In an earlier post, I discussed the rapid commoditization of content marketing that is occurring in the software industry. These days everyone has the infographic-style e-books, the animated explainer videos and the interactive ROI tools. Content marketing agencies have emerged to enable even the most handicapped, old-school marketing departments to create compelling content. If you are experiencing this same level…
Tag: content marketing
Why Software Vendors Should “Open Source” IP in Content Marketing Programs
In my last post, I introduced a strategy that software companies can use to differentiate their ideas in the increasingly commoditized and crowded landscape of content marketing. I suggested a rather bold strategy of “open sourcing” some of your Intellectual Property (IP). By IP, I am not talking about the secret sauce that makes your algorithms work. Instead, I am…
The Growing Commoditization of Content Marketing Strategies
As content marketing goes mainstream, it is growing more and more challenging for marketing organizations to differentiate their downloads from the competition. Next generation agencies that specialize purely in content development are leveling the playing field in many of the software subsectors. As a result, even the “dinosaur,” old-tech companies are putting out decent content on a regular basis. Everyone…
What are the Best Topics for Blogs?
It’s simple. Make a list of the questions your customers ask you during sales appointments. These are the topics they are most interested in. These are the topics they are most likely to do a Google search upon. And these are the topics that they will click through in your email newsletters.
Packaging Your Content into Kits
Content marketing leaders are always looking for new resources to support their lead generation efforts. But creating high quality content takes a lot of time. Writing a new white paper or e-book can take several weeks. More importantly, it requires committed time from some of your busiest subject matter experts.
Building the Content Factory
Everyone is talking about content marketing these days, but successfully executing such a strategy requires the ability to consistently deliver high-quality content on a regular basis. Hiring a journalist or a content marketing manager is a big step in the right direction, but success requires more a team effort. You need a content factory. This factory will include many traditional…
Five Pages Your Website Needs to Identify Who is Ready to Buy
Both marketing and sales organizations are always trying to identify the prospects that are most ready to buy. The good news is that marketing automation software makes it easier than ever for you to track digital body language that indicates which prospects are in buying mode. By strategically placing content on your website that aligns with the behaviors exhibited by…
Behavioral Intelligence – The Value Goes Far Beyond Lead Scoring
One of the most powerful features of today’s marketing automation software suites is the ability to track the behavior of registered visitors on your website. The process starts once a user fills out a contact form and has a cookie placed on their device. Each time the visitor returns to your site you can identify the individual uniquely and also…
Selling when the Sales Rep is Not Present
In a post last month I described the growing challenge that technology sales organizations are facing with the “sales rep not present” scenario. A study by the Corporate Executive Board (CEB) found that buyers are now conducting up to 57% of their research during a purchasing cycle before they are willing to speak to a vendor’s sales representative. If customers…
Downloadable Apps – The New, New Thing in Lead Generation
Over the past 10 years one of the most effective ways to generate leads has been to offer prospective buyers “premium content” in exchange for their content details. Most buyers are willing to fill out a gated form with their name and email address in exchange for access to re-playable webinars, white papers, sponsored research and e-books. But over the…
