Content Marketing
October 5, 2022
12 min

How to Use Content Marketing to Generate More Leads

Author
Patrick Gomez
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Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to attract leads and convert them into customers. In order to get the most out of your content marketing strategy, you need to create content that is engaging and relevant to your target audience. You also need to make sure that your content is promoted in a way that will reach the right people. In this blog post, we will discuss how you can use video content marketing to generate more inbound leads for your business!

Before we get started talking about inbound leads and how to get them, we need to understand the difference between inbound and outbound leads (if you already know this - skip to the how to part of the post).

What Are Inbound Leads?

As a marketer, you're always looking for new leads. But what exactly is a lead? And how can you get more of them? A lead is a person who has indicated an interest in your product or service in some way. They could be on your website, subscribed to your email list, or following you on social media. And there are two main types of leads: outbound and inbound.

An inbound lead is someone who has shown interest in your product or service by coming to you—usually through your website or blog. They could be subscribing to your email list, downloading a piece of content like an e-book or whitepaper, or even just visiting your website.

The key difference between inbound and outbound leads is that inbound leads are already interested in what you have to offer. With outbound leads, on the other hand, you have to do more work to sell them on your product or service. That's not to say that all inbound leads will turn into customers—but they're definitely further along in the sales funnel than outbound leads.

In conclusion, inbound leads are valuable because they're already interested in what you have to offer. They've come to you—usually through your website or blog—and shown an interest in learning more about your product or service. To generate more inbound leads for your business, optimize your website for search engines, create compelling content such as e-books and webinars, and promote that content far and wide! By following these tips, you'll be well on your way to generating more high-quality leads for your business. Thanks for reading!

What Are Outbound Leads?

In the world of marketing, the term "outbound lead" gets thrown around a lot. But what is an outbound lead, exactly? And how can you generate them for your business? Keep reading to find out.

Outbound leads are potential customers that you proactively reach out to, rather than waiting for them to come to you. In other words, with outbound lead generation, you're going to be doing the majority of the legwork. However, that doesn't mean that it's not worth your time and effort—generating outbound leads can be a great way to grow your business.

There are a few different ways that you can generate outbound leads. One popular method is through email marketing. This involves sending targeted emails to individuals or businesses that might be interested in what you have to offer. Another common method is through cold calling. This involves calling potential customers and trying to sell them on your product or service.

Generating outbound leads takes effort, but it can be a great way to grow your business. There are a few different methods that you can use to generate outbound leads, including email marketing and cold calling. Keep these tips in mind, and you'll be well on your way to generating quality leads for your business.

How Are Inbound and Outbound Leads Different?

Marketing efforts can be broadly divided into two categories: inbound and outbound. Inbound marketing focuses on drawing customers to your business organically through techniques like search engine optimization and content marketing. Outbound marketing, on the other hand, is more proactive; it involves going out and finding customers, usually through paid advertising.

At first glance, it might not seem like there would be much difference between inbound and outbound leads—after all, both types of leads are potential customers who could eventually convert into paying customers, right? However, there are actually some key differences between inbound and outbound leads that marketers need to be aware of.

The Difference Between Inbound and Outbound Leads

There are three main ways in which inbound and outbound leads differ:

1. The way they're generated

2. The level of interest they have

3. The level of commitment they've made

Let's take a closer look at each of these factors.

1. The Way They're Generated

Inbound leads are generated organically; they find you, rather than you finding them. This can happen in a number of ways, but some common examples include prospects researching a problem online and coming across your blog post or whitepaper addressing that problem; or seeing your company mentioned in a positive light on social media or in the news.

Outbound leads, on the other hand, are generated through proactive effort on the part of the marketer. Rather than waiting for prospects to come to you, you go out and find them yourself—usually through paid advertising or direct outreach (like email marketing or cold calling).

2. The Level of Interest They Have

In general, inbound leads will have a higher level of interest than outbound leads—but why is this? There are two reasons for this phenomenon. First of all, remember how we said that inbound customers find you? This means that they're already interested in what you do—otherwise, they wouldn't have been looking for you in the first place!

On the other hand, outbound customers aren't necessarily interested in what you do until you reach out to them; at that point, it's up to you to sell them on your product or service. In other words: with inbound leads, there's already an element of trust present; with outbound lead generation efforts, you have to work a bit harder to build that trust from scratch.  

3. The Level of Commitment They've Made

Finally, we come to commitment levels. In general, inbound leads will also have higher levels of commitment than outbounds simply because they've taken the time to seek you out—which means they must be pretty interested in what you have to say! Of course, this isn't always the case—some people might just be conducting general research with no specific intent to buy—but it's still more likely that an inbound lead is further along in their buyer's journey than an outbound one.  

So there you have it: a few key ways in which inbound and outbound leads differ from one another! As a marketer, it's important to be aware of these differences so that you can adjust your technique accordingly. After all, the way you approach a lead who has already shown an interest in your product is going to be very different from the way you approach a complete stranger!

THE BIG QUESTION: How Do I Generate More Inbound Leads?

Inbound leads are a vital part of any successful business. By creating high-quality content, you can attract potential customers and convert them into leads. Here is our fool proof 4-step process to generating inbound traffic.

1. Identify your target audience.

Targeting your audience is critical for the success of inbound lead generation. The vast majority of inbound leads will come from a small fraction of your total website traffic, so it's important to make sure that you're targeting the right audience with your inbound marketing efforts. But how do you identify your target audience? Read on to find out.

There are a few key ways to identify your target audience for inbound leads. First, consider who your ideal customer is. Think about what they look like, where they live, what their interests are, and what their needs are. Once you have a clear picture of who your ideal customer is, you can begin to generate leads that are more likely to convert into customers.

Another way to identify your target audience is to look at your website traffic data. Use Google Analytics or another similar tool to see where your website visitors are coming from, what pages they're spending the most time on, and what actions they're taking on your site. This data can give you valuable insights into who your target audience is and what they're interested in.

Finally, consider using market research to identify your target audience. There are a number of different market research methods you can use, including surveys, focus groups, and interviews. Market research can be costly and time-consuming, but it's often worth it to get accurate and actionable information about your target audience.

Identifying your target audience is essential for successful inbound lead generation. By considering who your ideal customer is, looking at your website traffic data, and using market research, you can get a clear picture of who you should be targeting with your inbound marketing efforts.

2. Produce high-quality content.

If you're a marketer, than you know that high-quality content is essential to attracting inbound leads. But what exactly constitutes "high-quality" content? And how can you produce it consistently? In this blog post, we'll explore the answer to both of those questions.

What is High-Quality Content?

In order to produce high-quality content, you first need to understand what it is. High-quality content is anything that provides value to your readers without coming across as sales-y or self-promotional. It educates, entertains, and engages; it doesn't pitch or sell. That's not to say that your content can never mention your product or service—of course it can!—but it should always be done in a way that feels organic and natural, not forced or contrived.

How to Produce High-Quality Content

Now that we know what high-quality content looks like, let's talk about how you can produce it consistently. To do that, there are four steps you need to take:

1. come up with a topics list,

2. do your research,

3. write your drafts, and

4. edit and proofread your final piece.

We'll go into more detail on each of these steps below.

Marketers are always looking for new topics to write about, and coming up with a topics list is a great way to generate ideas on what to publish next. When brainstorming ideas, think about the problems your target audience is facing and the questions they're asking—your content should aim to provide answers and solutions to these pain points. Once you have a list of potential topics, it's time to do your research.

Even if you're an expert on the subject matter you're writing about, it's important to back up your claims with data from credible sources. This adds authority and weight to your argument while also giving you an opportunity to show off your industry knowledge. After you've done your research and gathered all the data you need, it's time to start writing your drafts.

When drafting your content, keep your target audience in mind—what are their needs and wants? How can you best address them? Once you've answered these questions, start structuring your piece in a way that will be easy for readers to follow. Remember: clarity is key! Lastly, don't forget to edit and proofread your final piece before hitting "publish." Typos and grammatical errors will reflect poorly on both you and your company, so it's important take the time to make sure everything looks good before putting it out there into the world.

By following the steps outlined above—coming up with a topics list, doing your research, writing drafts, and editing/proofreading final pieces—you can produce high-quality content that will help attract inbound leads consistently!

3. Promote your content online.

You've created some great content and you're ready to share it with the world. But you know that simply posting it on your website isn't enough. You need to promote your content on social media to reach a wider audience and generate inbound leads. Here's how.

Pick the Right Platforms

Not all social media platforms are created equal. When it comes to promoting your content, you need to be strategic about which platforms you use. Depending on your target audience, some platforms will be more effective than others. For example, if you're targeting B2B buyers, LinkedIn is a great choice. If you're targeting millennials, Instagram might be a better bet.

Of course, you don't have to limit yourself to just one platform. Use multiple platforms to reach as many people as possible. Just make sure you're using each platform in the right way.

Post at the Right Time

Timing is everything when it comes to social media posts. If you post when no one is online, your content is likely to get lost in the shuffle. That's why it's important to know when your target audience is most active on each platform.

For example, the best time to post on LinkedIn is during business hours (9 am - 5 pm), while the best time to post on Instagram is mid-week (Wednesday at 11 am). Experiment with different times and days of the week to see what works best for your business.

Use Visuals

People are visual creatures, which is why using visuals in your social media posts is so important. In addition to text-based posts, try using images, infographics, videos, and even GIFs to make your posts more eye-catching and engaging. This will help you attract more attention and get more people interested in your content.

Social media is a powerful tool for promoting your content and generating inbound leads. By being strategic about which platforms you use and when you post, you can make sure your content reaches the widest possible audience. And don't forget to use visuals! People are more likely to engage with content that uses images, videos, and other forms of multimedia.

4. Analyze your results and adjust your strategy as needed.

As a marketer, it's important to analyze your results so that you can adjust your strategy as needed. After all, the only way to know if something is working is to track your progress and see what's working and what isn't. Luckily, there are a variety of tools and methods you can use to do just that. In this blog post, we'll discuss some of the most effective ways to analyze your inbound lead generation results so that you can make the necessary adjustments to ensure continued success.

Methods for Analyzing Inbound Lead Generation Results

There are several methods you can use to effectively analyze inbound lead generation results:

1. Look at the Quality of Your Leads

One of the first things you should do when analyzing your inbound lead generation results is take a look at the quality of your leads. Are they qualified? Do they match your buyer persona? If not, it may be time to revisit your lead generation strategy and make some changes.

2. Look at Your Conversion Rates

Another important metric to look at when analyzing your inbound lead generation results is your conversion rate. This will give you an indication of how successful your lead generation efforts are. If you're not seeing the conversion rates you want, it may be time to make some adjustments to your strategy.

3. Look at Your Cost per Lead

In addition to looking at conversion rates, you should also look at your cost per lead. This metric will help you determine how efficient your lead generation efforts are. If you're spending too much money per lead, it may be time to reevaluate your strategy.

4. Look at the Quality of Your Traffic

Finally, you should also take a look at the quality of the traffic coming to your website. This can be done by looking at things like bounce rate and time on site. If people are quickly leaving your site, it could be an indication that they're not finding what they're looking for or that their needs are not being met. In either case, it may be time to make some changes to improve the quality of your traffic.

In order for inbound lead generation efforts to be successful, it's important to regularly analyze results and make necessary adjustments along the way. By using the above-mentioned methods, you can effectively track progress and ensure that tweaks are made as needed in order achieve desired results.

How Video Content Marketing Can Help You Generate Inbound Leads

There's no question that video content is on the rise. In 2019, internet users watched an average of 1.5 hours of online video per day, and that number is only expected to increase in the years to come. With so many people watching videos online, it's no surprise that marketers are turning to video content marketing to generate inbound leads. But how exactly does video content help you generate leads? Keep reading to find out.

There are a number of ways that video content marketing can help you generate inbound leads.

First, video is an excellent way to capture attention and keep viewers engaged. A well-crafted video can communicate a lot of information in a short amount of time, which is perfect for busy internet users who don't have the time or patience to read through long blocks of text.

Second, video is an excellent way to build trust and credibility with your audience. When prospective customers see you and hear you talking about your product or service, they'll be more likely to trust you and do business with you than if they only had text to go off of.

Finally, video is an excellent way to encourage social sharing. If someone watches your video and enjoys it, they're much more likely to share it with their friends and followers than if they'd read an article or blog post instead. And when your videos get shared, that means more people will see them—and some of those people will be prospective customers who you can then convert into inbound leads.

As you can see, there are a number of reasons why video content marketing is an excellent way to generate inbound leads. So if you're not already using video as part of your lead generation strategy, what are you waiting for? Get started today and see the results for yourself!

Ultimately,

In order to generate more inbound leads for your business, you need to create content that is engaging and relevant to your target audience. You should also make sure that your content is promoted in a way that will reach the right people. Video content marketing can be a great way to achieve both of these goals. By creating videos that are interesting and relevant to your target audience, you can attract more leads and convert them into customers. Additionally, by promoting your videos on social media and other channels, you can reach a larger audience and drive more traffic to your website. So what are you waiting for? Get started today with creating converting content!

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Written by
Patrick Gomez
CEO

Young CEO with a history of meeting and exceeding company goals. Skilled in working under pressure and quickly adapting to new situations and challenges to best maintain organizational growth. Brings a solid history of success in boosting program operations, efficiency, and performance.

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