Showing posts with label Content Marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Content Marketing. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Want B2B Leads? Pay Close Attention to Google Search and Content.

A recent study by Mathew Sweezey, Marketing Evangelist for Pardot, reinforces the key role of search engine marketing for lead generation. In his paper "The State of Demand Generation 2013", the results of a user survey clearly list the main effective ingredients needed to enjoy successful B2B lead generation:

1. Obtain Search Engine Marketing Success, especially Google Search Engine Success.

2. Employ Short Content on Webpages and White Papers.... Concise, Precise, and Relevant.

In summary, B2B Buyers use Google Search, and like Relevant and Short Content on Webpages and White Papers. Worth Repeating: "B2B Buyers use Google Search and like Relevant and Short Content."

The same study indicated that an impressive "72% of product research for a future business purchase begins on Google." Nearly 3 out of 4 B2B leads start on Google.

72% of B2B Leads Begin on Google Search, per Mathew Sweezey, Pardot.
No amount of creative branding content or social media chatter will mitigate this fact. If you're not focused on winning with search engine marketing, you're at risk of missing nearly 3 out of 4 potential leads!

From my own experience, this simple formula of efficient content and effective SEO has produced over 10 years of outstanding organic search engine marketing lead generation success for B2B niche markets. I've focused on what our potential customers need and are looking for, in order to provide solutions to their problems.

Like a good consultative selling sales pitch, my webpages provide features which bring benefits to meet the prospective customer's needs. This customer-centric approach works for Google SERPs as well, based upon the superior search ranking results I commonly enjoy.

To optimize your lead generation success, craft webpage content to be efficient and relevant, focused, and concise. Content should be as short as reasonably possible, to best provide key information easily to a hectic, busy, potential client. Quickly give them the facts they need in order to be educated and motivated to contact you as a quality business lead.

Potential clients will not waste their valuable time attempting to sift through wordy webpages or white papers full of flowery, self-important, lightweight "content". They want straight facts and answers, and they want them now.

Include and use appropriate technical terms, acronyms, and jargon, because that specialized vocabulary is a key component in the business language of the targeted niche clientele. It is also good practice to spell these abbreviations out at least once on the page, as appropriate, both for visitor comprehension and search engine optimization. Make content simple and relevant for the potential client.

B2B lead generation content is usually designed to reach and influence lucrative and small market niches, not a mass audiences. You want that "1%" of the global potential audience, so talk directly to them. Don't worry about the other "99%" who will not give you any business under any circumstances.

Avoid creating excessive content. Don't 'tell a story' and yammer on telling the world how wonderful and great your company is. Potential clients can see right through this self-centered hype and quickly move on to a competitor who is more focused on the client.

In short, for superior B2B lead generation, focus on search engine marketing combined with concise and precise webpages, white papers, and other content. Include a clear call-to-action. These best practices are true big B2B lead generation winners.

A special thanks is given to Ayaz Nanji, with MarketingProfs, for his post which alerted me to Mathew Sweezey's paper. Ayaz gives an excellent overview of the Pardot report at: B2B Buyers Prefer Short Content; Rely Heavily on Google Searches.

B-to-B Web Marketing Should Help Sales People Sell.

FEED Your Website. FEED IT.

Friday, August 9, 2013

SEO MOZ Video: Link Building vs. Content Marketing

SEO's Dilemma - Link Building vs. Content Marketing - Whiteboard Friday

MOZ is such a good resource for insights into search engine marketing. Today is no exception. The new Whiteboard Friday posting today is an informative SEO advice video.

If you're working in Search Engine Marketing you should invest some quality time to watch this video from Rand Fishkin for MOZ Whiteboard Friday today. Rand dives into Link Building versus Content Marketing for achieving optimal organic search engine success.

MOZ Whiteboard Friday by Rand Fishkin, August 9, 2013
Anyone who has read my blog will soon figure out that I put major SEO emphasis on content and keywords, a strategy which has produced over 10 years of niche SEO and lead generation success. But there are other paths to SEO success, and Rand Fishkin provides a nice review of the challenges, alternatives, and choices a search engine marketer can make. He offers sage advice for those looking to improve or change their SEO approach in light of Google's Penguin and Panda updates.

View the video on the MOZ website:
http://moz.com/blog/seos-dilemma-link-building-vs-content-marketing-whiteboard-friday

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

New Survey Says Leads Are Primary Goal for Content Marketers

"Leads Take Hold as the Primary Goal of Content Marketing" - 

From the Second Annual IMN Content Marketing Survey - Executive Report

The results of this just released survey indicate there is a notable shift in content-marketing types to focus more on lead generation. Lead generation was described as the most important goal of content marketing by 44%, compared to 16% last year.

From my perspective, this trend is a most healthy development. Anyone who is successful in generating quality leads by search engine marketing, for example, is deeply engaged in a form of content marketing. Search engines rank webpages by the relevancy of the content to the intention of the person running the search.

Get the content right on your webpages and quality leads will pour in.

Get the content wrong and your webpage will be a failure for lead generation... lonely, unproductive, and unnoticed by your potential customers.
Source: Marketing Charts
http://www.marketingcharts.com/wp/interactive/content-marketing-efforts-are-becoming-more-focused-on-lead-gen-35554/attachment/imn-content-marketing-program-goals-2013-v-2012-aug2013/
Lead generation is one of the most important benefits marketing can contribute to an organization - - helping to feed the business with top-line revenue opportunities, ideally with attractive profit margins for the bottom-line.

As I've said here many times over the years: "Content is King".

Concise, precise, and relevant webpage content will help bring success with organic search engines and thus produce bonafide, high-value, leads.

Friday, November 9, 2012

SEO Tactics Beyond Content Marketing

Content Marketing Rules. No surprise! I am a huge supporter of Content Marketing driving SEO and lead generation. Great content provides a big competitive advantage in search engine marketing and lead generation in general. With 10 years of laser-like focus on web content marketing + SEO, I usually overwhelm and essentially crush my global and local competition. Yes, Content Marketing really works.
But there are alternative tactics which should not be overlooked. Rand Fishkin with SEOMOZ has produced an informative video on this very topic. Rand is saying don't forget to use all the proven web marketing tools for SEO and web marketing. For those ambushed link-builders burned by the Google Penguin and Panda anti-spam updates, this presentation offers viable alternatives.

See Rand's profile at SEOMOZ. He is CEO + Co-founder of SEOMOZ.