How to Use Content Marketing to Generate More Leads & Revenue
Does Your Website Have This Key Piece of Information?
After answering a frequently asked question in a website blog post, businessman Marcus Sheridan generated more than $1.7 million in fiberglass pool sales. Find out what that question was and how it may play an important part in the success of your content-marketing strategy.
Why Focus on Content Marketing?
Content marketing is the creating and sharing of valuable information to connect and build relationships with prospects and customers. Website blogs, email newsletters, feature articles, webinars, whitepapers, videos, case studies, and ebooks are all examples of various ways of delivering content. When used effectively, content marketing can:
- Help increase search engine optimization (SEO) results by increasing the amount of relevant content on a website
- Generate more high-quality leads, compared to traditional marketing methods
- Positively influence brand awareness and brand preference
- Generate more purchases and revenue
- Drive inbound links from shares on social media
Creating Content That Generates Leads
One of the biggest challenges, however, is determining exactly what content to include in your marketing strategy. That’s where Marcus Sheridan’s success story comes in. At a recent email-marketing conference, we heard Sheridan — an owner of River Pool and Spas, online marketing consultant, and author of The Sales Lion — speak about how he revamped his pool company’s marketing program.
In 2009, the financial crisis in the United States was taking a toll on Sheridan’s pool business. So he drastically cut the company’s marketing budget of $250,000, which was mostly spent on pay-per-click, television, and radio advertising. He then implemented a content-marketing strategy that included informational blog posts and videos. In doing so, Sheridan successfully increased his company’s pool sales to exceed peak prerecession revenue levels.
So what content did Sheridan include in his website blogs and videos to achieve this marketing victory? He answered the questions he was frequently asked by prospects who were interested in purchasing a pool. Sheridan took this approach because he figured it’s the way most people typically search for information online, by trying to find the answer to a specific question.
How Much Does It Cost?
The very first question Sheridan answered in an informational blog post on the pool company’s website was, “How much does a fiberglass pool cost?” As for many products and services, the answer to that question depends on a lot of factors unique to each situation. But by talking about the price range and various options available, Sheridan’s article quickly ranked first on Google search for all cost-related, fiberglass pool phrases. And according to Sheridan in a recent New York Times article, he has been able to track a minimum of $1.7 million in revenue to that single article.
Do you have content on your website that answers the question, How much does it cost for your products/services? If not, adding an article or two on this subject would likely give a big boost to your lead-generation efforts. Then, think about other top questions your prospects typically ask when considering purchasing from your company and address those topics.
Create Content That’s More Educational and Less Promotional
The key to an effective content-marketing program is creating and sharing content that focuses more on educating prospects and less on making a sales pitch. In other words, develop a content strategy to:
- Answer the questions typically posed by your prospects and customers
- Solve a problem that is relevant to your industry
- Share customers’ success stories
- Establish your company’s expertise
If you find that creating a lot of great content presents a huge challenge for you and your team, contact the experts at FulcrumTech. We’ll work with you to come up with a content-marketing strategy that effectively generates leads. We can also help you develop the copy and implement the plan.