In 2006, the average human’s attention span was measured at 12 seconds. Today, it’s eight. That’s shorter than the attention span of a goldfish.
We can’t blame the decline of human’s ability to concentrate on social media or the internet. But, we can blame it on the amount of information that’s out there. The internet is crowded, and when people are searching for something, they’re likely to find a piece of content that’s similar to yours.
So, how do you create content that captures and holds your audience’s attention and helps you generate leads? In this blog post, we’ll cover 13 content marketing practices that you can use to generate leads.
1. Conduct keyword research to identify high-traffic keywords
If you want to create content that will generate leads, you need to make sure you’re targeting high-traffic keywords.
The more traffic a keyword has, the more potential your content has to generate leads. But, you also want to make sure you’re targeting keywords that are relevant to your business.
To do this, you’ll need to conduct keyword research to identify high-traffic keywords that are relevant to your business.
2. Create a content calendar
Consistency is key in content marketing. You need to publish content regularly to keep your audience engaged and to keep your website fresh and up-to-date.
That’s why it’s a good idea to create a content calendar. This will help you keep track of what content you’re going to publish and when.
It will also help you make sure you’re covering all of the topics you want to cover and that you’re not overdoing it with any one topic.
3. Write compelling headlines
If you’re not a writer, you may not understand the true power of a headline. But the headline is the first impression your content will make on your audience. Even if your content is the best, if your headline doesn’t draw the reader in, they’ll never get to the good stuff.
Developing a good headline is an art. It should be interesting and useful, and it should contain the most important keywords for the topic you’re writing about. In general, headlines that are between 6-13 words long and include numbers get the most clicks.
If you’re struggling to come up with a headline, try writing out a few different options. Then, pick the one that best summarizes your content and draws the reader in.
4. Optimize your content
Content optimization is the process of making sure your content is valuable, relevant, and high quality. It also involves making sure your content is easy to find by search engines and your audience.
To optimize your content, you’ll want to start by doing keyword research. This will help you identify the words and phrases your audience is using to search for the information you’re providing.
Once you’ve identified your target keywords, you’ll want to incorporate them strategically throughout your content. This includes in your headline, subheaders, body copy, and meta description.
You’ll also want to make sure your content is well-organized and easy to read. This means using short paragraphs, bullet points, and numbered lists to break up your text. You’ll also want to use images and other visual elements (which can be created with AI image prompts) to help illustrate your points.
Finally, you’ll want to make sure your content is easy to share. This means including social sharing buttons and making sure your content is mobile-friendly.
5. Create a lead magnet
A lead magnet is a piece of content that you give away for free in exchange for a website visitor’s contact information. This is a highly effective way to generate leads because it’s a quick and easy transaction. The website visitor doesn’t have to invest much time or effort, and they don’t have to spend any money.
There are many different types of lead magnets you can create, and the best type for your business will depend on your target audience and the types of problems they face. Here are a few examples of different types of lead magnets:
• Ebooks
• Whitepapers
• Checklists
• Templates
• Webinars
• Video series
• Mini-courses
• Quizzes
6. Promote your content
Creating content is only half the battle. If you want to generate leads with your content, you need to promote it.
There are many ways you can promote your content, including social media, email marketing, and paid advertising. The key is to get your content in front of as many potential leads as possible.
One of the best ways to promote your content is to share it on social media. You can share your content on all of your social media profiles, or you can focus on the ones where your target audience is most active. Showcasing authentic perspectives, such as customer testimonials or even employee voice, can also add credibility and help your content resonate more with audiences.
You can also use social media to run paid advertising campaigns. This is a great way to get your content in front of people who may not be following you yet.
Another great way to promote your content is through cold email software. If you have a list of leads or customers, you can send them an email with a link to your content.
You can also use email to promote your content to people who aren’t on your list. For example, you can create a lead magnet and use it to collect email addresses. Then, you can send those people an email with a link to your content.
The key to successful content promotion is to be consistent. Don’t just promote your content once and then forget about it. Instead, create a promotion plan and stick to it.
7. Use content upgrades
Content upgrades are a great way to generate leads from your blog content. A content upgrade is a lead magnet that’s specific to a particular piece of content.
For example, if you have a blog post about how to get more traffic to your website, you could offer a checklist of traffic-driving strategies as a content upgrade. Seasonal examples also work well, such as a curated list of best selling Christmas gifts during the holidays.
Content upgrades work really well because they’re highly targeted. Instead of offering a generic lead magnet at the end of your blog post, you’re offering something that’s directly related to the content the reader is consuming.
8. Repurpose your content
Not all of your content has to be brand new. In fact, repurposing content is a great way to get more life out of your top-performing pieces.
For instance, you could turn a blog post into a podcast, a video, or a social media graphic. Or, you could turn a series of your blog posts into an ebook.
Repurposing content is a lot easier than creating something from scratch. Plus, it allows you to reach new audiences on different platforms.
9. Guest post on relevant blogs
Yes, writing guest posts is a great way to build brand awareness and backlinks. But, if you’re strategic about the blogs you write for, you can also generate leads.
The key to using guest posts to generate leads is to make sure you’re writing for a blog that your target audience reads. This will help you get your content in front of the right people and, hopefully, send some of that traffic back to your website.
Once you’ve been published, you can add a call-to-action to your author bio or within the content. This CTA should point to a relevant offer, like an ebook or webinar, that your target audience would be interested in.
10. Add content to your social media profiles
Social media is a great place to share your content and reach new people. This is especially true for marketplace platforms, where consistent posting helps attract both buyers and sellers. But you can also use your social media profiles to host your content.
LinkedIn, for example, lets you publish long-form articles to your profile. This is a great way to show off your expertise and provide value to your network.
You can also use the content sections on LinkedIn to add links to your blog, videos, podcasts, etc. This is a great way to showcase your content and drive traffic to your website.
Pro tip: Don’t just post links to your content. Make sure to add context and value. For example, you can share a quick tip or key takeaway from the content and then link to the full piece.
11. Create a content hub
A content hub is a collection of content, typically centered around a single topic or theme. Content hubs are a great way to organize your content and make it easily accessible to your audience.
Not only do content hubs provide a great user experience, but they also help improve your website’s SEO by making it easy for search engines to find and index your content.
When you create a content hub, you can also use it as a lead generation tool by gating some of the content. In other words, you can require users to enter their email address in order to access certain pieces of content within your hub.
This is a great way to generate leads because it allows you to provide value upfront and then capture contact information from users who are interested in your content.
12. Use content syndication to reach a wider audience
Content syndication is the process of republishing your content on third-party websites. This is a great way to get your content in front of a wider audience and drive more traffic to your website.
There are a number of content syndication platforms that can help you distribute your content to a wide variety of publishers. These platforms typically work on a pay-per-click model, so you only pay when someone clicks on your content.
In addition to driving more traffic to your website, content syndication can also help you generate more leads. You can include lead capture forms in your syndicated content to collect contact information from the people who read it.
13. Turn your content into referral fuel
Great content doesn’t just generate leads directly — it can also spark word-of-mouth growth when paired with a referral program. By encouraging your audience to share your ebooks, webinars, or blog posts with their networks, you can reach people you might never have found on your own.
Tools like ReferralCandy make this simple by automating rewards for customers and fans who share your content. Imagine publishing a whitepaper and then offering readers a discount or perk if they refer a colleague to download it too. This way, every piece of content becomes a lead-generation engine powered by your existing audience.
Conclusion
Content marketing is an essential aspect of business growth. Your content can generate leads, help you build brand awareness, and boost conversions. Use these content marketing practices to help you reach your business goals.
