Mastering the Art of Generating Content: A Guide for Marketers

As a HubSpot Certified Inbound Marketing Consultant with 15 years of Inbound Marketing experience, I've seen how crucial generating content is. The landscape changes, but the need for solid, lead generation content remains key for attracting people and moving them down your marketing funnel. Most of my career as an Inbound Marketer has been spent creating hundreds of pieces of lead generation content, adapting with the times.

Truly effective lead generation content strategies go deeper than just making interesting stuff. I learned this the hard way through trial and error. The content creation process should integrate into a larger inbound marketing strategy to convert visitors into long-term, loyal customers.

The Foundation of Successful Content Generation

Effective inbound marketing starts with quality, educational blog posts that are easy to digest. These blogs help readers navigate through insights and guides, answering key questions they search for online. People type these questions into Google, ultimately leading them to an expert source to fix their core issue.  The next time you do a search, you might notice a a "People also Ask' section near the top of your results.  Those are the questions your blogs and lead generation oriented content need to answer.

So, before creating lead generation content, pause and map out where it fits within that wider process. Think of each blog, video, social media post or whitepaper as a stepping stone with many answers. Each should offer helpful information.

Building Your Content Arsenal

Diversification is magic when building your library for your target audience. People learn and absorb information in different ways.

Thinking beyond standard blog posts limits your creative edge over the competition. Your readers will connect with different approaches and platforms. Below are several different types of content you could create:

• Cheat Sheets: Create quick guides or summaries. These are great for easy reference and should be visually appealing.
• Checklists: Develop practical, printable lists. People often value these and post them by their desk. Include branding for marketing awareness.
• Contests: Use competitions to create buzz. Leverage social media platforms like Facebook to expand the contest's audience. Data shows there is much more engagement when using these.
• Courses: Share video tutorials. Providing in-depth value gives participants even more reason to engage. Offer new information to increase the value and encourage registration.
• Demos: Give demos showing how something solves a user's problem. Show how it saves them time in a unique way. Perform user testing.
• Ebooks: This classic inbound marketing content is an effective type of long-form content. Go in-depth to solve an industry pain point. Share industry wisdom and research. Don't forget a compelling CTA to encourage further conversion.
• Email Series: Develop automated multi-email marketing sequences. These are easy to build for users who sign up for more than just email updates. They will likely want more help from you.
• Email Subscriptions: Make subscribing for ongoing updates simple. Grow readership by adding them to your contact lists. This keeps you on readers' minds as long as the information is valuable.
• Guides: Give step-by-step details for complex tasks. Making tasks easier is valuable to readers who are short on time.
• Interviews: Showcase expertise from experts, especially industry professionals. This gives users another way to absorb content beyond typical blog posts. Make sure the quality is sufficient to engage users.
• Kits: Repurpose similar smaller forms of information into one concise presentation or marketing kit. Kits have high value due to their density of insight.
• Original Data & Research: People respect research. If that's lacking, they may want your own analysis. Conduct surveys and gather data insights from responses for thought leadership.
• Podcasts: Use different podcast styles to offer various listening options. Podcasts are growing in popularity among industry professionals. Check out resources from Hustle to stay relevant and gain unique business and tech insights.
• Templates: Offer fill-in-the-blank frameworks. Infographics can work well, where visuals help with storytelling. This makes a connection, especially on social media.  Pro-Tip:  I make infographics a key part of my content creation process due to their ability not generate leads but to attract backlins
• Tickets: Promote events. Make sure you have ways to track information about new and prospective audiences. For local businesses, consider hosting meet-and-greets, just don't forget the costs should balance with sales.
• Interactive Tools: Provide calculators or generators. This shows your experience and adds to your value proposition. Ensure the output solves user requests.  These should be a key part of your content strategy.
• Free Trials: A great lead is seeing what prospects think before committing. Trials that aren't free can help avoid wasted sales time on prospects who won't convert. Offering free trials while no credit card required could help, but verify that this does help convert more before testing that.
• Videos: Readers are interested in visual content, so videos can perform well. Video can keep people on the website longer. They tend to have good retention rates.  Content marketing oriented videos can use forms to collect leads right within the video, such as those you can produce and embed within the Hubspot platform.
• Whitepapers ebooks: Some customers demand whitepapers for in-depth information. Data provides insight, while those newer to the field will trust the insights of veterans.
• .Zip Files: If there are many similar steps, consider creating a .zip file to simplify the process. This extra effort can help convert clients. Consider what you can automate.
• Slideshare Presentations: This platform, which is an integral part of the LinkedIn platform, can be an excellent lead generation avenue.  I have several presentations on there from years ago that the search engines keep sending traffic to which ultimately generates Inbound Leads to me.

Thinking Beyond the Usual

With reports showing many companies having challenges with lead generation, it's time to change your approach. A simple but useful solution can make a big impact. Think beyond standard guides to build relationships, especially regarding visual appeal, structure, and information.

Audit the user experience. Start by A/B testing using a checklist to increase conversions. Consider the results and what information the blog should provide. This may mean adding different calls to action and offering new promotions.

Another area to improve is your current platform. One idea is an email subscription drive. This email can be unique beyond a newsletter, perhaps offering an incentive with a personal touch.

Keeping Track of Your Results is Important to do to Drive Growth

How will you improve engagement? Data. Using data to make decisions is measurable and valuable. Content must evolve. Consider what social posts you interact with the most.

Are they new and trendy, or older but valuable? Many people who follow company social posts have better engagement and even higher CTR results. Test your content to see how it aligns with your targets. Consider generating content with original data to identify trends, potentially setting your business apart.

Turning Content Into Leads

Assume traffic increases after completing your blog or content plan. You've found new ways to connect with visitors and build your prospect base. This means turning prospects into quality leads. The right promotion at the right time can encourage subscriptions or social follows.

Try using advanced content creation tactics to give people a reason to exchange personal data for unique ideas. Try offering a free trial or free consultation of your services without a credit card, or an advanced guide to the topic your readers are already interested in. This may be a large piece of content like a webinar, eBook or industry report.

Maintaining Relevance to Continue Generating Content.

Even with these tips, continued growth is the main challenge. Maintain a solid schedule to post regularly. Think about posting a weekly guide or how-to and creating different videos.

The people at the top got there through time and hard work. As experts have shared, with data-heavy industry reports, it's about how and where we go next. Think about interviewing some of your own employees or partners and sharing their insights as new content.

FAQs about generating content

What is content generated?

It's creating various formats of material with useful ideas. This should help visitors to a business's website, through emails, blog posts, and web pages, to trust your industry-leading ability. This trust, earned by sharing content, makes it easier for them to use your services.

What does generating content ideas mean?

It means brainstorming concepts and insights to attract users. Consider how to draw them in with new information that answers their needs or curiosity. Content ideas can come from current industry news, questions your sales team receives or comments on your blog.

What are the 5 C's of content?

There are many, but common themes include clarity, consistent voice, and creativity. All should be within a solid framework, staying on course for someone following the post. It should lead to actions and connect with helping clients see if you're the solution.

What does it mean to produce content?

It means creating engaging forms of digital media. A blog about common misconceptions in your industry or mistakes many make. Try creating content in new mediums, like a podcast, for users who prefer not to read.

Conclusion

When done successfully, generating content becomes exciting, giving your team more to build a following around. It should evolve, so plan testing phases to keep visitors returning. By consistently creating valuable and helpful content in many forms, you can build audience trust and consistently drive new leads.