Content Binge: 9-Tactics for B2B Marketing

Lead generation for B2B marketers is a continuing and ongoing challenge. Rather, strategies that drive solid conversion rates, that is the true challenge. The first step is drawing attention to your content and brand. For this skim "7-Steps to More Content Exposure" for ideas on drawing more leads into the content marketing funnel. Once you have your first-time leads captured, you will want the lead scoring engine to kick-in, finding high-intent prospects. This is where you want to encourage the user to content binge!

One lonely piece of content is just never enough to close a sale. That's why you both want to create binge-worthy content, and why it is equally important to create an environment that encourages binging.

Content Binge: What & Why?

Like binge watching your favourite Netflix series, the content binge is about encouraging more of your content consumption with the potential customer. Once a prospect from your target audience is engaged in one collateral piece, gently persuade them to read a few more items. Doing this keeps their eyes, attention, and focus on your brand. It also establishes a deeper sense of trust and credibility in your brand. Naturally, this requires that your marketing team creates high quality material, that resonates with customer pain points. Once you have a prospect engaged in your collateral, article, or posts; entice them to download the next piece of content.

Creating high quality leads from the content binge means you must collect the user's contact information on the landing page. It is the entry point for your sales funnel. Although, not all of your content will focus on capturing lead information, consider carefully what brand collateral you gate and leave ungated. For a deeper dive read "Should You Use Gated Content Marketing... or go Ungated?" It is important, as I have seen one organisation completely destroy it's lead generation engine by getting this wrong.

So, why are bingers a high-intent signal to marketers?

• 87% of pre-purchase research is done online for products or services - so you want them to spend more time on your content rather than the competitor's (RetailDive, 2018)
• B2B purchasers read 13 pieces of content before making a decision (FocusVision, 2021)
• 52% of B2B buyers are more likely to purchase from a vendor after reading their content (FocusVision, 2021)

Together, these stats should highlight one significant point to the reader. To maximize your opportunity to generate a solid lead that converts into a sale, get the prospects attention and keep it focused on your brand. Build that sense of credibility with them, by showcasing your company's expertise and capabilities. If most of the 13 pieces of content read were from your brand, and several of the pieces were highly informative substantive content (ebooks, whitepapers; then you a little more than half the battle (52%) points in your favor of winning the deal!

People content binge when they are interested in a subject, and when it is convenient for them to do so. What follows are 9 content binge tactics, to encourage prospects to dive deeper, and spend more time considering your brand.

1 - Ads on Your Own Website

Every B2B website has convenient calls to action (CTA) on the top of each web page. Most common among these are "Request a Demo" or "Contact Us" CTA buttons. These are great, but they are bottom of the funnel (BOFU) CTAs. Albeit a standard industry practice, customers just don't start their buying journey there! In fact, if you have the technical capabilities - try an A/B test by swapping that CTA with a "Read New Report" button. You may find a healthy bump in your inbound leads.

Besides the suggestion above, include CTAs throughout your website that encourage the prospect to read one of your white papers, guides, or ebooks. These should be embedded within the content of the side information (not just the top header).

Aside from native discussion ads with CTAs to to your content, include a few ads right in your website. Throw in your own Google display ads within your website. It will encourage your prospect to take action, engage, and spend more time on your site. Beyond that they will also download and read your material, spending even more consideration time with you rather than the competition.

Even if they already downloaded other content, and spent some time reading more on your website - these ads push for more engagement. Perhaps it is another angle, or nuance on the subject that interests them. Not everyone will take the bait, but some will. That increases your chances of bringing in one more deal.

Not a perfect example, but the Intuit example above shows an ad displayed on their main webpage. For this B2C (B2-Small Business) play, their bottom of the funnel approach works. For larger B2B plays, copy the same tactic, but use persuasive content, instead.

Most importantly: don't be afraid to put an ad directly on the homepage of your website for your content. After all, people coming to your website are interested in what you have to offer. They want to read your material, otherwise they wouldn't be there. A homepage CTA is the best way to capitalize on your highest volume of traffic page. Get more of those observers to engage.

2 - Links from Blog Posts

On your blog posts, whenever possible draw the conversation toward one topic you cover in your core content. Select one topic and link to that resource page (landing page), directly. This would be a native ad approach, as the link (ad) is embedded without interruption, in your article. Here, you are engaging the prospect at the peak of their interest, as they are reading about that topic, or a closely related one.

In addition, it is good measure to include an ad or two at the bottom of the blog post. You both want a 'next article' link to another of your blog posts. Alternatively, you can include a visual ad to another piece of content like a research publication, or ebook on a similar topic. You may even want to take one of your social media or display ads, with a link to the resource or landing page. This approach builds familiarity.

Hubspot is masterful at these links from within their blog post to lead generating content. An example below shows one of their posts with a link to the content at the top... and it is strewn throughout the article, too. Copy this idea for yourself!

3 - Thank You Page

After the prospect has downloaded the first content from your landing page, following best practices your site sends them to a thank you page (TYP). On the TYP, thank them for providing their contact details, and for taking an interest in your report. Then show them examples of two or three other items from your collateral that might interest them, with links to those resource/landing pages.

If a participant is interested in one article or content piece about your industry topics, then they will probably be enticed to read and learn from yet another.

4 - Within Your Content

Shamelessly link to other content right from your white paper, ebook, research, or report. Do this in two ways. First, make it a native link. For example, if I were discussing sales using social I would recommend the reader take a look at "Social Selling: Getting it Right!" Embed the link directly in the text as a reference, but do so directly to the resource or landing page (...see my shameless and cheeky attempt at engaging you in another one of my articles with my link above :-) ).

Second, at the end of the collateral, include an additional page with a graphic and short description of other content the reader might find interesting. An example above, is that taken from a research paper my team published at OrderDynamics, in collaboration with Bell & Howell (a partner). In this case we included links to both other content of ours, and links to our partner's content too.

5 - Email Marketing

After a prospect provides their contact information in exchange for a white papers, best practices encourage marketers to immediately send a thank-you email. Even if you provide the download link from the TYP, sending an email confirming the download link to the PDF file - is a good practice. Users often want to return to the material - and will find the link in an email handy.

In that email, include a phrase that mentions that readers also found your 'benchmark research' informative. Then provide a link to that file as well, or at least a link to the resource page. From there the reader may get the file at their leisure. Here, the key is to make it readily available and convenient for the prospect.

Also include your content in your nurture campaigns. When a reader has downloaded their first content and opted-in for further email from you, then you can send them links to other helpful content you offer. Although, some existing customers may also be on these lists, there is no harm in having them engage with the content, too.

6 - Pillar Pages

Put links and ads to your content directly in your pillar pages. Pillar pages are long form, deep dives into content topical to your industry and business, there is ample room and opportunity to briefly discuss various collateral pieces. Use the same approach described above. Embed the links directly in your writing, when you discuss a topic that connects with a report in question. Also, include ads in the pillar pages for the content you can offer on the topic. As previously stated, reuse a graphic ad from Google Display or one used on social media.

7 - Infographics

When you post a standalone infographic, make sure it has links to other content on the topic. While each benchmark study, research paper, or market analysis should have its own infographic, put in a small additional section with graphical examples and links to other related and informative material. When done well, your infographics should get shared and achieve some solid impressions. As such, getting readers to also see some other content you offer, might entice them to engage and read another publication of yours. It is a great means of providing brand exposure, deepening your credibility, and pulling in another lead.

Get a better sense about credibility building in the article: 3 Building Blocks to Trust in Marketing.

8 - PopUp Ads

Another clever option to entice the content binge, is to use popup ads throughout your website. When someone engages with your website, and spends some time reading the content (20-40 seconds), then have a popup ad for a piece of related content. You can either collect some information from the prospect right within the popup, or simply use it to send them to the resource / landing page.

Cority (B2B leading EHSQ SaaS systems developer) provides an excellent example of dynamic popup ads. In the example above, this popup emerges after the user downloads one content item. The beauty of this approach, is the ability to customize these popups based on the location of the user on the website. In effect, rather than having the prospect meander at random, this provides a means of guiding their buyer's journey. It means you can provide the right resources that a prospect will need to make a decision on a purchase. In other words, you provide a breadcrumb trail through the various collateral pieces, that takes the user from top of funnel (TOFU) content through to bottom of funnel (BOFU) material. Doing so, also provides a signal that this could be a high-intent buyer.

9 - Resource Page

Last, and perhaps most importantly - include a resources page on your website. This page makes it easy for a consumer of your content, to find it all. It encourages them to gorge on the various pieces that you offer. This approach makes it easy and convenient for them to download various items from you, to help them with their research.

Make it graphical, and in a list format. If you blend all your content here, then provide filters that let the user focus on the type of content or resources they seek.

Content Binge Tactics

Once you have created a substantive and high quality piece of content, you need to leverage it to generate demand for your offering. Making it easy and convenient for the reader to binge on your content is a great way to grab the mind share of a prospective client.

A content binge philosophy truly took hold based on video streaming services like Netflix, and Amazon Prime. It is a great idea to bring the prospect and client closer to your offering. But, the content binge concept is not limited to watching your favourite television series. Leverage it for your own B2B marketing practices. It will both help you identify high intent leads, bump up your brand exposure with your prospects, and improve your credibility with them too.