Increasing conversion using proven tactics.
Now that you’re attracting prospects, it’s time to transform them into loyal customers. The field of content marketing may seem like it’s based on luck, but in reality, it is all about planning and consistency. We will show you some content marketing tips that can tilt the scales in your favor with repeatable strategies for content marketing success.
Speaking of referrals
Referrals make a big difference in conversion rates. Up to 65% of new business opportunities are due to referrals. In addition, a staggering 81% of all purchases are influenced by online posts from friends and family. Whether online or face-to-face, referrals are critical to any business’ growth.
- Experiential referrals. These are often used when the product or service is vastly different from expected. If a customer purchases a product far better than they anticipated, this can generate an experiential referral. Of course, the opposite is also true where stories of a poor experience can spread like wildfire.
- Consequential referrals. A byproduct of advertising occurs when traditional marketing spurs discussions and word of mouth about the product. These referrals boost the effectiveness of the advertising.
- Intentional referrals. When an influencer is paid to extoll the virtues of a product or service, it is considered willful. This individual could be a social media personality up to a Hollywood celebrity. Intentions are one of the least common forms of referrals due to the uncertainty in reception by the audience and difficulty in measuring ROI.
Creative content is winning content
Your content should not only speak to your audience, but it should be something they want to share. Use catchy, benefit-oriented titles and headlines to draw them in. Make sure the content is entertaining and informative to keep them engaged. The goal is to get your audience to want to take action based on your content. That action could be something as simple as looking for more information. What you’re looking for are steps towards conversion that can be nurtured.
Get social with content
You can leverage social media to educate prospects about your company and product. While detailed blogs and articles are very effective conversion tools, visual media should not be ignored. Videos have a much higher reach in social media than articles, although often at the cost of detail. Interactive videos are another option, where proposals and demos can be pre-recorded and delivered to a prospect. Video proposals have demonstrated a 41% higher close rate than traditional methods.
Create industry-relevant thought leadership blogs
What better way of showing customers that you are an excellent source of information than with articles and blogs? Using a mixture of expert opinions and advice about prospects’ and customers’ pain points, your content can become a trusted resource for the industry. By using public data and customer experiences, you can write fantastic articles that help cement you as an industry leader. When prospects don’t have to wonder about your knowledge level, converting them becomes that much easier.
SEO savvy
One of the most commonly mentioned content marketing tips is to optimize SEO. But what does that mean? If you think just throwing a few keywords into an article counts as SEO, guess again. Nearly 100% of people do not look past the first page of a search. You are not being found if you aren’t on the first page. You need to understand the algorithms, write and post in a manner that boosts rankings and be ready to update in the event of search engine changes.
Automate
The future of managed content marketing is automation. SEO and many other marketing functions can be made more accessible through AI. Rather than have multiple people working on editing, optimizing and delivery, AI can do the same with a far smaller workforce. You can even have AI respond to prospects’ questions to vet those who are serious and help drive them towards a personal interaction.
Make your website friendly to mobile users
Today, more than half of web traffic comes from mobile users. Unlike a desktop or TV, a smartphone is almost always on our person, meaning you have much greater access to prospects. However, if your website is not adaptive, where it can optimize for either desktop or mobile displays, you’re at risk of losing prospects. If your website still uses frames and tiled backgrounds, it’s time to upgrade to a more flexible interface.
Take action
Adding a call to action (CTA) at the end of the content can often nudge a prospect or lead to a sale. However, CTAs do not have to be heavy-handed. A simple invitation to follow a link, visit a website or connect with someone is all that’s needed. If appropriate, a suggestion to make a purchase can also be utilized. Remember, everything in marketing is about building relationships, not forcing a sale too soon.
Don’t buy leads
You may come across services that offer leads for a specific price. While this may sound like a good idea, there are several reasons why this is not a winning strategy:
- There is no guarantee the leads are fresh. The leads you bought could have been sold before. And if they have been sold, there’s a high probability that they have been converted already. Do you want to buy a lead that your competitors have scooped up?
- It is costly. There is no way to validate the return on investment. The money you spend on buying stale leads could have been used to generate your fresh leads organically.
- Quality is often low. Many of these leads are not validated and are essentially glorified cold calls. Some leads do not even have accurate contact information, wasting your time and money.
Instead of buying leads, work on building genuine relationships through content marketing. While it does take more time initially, the trust it builds helps not only with that lead but with referrals. Studies show that companies that work on growing warm leads spend 33% less and make 50% more sales than those who chase cold leads.
In summary
Converting prospects to leads and then to sales takes work. But with the right tactics, it is far from fruitless labor. In fact, by applying these content marketing tips and staying consistent, you will see your business thrive faster than you expected. Contact us today if you would like to accelerate your success with managed content marketing.
