They want (and need) information.
You can use content marketing for more than lead generation. You can use it to teach your prospects and give them actionable insights, so you can shore up your company’s expert reputation and build relationships with stakeholders.
To be successful with content marketing in your organization, focus on the content part of content marketing. Here are seven content marketing strategies your company should put front and center.
1. Thought Leadership
Publishing thought leadership content lets you showcase the unique perspectives, resources and experiences of the people on your team. This type of content builds credibility and trust with your customers, and ultimately creates loyal customers who buy from you again and again.
And if you think the only people in your tech company who can create thought leadership content pieces are your CEO or CTO, think again — this is a great opportunity to spotlight other team members, to show that your technology company has a deep bench of experts.
Sources of thought leadership content can be things like:
- Personal narratives
- Opinions that go against industry norms
- Data storytelling
- Industry analysis
- Network connections
2. Topical Content
Show that your technology company is on top of current events by publishing relevant, topical content that offers solutions to the problems you see in the news or on social media.
For instance, if you provide data privacy and security solutions to businesses, you could publish useful articles on the latest worldwide privacy legislation changes (think the European Union’s General Data Privacy Regulations (GDPR), the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) in Canada, and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States).
3. Evergreen Content
Topical content can be powerful and valuable — but it can also have a short shelf life.
Evergreen content stays relevant longer, so it will be useful whether a prospect comes across it today, a month from now, or five years from now.
Here are a few ideas for evergreen content for your technology company:
- How-to guides and tutorials
- Frequently asked questions
- Glossaries of common industry phrases and terms
- Industry resources
- List articles
- Useful tips that help solve a problem
- Checklists
- Collections of stories or examples
4. Success Stories
Case studies, testimonials and success stories should be a regular part of your technology company’s editorial calendar.
This type of content mitigates perceived risk for prospects by showing that others have had success with your technology solution. Any time you can lower perceived risk, you’re more likely to convert a visitor or subscriber into a customer. It’s also a great way to share entertaining stories and provide value without being overly salesy.
5. Diversified Content
The possibilities are endless! You’ve got a lot of different content formats to choose from, including video, audio, blog posts, images, webinars, infographics and more.
Diversify your content formats to suit your digital marketing needs and meet your B2B tech buyers where they spend time online.
For example, videos and webinars can help you get your prospects closer to the product or service you’re offering by demonstrating how your technology solution works, what it does, and the problems it solves.
>> Use this content to generate leads with Horizon Peak Content on Demand.
6. Storytelling
Human beings love stories.
Research indicates that people primarily make decisions based on emotions rather than facts. That’s why case studies and testimonials work well — they help you connect with your audience.
When you’re developing your content, think about telling stories that show how others have used your technology to solve their problems. Watching, hearing or reading about other people’s experiences helps prospects picture how your product or service might work for them.
The story you tell doesn’t have to be based on a direct customer experience, however. You can use storytelling principles to present your ideas and solutions in a fictional or creative narrative too. At Horizon Peak, we think about storytelling (i.e., the journey we’re taking the reader on) in every asset we write for our clients because it creates a more engaging and memorable experience for the reader.
7. In-Depth Technical Content
Technical content requires the insights of people who have in-depth experience with a product, industry or field.
There are plenty of technical experts on your team, so tap into their expertise by interviewing them and turning the interviews into videos, blog posts, podcasts or other content.
Don’t be afraid to go deep into technical subjects, if your audience will find that information useful — many of your customers will likely appreciate your dedication to providing in-depth technical content.
What’s the best way to extract knowledge from the heads of your tech geniuses? Send the questions to the expert ahead of time, so they know what to expect. Then record the call and use the transcript and your notes to craft a clear piece of content that concisely communicates your point.
Optimize Your Content Marketing
Once you get into a regular content creation routine, continually experiment and measure your progress to see what’s working. Here are a few ways to optimize and scale your content marketing efforts:
Define and track your content marketing metrics
Tracking metrics will help you learn more about how your content is performing, what topics are resonating with your audience, and what is bringing you the best results. Measure KPIs like social shares, website visits, click-through rates, conversion rates, comments, backlinks, and email opt-in rates.
Use that data to create a customized editorial calendar that focuses on the needs and desires of your target audience, so you can raise the ROI of your content marketing efforts.
The magic of repurposing
Content of all types can be repurposed. Turn longer videos into short snippets for social media. Transform the stats from your latest blog post into infographics. Take quotes from audio interviews, and turn them into images for social media and your website.
Every time you publish a piece of content, brainstorm at least 5 ways to repurpose it.
Capture email addresses to follow up
Make sure you’ve got an opt-in form on multiple pages on your site. Consider using footer forms, pop-ups, or pop-overs to capture more addresses.
To increase your opt-in rates, offer a lead magnet in exchange for a prospect’s email address. This can include things like templates, guides, checklists, tutorials, and more.
You can also include a “Contact Us” button on every page of your website that leads straight to your contact form.
Invest in email marketing
Content marketing works hand-in-hand with smart email marketing. As you build your subscriber list, send consistent, useful content on a regular basis. A weekly or bi-weekly newsletter is a great place to start if you’re not already sending one.
You can write new content for your newsletter, curate resources from elsewhere on the web, or promote content that you’ve published somewhere else.
When prospects sign up for specific lists, you can also send them automated drip campaigns that provide useful content and move leads through your sales funnel.
Content Can Be the Powerhouse of Your Technology Company
A smart content marketing strategy helps you connect with your audience, build trust, and turn more prospects into customers. With these tips, you’ll be able to create a wide variety of useful content, then optimize and promote that content to bring in a steady stream of leads for your technology company.
>> Like our approach? You’ll love our Content on Demand.