Using Content To Increase Sales Revenue, Summarized:
- Generate on-target written pieces of content for your website & distribution campaigns that are relevant to your prospective audience.
- Use various forms of media to distribute, including video, audio, social media, and even print materials.
- Automate your content distribution through use of a CRM or Social Media management tool.
We are in a time of incredible opportunity when it comes to the impact marketing can have on revenue growth.
The secret sauce lies within how marketing is executed, and what strategy is put in place to make the tactics you choose as effective as possible. If you are looking for ideas, thought starters, and game-changers to either finish 2021 strong or to plan a powerful 2022, take a look at our list here. You might form some ideas for driving new leads and revenue in the coming year that you’ve never thought of before. And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to Contact Us.
Without further ado, here are the 51 ways:
1. Report/Guide/Whitepaper
Develop a 6-10 page report, guide, or white paper on a topic relevant to your industry that others may find valuable. This can be an article on a new and innovative topic, or simply a how-to guide for a small part of the process that may help your potential customers.
2. Book/E-book
Write and design an attractive e-book that shares information about your company as well as industry information that is of interest to your customer. This can be done first even simply in PowerPoint and then converted into a PDF. Here’s an example of a commercial building cost estimator we developed for a client.
3. Samples/Trials
If your company offers a product or a service resulting in a product or physical deliverable, offer samples of the product in a representative form. A good way to encourage potential customers to inquire is to put a sub-contact page on your website with a Samples Request form.
4. Quizzes/Surveys
There are few better ways than a short quiz or survey to learn details about your customers beyond the standard set of contact information. Surveys often need to be incentivized for a potential customer to fit it out. Try offering a giveaway or download as “payment” for filling out the survey.
5. Free Consult/Assessment
This one is obvious – give them a no-strings-attached consultation in your realm of expertise. Don’t try to hard sell, just offer them value and the return appreciation will often result in future business.
6. Coupons/Discounts
It’s not uncommon to see the word “coupon” in a b2b setting and glance over it to the next item. We think of coupons as something that only applies to a seasonal cereal flavor. Coupons can be much more, particularly in b2b. Offer a short-term deal for your service, or a discount on standard products you provide for a limited period of time.
7. Podcast
If you’re already creating content, look into getting some basic equipment, creating an intro/outro audio clip, and recording yourself reading or discussing your content. Then you can take these files and distribute them as a podcast via the use of Anchor or PodBean. Both exceptional services that make it easy for you to start your own podcast distribution.
8. Blog
If you are already sharing news items and press on your website, or if you contribute articles to social media sites like LinkedIn, repurpose this content into an organized blog on your website complete with related & recent articles.
9. Offline Catalog
For those situations when you are in person or able to physically send information, a well designed and formatted catalog or brochure is an item that is more difficult to dispose of when sitting on top of a desk.
10. Online Catalog
Always be sure to show the breadth and depth of your offerings on your website. Strong photography and descriptions are paramount. We recently helped CMG Plastics, a premier plastic injection molding company in NJ, feature their most popular products to website visitors with an easy-to-read, illustrated online catalog.
11. Webinars
Offer a 30-60 minute webinar either live or pre-recorded. You can evergreen this type of content by using a tool such as WebEx or GoToWebinar to broadcast the content, as well as offer ways for people to sign up and add to their calendar.
12. Live Events
Host an open house or sponsor a tradeshow where you can have a podium and the attention of a potential customer. Tell them why working with you makes their life easier and more valuable.
13. Traditional PR
Have a good news item or killer story? Set it up to appeal to journalists and reporters in the publications that are relevant to your company. Keep your release under 400 words, and include a good image/photograph with a caption.
14. Tradeshows
These events are one of the only opportunities where you can almost guarantee the majority of people attending will at least be tangentially involved in your industry, and you can reach them face-to-face.
15. Facebook Advertising (Paid)
Create wall and story ads to promote your product or service, or sponsor your organic posts to reach a greater audience based on multiple criteria.
16. Facebook Marketing (Organic)
Create a Facebook Company Page, a group, or an event and encourage community sharing to gain visibility.
17. Twitter Organic
A regular cadence of posting to twitter is essential for the audience on that platform. Use high-traffic and specific hashtags, and optimize what you post by applying some artificial intelligence and machine learning through a tool such as RiteTag.
18. Twitter Paid
Promote your important posts on Twitter, and make sure to pin the most valuable posts to the top of your Twitter feed.
19. LinkedIn Organic (Posts/Groups)
Post regularly to LinkedIn, participate in group discussions without overtly selling, or even create your own group that may be appealing for others to join and follow.
20. LinkedIn Paid
This is the place to push out your professional content. LinkedIn paid advertising tends to have a higher Cost-Per-Click (PPC) than Facebook and Twitter, but the audience is strongly present on the platform.
21. YouTube Organic
Have a well designed and optimized YouTube Channel for your business, and make sure to upload and tag your videos in an organized way.
22. YouTube Paid
You see the ads that play before, during, and after YouTube videos, well – you can pay to be one of those too.
23. Instagram
As the most follow-based visual platform, create and post beautiful imagery and photography representing what you do, tag it appropriately, and keep it consistent for a steady following. Over time, you are bound to reach the right target audience by virtue of share-ability.
24. Pinterest
You may think this is a place for home crafts, cooking, and the like – but you’re wrong. Head over to Pinterest – there is much, much more – for all types of interests.
25. Search Engine Optimization
There’s not much to say about this except… If you’re not running a consistent SEO program, you’re missing the point of being on the internet – unless you invested all of that time and money into your website to be a simple pamphlet online. As a premiere New Jersey SEO Company with global reach, we help B2B businesses like yours improve their online presence in search engines like Google, which drives more lead form submissions and phone calls.
26. Google Ads (AdWords) – Search Network
Google is still the biggest search and data company in the world. They have the highest intelligence for distributing ads. Leverage their network and target your audience through text ads that show up everywhere.
27. Google Ads (AdWords) – Display Network
When you’re reading your favorite blogs, websites, or even shopping online, you are served ads. Sometimes these ads have a picture, sometimes a bit of movement. These ads are shown to you by Google based on your interests and behaviors online. If you’re reading ESPN or Huffington Post, the ads your seeing aren’t chosen by those sites, they are shown to you by Google in space that those sites have sold to Google for rights of use. Get your ads to show to your audience even when they are sitting on the couch late at night.
28. Bing PPC, 29. Yahoo PPC
Similar to Google’s network here, just not as massive.
30. Partnerships, 31. Referrals
Partner up with complimentary services. Refer up and down the chain, it pays itself back by them doing the same for you.
32. Content Syndication
If you have a great article that really needs to get out there, check out services like OutBrain – similar to Adwords and other PPC, just for larger forms of content.
33. Display Advertising Offline (trade publications, magazines, etc.)
These are your more traditional ads that you would design and write for placement in magazines and publications specific to your industry.
34. Display Advertising Online
These are banners and posts that are sold directly by an online magazine or publication. A common phrase to hear is “run of site,” where your company’s ads will be featured throughout a publication’s website for a period of time.
35. Direct Mail to Potential Customers
Postcards are nice to receive from a friend, and often a throw-away when received from a business, but a postcard is a great size to physically mail. Be sure to offer large and clear incentives to read, and keep it simple with smart design. Avoid lots of crazy fonts and all sorts of colors. Show a clean, strong brand that you can stand behind. If you wouldn’t blow it up large and put it on your company car, then you probably shouldn’t put it on a postcard.
36. Email Advertising
You can advertise via email either with your own services, such as Hubspot, SharpSpring, Mailchimp, or Constant Contact – or you can purchase placements in other newsletter or email distributions such as NASA Tech Briefs.
37. Radio Advertising, 38. TV Advertising
No explanation needed for these two… We all grew up with this stuff. It’s about making the audio/video right that makes the difference. The standards are high, don’t get caught in the good-deal trap. You know when you see one of those poorly produced, don’t-fit-the-whole-tv commercials at night, credibility goes out the window.
39. Optimized Review Sites
If applicable to your business, definitely be well informed and on top of these sites. Respond to complaints, offer solutions, and thank those that praise.
40. Bundles and Kits
#BOGO. This applies easier to a standard set of products, but services may be more tricky. Say you’re a law firm, are you going to do a buy one/get one for litigation? Probably not, but there are likely other types of services that can be offered.
41. Subscriptions
This is the most popular optioned consumer behavior right now. If you can find a way to offer your services for an ongoing monthly fee, do it.
42. Membership
This comes down to brand and company loyalty. Give them a reason be a close customer.
43. Consulting, 44. Training
Almost any product or service could benefit from even a short training session or walkthrough. Offer it and make it easy to schedule.
45. Regular Email Newsletter (Daily/Weekly/Monthly)
Look into applying an RSS functionality to your blog content. And don’t just distribute, collect data on this with the use of Hubspot or SharpSpring.
46. Automated Sequential Email Follow-Up
Through the use of the programs mentioned in the email newsletter item, set up several very nicely designed emails and have them deploy to those opting-in on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
47. Retargeting
This is the practice of having an ad essentially follow someone around on the web after they have visited your website.
48. SMS
This is also an opt-in strategy. Send text messages to your customers with the latest news, incentives, and events.
49. Direct Mail Marketing To Existing Customers
Make sure you don’t forget the customers that are already on board and loyal. Give them special deals as well, show them why they should stay with you.
50. Newsletter/Magazine
Create your own physical newsletter or magazine to mail. If you have enough to talk about, make sure you’re hitting all of the channels that appeal to different parts of your audience with both web and print.
51. Customer Appreciation Offers
Similar to direct mail, but there are other ways to do this. Use existing email lists to distribute, stuff something of value or incentive in to invoice mailings, or run a phone campaign calling your existing customers and offering them a discounted up-sell.
Don’t stop now, get your ideas on paper and start modeling what might be best to reach your audience. As always, if you need a hand, please give us a call at 908-534-9044 or use our form to Contact Us today.
