Content marketing has become crucial for lead generation.
Having fresh, relevant, and engaging content on your website and blog helps your SEO and brings visitors to your website. If the content is interesting, it will keep visitors on your site, enhance your credibility in your chosen sector and encourage potential customers to make inquiries with you. Want to know more about why it’s important? Check this out.
I have never invested a penny in SEO. I have never used online or other advertising. In fact, I have barely used any lead generation techniques other than telemarketing and content marketing. Telemarketing aside, since that’s one of our core service offerings, we now receive a significant number of inquiries each month through our website. The site has been steadily gaining visitors at an annualized growth rate of between 50-200% per month for the past year or more. That’s despite the fact that our website is about to be completely revamped since it is out of date?
The answer to why this is happening is very simple. In 2013, I wrote one blog every week and distributed that through social media. I also write articles and tips for my website in our Knowledge Bank. Our Top 10 Tips on Telemarketing achieves fantastic Google results and has done so for several years.
I have been writing since 2009. Slowly and infrequently at the outset, with a notable low blip in 2011 but rising again to 52 blogs in 2013. There are now over 100 blogs on lead generation including tips and techniques as well as some guest articles and all manner of blogs on our core service offerings. I have also started producing videos. We’re a long way from getting there with our videos but that’s our next priority.
I believe that the reason for the significant increase in website traffic and inquiries is down to our continuing focus on good content. Every small business is an expert in something and hopefully knows its target market. It is perfectly feasible therefore for owners and managers to write articles of interest and tips for the kinds of buyers that might purchase their services.
So what stops small businesses from writing content? Typically, there are 3 roadblocks:
We’ve got no time
This is a response I often hear. Well, I started this blog sitting on my sofa at halftime whilst watching the football. I didn’t finish it but I broke the back of it and completed it the following day.
This is a response I often hear. Well, I started this blog sitting on my sofa at halftime whilst watching the football. I didn’t finish it but I broke the back of it and completed it the following day.
We Don’t Know how to Write Articles
We’re not authors is the second excuse. Well, nor am I. I got a grade of C for English. That doesn’t mean that I can’t write or that I have nothing of interest to say. There are tons of blog articles on the web explaining how to write a good blog. Equally, there are plenty of videos on the subject. If you want to grow your business, invest some time in learning how to write some compelling content for your website and blog.
We don’t know what to write
I know it’s not easy. So, check out others in your sector. Find out who is writing about what. That should provide ample inspiration for your own articles. After all, if the movers and shakers in your market are writing about a topic, it must be of interest to others.
So, get your thinking caps on. Set some content marketing goals and decide on how frequently you will produce interesting content for your target audience. Then make sure you put them on your blog and website and tell people about them by distribution through Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google +, and so on. If you do that, over time, you will start to see the benefits of content marketing through growth in lead generation.
And if you want to know how GSA Business Development can help generate growth for your business or book one of our new business development and marketing strategy workshops, contact us now on 0845 658 8192 or use the form on this site.
