by Elizabeth Hines | Jan 1, 2015 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Strategy, Talent
93% of B2B marketers use content marketing. However, less than half (42%) of B2B marketers say that they are effective at content marketing. One of the reasons these marketers are ineffective: bad content.
All content is not created equal. There is good content. There is bad content. Good content drives profitable customer action. Bad content does not drive profitable customer action.
You need good content.
What is good content? Here are 3 elements of good content:
1. Good content is original
Good content is content that is unique. It is not content that is copied and pasted. It is not regurgitated content. Not only is original content SEO friendly, original content is customer-friendly. 70% of consumers prefer to get to know a company through original articles.
2. Good content stands out
There are more than 27 million pieces of content shared each day. If you want your content to get lost, create bad content. If you want content that stands out you need content that differs from that of the rest of the pack. You can make content stand out by using winning headlines, graphics, images, infographics, and with great writing.
3. Good content attracts and engages current and prospective customers
Every single piece of content that makes it onto your website and blog needs to be content that is created with your current and prospective customers in mind.
Content that attracts and engages is not a sales pitch. Rather, it is content that communicates valuable information to customers and prospects so that they have the knowledge to make better informed decisions. Moreover, it is content that establishes your business as a reliable source of knowledge – as the thought-leader within the industry.
Good content excites customers and prospects and makes them want to reach out to you.
You get what you pay for
Content creation takes time. However, time is often hard to come by. 69% of content marketers feel a lack of time is their greatest challenge. Moreover, almost 50% of marketers struggle with producing enough content, and producing content that engages.
Faced with constraints of time and volume, quality often takes a hit. In some cases the company itself creates and distributes content of poor quality. In other cases, the company chooses to outsource content creation, but does not do their due diligence with respect to the outsource partner and the quality of content that is created.
Good content is not inexpensive. That being said, good content is worth its weight in gold. This is not something I just say, this is something I know. I gave several low cost content options a try.
I began by conducting a search for companies that offered low-cost content (content that costs less than $20 per blog post). I then narrowed the field down even more by researching which of these companies had the highest rankings and customer satisfaction rates. I then selected two companies and decided to give it a go.
The results were dismal. The content was not good content.
If you want content that is good content and will drive profitable results you need to invest. You need to either invest in someone in-house, or you need to conduct your due diligence and find an outsource partner that can create good content for your company.
Interested in learning more about content? Check out these articles:
Or simply,
by Elizabeth Hines | Dec 31, 2014 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Strategy
Content marketing is among the hottest topics in marketing and media. However, most companies should stop their content marketing efforts – immediately. The reason these companies should stop is because, despite the hipness of content marketing, they will not realize a positive ROI and will not grow their business through content marketing. In short, many companies are just plain wasting their time and money.
Everybody – companies and customers – has stuff. Joe Pulizzi, Founder of the Content Marketing Institute, discusses the importance of not only recognizing this reality, but also the importance of acting on it.
Pulizzi defines three categories of stuff:
- Corporate stuff;
- Content stuff; and
- Customer stuff.
The majority of companies fall prey to focusing on content stuff within a vacuum. But, as Pulizzi points out: “For content marketing to work, we need to link the corporate stuff with the customer stuff through content.”
What does this mean? This means that in order for content marketing it be effective you need strategy. Strategy is what enables you to link what you know as a brand (corporate stuff) with customers’ needs (customer stuff) through content.
The importance of strategy is underscored by the results of a 2014 study. The study found that 93% of B2B marketers use content marketing. 60% of companies who have a documented content strategy in place consider their efforts to be effective as compared to 11% of companies with no documented content strategy in place. Similarly, the study found that companies who put a person in charge of content marketing were more likely to be successful than those who did not (86% vs. 46%).
If your company is employing content marketing and does not have a strategy in place, stop. Create a strategy, put someone in charge, then re-start your efforts. With a strategy in place, content marketing will drive profitable customer action.
by Elizabeth Hines | Dec 25, 2014 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Strategy
Fronetics Strategic Advisors is a management consulting firm focused on strategy and inbound marketing. When it comes to inbound marketing we take a different approach than other firms. This is because of our business experience and background. We know ROI is important, so our approach is data driven and produces results.
What is inbound marketing?
Inbound marketing is very different from traditional, or outbound, marketing. Inbound marketing focuses on creating quality content that attracts people to your company and product. By aligning the content you publish with your customer’s interests, you attract the right traffic – traffic that you can then convert, close, and delight over time. Outbound marketing, in contrast, uses methods including: buying ads, buying email lists, and cold calling.
Inbound marketing works
Research conducted by HubSpot found that inbound marketing is more effective than outbound marketing:
- 200% average ROI;
- 62% lower cost head;
- 15% increase in top line revenue.
Freight logistics company Cerasis decided to make the switch from outbound marketing to inbound marketing. Within 25 months the company gained 98 new customers and increased revenue by 14%.
Our approach
Strategy matters. A 2014 study of B2B marketers found that companies who have a documented content strategy in place are more likely to consider their efforts to be effective than companies who do not have a documented strategy in place (60 percent vs. 11 percent). We work with our clients’ to develop a strategy that is right for their company. We then work with our clients’ to implement the strategy.
Here’s what we do:
What now?
We understand that developing and implementing an inbound marketing strategy can seem daunting. We are here to help. We are happy to take a few minutes and look at your current strategy and give you ideas on how to start, or suggestions on what you can do to make your current strategy more successful. We are also happy to talk with you about what we can do.
If you are, like many other people, stretched for time and also struggle with strategy and execution, we can also talk to you about what Fronetics does and how we can help. We know some people prefer to do it themselves, and others prefer to outsource.
We’d love to talk with you about how you can grow your business through inbound marketing.
by Elizabeth Hines | Sep 16, 2014 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
I work with companies from the supply chain and logistics industries to identify and execute strategies that will grow their business. Too often I see companies who have invested time and money into developing a B2B inbound marketing strategy and have fallen flat. Here are six reasons why inbound marketing strategies tend to fail:
The ideal customer is not being targeted
A successful inbound marketing strategy will attract and engage the “right people” – ideal customers. It is therefore essential that time is taken to understand who the ideal customer is, the needs of the customer, and the customer’s pain points. Your company’s website, social media presence, and email communications, should speak to your ideal customer.
Content is not published consistently
A common pitfall is establishing a blog, but only publishing content on a sporadic basis. To establish your company as an industry leader and gain leads, you need to publish content on a consistent basis. For example, your company needs to commit to publishing blog content every Tuesday.
Content is not quality content
All content is not equal. If you want your inbound marketing efforts to succeed, your content needs to be quality content. Your content should be well-researched, sourced, and edited. Grammatical errors and misspellings are inexcusable.
More isn’t always better
It is easy to sign up for a social media account. I’ve seen many companies who have decided to jump into social media feet first and have established many social media accounts, only to become overwhelmed. If you want your inbound marketing strategy to succeed, it is more important to be active on one social network than inactive on five.
Lack of strategy and commitment
A 2014 study of B2B marketers found that companies that have a strategy in place are more likely to consider their efforts effective than companies that do not have a stated strategy in place. Companies that do not have a strategy in place, and who do not have someone in charge of the strategy tend to fail.
A focus on sales
Content that informs and educates attracts and engages. Content that is “salesy” not only fails to attract and engage, it turns customers away.
Is your inbound marketing strategy falling flat? Assess your strategy – honestly. Has your company fallen prey to these common pitfalls?
by Elizabeth Hines | Sep 3, 2014 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Supply Chain
Before personal computers became ubiquitous, my family’s desktop computer served as our sole connection to the digital world. It wasn’t uncommon for someone to rush through dinner so they could be the first to claim their spot in front of it for the evening. On any given night you could find my mom scouring the web for new dinner recipes, my dad waiting his turn to research ways to improve his golf swing, and my sister bemoaning her wait to explore something decidedly less practical. Regardless of subject matter, though, each one of them sought the same thing – information.
Many years later, that same unbridled access to information has shaped a new environment. Companies are taking note and are reexamining the way they target and interact with consumers. As marketers, we are well aware that this new landscape, driven by changes in buyer behavior, looks far different than it did before. What’s less apparent though, is how we should develop our marketing strategy to reflect these changes.
By leveraging advances in technology and using what we know about current buyer behaviors, we can begin to think about implementing an information-driven marketing strategy. That is, empowering buyers through thoughtful content curation and publication.
So, how can your company start putting some of these ideas into practice? Well, here are the basics.
You need a content strategy.
In a marketing environment where direct messages are being largely ignored by consumers, it’s essential that companies provide real, meaningful value through the materials they publish. Just like my family, consumers are seeking to be educated. Gleanster Research found that 50% of leads are qualified, but not yet ready to buy. However, the odds are that someday they will be, and the content they’re reading today will inform their decision to look to you – or not.
Publish and align your content thoughtfully.
Identify when and where your prospects are most likely to want or access your expert content. What kind of content will attract visitors, convert leads, close customers, and delight promoters? Where will they likely look for this information? Aim to deliver relevant content to the right people in the right places, at the right time. Consider that a recent study by Forrester found that a full 85% of business decision-makers said at least one social media channel is very important in the consideration of business technology purchase decisions. It’s not just simply good business for your company to align content correctly – it’s essential.
Consider the Buyer’s Journey.
Gone are the glory days of the Sales Funnel. Enter the buyer’s journey. This (relatively) new concept suggests that buyers follow a linear path as they move through the sales process: first the awareness stage, then the consideration stage, and finally the decision stage. Each of these stages in the buyer’s journey necessitates corresponding content. Want to raise awareness of your brand and attract visitors? Try offering a free eBook that addresses a key pain point of your ideal buyer. Looking to close that almost-there sale? Propose a free trial. By considering the journey of your buyer, you are more likely to provide relevant content at the precise moment your buyer needs it.
Considering the characteristics of this new environment, it’s very unlikely that our prospects come to us completely uninformed. With more knowledgeable buyers, businesses must stay one step ahead. Implementing an information-driven marketing strategy gives us an attainable and inclusive way of achieving that.
by Elizabeth Hines | Sep 2, 2014 | Blog, Content Marketing, Data/Analytics, Marketing, Supply Chain
To grow your B2B business you need to take a comprehensive data driven approach to marketing. Metrics enable you to measure success, drive strategy, and demonstrate the ROI of your marketing efforts.
What metrics should you track?
Given that your objective is to attract, acquire, and retain customers, the most effective metrics to track are those where the unit of focus is the prospect, lead, or customer. These include the following:
Visits
Visits capture the number of visitors to your company’s website in a given period of time. In addition to tracking the total number of visits, it is also important to track visits by source. That is, how visitors come to your website. Sources typically include direct traffic, organic search, referrals, social media, and email marketing.
Reach
Reach is the number of people who can be reached through your marketing channels (e.g. LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook). This metric is a good indicator of how well the content you are publishing attracts new people to your network, and how well the content engages people within your network. In addition to tracking your company’s total reach (the total number of people you can reach across all channels), you should also track reach by channel.
Leads
Leads are one of the strongest indicators of ROI. By tracking leads by source, you can identify where your marketing efforts are most effective, areas where you can improve, and areas you could eliminate from your strategy.
Customers
Customers are also a strong indicator of ROI. Like leads, customers should be tracked by source.
Conversion rates
Conversion rates measure the percentage of people who are moving from one marketing stage to the next. An increase in your conversion rates implies an improvement in the quality of your content and/or traffic. You should track the visit-to-lead conversion rate (How many of your website visitors are becoming new leads?) as well as the lead-to-customer conversion rate (Are you generating sales-ready leads?).
Ranking
Ranking matters. The top listing in Google’s organic search results receives 33 percent of the traffic compared to 18 percent in the second position. Two metrics you can track are your domain authority and your marketing grade.
Domain authority is a score ranging from 1 to 100 that represents how well a website will perform in a search engine ranking. The lower the score – the less likely it will be found. Marketing grade is a holistic measure of a site’s online presence as measured by HubSpot’s Marketing Grader on a scale of 0-100. A higher score is better.
How to track metrics for success
Having an established database to capture your marketing metrics is critical to success. We created a template that you can download and use to track your metrics, measure success, and drive strategy. One of the great features about this template is that it generates graphs that can be used in your reports and presentations.
