How to Generate Leads Using Content

© Prize Content 2019 Introduction Contents Introduction3

Create Leads and Influence Conversions4

Build Trust with Your LeadsandCustomers6 Welcome to Prize Content’s guide to generating leads using content How Content Influences marketing. BrandPerception8 You’ve made a great call in picking up this guide and having a read. Looks nice too, doesn’t it?

A lot of companies don’t understand the huge of content marketing. If they do, they often struggle to use it to generate leads. This might be a familiar feeling for you.

This guide will help you in both of those areas.

If you’ve got great expertise and stories to share in your business, you shouldn’t keep all that goodness to yourselves!

Tell it to your audience and everyone benefits.

So, read on to discover the ways you can grow your business through content marketing, and make some changes today.

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© Prize Content © Prize Content channels. Rather, it is by far the most The first step in a successful content Create Leads and successful means of making your marketing plan is to understand your business visible to new prospects.If audience. This is an absolute you find yourself asking how to get necessity, and should be done before Influence Conversions found on Google, Twitter, Facebook, any content is created. or Instagram, the answer is always Using content marketing as a powerful lead generation tool. the same: a consistent, high-quality That’s because you need to content strategy. understand where your potential customers are in order to target the It goes without saying that the consistently are known to That’s because the content-surfacing channels they visit most. Further, you underlying objective of any company generate 67% more leads than algorithms used by such platforms need to know as much as possible is to generate . But, before you companies who do not (Hubspot, aim to connect their users with high- about your prospects to ensure the can make a sale, you need to generate 2010). value content. As a result, you need a content you produce is centred on leads. That’s what makes a soundlead content marketing plan that their needs — and therefore primed • Businesses who prioritise their generation strategy so important. considers the best way of delivering to provide them with the most value. blogging efforts are 13 times more real value to your audience. Remember, offering value to potential There are plenty of methods, likely to see a positive return on customers is the only real way to approaches, and techniques when it investment (Hubspot, 2019). If you can develop a content build their trust and influence their comes to lead generation strategy, marketing plan that meets your decision-making journey. and what works for one business • Content marketing gets three customers’ need for value, you are doesn’t necessarily work for another. times more leads than paid search well on your way to establishing their Once you’ve researched your Yet, there’s one common factor that (Content Marketing trust and influencing them to try your audience, you can begin to plan a underpins them all: a well- Institute, 2017). product, subscribe to your service, or schedule of regular content releases consideredcontent marketing that address their needs and provide You read that last point correctly: complete whatever inciting action is strategy. real value. when executed well, content vital to your business model. marketing significantly outperforms That’s because, no matter your This is where your company’s paid advertising in producing leads business model, content is the only How to Plan Content that expertise comes into play. Your for your business. sure way to connect with your target Generates Leads content should help customers solve audience. When it comes to being Make Yourself Visible their problems and provide them with found online, content truly is king. So, how can you start producing high- valuable insight. Before long, you’ll quality, valuable content that gets It’s clear that content marketing is a become their go-to resource, having your business found online and A Proven Lead Generator powerful tool in your business’s lead established your company as an establishes trust with your audience? authority in its field. That’s what will They say the proof of the pudding is generation kit. But, you might be left ultimately give your prospects the in the eating. Well, in the case of wondering: “What good is effective Inbound marketing — marketing confidence they need to buy into your content marketing, the proof of the content marketing if I can’t be found designed to draw prospects in, rather products and services. lead generation potential is in the online in the first place?” than pushing outwardly via promoted statistics! channels — is fast becoming the most The answer is simple: content fruitful method of generating sales marketing doesn’t just reach For example: leads without cold calling or other, customers who have already found Next: Building Trust with Your more aggressive sales tactics. • Companies who post content your website or social media Leads and Customers

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© Prize Content © Prize Content to build that trust with your audience essential in building a relationship Build Trust with Your one post at a time. That means the with them. Don’t be afraid to best time to start is right now. “overshare” when it comes to insights Leads and Customers about how your company operates, Show You Understand and don’t hesitate to give potential Your Customer customers something of value early in The first step in earning the trust of their journey. The more you tell, the your customers is to demonstrate less they’ll be left unsure about, Every successful relationship is built service. If your represents that you know them well. helping to build their confidence in on a foundation of trust, and it’s no features and attributes but leaves you. different for the relationship between feelings to one side, there can be no Start by building the identity of your your company and its customers. emotional link to influence a customer. By undertaking extensive Showcase Your consumer’s preference and actions. , you’ll find out more Authenticity That fact is what makes managing about your customers’ needs, wants, customer relationships such an In such a scenario, it doesn’t matter if desires, and frustrations. Then, you Consumers have more choice and important factor in the success of your solution is better than the can produce content that addresses more information available to them your business. Companies rise and competition from a detailed their concerns and appeals to their than ever before. That means they can fall through the support of their perspective. If it fails to create an interests directly. be picky about the companies they customers — and, by 2020, those who emotional connection with choose to engage with. Your content work to build trust with their consumers, your brand will be When your content marketing plan is needs to speak authentically in order built with this information in mind, customers will generate 20% more overlooked. to resonate with customers and you’ll put yourself in a better position online profit that those who do not inspire them to choose you over (Gartner, 2018). That’s why your brand needs a to meet customers’ expectations and anyone else. personality. Research has shown that influence their decision-making Make That Gut Feeling a consumers perceive the same type of journeys. Prove You Are Reliable Good Feeling personality traits within as they do with other people. And, just Demonstrate Competence Saying you are reliable is one thing; The reason companies succeed when like people, they are attracted to being reliable is another thing they build trust with their customers Use your content as a platform to certain traits more than others, so entirely. Yet, showing consumers you is linked to how consumers behave you need to make sure your brand’s demonstrate the skill and expertise of are dependable can often be as simple when making purchasing decisions. personality is communicated in the your company. Sharing insights and as doing what you said you were going right way for your target audience. helping your audience to solve their The truth is that how consumers feel to do. Sticking to a consistent content problems, even before they’re ready about your brand has a far greater schedule, such as promising and Building Customer Trust to call themselves your customer, influence on their purchasing delivering a weekly blog post, is one with Content goes a long way in establishing their decision than, for example, way to regularly achieve this. After all, trust. information about your product, or Nurturing customer relations in this it only takes one missed update to the details of your service. way is not an overnight process. Be Transparent undermine the value of your word. There’s no single campaign you can To understand this better, you need launch to demonstrate the reliability Communicating honestly and Next: How Content Influences to think of your brand as a of your company. Instead, you’ve got transparently with your audience is Brand Perception representation of your product or

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© Prize Content © Prize Content recognise that how their messages are Sharing insights and helping How Content Influences communicated is fundamental to consumers solve their problems designing an experience that through valuable content will ensure Brand Perception customers are keen to take part in. your relationship starts off on the Remember, it’s that journey which right foot. creates an emotional link between your company and consumers — the The benefit of this approach is that essence of your brand’s identity. customers will begin to see you as an It’s often said that perception is decision-making journey is so strong industry authority and a go-to reality. When it comes to your that it easily overwhelms other, more Align Your Brand with resource for solving their problems. company’s brand identity, that advice rational factors, such as product Consumers This is the kind of top-of-mind is truer today than ever before. awareness that will have customers information or the details of your It’s difficult for consumers to connect choosing you over the competition service. with your company’s brand if they The modern consumer is well- when making a purchase decision. feel like you don’t have a sound informed and has many choices when What that means is you need to give understanding of their problems. it comes to the products and services your customers a reason to care Give Existing Customers they use. As a result, they can be about your company. The necessity of When backed by comprehensive Confidence highly selective about the kinds of establishing an emotional link market research, content is the most customer experiences they want to Content marketing doesn’t just between consumers and your brand effective way of showing that you participate in. influence the perception of new understand your customer’s wants is what makes content marketing customers. Rather, content can also and needs. By regularly releasing That means your company needs to such an important part of your address your existing customers, content that helps consumers solve do everything it can to convince company’s ability to generate sales reassuring them that they made the consumers the experience you offer is their problems and provides them leads. right choice and ensuring that they the right one for them. with valuable insights, you can start Using Content to to build the trust needed to influence remain loyal customers well into the Emotions Influence Influence Brand their decision-making process. future. Perception Offer Something of Value Customer service expectations in As previously mentioned,consumers The consumer perception of your — Right Away 2019 are higher than they have ever are greatly influenced by their company’s brand is comprised of been, and consumers have a great In order to form an effective feelings and emotions when it comes many things. One factor is the visual deal of choice. That’s why your relationship with consumers, you to choosing which businesses they identity of your brand — in other company needs to use every available need to provide something of value engage with. words, how key messages and feelings opportunity to demonstrate exactly before you ask for anything in return. are communicated on a visual level. why consumers should pick you over In short, how your brand is perceived, somebody else. Content marketing that draws upon and the relationship consumers have Just as important, however, are the the expertise of your company is an with your business, is one of the things your company says and the Ben Tyrer excellent way to provide consumers biggest factors in your success. way it says them. Head of Communications with something of value as soon as linkedin.com/in/benjamin-tyrer/ The impact emotion has on a buyer’s The most successful businesses they discover you.

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© Prize Content © Prize Content “Who is Prize Content? And should I have written ‘are’ in that last sentence?” Prize Content is a group of writers, marketing strategists, and design creatives, who use their experience and knowledge to help businesses grow through effective content marketing. We deliver bespoke content strategies backed by expert professional services such as content writing, graphic design, and digital services. Using our very own proprietary CMS platform, we integrate with Thanks for Reading! your company’s comms channels to make commissioning and publishing content across multiple channels seamless. We’re also gamers, musicians, techies, sports fans We hope you found this guide useful. and more, spanning an age range of over 20 years. Oh, and we all love coffee. So, if you want to find out how Prize Content could If you did, tweet us a shout-out @Prize_Content! help your business grow through content marketing (or just can’t stop thinking about the ‘is/are’ question at the top of this page), pick your favourite Prize Content helps businesses just like yours to communication method on the back page and get in achieve growth through first-class content that touch. develops your brand and tells the world your story.

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