Brands are currently generating plenty of content, with a 300% increase this year compared to last year. However, only 5% of branded content garners 90% of total customer engagement. On average, 19 out of 20 content pieces get little to no attention at all.1
Only 5% of branded content garners 90% of total customer engagement.
Instead of just focusing on the content volume, content marketers now need to optimize their content marketing efforts to increase customer engagement on each content piece they produce. Here are four strategies that will help them achieve that:
Historical Optimization
Historical optimization is the process of refreshing ‘old' (i.e., not published today) content to help drive traffic and improve lead generation. It is done in the following ways:
Content with high conversions but low traffic: for such content, the focus should be on driving more traffic to capture a higher number of leads. The content should be updated and republished to drive traffic to the site as Google rewards freshness for search ranking. On-page SEO for targeted keywords should be done to get the content on top of Google's Search Engine Results Page (SERP)2 to drive traffic.
Content with high traffic but low conversions: use keyword-based conversion optimization for such content. Understand the needs of visitors by analyzing the keywords they use to find the content. Post the analysis and add a CTA to the content that addresses the needs of the visitors. This will help boost the conversion rate.
ToFu-MoFu-BoFu Framework
A total of 50% of qualified leads are not ready to purchase when they convert. This framework helps to nurture leads by assisting content marketers to deliver the right content for every step of the buyer's journey. The framework has three different strategies, each particularly useful to the stage in which the customer is in the buying journey.
ToFu, or Top of Funnel, is useful for customers at the initial stage of the buying journey. This strategy is about introducing your company to the customer. The goal is to educate the customer how your solution can help to solve their problems or challenges. The communication can be in the form of an ebook, article, whitepaper, etc.
MoFu, or Middle of Funnel, is where the lead progresses post-conversion on the ToFu content offered. MoFu content helps position the solution provided by your company as the best choice for solving the pain points/challenges of the customer. Analyst reports, buying guides, etc., are examples of MoFu content.
BoFu, or Bottom of Funnel, is the most crucial stage as it precedes a sale. BoFu content showcases how a potential deal might look and provides information that assists with the decision-making process. Pricing sheets, demos, etc., are examples of BoFu content. The table below illustrates how content can be mapped to different stages of the buyer’s journey.
Repurpose Framework
Repurposing content is the strategy of recycling content into different formats, equipping you with the ability to produce more content at a quicker pace. The Repurpose Framework consists of three main parts:
Core Content
Core Content refers to original, substantial content that involves deep insight and research. It can be in the form of research reports, whitepapers, guides, ebooks etc. These assets are the source material for repurposed content and promotional micro-content.3
Repurposed Content
This content is created by taking pieces of information from the core content, converting them into smaller pieces of communication, elaborating a single point. These will be more accessible and can take on one of two forms - long-form blog posts or articles, and short-form presentations or infographics. This content can link back to the Core Content.
Promotional Micro-Content
Microcontent is content that is posted on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. It is promotional in style, and helps facilitate conversation on social media while pointing back to Core Content and Repurposed Content.
Build Around Topics
Topic clusters -- a group of interlinked content pages built around one piece of pillar content on a broad theme -- help to improve the ranking on Google's SERP. The reason is that, if one page performs well, other pages linked to it will also move up on the search rankings and this can lead to owning multiple SERPs for the same keyword.4 As a result of better rankings, your content will drive more traffic, and visitors are likely to stay for longer, because of the volume of content related to the visitor's interests.
When one content piece does well, every interlinked page will do better too.
This framework can be used by an individual or a business to establish thought leadership in a particular space. For example, a business could build a lot of content, appropriately structured and linked, centered around its area of expertise, say, Customer Success in SaaS or Digital Transformation in Retail, to establish itself as an expert in those areas.
Conclusion
Boosting your inbound marketing efforts requires more than just producing content in bulk; it demands strategic planning and optimization to truly engage and convert your audience. By implementing these four strategies—Historical Optimization, ToFu-MoFu-BoFu Framework, Repurpose Framework, and Building Around Topics—you can enhance the visibility and effectiveness of your content. Each strategy offers a distinct way to attract and nurture leads at different stages of the buyer's journey, ensuring that your content not only reaches a wider audience but also resonates more deeply with potential customers. By focusing on quality, relevance, and strategic distribution, you can ensure that your inbound marketing efforts yield substantial and measurable results, establishing your brand as a thought leader in your industry.
References:
https://pages.beckon.com/rs/976-IET-418/images/Marketing-Truth-or-Marketing-Hype-Beckon-Report.pdf
https://blog.alexa.com/choosing-pages-historical-optimization/
http://www.curata.com/blog/the-content-marketing-pyramid-how-to-generate-more-with-less/
