Using Content Marketing for Lead Nurturing

Hello!

Now that you have leads, how do you convert them into customers? The key to better lead nurturing is content marketing, which serves as a way to develop trusting relationships with leads by providing them with useful and relevant content.

Content plays a large role in nurturing leads, but what content should you share with your leads to spark conversation, create interest, and ultimately make them ready to become your customer, and in what format?

The solution lies in creating and tailoring your content to the lead’s specific buyer’s journey.

This means providing the lead with the information they need in the format that makes the most sense to them, based on the buyer’s journey stage they are in: Awareness, Consideration, or Decision.

Lead Nurturing in the Awareness Stage

In this stage of the buyer’s journey, the lead is aware of a problem or opportunity and is seeking more information.  These leads want content that will give them even more information about the problem or opportunity they’re facing.

Leads in this stage are most interested in such content as:

• Whitepapers
• eBooks
• Analyst/research reports
• Educational content
• Editorial content

In this stage, leads are likely not seeking to make a purchase, so it’s important not to bombard them with information about your company and services. But keep in mind: although you aren’t explicitly stating your services, readers are becoming aware of or more familiar with your brand.

And by providing your leads with helpful information that educates them about their problem or a potential opportunity, you are becoming an expert in their eyes, and solidifying your authority and a level of trustworthiness.

Lead Nurturing in the Consideration Stage

During the Consideration stage, leads have now clearly defined their problem or opportunity and want content that will educate them on their solutions.

Good content formats for this stage include:

• Expert guides
• Live interactions
• Webcast
• Video
• Comparison guides

As leads in this stage are looking for solution options, you can further nurture their interest and cement your status as an expert by presenting them with solution options, but without yet bringing in your brand’s specific solution.

In this stage, leads are in the right frame of mind to hear solution options, but only after exploring these are they ready to hear about specific brands and services.

Lead Nurturing in the Decision Stage

Once the lead reaches the decision stage, they have chosen to move forward with a solution and are ready to hear why your brand and its services are better than your competition, so don’t let them down.

Let the lead know that yours is the best solution for their problem with content such as:

• Product comparisons
• Case studies
• Product literature
• Live demos

Mapping and Distributing Your Content to Your Leads

What is the best channel through which to deliver your content and build trusting relationships with your leads? Marketers consistently cite email campaigns as the most effective way to nurture leads, and create unique campaigns for each stage of a lead’s buyer’s journey to maximize their efforts.

Now that you’ve defined your audience segments and know the kind of content your leads want to see throughout their buyer’s journey, it’s time to map your content flow and then distribute your emails.

Below are a few tips for mapping and distributing your content to your leads through email campaigns:

• In the planning stages, map out the objectives and goals for each email, and include the email subject line, CTA, and type of content offered.
• Create a timeline for your emails. Be sure to space out your emails so as not to overwhelm the lead.
• Send your email from a human name and not just your basic company email. This will make you more relatable to your leads and put a friendly face to your brand in the mind of the lead.
• Continually test your campaigns by experimenting with the content offer, subject line, and CTA within the email. Measure your results and iterate accordingly.

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