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Content marketing is a popular marketing strategy. Many marketers spend a significant amount of time developing content to generate interest from their customers. But how do you use this content to generate a direct response? When you do, how do you ensure that you get the most response from the content you have created? As one company recently discovered, it isn’t as simple as just putting a piece of content on your website. In fact, you could have valuable content to offer (as they did), but if you are unable to communicate this content in an effective way, then you are likely wasting much of the effort put into creating that content. In a recent experiment with one of the largest industrial product distributers in the world, we were able to generate a 96% increase in the total number of leads by simply making a few tweaks to the way a piece of content was presented to the customer. We didn’t change, alter or rewrite the content. We simply ensured the expression of its value was felt at its fullest force. In this 35-minute Web clinic, the MECLABS research team explained three simple tactics that you can employ on your own content marketing campaigns.
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Leveraging Content to Generate Leads3 simple tactics one company used to generate a 96% increase in leads
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Today’s speakers
Jon PowellSenior Manager, Research and Strategy MECLABS
Selena BlueManager, Editorial ContentMECLABS
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Experiment: Background
Background: A B2B company selling thermal image cameras.
Goal: To generate more leads.
Research Question: Which landing page will generate the most leads?
Test Design: A/B variable cluster, radical redesign split test
Experiment ID: TP 1877Record Location: MECLABS Research LibraryResearch Partner: (Protected)
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Experiment: Control
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Experiment: Treatment 1
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Experiment: Side-by-side comparison
Control Treatment 1
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Experiment: Results
Relative increase in leads generated96%Treatment 1 resulted in a 95.8% increase in leads generated.
Design Clickthrough Rate Relative Difference
Control 2.7% --
Treatment 1 6.0% 95.8%
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Why did Treatment 1 win?Control
Treatment 1
96%In Leads Generated
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Today’s focus
Today, we will look at three simple tactics the treatment utilized in leveraging content (downloadable guide) to
generate more leads.
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Key observations
Key Observations
1. The treatment features an image that illustrates the essential problem to the customer.
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Control
Treatment 1
• In the control, we observe a technician in action.
• In the treatment, we can see what the technician sees: a bright red image when looking at the machine.
Observation #1. Illustrative images
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Observation #1. Illustrative images
What are some potential stories you can create by looking at this image?
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Observation #1. Illustrative images
What are some potential stories you can create by looking at this image?
Peoples’ thoughts arrange themselves in a story. Therefore, effective content is tightly synchronized to the internal and external story of the customer.
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Key Observations
1. The treatment features an image that illustrates the essential problem to the customer.
2. The treatment also shifts the focus from what the company offers to how the customer experience will be improved.
Key observations
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Observation #2. Customer-centric copy
• The text in the control is focused primarily on the company and doesn’t make the immediate connection to the customer experience.
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• The treatment shifts the focus to what the customer wants: finding the right infrared camera.
• The tone of the copy has also shifted to an angle of “enabling the customer” to find the solution.
Observation #2. Customer-centric copy
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• The treatment shifts the focus to what the customer wants: finding the right infrared camera.
• The tone of the copy has also shifted to an angle of “enabling the customer” to find the solution.
Observation #2. Customer-centric copy
Beware of company logic; beware of succumbing to the illusion that the prospect sees your company
the way you see it. We must test all content marketing through the eyes of the customer.
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Key Observations
1. The treatment features an image that illustrates the essential problem to the customer.
2. The treatment also shifts the focus from what the company offers to how the customer experience will be improved.
3. The treatment reduces as much of the mental cost associated with downloading the content as possible.
Key observations
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How much does this piece of content cost?
Observation #3. Reduced cost
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Mental Costs:
1. Effort – First, it takes psychological effort to give up personal information.
2. Anxiety – There is also psychological concern associated with the action of providing information online.
Observation #3. Reduced cost
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• In the treatment, we reduced the number of form fields to the least amount needed.
• We also reworded the messaging around the privacy policy from “By submitting your information, you are agreeing to our privacy policy” to “Your personal information is protected by our Privacy Policy.”
Observation #3. Reduced cost
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• In the treatment, we reduced the number of form fields to the least amount needed.
• We also reworded the messaging around the privacy policy from “By submitting your information, you are agreeing to our privacy policy” to “Your personal information is protected by our Privacy Policy.”
Observation #3. Reduced cost
Free content is not without cost. For every action that you ask the customer to take, the customer
performs a mental, often subconscious, operation: Is the value equal to or greater than the cost?
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Are the images connecting to the story of the customer?
Do your images illustrate the problem or the solution you are offering?
Is your copy customer-centric? Is it focused on what the customer is getting?
Does the copy talk about your company in such a way that it is connected to the resulting customer experience?
Do you have any unnecessary form fields? Can you remove any?
Have you addressed the anxiety around giving up personal information?
Checklist for leveraging content
Live optimization
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