If you’re like most marketers, you probably struggle to increase your lead conversions from content. No matter how awesome your blogs, eBooks, and resources might be, one thing is clear: it’s getting tougher and tougher for B2B companies to build relationships with their target audiences.
The content ecosystem is flooded, and you can’t just assume that people will jump to download your eBooks and agree to talk to your sales reps. Instead, you need to speak to their needs by communicating an irresistible value proposition.
Tips and tricks will only take your conversion rates so far. Here are three steps that are guaranteed to boost your lead conversion rates.
1. Interview Your Customers
Does your audience find your value proposition compelling?
This question can be tough to answer. Your customers see your business from a completely different perspective than you: while you spend eight to ten hours a day on your messaging, your customers’ attention spans are more fleeting. For an effective lead generation strategy, you need to put yourself in their shoes.
For an effective lead generation strategy, put yourself in your customer’s shoes.
Are your eBook titles compelling? Are your case studies relevant? Does your audience understand the value of your product?
Unless you talk to your customers, you’ll be limiting your strategy to assumptions you can’t prove. By interviewing your customers, you’ll ground your perspectives in reality.
2. A/B Test Your Messaging
Is your messaging optimized?
Customer interviews are only the first step in answering this question. Messaging comes with nuances: even the most subtle word choice can yield a powerful impact.
Make sure you’re A/B testing your lead generation prompts and offers.
While you conduct the customer interviews mentioned above, pay attention to the areas where your messaging might be missing the mark. Bridge these gaps with new messaging concepts, and test these ideas on a small proportion of your web traffic. Keep running experiments: some will be hits, some will be misses, and others will yield no impact at all.
Be consistent until you find an opportunity to iterate and build upon your messages. A/B testing will allow you to improve your lead conversions without jeopardizing your core campaigns and existing successes.
3. Aim to Answer Real Questions
Are prospective customers finding value in your content?
Make sure all your content goes through the “so what” test: it should speak to real needs and pain points. Marketers are well aware of this best practice, but marketing team members aren’t usually client-facing.
So reach out to your sales team.
Sit down with your account managers, support reps, and sales executives to discuss what’s happening in the market. Explore how your best customers are finding your company. Get a sense of the problems your audience is trying to solve, and make these a core part of your content strategy.
Every single blog post should be helpful, relevant, and practical.
Put yourself in your audience’s shoes and aim to provide value. To get started, just follow the steps above: put your ears to the ground, and get close to your target market.
Marketing successes come from empathy, not tips and tricks. Create resources that complement your audience’s decision cycles and you’ll see higher lead conversion rates—guaranteed.