Why your website isn’t generating leads—Part 2

1. Incorporate banners throughout your website.
Incorporating banner ads throughout your website on pages that relate to blog articles is also an effective way to optimize your content marketing efforts. This tip is similar to incorporating banner ads in articles. Extending the promotion of content downloads throughout your website fully leverages both website traffic and content marketing efforts.

2. Link relevant product pages to blog articles, and vice versa.
Website integration between blog articles and product, service, capability or other pages is essential to ensuring your content marketing efforts are working as hard as possible. It’s essential to have links on all core web pages that refer users to relevant blog articles and other related content. This integration ensures readers can find relevant information and helps maximize opportunities to convert website visitors to leads.

3. Optimize every aspect of landing pages.
Landing pages are one of the core foundational elements for any inbound marketing strategy. Landing pages are where web visitors convert to leads. Placement of the form, incorporating calls-to-action and copy tone are all variables that can impact landing page conversions. Leveraging strong calls-to-action and lead forms within landing pages can help deliver tangible results for your inbound marketing efforts. It’s important to give reasons for prospects to provide information.

4. Deliver content in a variety of formats.
People don’t consume information in the same manner. In order to capitalize on different preferences, consider presenting information in a number of different formats. Consider the use of checklists, infographics, short-form reports (5-10 pages), ebooks, flipbooks and other mechanisms that dish up content for consumption in differing manners. Download our content creation tool for examples of different formats for content.

5. Consider delivery methods such as videos.
Blog articles should be the hub of your content marketing strategy. Ebooks and other downloadable documents tend to be the next natural extension, but they don’t have to be the only tactics used to deliver all content. According to The MarketingProfs B2B Content Marketing Study, videos are now viewed as the fifth most effective content type to reach B2B audiences. Get ahead of this trend and find appropriate uses for delivering content via video.

6. Leverage checklists as a download, playing on users’ appreciation of lists.
Consider the use of checklists. Lists continue to prevail as one of the most effective types of blog articles. Leveraging checklists as a form of downloadable content can extend this popular format into something that encourages leads to provide their contact information. Always keep in mind, anything that requires completion of a lead form needs to be comprehensive and have real value.

7. Applying behavior to deliver relevant and personalized communications.
Once users engage, leverage behavior to develop targeted, relevant communications. Applying behavioral information to personalize outbound and follow-up communications takes the entire customer experience to a more actionable level.

Leverage interactions to inform ongoing communications streams, including segmenting customers for follow-up. Personalize communications and target an individual with a series of related content.

8. Add “check out our blog, web page” or “check out this content” to your email signature.
This is a fairly easy tip to execute. Just add a simple “check out” statement and link to your email signature. This is quick, easy and provides immediate access to everyone your email touches. Focus on those pieces of content that have demonstrated the ability to generate readership and leads.

9. Fully integrate and leverage all social media outlets with your web lead generation efforts.
Some marketing organizations are still managing social media as a stand-alone function. The reality is that social media is often a more effective channel for other content, versus a stand-alone communications channel. Consider how to tightly integrate your social media editorial calendar with your content marketing and other digital media calendars. This integration can improve exposure and reach of priority content marketing messages.

10. Utilize search engine marketing to launch new offers.
Search engine marketing is an effective means to jump-start your lead generation efforts. We’ve seen success in adding SEM to the initial stages of a new campaign to generate targeted awareness for a new offer. SEM reaches people when they are in the mindset of thinking about solutions that your business might offer. SEM is an effective channel to be in the right place at the right time, and can generally be balanced as organic search gets traction.

11. Hire someone who knows more about inbound, content and digital marketing than you do.
Agencies are actually on the forefront of applying content and inbound marketing. Ensure any agency you select to handle content and inbound marketing have demonstrated success in this arena. It’s a red flag if they aren’t practicing what they preach.