10 great examples of demand generation content

When it comes to making demand generation campaigns work to maximum effect, good content is a marketer’s greatest fuel. The right content helps generate new inquiries, warm up cold

leads, and nudge existing prospects closer to purchase.

Without good content, demand generation results can take a big hit. In fact, a lack of content is often quoted as the primary

barrier to demand gen success.

In the following slides, we explore 10 examples of creative offer content that helped marketers increase demand for their

products and services. And the good news is — many were created by repurposing existing content to present information in new and creative ways. We hope they help you find inspiration to develop great content for your company.

Moxie “3 Bright Ideas” Ebook

When digital engagement solutions provider Moxie wanted to create digestible content for its early-stage nurture

program, it came to Spear with a 27-page research report. Unfortunately, not only was the report too much

information for so early in the sales cycle, it also was oriented to late stage prospects —

people actively evaluating solutions.

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Pairing stats from the report with the addition of more benefit-oriented best practices, Spear developed a lighter, shorter ebook that enabled Moxie to educate its cold lead

audience in a more engaging, low-commitment way.

Takeaway: Paid for research? Make it go further by repurposing stats, facts, and results into more scannable formats—ebooks, infographics—that work for different

stages of the purchase process.

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A10 Networks “Top 6 Dangers”

Infographic

A10 Networks is a leading manufacturer of application networking and security solutions. When the company asked

Spear to help create content for an early- to mid-stage nurture campaign, it was looking to illuminate just how

scary and devastating a cyber attack can be.

Armed with a PowerPoint deck on the dangers of not inspecting SSL traffic, A10 wanted to drive engagement from cybersecurity professionals in a way that might send shivers

down their spines.

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From that one presentation and some additional industry research, Spear crafted an infographic that identified the biggest security threats the target audience faced, and a

solution for how to expose them. The title, “Top 6 Dangers,” employed a proven best practice, namely the use of a

numeral to set concrete expectations for what the reader can expect to learn.

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Takeaway: When employed in an infographic, otherwise ordinary stats and bullet points from a presentation deck

can be turned into content that not only delivers vital information, but does it in a way that evokes emotions, too.

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Dropbox Case Studies

Digital storage and sharing giant Dropbox loves its customers, and the feeling is mutual. Dropbox also knows that prospective customers love hearing about how other

companies like them already use Dropbox services. To date, Spear has developed a portfolio of close to 100 business

case studies for Dropbox showcasing some of the company’s most notable users. The stories are used both to generate leads on the company’s website, and also as sales tools by

Dropbox sales representatives.

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In planning an entire library of case studies, Dropbox needed a clean, reader-friendly template that would allow key story points to really “pop” on the page. In collaboration with the client, Spear developed a modular design to both accelerate the production process, and also highlight business results

and customer testimonials. This has allowed Dropbox to illuminate the huge spectrum of use cases—and industries—

that rely on Dropbox products, and create immediate relevancy for the reader.

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Takeaway: Case studies are a key element in a marketer’s content library, especially for prospects later in the sales

cycle. By highlighting business- and industry-specific information, case studies empower the marketer to address

specific buying personas or industry verticals in a highly relevant way.

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NextGen Healthcare Outsourcing

Billing Checklist

When prospects are in the later stages of the lead lifecycle, short, more interactive content—pieces like checklists, ROI

calculators, and self-guided assessments—can be ideal fodder to help guide and motivate the purchase decision.

Late-stage engagement was exactly what NextGen Healthcare was aiming for when they worked with Spear to

create a “billing assessment” checklist.

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The checklist was designed as both Web content (to reside in the company’s resource center online), and also as a sales

tool to help convince medical practices of the value of outsourcing their billing processes. By combining questions

to help the practice assess their current billing system, along with information on how to choose the right billing

company, Spear created a high-value asset that not only helped to create a “need” on the part of the prospect, but

also positioned NextGen as the logical choice for a technology partner.

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Takeaways: Late-stage content that helps prospects assess their current business practices, then provides

recommendations on how to improve those same processes, can help steer purchase decisions without resorting to an

overt product pitch.

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Origami Logic “Marketing Signals”

Survey Report

Surveying customers and prospects is a great way to learn more about your target audience—but surveys can also

provide you with data that’s primed and ready to lend itself to new content. When Origami Logic, a global leader in

marketing performance measurement, approached Spear for help generating new leads and engaging with current

customers, Spear suggested that a survey campaign might be the perfect answer.

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After collecting data from more than 200 marketing execs, Spear compiled the information into a comprehensive report that highlighted trends and best practices that would appeal

to marketers chartered with the very tasks that Origami makes easier. Once the report was complete, Spear also

created an infographic that presented highlights from the report and—critically—offered viewers the opportunity to download a copy of the report in its entirety. Both pieces were then used as offer content in lead nurturing and as a

“thank you” to everyone who completed the original survey.

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Takeaway: Surveys are unique as a lead generation tactic in that they generate their own content—meaning you can

drive engagement at the same time you’re compiling data that in turn can be leveraged for reports, infographics, blog

posts, Webinars, and more.

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Morphick Ransomware Guide

Talking about your product may seem like the most direct way to capture the interest of potential customers, but like

infomercials, product hype can cloud a worthy value proposition and appeal to only a small subset of late-stage

prospects. Cybersecurity company Morphick wanted to push a product message to help carve out a new solutions

category in the security space. However, their product-focused content was a difficult sell in a crowded

marketplace, where many vendors can appear to claim the same ground.

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What was needed was content that hooked prospects with an established and well-understood pain point, and

positioned Morphick as an innovative solution. In the fast-moving security industry, however, that content also needed

to focus on a current and relevant topic before the next hacking story stole the headlines.

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Instead of starting from scratch, Morphick turned to an existing short paper on ransomware. By adding a new title, bolstering the article with a “how to” angle, and breaking

the content into “snackable” steps, Spear was able to create a “guide” with concrete appeal to the security professional.

Also critical was the design: an eye-catching cover and an easy-to-read template made the PDF version infinitely more

accessible than the original, white paper-style document.

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Takeaway: Need current content in a hurry? Put a new face on blog posts, internal docs, or third-party articles by

reorganizing content, adding design elements that break up the copy and make it easier to scan, and using a title that

speaks directly to what the reader will learn.

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Quantum Executive Summary

For some audiences, more information isn’t a good thing. When data storage company Quantum approached Spear

with the task of editing an existing ebook, it was clear there was not only great content, there was simply too much of it to appeal to an executive audience, one of the key segments

the client was targeting.

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Instead of eliminating content from the ebook, Spear recommended creating a second piece more tailored to the

C-level audience. This 3-page “executive summary” leveraged the same content, but relied on a highly visual,

scannable design that highlighted key takeaways. Eye-catching stats and facts took the lead, and copy was kept to a minimum. While Spear leveraged the look and feel of the

ebook, the executive summary had a more sophisticated “bottom line” feel that spoke to C-level concerns.

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Takeaway: Tailor content for specific personas, departments, or industries by strategically versioning existing pieces. If

there’s a specific message or format that works, don’t recreate the wheel; consider instead repurposing existing

content into companion assets.

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Rimini StreetInfographic & Ebook

Statistics are critical supporting points for marketing messages. However, stats on their own can leave a reader

begging for a conclusion, and a reason to keep reading. For Rimini Street, a leading provider of enterprise software

support services, a successful research survey uncovered some compelling numbers that were great fodder for a marketing campaign. What was needed was a way to

package that data in a manner that was both meaningful and memorable to potential customers.

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From the client’s numbers, Spear created a comic book “super hero” theme that was leveraged across an

infographic and an ebook, and as part of an integrated demand generation campaign. While the theme didn’t

distract from the power of the statistics alone, it added a fun and memorable angle that was eye-catching and yet

reinforced an important marketing message.

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Takeaway: Don’t take content too seriously.Prospects like to be entertained and delivering your

message in a visually compelling, thematic way can help your company stand out from the crowd, and generate

attention in a crowded category.

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Magnitude White Papers

You can’t judge a book by its cover, but, of course, people do. For data warehouse and analytics provider Magnitude, high quality content was hampered by simple designs that

didn’t show that content in its best light. A slew of acquisitions left marketing resources strapped, so new

programs had to “make do” with content offers that were relatively dry, mostly text-based, and less than engaging.

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Recognizing the value of the underlying content, Spear recommended a quick content “refresh.” Copy was restructured to include catchy subheads and compelling titles, and new covers were added to drive engagement (even in thumbnail form). In short order, Magnitude had

two “new” white papers tailored for use in their lead nurturing programs.

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Takeaway: Often, older content can be made new again with a simple copy refresh and design makeover. Used

strategically, a compelling cover design gives an offer higher perceived value—and a focal point for emails and online

ads. An interesting cover with a compelling title can often be the difference between a pass—and a click.

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Navicure “Interactive” Infographic

Sometimes, a piece of content can act as inspiration for a new customer experience. Navicure, a leading provider of

medical claims management software, wanted a new infographic to be less static and more interactive, the better

to drive viewer engagement.

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Taking the client’s goal in mind, Spear built in levels of interactivity that changed the entire feel of the piece. As

viewers scroll through the infographic, information pops up dynamically, then at the bottom, the infographic spotlights a

clear call to action that takes the reader to a registration form. Part landing page, part infographic, the new piece

serves as both a lead generation asset and also a sales tool to help tell the Navicure story.

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Takeaway: Not all infographics have to be static images. Make content come to life by building a more visual,

interactive, dynamic experience. Not only will your content stand out, but you’ll drive higher engagement, including

social shares.

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8 Questions to Help You Decide if Your Content Is Good Enough

Does it teach the reader something they may not already know?

Does the topic help to qualify the prospect as someone suffering from a problem or pain point your product/service can solve?

Is it aligned with where your audience is in the purchase process?

Are the topics and stats current—no more than a year or so old?

Does its title clearly convey a benefit or an intriguing, newsworthy topic?

Does it use specific, accessible language rather than vague concepts and jargon?

Is it the right amount of substance—not so short that it feels flimsy, but not so long that it feels overwhelming?

Does it include a call to action or next step for readers to access additional information or get help with questions?

Spear Marketing Group is a full-service demand generation agency that helps B2B technology companies generate, nurture, and convert leads to revenue. Services include email marketing, event promotion, SEO/SEM, content

syndication, digital advertising, social media, and content development. For more information, visit

www.spearmarketing.com

Additional Resources Report: Which Content & Technology is Driving Today’s Demand Generation

eBook: The Big Book of B2B Demand Generation Success

White Paper: How to Choose Your Carrot: Effective Lead Generation Offers for High-Technology Marketers

Questions? info@spearmarketing.comFollow us on Twitter: @spearmktgwww.spearmarketing.com