Content marketing is one of the most effective ways that B2B marketers secure, nurture and convert leads.

That’s according to recently released research, the 2020 B2B Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends—North America. It indicates that 68% of all 2020 respondents say they are achieving B2B lead goals successfully compared with 58% of all respondents in 2019.

When asked about the highest-performing types of content for B2B lead generation:

To secure leads - 16% of respondents say they use webinars and/or online events and 13% say they use e-books and/or guides

To nurture leads – 13% of respondents say they use blog posts and/or short articles

To convert leads – 11% of respondents say they use different webinars and/or online events

In this article, we’re exploring how to get B2B leads from:

1. Collaborating on a webinar or podcast series as a guest speaker.
2. Writing blog content that's optimized for SEO.
3. Creating and distributing gated content such as e-books, whitepapers and guides.

1. Collaborate as a Guest Speaker

To get the most out of your webinar, you need to attract as many high-quality leads as possible to register.

That’s according to web influencer Neil Patel, who knows “the secret sauce” to generating leads and turning them into sales. Start by defining who your high-quality leads are and create a high-converting webinar registration page designed specifically for them.

A best practice for lead generation is to co-host the event with a like-minded partner, such as being a guest speaker at the event.

Partner with a business that shares a similar customer pool with yours and offers products or services that complement your offerings. Marketing the joint venture together can give you access to a whole new audience and vice versa, maximizing the potential for generating new leads.

2. Routinely Write Blog Content That's Optimized for SEO

How helpful is your content at answering search questions? Optimizing for search will help with that. 

Never underestimate the power of searchability. Make sure your content can be found by search engines, prioritized in search results and acted on by website visitors as a result.

That’s according to the Content Marketing Institute. One of its best SEO practices for writing blog content is to prioritize the natural language of your ideal customer.

Your ideal customer likely is going to search online from their mobile phones by asking questions about topics in real language rather than talking in keywords. It’s called semantic language search.

Your content will appear higher in search results if more people are finding you because you’re answering them with helpful words they use every day.

3. Create Gated Content: Whitepapers, E-books and Guides

The best gated content is designed specifically to help buyers successfully navigate each stage of their journeys.

That’s according to HubSpot. Gated content only can be accessed on your website if visitors provide their contact information, so it generates leads. A best practice for creating gated content is customizing for the user experience during each stage of the buyer’s journey: awareness, consideration and decision.

If someone is in the awareness stage, they’re likely interested in learning about your offerings from short descriptive content like an e-book.

In the consideration stage, they may want more information about your company as an expert, which an authoritative whitepaper can provide.

In the decision stage, they’re probably ready to participate in a webinar or review a longer, detailed product/service guide.

If your gated content gives each potential buyer the valuable information they need at the right stage of their journey, they are more likely to convert.

11outof11 for B2B Lead Generation

When you want to be a top-performing B2B marketer focused on growing more lasting relationships with your audience and delivering better lead-generation results, connect with 11outof11. Request a complimentary call with an 11outof11 expert.