action plan for 2012? If you did, have you been implementing it (or is real life getting in the way)?
It’s not too late to re-focus and re-commit. Let's get to work!
Here are the most important actions you should be taking during 2012 to grow your Internet (Inbound) Marketing success:
1. Write content consistently, backed up by an SEO strategy.
You've heard us emphasize the importance to our Colorado clients of content creation for your website, but blogging every once in a while isn't going to be enough to edge out your biggest competitors. You need to be committed to creating content consistently, like clockwork, and it should be backed-up with a purposeful SEO strategy. Be sure you are dedicating time to researching which keywords are important to target using keyword research tools like Google's Keyword Tool or HubSpot's Keyword Grader. Also, focus on long tail keyword phrases, which comprise 70% of organic search traffic and are less competitive, letting you outrank your competitors for a huge amount of long tail keywords that actually drive qualified traffic instead of a small handful of head terms that will take months and months, if not years, to show results in both search engines and your bottom line.
2. Be an agile inbound (internet) marketer.
Armed with the knowledge that comes with understanding your analytics, you're empowered to make constant improvements. One of the advantages you have over giant corporations is being less burdened with bureaucracy. That means you can move quickly. Use A/B testing tools to experiment with everything in your marketing, giving you the data you need to understand what works and what doesn't with your audience, and improve bit-by-bit on a daily basis.
3. Have a social media personality.
Since many big corporations often have to work within a bureaucracy and a well established set of rules that are hard to nudge, their social media policies can sometimes make the endeavor less than, well, social. You can sidestep that hurdle and use social media the way it's intended to be used -- like a human being. Get really social. Be friendly and helpful. Talk like you would to someone in real life. Establish your online voice in a genuine, upbeat way that makes people flock to you. These are the characteristics of the most successful social media strategies, and it's a leg up you have over the industry giants.
4. Recognize and fill your weak spots.
If you're working at a small-or medium-sized business, you likely wear many marketing hats, not all of which are your area of expertise. Even with all your marketing knowledge, everyone has weak spots. Identify these, evaluate how much investment they are worth, and spend money to hire talent or purchase tools that will better serve that need. It's a worthwhile investment to put your talents where they are best suited, and to let others do the same.
5. Invest time every day into learning something new.
This is how you'll stay ahead of the curve and become a thought leader, regardless of the size of your business. Whether during lunch, carving out time during your work day, or listening to podcasts on your commute, invest some time every single day in learning about not just inbound marketing, but your industry. It's a fast moving world, and those that don't stay on top of it day after day will quickly get left behind.
6. Spend time building your opt-in list.
There's so much more you can do to nurture leads with a great subscriber list. This means taking the time to build killer landing pages with forms, creating remarkable content to put behind those forms, and continually fine tuning your email marketing strategy so you understand what kind of information your leads need, and when. As your opt-in email list grows and you get better at nurturing, you'll see a shorter sales cycle and higher revenue per customer as a result of better pre-purchase education.
7. Invest in the right technology.
Technology and automation help you do your job better and faster. If that isn't enough of a selling point, know that your big competitors (in and outside Colorado) are probably using technology and automation in their marketing, but aren't necessarily doing it well. That means you have the opportunity to implement inbound marketing software and automation tools the right way from the get-go, and can free up time to do things that require personal attention, like creating content, social interaction, and data analysis.
8. Have a legitimately good product and service.
Never, ever sacrifice this. We preach about quality content all the time. But quality extends to every facet of your business. Hire the smartest people. Provide the best customer service. Be honest with people about what you can and cannot do for them. If you always keep this in mind, you'll create a loyal base of customers that market for you and stay with you forever, giving you sustainable growth that compounds over time.
Go get 'em!
Photo credit: Bellatcqtpie
7 Guaranteed Ways to Improve Your Landing Page Success
When it comes to your landing pages, success is measured by conversion rates. These pages are designed to get people to act; therefore, it’s critical that they be optimized for action.
Here are 7 essential ways to make your landing pages work harder for you. Professional landing page design for your Denver business is the first step. How do you get the best results? Be sure to pay attention to these fundamentals:
1. Define the purpose of each page
When designing your pages, you need to define the conversion activity you want for each page. Do you want the visitor to subscribe to a newsletter? Download an ebook? Fill out a form? All elements on the page—including creative, content and formatting—should be designed to drive this specific action and nothing else.
2. Keep it focused
Keeping your pages focused will help your visitors stay focused, as well. Remember, you want to prevent wandering away from the purpose. So, eliminate unnecessary elements such as ads and navigation bars. Unless something on the page is necessary or helpful to the conversion process, get rid of it!
3. Match headlines and creative elements
Your visitors are arriving at your landing pages through some kind of ad or call to action. Here’s a tip: match the headline and/or verbiage from your ad to the headline on your landing page. This tells visitors that they are at the right place, and lets them know what you want them to do.
4. Stay “above the fold”
In web design, the important stuff goes above the fold—that is, the space you can see without scrolling. When visitors have to scroll down to see the offer, conversion rates tend to slip. Why? Scrolling, much like confusing navigation or too many clicks and links, requires an extra action that people just don’t want to take.
And, anything below the fold runs the risk of being missed by viewers. So make sure to place your important elements above the fold. Better yet, consider editing your content to fit on one page.
5. Fix your forms
Making your forms user-friendly encourages people to fill them out. Auto-populate fields wherever you can. Remove unnecessary fields. Don’t ask for too much information. Shorten forms and make navigation simple.
6. Lead the eye
Your landing page design should lead the eye inevitably to the conversion exit. This can be done in many ways. Careful placement of content, use of white space, a compelling image and color choices will accomplish the goal of directing people to the desired action.
Be careful, though, that your design elements don’t distract the eye. Important content and other design elements should be a focal point placed close to the middle like a visual funnel. And, a great image is great, but make sure it’s not so great that it makes people forget why they are there!
7. Never stop testing
To be truly optimized, your landing page design must be constantly monitored for effectiveness. Could it be better? Simple A/B testing allows you to test different elements of your page against each other to see which performs better. Use it to optimize each landing page until you get the conversion rate you’re looking for.
You can also create a checklist and test your pages with small user groups. Are your pages focused? Is the message consistent with the ads? Have all distractions been removed?
To get you the conversion rates you want, your Denver business needs landing page design that is optimized, focused and consistently analyzed for effectiveness. Keep these tips in mind and your landing pages will deliver results.
5 Powerful Ways to Create Great Blogging Ideas
Most of our Denver-area clients may already know that blogging is a smart inbound (internet)marketing tool. It adds fresh content to your site and SEO power to your web pages. It draws viewers like a magnet. Of course, if you’ve been blogging for a while, you also know that coming up with new ideas for topics can become a chore.
The bad news—if you don’t post fresh, creative content every few days, your traffic will take a nosedive. The good news—there are many powerful ways to get inspiration for your blog content. Here are just a few:
1. Set up Google Alerts
Save time and energy by setting up alerts for topics of interest to your blog. Google Alerts are email notifications that bring current news right to you, so that you can get new ideas quickly and easily. Monitor topics and subtopics relevant to your industry and discover new sources of content without having to spend hours scanning the Web.
2. Subscribe to other blogs
Find out which blogs are authorities in your niche and subscribe to them via RSS feed. This is another great way to find out what others are saying about the topics that matter to you. This not only short-cuts your search for new blog content, it also ensures that you’re staying on the cutting edge of your field.
3. Engage with bloggers
Blogging is all about engagement, right? Engaging with other bloggers boosts your own blog’s visibility and helps establish your credibility with others in your niche. It’s also a rich source of ideas for content. Use others’ blogs as a jumping-off point for your posts. Rather than just comment and post a link to your site, add to the conversation. You might be surprised by how much useful information (and inspiration) you’ll get from fellow bloggers.
4. Set up an editorial calendar
Staying organized can help you squeeze more content from your topics, so consider setting up an editorial calendar. An editorial calendar gives your blogging efforts structure, and keeps you from having to scramble for material at the last minute. Make a list of your topics, then your subtopics. Use the above ideas to add new subtopics daily or weekly. Plan out and schedule your blog topics at least a week in advance, and you’ll never lack for fresh content.
5. Ask for help
Does your business participate in social media marketing? If so, you have a vast human resource at your fingertips. Get blogging inspiration from your followers, friends and groups. Solicit stories, post questions and encourage people to share their thoughts. Some of the best blogs posts ever written were spawned from personal experiences, from controversy, and from the perspective that only conversation can generate.
Blogging ideas are everywhere—you just need to know where to look! Don’t let writer’s block stop you from creating the next great blog post. Try these ideas and before you know it, your blogs will be the "go-to" authority, the resource and the place bloggers come to when they need a little inspiration!
Double Your Click-through Rate By Using These 4 Tips
The click-through rate is also known as CTR. It’s the name of the game in Internet (Inbound) marketing, and a measure of how successful you are at:
1. Getting eyeballs on your site (through ads, calls to action, etc.)
2. Compelling those eyeballs to act
It’s a fact—that all the web advertising in the world, whether on your site or elsewhere, is useless if nobody is clicking. According to Google, the average click-through rate for AdWords is around 2%. Could you be doing better? Getting the click rates you want requires attention to a few important factors:
1. Know your target audience
Web users don’t mind ads—as long as those ads are for goods and services they’re interested in. The question is: are your ads designed for your audience?
Identify your target market. Why? Targeting brings with it two important advantages over non-targeted advertising: it reaches the customers you want to reach, and it gives you the ability to design ads and calls to action specifically for certain groups.
Studies show that targeted ads outperform non-targeted ads by about 2 to 1, so it’s worth doing a little extra homework. If you don’t have the time or expertise to do it yourself, an experienced Internet marketing agency in Denver can help you find and reach your specific audience.
2. Create engaging copy
More than ever, content is key to making the sale. Internet marketing relies on how well you can grab attention through clear, concise and compelling copy. Identifying your market is a first step toward knowing what motivates these buyers—the next step is to make sure that the content for your ads and calls to action really pops.
Ask the question they’ve been asking themselves. Encourage clicks with positive action verbs. Customize copy for geographical areas.
-
“Do you want more from your Internet marketing service?”
-
“Click here for a special offer for our Denver customers only!”
-
“Limited time only!”
-
“Download your free trial!”
You get the picture!
3. Test with A/B splits
A fancy way to say that you should create more than one design for each call to action, so that you can test which one works better.
Many factors influence which ads perform better than others—color, font, graphic design, size and copy all play a part. You won’t be able to increase click rates until you know which combinations people are most drawn to.
You can do A/B testing yourself, or leave it to a Denver Internet marketing service (Like DBC) to determine which ads and calls to action garner the most clicks from your audience.
4. Don’t ignore analytics
Daily, weekly and monthly analysis gives you the data you need to fine tune your ad campaigns and optimize your site’s calls to action. Which ads are working? Which need to be discarded? Let’s face it—your marketing budget only stretches so far, and you can’t afford to waste it on efforts that aren’t producing results.
Better click rates are the ticket to better Internet marketing results! Get people to click, and you’re on your way to increased leads and conversions—not to mention greater online visibility.
What have we missed? Do you have other "white hat" techniques for increasing your click-through rates? Let us know!
Six Smart Ways to Improve Your Website Design
Your website is your online storefront, the place where deals get done and customer relationships are nurtured. So, the importance of having a good site can’t be overstated. At best, poor website design limits your potential; at worst, it actually drives away the very people you need and want the most—your potential buyers.
Is it time for a website upgrade? If you’re a Denver-area business looking to improve your website success, consider these smart ways to attract traffic and make your site the place to be:
1. Check browser compatibility
Yes, this is a technical aspect of good website design, but it needs to be addressed by you or your development team. Plain and simple, if your site does not work with all browsers and operating systems, you’re losing business.
2. Keep navigation simple and intuitive
We’ve all experienced them—the sites that are hard to use, with links that lead to nowhere and icons that don’t reveal their secrets until you’re hovering over them. With the possible exception of useless content, nothing drives visitors away faster. Trust us—you don’t want Mystery Meat Navigation on your site. So, keep it simple and user-friendly.
3. Include clear Calls to Action
Does your site lead visitors into the sales funnel? No? Well, one reason may be the lack of clear calls to action. Any business owner in the Denver area looking for a website upgrade should take a look at their landing pages, and how well they get visitors to take the desired action.
What do you want people to do? Action words such as download, buy, click and compare, in addition to consistent messaging and concise copy on these pages will deliver more click-throughs and conversions.
4. Add valuable, updated content
Fresh content brings your visitors back for more. It also scores big with search engines. Update your site constantly and you’ll see better results with both. A great way to do this is to add a company blog and/or article section that covers topics of interest in your industry, and post to these pages regularly. Useful, optimized content converts your site into an authority, and a resource for information-seekers.
5. Cross-promote
Website success doesn’t happen on its own. Even a great site needs to be marketed, so it’s important to get the word out. If you aren’t engaged in social media marketing, consider getting started. Post blogs on other sites that link to your website. Comment on others’ blogs. Include links to your site on all of your marketing materials and communications. Send out monthly newsletters to visitors who opt-in.
Overwhelmed? If you need help with your website upgrade, consider hiring an experienced Denver-area website design and development company to handle the details.
6. Rinse and repeat.
It’s a fact—the web is constantly changing, and so are the technologies that drive it. You need to make sure that your site is keeping up with the times. So, count on a web redesign about every 2 years or so. A fresh, updated site not only attracts visitors, it also tells them that you’re on top of the game. In other words, when your site looks good, you look good.
Website success is no accident—it takes careful planning and design and a willingness to constantly monitor results. Your website upgrade doesn’t have to be painful or confusing, but it does need to get done. So, if you’re a Denver-area site owner looking for better results, take a close and critical look at your site and fix the issues. It’s one of the most effective ways to increase leads and sales, and make your business the place consumers want to be!
Did we miss a design tip you think is essential or helpful? Let us know in the comments section!
Photo credit: New York Archives
The Four Stages of the B2B Buying Cycle
We generally get two or three questions a week from our clients asking what kind of content to include in their blogs and how to guide a prospect through their buying cycle. I thought it might be helpful to put together a post that covers the Business-to-Business buying cylce and the mindset that a propect/buyer has at each stage. Paul McKeon with Marketing Profs had a great discussion on this topic.
Here’s what he says: "Marketers usually don't fully understand how their prospects and buyers use content" "B2B (Business-to-Business) marketing is no longer just in the business of brand management and lead generation," he continues. "It must serve a huge demand for content that spans buyers' needs, from ‘pre-awareness’ to post-sale."
Marketers must match their content with the buying stage
So how can a B2B marketer match the right content to a buyer's needs throughout a potentially long buying cycle? "The B2B buying cycle has four recognizable stages," McKeon explains, "each requires a different approach to content."
Here are the four stages he discuss —as well as suggested ways to grab a prospect’s attention at each stage.
- “Unaware.” The buyer is not explicitly in the market but should be. Your content should be “interruptive.” Some suggested attention-grabbers at this stage of the buying cycle would be: Speak to their pain; provide "news," such as a research report or other white paper.
- “Tentative.” The buyer is standing at the edge of, or quietly wading into the market. Your content should be educational. Attention-grabbers would include: Write about the buyer's problem and how to address it, not about your solution. Encourage “buyer interactivity” at your website.
- “Engaged.” The buyer is in a dialogue with your company. Your content should be validating. Provide case studies detailing customer success stories. Provide third-party articles to support your position.
- “Invested.” The buyer is a customer. Your content should be exclusive. Personalize your email and Web content. Offer insider tips, use a conversational style.
The Take Away: It's more about them than about you! The key to creating valuable marketing content is to identify where your prospects are along the B2B buying cycle—and speak to their unique challenges. "Compromise nothing to internal drivers," McKeon advises. "Concentrate on your buyer."
Focus on these four areas when you are designing your web pages, blog posts and landing pages. You'll see a nice increase in your traffic and your prospects will be turning in to buyers more often.
Good luck!
Do you agree? What are we missing? Add your comments!