How to Create Engaging Content for Successful Lead Generation. Sponsored by:

Transcription

1 How to Create Engaging Content for Successful Lead Generation Sponsored by:

2 Welcome. INTRODUCTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS

3 Introductions and expectations Jen Doyle, Senior Research Manager, Kaci Bower, Research Analyst, Ryo Asao, Sr. Marketing Manager, Adobe Systems

4 Join the conversation on Twitter #SherpaWebinar

5 About MarketingSherpa Research firm and publisher of marketing know-how MarketingSherpa, founded in 2,000, is part of the MECLABS Sciences Group Content read by hundreds of thousands in the marketing community weekly Research Newsletters Events Membership Benchmark Reports Case Studies Summits Access to Extensive Library How-to Handbooks Best Practice articles Sherpa Training Discounts on Research and Events

6 How to create engaging content for successful lead generation - Agenda Introduction / background for the FUEL methodology Customer-centric strategies for creating engaging content MarketingSherpa case study: Combining , Search, Social and PR for a Content Marketing Campaign Getting to know your customers and identifying buyer personas Converting personas into leads with effective value propositions Adobe case study: Driving B2B lead generation through real-time engagement

7 Research Background Over 900 B2B marketers surveyed on: Top challenges Best marketing tactics Lead scoring, nurturing and management Marketing automation Marketing analysis Marketing operations Key finding: The B2B marketing environment is becoming increasingly challenging Result of this study MarketingSherpa s FUEL methodology to power marketing effectiveness from lead generation to sales conversion

8 The Growing Challenges facing B2B Marketers Generating high-quality leads Generating a high volume of leads 35% 44% 69% 78% B2B marketing challenges have become more pertinent to organizations over time Marketing to a lengthening sales cycle 39% 41% Balancing quality and quantity of leads generated Generating perceived value in cutting-edge product benefits Generating public relations buzz 37% 37% 33% 36% Sales cycles becoming more complex Competing in lead generation across multiple media 27% 36% Marketing to a growing number of people involved in the buying process 33% 34% Source: MarketingSherpa B2B Marketing Benchmark Survey Methodology: Fielded Aug 2010, N=935

9 FUEL Up.. and Drive Effectiveness Find and attract leads Uncover qualified leads Establish automated marketing processes Lift results Building a foundation for your lead generation programs Bridging the gap between Marketing and Sales How to select marketing automation software Lead generation analysis Mastering essential lead generation Identifying the Marketing-Sales funnel Marketing automation implementation and upkeep Automation analysis How to select your lead generation mix Identifying and qualifying leads Metrics that matter Harvesting high quality leads Delivering marketing value to the C-Suite & marketing leadership

10 Customer-centric strategies for creating engaging content

11 Repurposing existing assets rated top content development tactic Repurposing and reformatting existing content 64% Best practices in developing marketing content Encouraging customers to submit testimonials and case studies 53% Repurposing and reformatting existing content Recruiting authors internally from other departments 48% Recruiting authors internally from other departments Outsourcing to a consultant or agency 27% Outsourcing to an agency Utilizing social media to encourage brand advocates to produce content 20% Source: MarketingSherpa B2B Marketing Benchmark Survey Methodology: Fielded Aug 2010, N=935

12 Thorough research leads to engaging content What subject matter is going to be both interesting and valuable to our audience? What topics does our audience want to learn about? Are there any opportunities for us to fill a void? What language do they use in their discussions related to our product or service? What formats do they prefer? Articles Videos Podcasts Images Etc.

13 Balance research with innovation for optimal content development If I had asked what my customers wanted, I would have made a faster horse. - Henry Ford

14 Personalization improves relevance We regularly personalize the messaging of our marketing materials 40% The personalization of marketing materials We tend to personalize messaging from time to time, but not on a regular basis 41% The vast majority of B2B organizations are using some level of personalization We don t personalize any of our marketing materials 19% Why? Source: MarketingSherpa B2B Marketing Benchmark Survey Methodology: Fielded Aug 2010, N=935

15 You can t make the grade without a good test In Marketing, we re constantly testing lead generation campaigns, landing pages, calls-toaction, etc. Things to test: Subject matter Format Style (Formal? Informal?) Length Readability Timing of distribution Subject lines / titles Calls-to-action

16 MarketingSherpa Case Study: Combining , Search, Social and PR for a Content Marketing Campaign Suitcase.com, online luggage retailer B2C organization with a complex sales cycle Used existing marketing channels and content to attract a relevant audience to drive blog traffic

17 Campaign Goals Suitcase.com wanted to develop a content marketing campaign to: Drive more blog traffic Establish thought leadership and authority Educate customers on product selection

18 Campaign Tactic Research topics The team looked at search volumes for industry specific keywords Identified trends in new travel restrictions and baggage fees: baggage restrictions travel bags Competitive research Monitored competitor press mentions and websites for content

19 Campaign Tactic Research Topics The team built an online survey to gather prospect insight on how they have been affected by the changes in airline regulations They distributed the survey via an blast with an incentive to boost responses The selected a relevant database for the send "We wanted to make sure the people we sent it to were interested in luggage...and not someone who just liked to fill out surveys"

20 Campaign Tactic Develop & Distribute Content A nine-page report was developed based on the study results The report included: Cover, TOC, Executive Summary, Stats and charts, Analysis, and company descriptions Content was highly relevant to audience and light on self-promotion The team made this report available through a.pdf download

21 Campaign Tactic Develop & Distribute Content The team distributed a welloptimized press release and reached out to key bloggers and publications Pitches were done individually with tailored messages They received further distribution through partners with strong social media presence

22 Campaign Results Blog traffic increased 518% YOY The report was picked up by numerous media outlets, and a number of third-party blog posts were generated The report s landing page was the topperforming landing page of their site with a 16% lower bounce rate than the site s average

23 Getting to know your customers

24 Who are you Targeting? Identifying Buyer Personas Why do we need buyer personas?

25 Who are you Targeting? Identifying Buyer Personas What is a buyer persona? A detailed profile that represents an actual, real-life group of your target audience. It includes common interests, motivators and expectations, as well as demographic and other behavioral characteristics.

26 Who are you Targeting? Identifying Buyer Personas Isn t that the same as a target market? A target market is a profile typically based on demographics, such as location, company size, annual revenue, etc. Buyer personas are more in-depth profiles that include behavioral characteristics.

27 Key Buyer Persona Traits Demographic traits Job title & responsibilities Organization size / department size Primary market (B2B, B2C, B2B2C) Industry Location Budget Annual revenue Behaviors Key concerns for purchase Interests Motivation Expectations Decision-making authority Approvals needed for purchase Urgency Goals Familiarity with product / service Pain points & challenges Validation needed for purchase

28 Researching Buyer Personas - Qualitative Step 1 Ask customer-facing departments Ask Sales about prospect motivations, barriers, objections, etc. Ask Customer Service about customer expectations, problems, concerns, etc. Be sure to ask who your best and worst prospects and customers are and why. Step 2 Ask prospects Ask prospects about motivators, challenges, barriers, etc. Interview best and worst prospects Step 3 Ask customers Ask customers about motivators, challenges, barriers, etc. Interview best and worst customers

29 Researching Buyer Personas - Quantitative Step 4 - Mine in-house database What to look for Common traits for ideal customers Large deal sizes, short timeframes to purchase, most repeat purchases, etc. Common traits for undesirable customers Returns or refunds, smallest deal sizes, longest timeframes to purchase What s the difference? TIP: DOCUMENT YOUR RESEARCH

30 Sample buyer personas Ideal customer - The B2C retailer with ample resources in house, seeking a comprehensive platform to deploy promotional s to a large list of over 100,000 contacts. They tend to have a solution in place but are seeking a more indepth product. Their organization has over 500 employees. This buyer gets it and has a clear understanding and value for the benefits of the product. This buyer has ample resources both financial and departmental. Worst customer - The small business owner with limited marketing resources and experience. This buyer thinks marketing should be inexpensive and they want to deploy messages to a list with fewer than 10,000 subscribers. This buyer is relatively unfamiliar with the benefits of the product over their current free system.

31 Plotting the Buyer Persona Quadrant Potential deal size Additional persona The B2B2C marketer who is fairly educated with the benefits of the product. They often have a solution in-house that they are unhappy with. This buyer has a medium to large sized house list of 30,000 to 100,000 subscribers. Ideal customer The B2C retailer with ample resources in house, seeking a comprehensive platform to deploy promotional s to a large list of over 100,000 contacts. They tend to have a solution in place but are seeking a more in-depth product. Their organization has over 500 employees. This buyer gets it and has a clear understanding and value for the benefits of the product. This buyer has ample resources both financial and departmental. Worst customer The small business owner with limited Marketing resources and experience. This buyer thinks marketing should be inexpensive and they want to deploy messages to a list with fewer than 10,000 subscribers. This buyer is relatively unfamiliar with the benefits of the product over their current free system. Additional persona The B2B marketer with limited resources in house, seeking a cost effective, user-friendly system to deploy monthly newsletters and promotions. This buyer has a clear understanding of the benefits and hopes to make a quick purchasing decision. They may say they needed a solution yesterday. Their organization has less than 100 employees. Education / understanding of key benefits

32 Converting personas into leads with effective value propositions

33 Defining a Value Proposition Your value proposition should define the key reason why you become the best choice for your ideal customer. It should clearly communicate what your company does and the unique benefits you have over the competition.

34 Value Propositions: Keeping it Simple Clarity always trumps persuasion. -Dr. Flint McGlaughlin Managing Director (CEO) MECLABS

35 Components of a Successful Value Proposition Appeal Appeal Wants and needs for your product or service Exclusivity Credibility Exclusivity What is the key differentiator between you and the competition? Credibility Does your value proposition sound authentic and credible?

36 Five Points for an Effective Value Proposition ONE: A value proposition is not usually determined, it is discovered. It grows out of need. We must avoid a sales-driven approach to product development. You should develop products for the market. TWO: You are answering this question: Why should my ideal prospect buy from me instead of a competitor? THREE: Your value proposition should be compared with the claims of your main competitors. FOUR: Refine your value proposition until you can articulate it in a single, instantly credible, sentence. FIVE: In the end, you must test your Value Proposition.

37 Adobe Case Study Driving B2B Lead Generation through Real-Time Engagement

38 Adobe.com Background Site goal for enterprise business = generate qualified leads (SAL*) Challenges: Difficulty providing relevant content Diverse visitor base from individuals to enterprise Anonymous visitors (authentication rate <5%) Visitor need to ask questions real-time Complex product Preference to stay anonymous during research (vs phone or inquiry form) * SAL = Sales Accepted Leads

39 The Solution: Live Chat +

40 Live Chat (Visitor View) Luba can get you the screen shot of pre-chat survey Offer chat based on business rules Pre-chat survey to point visitors to the right place Real-time conversation with agent

41 Live Chat (Agent View) Pre-crafted response for faster response Information about the visitor (web behavior & firmographics)

42 Ongoing Optimization Efforts Targeted chat offers Pre-chat survey Business rules Web behavior (depth in consideration) Firmographics (DemandBase) Prioritization Agent operations improvements Ongoing training Compensation model aligned with Sales

43 Results Real-time engagement Address visitor need for immediate answers Identify upsell & cross-sell opportunities Option to switch to phone for deeper conversation More relevant web experience Visitors pointed to the right place Experienced agents already trained to take inbound calls Positive impact on bottom line Established chat as a new incremental lead source one of the top sources Improved chat to qualified lead conversion rate through continuous optimization - 3x in 1.5 years

44 Top Takeaways The role of the B2B marketer is becoming increasingly challenging over time Buyers expect more from brands - if we want to compete we must deliver Provide valuable content, and compelling value propositions Engage website visitors when they want to engage, in real time

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