Downloadable Content Offers
Inbound marketing is about more than just keeping your site updated and writing smart blog posts that attract people who are searching for reliable information. Those steps are certainly important in boosting your awareness and traffic, but how do you get those readers to take the next step?

If you want to convert those readers into leads you need to offer them something of enough value that they are willing to give up a little information to get it. This isn’t a new concept in marketing – the marketing offer has been a tried and true strategy for decades. Now it’s time to translate that strategy to the Internet with content offers.

What makes a good content offer?

Let’s start by talking about what does NOT make a good content offer. Marketing pieces or promotions about your offerings are NOT good content offers. Good content offers address the needs, questions, and hot issues of your target audience as they relate to your services. And they do it in such a way that your audience wants to give you their contact info to get to your content.

It can seem odd at first to have a marketing campaign that is only indirectly marketing your services. However, it plays perfectly into the strengths of the Internet. Create content that will pop up in search results or that people will want to share as valuable and people will make their way to your organization and see you as an expert resource. Not just any people either – but people you know are interested in your offerings because they’ve been looking for solutions that relate to your services.

Downloadable content offer example: Kermans Hardwood Care Guide
Kermans Flooring offers downloadable flooring guides to their audience to help establish the company as an expert resource.

Start by doing a little audience research and see where your audience could use help and then build some content around that. Focus on content ideas that both fill a need and lead into how your products or services provide even more help. Make sure to create pieces of content that are more in-depth than a web page or article – content that offers something truly worthwhile to your audience so that they are willing to share their contact info to get to it. Examples of content offer types:
  • eBook or booklet
  • Checklists for tricky processes
  • Webinars
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
Really any type of content can become a good offer piece – as long as it speaks to your audience and offers valuable information.

Learn more: How audience personas can help direct your inbound marketing campaigns

Converting readers to leads

You’ve invested the time and resources to develop good content – content that addresses the needs of your target audience and is drawing them to your site. Now it’s time to take the next step: convert those readers into leads. Even better? Those readers will opt-in and select where they fit in your marketing process.

The basic premise is that readers will have to give you information to access your content:
  1. Create the content and post it on your website behind a login screen. 
  2. Create a page with a summary that includes a hook to generate interest for the content offer. 
  3. Develop a lead form that readers are required to complete to access your content. Keep it short and focused on key information for your sales process. Consider adding a drop down menu of options from your sales funnel so the reader can self-select where they best fit in the cycle.
Content offer process example
The content offer process for the Northpoint Pediatrics mobile app.

Content promotion: the step that can make or break your campaign

Now that you’ve built the content offer – tell people about it! Don’t just post an offer on your website and hope people will find it. Content promotion is key to a successful inbound marketing campaign. It will differ based on your audience preferences but steps may include:
  1. Write blog posts that relate to the offer and link to it from the article. 
  2. Create social media ads or posts. 
  3. Create buttons or promo graphics on your website to draw readers to the content offer. 
  4. Create a series of email blasts offering links to the content offer. 
  5. Include information about it in your newsletter. 

Audience research. Content creation. Content promotion. 

Together these activities build a solid foundation for any inbound marketing plan. Ready to make the jump to an inbound marketing campaign? TBH Creative can help. From developing audience personas to building and executing a strategic digital marketing campaign, we have the resources and expertise to help you generate more leads with your website.
Let’s start talking