Content strategy: how to generate qualified leads?

Content strategy is one of the most effective methods of generating qualified leads. From blog articles, videos and social media posts to webinars and white papers, there are many ways to create content. But how do you make it really work for your business? We explain the steps involved in creating a content strategy.

The challenges of an effective content strategy

Companies can hardly do without online content, so many are the benefits: improved visibility, audience engagement, lead generation and conversion - to name but a few.

Content is therefore a true strategic pillar for creating a relationship with the audience, contributing to the success of communication objectives and increasing sales. The aim is to accompany the customer through the entire buying process.

Define your target audience and its needs

To create a relevant content strategy, the first step is to define your persona (a fictional representation of your ideal customer). You'll need to gather a number of vital pieces of information, including issues, needs, limiting beliefs, objections and buying habits.

There are several ways of gathering this data:

• Conduct surveys
• Conducting interviews
• Observing discussions on social networks
• Joining forums and online communities
• Analyze online searches (keywords)
• Conduct competitor research

Understand your target customer's buying journey

The customer journey refers to the stages your target customer goes through from problem awareness to purchase. Your content strategy is there to guide him through these different phases.

1- Discovery

The target customer becomes aware of his problem, and seeks information to find a solution.

Content to be created: blog posts, content on social networks, advertisements, etc.

2- Consideration 

The prospect evaluates different solutions, compares them, reads the reviews. They look for detailed information.

Content to create: white papers, customer case studies, email marketing.

3- Conversion 

The prospect is convinced, makes the purchase decision and becomes a customer.

Content to create: testimonials, service pages

4- Loyalty & customer retention

The customer may buy again and/or become an ambassador for the company, by recommending its products and services.

Content to be created: Sharing customer-generated content (UGC)

Define your editorial line

The editorial line defines the choices you will make regarding the creation and promotion of all your content. It serves to create a real identity, while maintaining consistency for the company.

Here are the elements to define:

• Content themes, which must reflect the issues, needs and interests of your audience.
• Style: formal, casual, punchy, etc.
• Frequency of publication, for each type of content
• And the type of content: blog articles, social network posts, white papers, email marketing, etc.

Creating relevant, high-quality content

Worried that your article or e-mail will flop? To create content that meets the needs of your target audience, there are some best practices:

• Define a topic that addresses your audience's issues.
• Add value to your content, by informing, inspiring or solving a problem.
• Structure your content to make it easy to understand. Be careful to respect the codes of each platform.
• Be concise and to the point to keep your audience's attention, especially on social networks.
• Finally, encourage interactivity: on the networks, by e-mail or at the end of your blog posts, include a call to action, ask a question or conduct a survey.

GOOD TO KNOW
Optimize your blog posts by integrating keywords in a natural way, and adding links to other articles/pages on your site.

Promote your content with marketing automation

There are many channels for promoting content, and their choice will depend on your strategy. Here are the most effective ones:

Social networks: LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook or X (formerly Twitter). Adapt the format to each platform.

Email marketing (or newsletters): for greater effectiveness, personalize emails according to your audience segments. Email remains the most cost-effective communication channel.

Blogs, podcasts and YouTube: these channels are ideal for promoting longer, more in-depth content.

Advertising: create targeted advertising campaigns on social networks or search engines to reach specific audiences.

Also consider influencer marketing, where the aim is to collaborate with influencers in your field (in B2B, this is starting to emerge) to “leverage their audience” and extend your reach. You can also create your own online community to share your content.

To save time, marketing automation tools are your best allies! ActiveCampaign or Brevo will help you automate marketing campaigns, while Zapier or Make are ideal for automating repetitive tasks. To plan and manage your social networks, turn to tools such as Hootsuite or Sprout.

GOOD TO KNOW
Think content recycling! A podcast can become a blog post, which in turn can become several posts on social networks. Use marketing automation tools to save time 😊

Measuring the effectiveness of your content strategy

How do you know if your content strategy is working? There's no mystery. Dive into the key indicators that will help you measure its effectiveness.

Website traffic: track the number of total and unique visitors to your website. Check where they come from (paid traffic via advertising or organic). Focus on organic traffic to best measure the performance of your content strategy.

Search engine positioning: monitor the ranking of your pages according to the keywords searched.

Social network engagement: analyze likes, shares, comments and other interactions on your publications.

Event participation (e.g. webinars): track the number of participants and engagements during the event.

As you can see, lead generation through content strategy is a complex process. It's by combining creativity, relevance and ongoing analysis that a company can optimize a prospect's journey and convert them into a customer.