Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
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They say content is king—but not all digital content is created equal. While most digital content can help build awareness of your brand, the most valuable content is designed to attract prospects who are ready to buy from you.
Of course, even the best content won't result in a purchase on the first contact. The marketing rule of seven states that, on average, consumers need to see your message at least seven times before they decide to make a purchase. While this can often be the case, compelling digital content can go a long way toward lowering this overall number.
Related: 5 Types of Digital Content Potential Buyers Love to Interact With Online
1. Email campaigns
Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to communicate with prospects and stay in touch with existing customers to ensure they buy from you again. Not only are emails far more likely to be read than other types of content, but their average return on investment outperforms other options.
According to the HubSpot blog, most marketers see an average open rate of 46-50% and a click-through rate of 2.6-3%—numbers that far exceed the engagement rates of social media and other popular forms of content.
Even though they're mostly made up of past customers, email lists are an important marketing tool because they're made up of people who have agreed to receive additional messages from you. That fact alone makes them far more qualified leads than someone who happens to stumble upon your blog.
2. Personal engagement in social media
While the overall engagement and reach of many social media platforms has declined, there is still a lot to be said about the potential of these platforms to drive personalized interactions with your most promising leads.
When marketers strategically comment on other people's posts, actively participate in relevant groups and conversations, and respond to the comments and messages they receive, it helps build meaningful dialogue with their audience.
By combining this personalized engagement with relevant, authoritative content (including videos, surveys, and more), you can use social media to nurture warm leads.
3. Cost calculator
Most businesses have at least some sort of onsite content marketing strategy, which usually revolves around blogging. A blog can undoubtedly be beneficial for building SEO and domain authority, but depending on the type of content you create, it won't always generate warm leads.
However, if you focus your website content on customers who are ready to buy immediately, you can significantly increase your own sales potential – and one of the best ways to do this is to use a cost calculator.
From calculating the cost of shipping a car across the country to determining the cost of building your own website, these tools are inherently geared toward warm leads who are ready to make a purchasing decision. In this case, providing useful budget and planning information directly influences the user's purchasing decision and is an effective way to reach warm leads.
Related: 4 Steps to Writing Content That Converts
4. Webinars
Webinars are becoming increasingly popular in digital content, and for good reason. When presented to the right audience, webinars can be far more interesting and engaging to prospects than a blog post on the same topic.
Simply presenting content in an audiovisual format helps the webinar feel like a standalone event. With an engaging topic and professional presenters, you can build a large audience. And if the topic of the webinar itself is tied to what you offer, you can create a natural transition into how you can help viewers solve their most pressing problems.
Webinars can be even more effective when combined with other content, such as an eBook or follow-up video lessons. Done correctly, webinars can be a great resource for collecting email addresses and other information from warm leads who are most likely interested in your services.
5. Software demos
Admittedly, this digital content option isn't right for every industry, but there are a variety of companies that offer software services that cover everything from tracking logistics and customer relationships to managing the backend of a website.
A software demo gives potential new customers the opportunity to try out the service before they decide to buy. Direct interaction and experience with the software is ultimately far more convincing than a series of sales pitches, as it gives buyers a clear indication of whether or not a particular product is right for them.
It should come as no surprise, then, that free trials with no opt-out have an incredible 48.8% conversion rate. It's also worth noting that companies that don't sell software can use similar “trial” options, such as a two-week trial of their services. Trials and demos appeal to the most passionate buyers, who often use them to finalize their purchasing decision.
Related: 5 Steps to Creating a Content Marketing Strategy That Drives Business Results
While regularly updating a blog or social media profile can be useful as part of your content marketing strategy, it's important that brands in every niche focus on the types of content that will bring the greatest return.
By focusing on the types of content most likely to attract new prospects, you can convert more leads into sales and maximize the success of your content strategy.
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
