But inbound marketing isn't just about content production: an effective strategy requires the implementation of rigorous tools and processes to attract people seeking information on your areas of expertise, demonstrate your expert status, and above all make them want to take action (contact form, reservation, order).
Here are the key points and milestones for developing a lead generation strategy based on content production:
1. Define precise targets for your content
The first step before embarking on content production, and even before defining the subjects you want to talk about, is to define your targets. Is it easy? Not always. You know your customers thanks to your CRM software and databases, but a content strategy may not be aimed at the same type of people. You need to take advantage of this opportunity to rethink your targets, or, if you're keeping the same ones, refine them.
Inbound marketing can help you reach a different kind of customer. You can deliberately choose to target certain functions within the company, or certain sectors of activity that are neglected on offline channels. Define your priorities. In the light of the target profiles you've identified, you then need to come up with suitable content and match it to the interests of these targets. The questions you need to ask at this stage are: what topics are your targets interested in? How are you going to "hold" them on the site? What are their preferred communication tools? What social networks are they on?
2. Create a publication schedule and an editorial charter
You've painted a picture of your target audience. The major themes to be presented to them have also been determined. Now it's time to define an editorial charter and a publication schedule:
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- Who's the expert on what subject? Who can (should) speak on a topic? Define your experts and their fields of action, and how they will transmit their knowledge. Will they write the content themselves? Will they be written by an external web editor, an agency, or a single in-house person?
- What tone will you adopt? What will be the chronology of topics? How often will you publish? You need a battle plan with a tunnel vision of your publications. The clearer your vision of the weeks ahead, the smoother the creative process will be.
However, defining a publication schedule and an editorial charter does not mean setting a strategy in stone and then never coming back to it. Bear in mind that current events, unforeseen occurrences or major developments in your sector can have an impact on your content. So, a very precise vision beyond three months is not necessary.
3. Optimize your referencing
Of course, producing quality content on your preferred subjects will contribute positively to your SEO. But it's not enough! Behind the websites that rank well in search engine optimization lies a high level of technical optimization: the choice of server, domain name, content hierarchy and the drafting of meta tags... A search engine optimization audit of your site can help you optimize these technical elements. It's essential to monitor your site's SEO on a regular basis, as positioning algorithms are constantly changing.
This technical optimization of your site is essential to the long-term success of your Inbound Marketing strategy. There's no point in producing quality content that no one will find. What's more, in the absence of visibility, your desire to produce content will wane for lack of results.
4. Bring your content to life with a communication process
Once content has been published on your website, its digital life begins. Define your communication process around this content: how do you promote it? Which channel will be most effective in reaching the targets defined above? Mailing, newsletter, sharing on social networks?
Should you unveil an article in full or in pieces? Should you use certain platforms for teasing? It's vital to think about this article relay process, as it will largely determine the success of your Inbound Marketing strategy.
5. Be interesting... but above all "engaging"!
If you think a subject isn't captivating enough, or won't keep readers' attention, change the angle and try to find a relevant entry key. In fact, article titles and illustrations are the first levers of engagement for your readers.
Secondly, always keep information "under your belt". Give useful material without delivering everything. Deal with specific, circumscribed subjects that respond to the concerns of your targets in a logical progression. Always give them the opportunity to find out more, either by subscribing to your newsletter or your company page on social networks, or by taking part in a webinar... Or by contacting you directly by e-mail or telephone. In short, make sure you create a relationship with your readers and generate interactions with them so that they enter your "funnel": only then will your (quality) content become a real lead generator!
Webinars have become an essential inbound communication tool: thanks to their audience and content, they can generate a large number of leads. Find out how in this webinar:
