How to generate leads using content marketing

Content marketing, which includes sponsored content and social media posts, is a great way to generate leads and increase sales.

Content marketing is showing exceptional growth in South Africa, and companies are spending a large part of their budget on sponsored content.

The reason for this growth is simple – sponsored content produces exceptional results that dwarf the ROI of traditional advertising like TV, radio, or billboards.

However, there is a challenge. Not many companies have content marketing specialists who can produce quality content which performs well.

To help you on your sponsored content journey, here are a few tips to ensure your campaign stands out and generates leads.

Create engaging content

If you want to create an article that performs well, keep it short and focus on one idea. Do not try to cram as much info as possible into one article.

Also, try to figure out what people want to read. Here are a few examples which worked well.

• The best deals from a big sale your business are running.

• Tips and advice that will be valuable to your target audience.

• Educational content about one of your products or services.

It is important this content is concise and direct, as this makes it easier for your readers to consume.

Do not try to push a marketing angle or make it sound like a sasles pitch. It does not work.

Link to a page to capture leads

Your content should contain a link to a page on your website where you have a lead capturing form.

The lead capturing form should be prominent – preferably at the top – and you should not try to capture too much information.

The less information you capture, the more leads you will generate.

Partner with big publishers

Once you have your article ready, you need to get it in front of as many prospective customers as possible.

The best way to do this is to partner with the largest publications in your industry - as they will have a passionate audience that your business can target.

Here is a list of the biggest publishers in South Africa in their respective fields.

• General news – News24 with 11 million readers

• Business news – BusinessTech with 5 million readers

• IT and telecoms news – MyBroadband with 3 million readers

• Motoring – Cars.co.za with 1.6 million readers

Make sure the publisher publishes your article on their Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages.

It would also help to promote the article on your own social media channels.

Ask the publisher to include the article in their daily newsletter. It will increase the reach and engagement.

This large audience targeted with a great article will generate leads for your business, and you will reap the rewards.