Content Marketing Solution
About The Project
The client for this project, an industrial manufacturing company, regularly generates a consistent stream of educational content, including white papers, case studies, and webinars, to help inform existing and potential customers about the company’s products and how they can enhance corporate sustainability through improved operational efficiency. The client recently began to recognize the value of their content in the lead generation process, however, they have no access to the content analytics because their website is a subsection of a vast global conglomerate’s website that features dozens of other industries and business units. The client has no independent site control or administrative access to backend analytics, resulting in virtually no content engagement metrics or lead generation capabilities. Since many of the client’s digital ads point people to specific online content, the client realized they were unable to make any connection or correlation between ad effectiveness and content accessed by visitors to their website.
Further, site visitors frequently had to navigate through pages and subsections of the global industrial manufacturing company site before they were able to find the content they wanted to access. The experience was not user-friendly for either the client or their customer.
The client enlisted The Communications Group to help them achieve their goal of minimizing friction for users when interacting with content and improving their lead generation process.
Research was first needed to understand the existing user experience at baseline when searching for relevant content. Initial primary research in the form of a user audit was conducted. The findings of that research concluded that the content was not being sufficiently promoted and could be made more easily accessible and visible to customers.
After studying current efforts, we realized the content needed more promotion to increase accessibility.
Planning
Upon thorough review of the research data, The Communications Group worked with the client to determine what success would look like for an improved content-based marketing process. The following SMART objective was identified: - Generate 3-5 new qualified leads originating from audiences accessing the client's content each month.
Once the objectives were determined, The Communications Group proposed a two-part strategy designed to 1) strengthen the credibility of the client’s original content, boost the content’s visibility with key audiences including maintenance managers, industrial plant managers, and similar professionals, and 2) streamline the back-end data collection process for analysis and lead follow up.
This proposal was presented with a budget that included the expense of an initial primary program establishment estimated to cost $2,500, plus an additional 10 hours per month at the normal agency rate for a cross-functional team to maintain the program for a period of 12 months, and thereafter pending annual renewal.
Implementation
The solution we proposed was the establishment of the client's Content Marketing Center or ‘CMC.’ The CMC is an independent, custom-built website designed to give the client a place to house original whitepapers, reports, videos, and articles. It features a mix of gated and non-gated content. As a third-party independent site not directly tied to the global industrial manufacturing company website, the CMC lends credibility to its featured content ensuring users aren’t inhibited with feelings of being sold to or marketed.
Each month new ads are created and placed in key industry and trade publications, directing potential leads to specific content on the Content Marketing Center. Access to the CMC is gated, requiring visitors to complete a form providing basic contact information that includes name, email address, phone number, place of employment, job title, and ZIP code. This ensures every visitor’s contact information is captured during their initial visit.
While on the site, visitors have the option of exploring other pieces of original content, some of which isn’t gated. On return visits, the CMC is accessible and no longer gated for site entry.
The CMC allows us to provide a monthly report that includes a list of potential leads that is generated from the form, providing the client a steady stream of new qualified leads.
Quarterly, The Communications Group reviews the CMC with the client to discuss performance, updates, and potential changes that could increase success. This practice of continuous optimization keeps the content fresh for frequent visitors to the CMC.
THE FINAL
Result
The objective for the Content Marketing Center has been dramatically exceeded. To date, the CMC program has generated a total of 1,443 qualified leads, with an average of 120 new leads per month, against an objective of 3-5 leads per month. A total of 1,647 pieces of the client's content has been downloaded and data indicates some visitors have downloaded multiple pieces of content. Data also indicates that most users view at least 2 pages per visit and explore more in the CMC than what they originally came for. The Content Marketing Center continues to grow in original content offerings and more of the advertising materials are now being embedded with links to the CMC.