Creating lead-generating content requires a hefty investment from your business, so getting the most out of each content marketing campaign you launch is a must.
You could publish the most mind-blowing e-book in the world but if no one can find it, your beautifully designed, masterfully written guide will fail as a marketing lead generator. The key to ensuring that your e-book gets the attention it deserves is to invest as much care an effort in the campaign that surrounds it as you did for the e-book itself.
Take a Multichannel Approach to Your Content Marketing Campaign
A multichannel campaign can provide your content with maximum exposure. Here’s an example of how that could break down. Let’s say your business sells home and garden supplies online and your e-book is called 10 Creative Ways to Decorate Your Apartment with Indoor Plants.
You could promote your e-book through all of the following channels:
- An email campaign
- A business newsletter
- Social media posts
- Social media ads
- Banner ads
- A live webinar
To keep readers engaged, you could follow up with an email campaign that creatively ties readers’ goals discussed in your e-book to your company’s offerings. Because the title of your e-book is 10 Creative Ways to Decorate Your Apartment with Indoor Plants, you know that downloaders are interested in indoor plants, and specifically incorporating them into smaller living spaces.
Your follow-up email campaign subject lines might read something like this:
- Bring Your Space to Life: 30% off All Terrariums
- Trend Alert! Pop-of-Color Plants Just in Time for Summer
- 5 Instagram Decor Stars on Their Favorite Ways to Style Air Plants
Notice that the above subject lines address the interests of your readers while offering them:
- A discount to take on the projects discussed in your e-book
- A heads up on a hot trend related to your e-book topic
- A complementary piece of content to inspire them further
Note that your follow-up content doesn’t have to consist of solely email. You can tailor these concepts to other formats such as blog posts, product demos, new sales, and upcoming webinars. It’s always best to experiment and track your results so you can pinpoint what resonates with your unique customer demographic.
Lead with Design-Minded Content Promotions
Content marketing leads are in high demand, which likely means your company’s competitors are also churching out content in hopes of appealing to the same prospective buyers that you are.
The best way to stand out in a noisy space is to catch readers’ eyes with compelling designs, because when it comes to the crowded world of content marketing, everyone judges an e-book by its cover. Understand what type of aesthetic appeals to the readers you’re trying to reach and pair that style with trending design elements. This combination is sure to help your content shine.
Find the Perfect Balance of Stylized and Optimized
Search-optimized titles greatly increase the discoverability of your content. That said, SEO can be a damper on the witty, rich stylings of the copy your writers expertly craft in their daily work. So how can you make Google happy while allowing your creatives to write in a way that dazzles your readers? Compromise! Try using a content SEO checker to see recommendations, and make the necessary edits to ensure your article has enough searchability without losing its style.
Boost Awareness Through Partners and Influencers
You don’t have to be alone in promoting your content. Invite your company’s partners and industry influencers to take part in your content marketing campaign. Provide them with designed assets and trackable links so they can share via email or on social media. While influencers may require free products or a fee, your company’s partners will likely promote your content in exchange for you promoting theirs.
Let Data Determine Your Next Steps
Understanding what works best for your content marketing campaign is simply a matter of tracking your promotions and follow-up content and analyzing performance data. This practice will help you know whether or not to invest in a webinar the next time around or if sticking to your business newsletter was the right idea after all. The key is to use the multichannel approach to explore new avenues to engage potential customers, and while some will be a hit and some will surely flop, you’ll learn and learn quickly. The most rewarding part about testing is that with each campaign, you’re getting closer to knowing what makes the people who engage with your brand tick, and that knowledge is absolutely essential to your growth.
