Measurably higher ROI through targeted content marketing
CONTENT MARKETING In the USA, 93% of B2B companies already rely on content marketing. Marketers in Europe have also recognized that content marketing can be used specifically to generate leads and increase the ROI compared to traditional campaigns. A key lever lies in the processes.FROM ANDREAS ÖTTL*Both consumers and B2B decision-makers are inundated with a wealth of information. The result is measurable fatigue with push advertising. Click-through rates of classic banners have steadily declined and are already below 0.10 %.Content marketing focuses not on sales, but on customer benefits. Prospects are not addressed with flat calls to buy, but with high-quality informative or emotional content. Studies by Nielsen and Forrester Insights prove the effectiveness: 85 % of consumers specifically search for advisory content from trusted sources before buying.B2B decision-makers use so-called educational content for decision-making as well as for expanding their skills. If content is perceived as helpful and relevant, there is a high willingness to recommend content or even exchange contact data for content.Cost reduction through content operationsThe success of content marketing does not come about automatically through the haphazard provision of additional content. A higher return on investment is only achieved in the longer term and can only be realized through a content strategy tailored to the target group and appropriate technology support.The content strategy is geared to producing content that offers the recipient added value and supports the company's goals. Relevant content is more activating and - in the form of traffic, leads and sales - represents the revenue side of content.Technologically, the focus is on efficient processes. This applies both to content production and distribution and to the automated processing of generated leads. In the USA, market researchers from Gleanester Research assume that 25 cents of every dollar is wasted on inefficient content processes. This is likely to be no different in this country. Companies must therefore include technological backend and process optimization in their content marketing strategy.
The CMS as content centerA website or blog is the central platform for content marketing. A steady readership can be built up through relevant articles. The anonymous visitors must gradually be qualified as contacts, leads and buyers. Premium content such as eBooks or whitepapers, which are offered in exchange for data, are particularly suitable for lead generation in the B2B sector. Increasingly product-specific content gradually pushes the deal. In the B2C sector, advice and entertainment are offered in a wide variety of formats.The technical basis is provided by a powerful content management system that supports the crucial processes and content formats. According to Gleanester Research, easy content production and content reuse are particularly crucial. Through efficient processes, output can be more than doubled with the same use of resources. In addition, content seeding and sharing as well as lead generation via landing pages and forms must be supported.The integration of CMS and CRM reduces costsCRM systems such as Microsoft Dynamics are ideal for the further development of contacts. Numerous segmentation options and automated, individual workflows enable personalized and (partially) automated further qualification (lead nurturing).However, the manual transfer of data into CRM requires a lot of effort. The technical integration of CMS with CRM therefore offers enormous cost-cutting potential and is a key lever for increasing ROI.Customizing the data tables offers further advantages. Although numerous segmentation criteria exist by default, they are often not suitable for all companies. In most companies, it quickly becomes apparent that a different target group segmentation is necessary. Objects with corresponding, individual attributes must be made available in CMS, forms as well as in CRM and be able to be transferred automatically. This reduces manual effort and improves target group communication. Initially higher costs are then quickly amortized.____________________
Measurably higher ROI: Experiences from our content marketing
- Up to one third of all page views are generated by knowledge content from our blog.- Our click prices in Adwords are five times higher than the CPC of our content seeding.- In the context of whitepaper campaigns, up to 70 % of landing page visitors provided complete contact data as well as a consent form to contact us.- Automated data transfer into Microsoft Dynamics CRM reduces the time required by at least15 minutes per lead.- Customized data tables in CRM enable highly personalized and thus relevant target group communication.____________________
Eight steps to successful content marketing
1. define measurable goals for your content marketing2. Create a strategy that considers both content and processes3. Define a central idea as the core of your content strategy4. Develop personas and focus on their needs5. Pay attention to content reusability in different formats and channels6. Set a price for premium content7. Use a CMS that supports content marketing processes and enables mentioned points8. Automate the interaction of CMS, CRM and email marketing software____________________.
