Content marketing is an important lead generation tactic for software companies. No matter the market, buyers are 60% of the way through their decision making process before they directly contact a brand.
The backbone of a strong content strategy includes:
Defining SMART goals – SMART (Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Relevant. Timely) goals allow for objective evaluation of a campaign throughout its lifecycle. Approved goals eliminate misalignment and promote objective evaluation.
Allocating resources – Incorporating strategic deliverables into an overall marketing workflow requires commitment for both the executers and the approvers. Campaigns that are treated as production tasks miss the opportunity to articulate value. Campaigns that never launch never succeed.
Measuring results – Armed with the appropriate Marketing Automation Platform, evaluating a campaign’s effectiveness is an objective, analytical exercise which allows for updates and adjustments to a campaign to occur based on data, not emotion.
Iterating campaigns – All campaigns can get better with time. Measuring results drivers campaign iteration including updating headlines, calls to action, target audience or social interaction tactics. If a campaign is working well, amplify it. If a campaign is floundering, look at its data and make adjustments.
Finally, do not let the strategy overwhelm the effort. More is not better. Producing less, but producing consistently will generate consistent leads. Producing value proposition content for your ideal buyers will go much farther than a volume of ineffective blog articles. And taking the time to promote your content thru your social media touch points will maximize its effectiveness.
