on Feb 28, 2022 / by
Each content asset in your library serves a specific goal and function. Some goals are straightforward—want to increase your page rankings? Optimize your blogs and other online pieces with the appropriate keywords, following current best practices for effective SEO. Other goals require more effort. For instance, if you want to drum up demand for a product or convert leads into buyers, you need people to share a bit of personal information, such as a name and email address, and then download your content.
Why Does Downloadable Content Matter?
Blogging is a key part of any content marketing strategy. Blogs are an excellent way to generate brand awareness as well as to establish expertise—it can even aid lead generation by 67% if you include a lead capture form on the page.
Downloadable content goes beyond awareness and is important for those potential customers who are actively evaluating solutions. Downloadable content is often longer in form and can be whitepapers, ebooks, infographics, and even videos. Its value lies in being able to provide more information regarding specific products and services, or a more holistic view of what your company can offer to potential buyers. Often gated—requiring the exchange of contact details to “unlock”—downloadable content assets serve as great tools for lead generation and qualification.
Optimizing Your Content Downloads
Of course, the trick is to get people to actually download your content to begin with. After all, unlike reading an article on your website, downloading content takes an extra step or two—something not every lead will be inclined to take. Here are several ways you can ensure more of your targets download more of your content.
- Create relevant content.
If what you’re writing about isn’t something that matters to your audience or your potential leads, they’re not going to bother checking it out—much less download it. So, the very first key to optimizing your content for more downloads is to ensure it’s relevant to your readers. There are several ways to do this. The first is to conduct keyword research on topics that are “hot” for your industry and its audience at the moment. Apart from aiding in the formulation of content ideas, you get a leg-up on your search engine optimization as well.
The second is to consider what your audience is asking or talking about. There are two places to find this out. One is with your sales teams as they are the ones who have a direct line to your customers—and even inquiring leads. Often, a quick conversation is enough to reveal key topics to create content for, but it’s certainly better if reports can be generated constantly.
Another is by checking what your audience is saying on your social platforms or even your website inquiry forms. These channels can reveal a wealth of information, especially when they’re responding to content you’ve published out or emails you’ve sent with questions and concerns.
Finally, you can also peek at what your competition is creating. While you should never copy anything that’s already been published, they might be mining a topic that’s worth pursuing yourself. Of course, it goes without saying you should only tackle subjects relevant to your own products and services.
- Choose the correct medium.
The next thing to consider is the format your content will take. This is always a function of three things: the message, your audience, and your budget. Your message is all about what you want to talk about. Written media is the most common, and can vary depending on length—whitepapers can be used to focus on a specific topic, for instance, while ebooks can cover a whole category of topics. Videos and webinars can simplify more complicated concepts, while infographics are a great way to visually present a lot of information all at once.
It’s just as important to consider your audiences’ preferences when it comes to content formats. A study by Diode Digital found the video is 600% more effective than other media, for example. But you need to keep in mind what your audience wants to see. If they prefer ebooks and whitepapers, produce those. You should always produce content in several different formats to see what’s going to resonate with your readers.
The final consideration is, of course, your budget—in terms of both dollars and sense as well as manpower and time. However effective video might be, for example, if you’re pressed for time and don’t have the budget for it, it isn’t a realistic format to pursue. It’s always better to aim for quality of material in whatever other form you can afford. For instance, a well-designed whitepaper can still have an impact on interested customers.
- Share and syndicate your content on the right sites.
Your final consideration should be where you’re going to share your content so it can be downloaded. Most commonly, people publish their content on their own websites—usually gated behind a comprehensive landing page that gives a teaser or overview of what they can get. Visitors need to enter their contact information for the download to proceed. The advantage here is that every aspect is under your control. The one downside is that you have to draw people into your website via socials, ads, and other means.
Another great option is content syndication—particularly with dedicated partners like DemandScience’s PureSyndication. A major benefit of this is specific targeting. Partners like PureSyndication can gather a list of verified leads from their B2B contact databases that match your own ideal customer profiles. These are the people your downloadable content will be distributed to. It’s still gated, meaning readers will have to input their contact information to verify key details as well as gauge interest.
Unlike hosting downloadable content on your own website, this method offers the opportunity to gather important intent data—like depth of readership, engagement, downloads, and even shares—which narrows down leads lists to those who are more likely to buy from you. This helps your nurturing efforts over the course of the buyer’s journey, because you can focus your time and energy on those who are more inclined to convert.
When downloadable content is part of your marketing strategy, you have a chance to present detailed and relevant content to customers who are actively evaluating solutions. To do this, you need to be aware of what your audience is looking for to cater to their needs. In crafting your content, consider what topics you’re trying to discuss, who you’re talking to, and if you have the budget for it. When all is ready to go, choose a partner or a service that gives you the most data and greater qualification of leads.
Partner wih Pure Syndication
DemandScience’s PureSyndication can build a leads list for you from over 131 million verified B2B contacts from all industries across the globe based on your particular needs. We even expand your reach with look-alike lists that mirror your parameters. We take your best content and place it in front of those most interested to view it. We then carefully track key points that indicate intent to purchase. Want to optimize your downloadable content and maximize its use? Talk to us. We’ll be more than happy to help you get your campaigns going.
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