Title: Content That Converts: How to Build a Profitable and Predictable B2B Content Marketing Strategy by Laura Hanly (2017)

Introduction

“Content That Converts” is a detailed guide on crafting a strategic content marketing plan that drives measurable business results, particularly within the B2B landscape. Laura Hanly focuses on developing quality content with precision to convert leads into paying customers. The book serves as a blueprint for businesses looking to achieve long-term success through consistent and impactful content marketing efforts.

I. Understanding Content Marketing

Laura Hanly begins by explaining the significance of content marketing in the B2B context. She highlights how high-quality, targeted content can attract potential clients, nurture leads, and ultimately convert them into customers.

Concrete Example:
Hanly uses case studies of companies like HubSpot and Moz, demonstrating how their strategic content marketing efforts led to substantial business growth.

Action Point:
– Evaluate your current marketing strategies and identify gaps where content can add value and attract B2B clients. Develop a plan to integrate content marketing into your overall business strategy.

II. Developing a Content Marketing Strategy

A significant portion of Hanly’s book is dedicated to outlining how to construct an efficient content marketing strategy. She emphasizes understanding your audience, setting clear objectives, and creating a detailed content plan aligned with business goals.

Concrete Examples:
1. Audience Personas: Create detailed audience personas to understand who you are targeting. For example, if your business is selling software solutions to SMEs, you need to build personas that embody their key decision-makers.
2. Content Calendar: Hanly suggests using content calendars to organize and schedule content distribution consistently.

Action Points:
1. Develop audience personas for your target market by conducting interviews and surveys with current clients.
2. Create a content calendar for the next quarter, outlining topics, publishing dates, and distribution channels.

III. Creating High-Quality Content

Hanly stresses the importance of generating content that is not only informative but also engaging and valuable. Quality content can establish your business as a trusted authority in your industry.

Concrete Examples:
1. Blog Posts: She discusses blogging as a primary content format, citing Neil Patel’s extensive and useful blog posts that drive high levels of traffic and engagement.
2. Whitepapers and E-books: These long-form content pieces are effective for in-depth exploration of topics and can act as lead magnets. Hanly refers to Salesforce’s use of comprehensive e-books to capture leads.

Action Points:
1. Start a company blog and commit to publishing high-quality posts regularly—aim for at least one detailed post each week.
2. Develop a whitepaper or an e-book on a relevant topic that addresses common pain points of your target audience. Offer it in exchange for email sign-ups.

IV. Content Distribution

The author emphasizes that creating great content is only half the battle; effective distribution is equally critical. She outlines various channels and methods for distributing content, such as social media, email newsletters, and partnerships.

Concrete Examples:
– Social Media Amplification: Hanly refers to how companies leverage platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter for B2B marketing by sharing their content and engaging with their audience.
– Email Marketing: She cites examples of how targeted email campaigns can nurture leads by providing them with relevant content.

Action Points:
1. Develop a strategy for sharing your content on social media platforms, focusing on those most frequented by your target personas.
2. Build an email marketing campaign to regularly disseminate valuable content to subscribers and nurture leads through a well-segmented mailing list.

V. Measuring Success

Hanly dedicates a section to metrics and analytics to measure the success of your content marketing efforts. She discusses key performance indicators (KPIs) that can provide insights into how well your content is performing.

Concrete Examples:
– Google Analytics: Tracking website traffic, session duration, and bounce rates can help you understand how visitors interact with your content.
– Lead Generation Metrics: Monitor metrics like conversion rates and lead quality to ensure your content attracts and converts the right audience.

Action Points:
1. Integrate Google Analytics with your website to track and analyze key metrics. Focus on understanding visitor behavior and content engagement.
2. Regularly review your lead generation metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of your content in converting prospects into leads. Adjust your strategy based on data-driven insights.

VI. Case Studies and Real-World Applications

Throughout the book, Hanly intersperses case studies of successful content marketing campaigns, offering practical examples of how different strategies can be implemented in real-world scenarios.

Concrete Examples:
1. Case Study of Zendesk: Analyzes how Zendesk used customer success stories and educational blog content to build trust and drive conversions.
2. Buffer’s Blog: Delves into Buffer’s content strategy focused on transparency and detailed how-to guides, driving massive traffic and engagement.

Action Points:
1. Conduct case studies of your own customer success stories and publish them on your blog or in e-books to showcase your product’s value.
2. Emulate successful strategies from industry leaders—you could start by focusing on transparency and educational content, as Buffer did.

VII. Practical Tools and Resources

Hanly provides a list of tools and resources that can aid in executing and optimizing your content marketing strategy. These range from content management systems (CMS) to analytics tools.

Concrete Examples:
– CMS Tools: Recommends platforms like WordPress for blog management and content publication.
– SEO Tools: Suggests tools like Moz for keyword research and SEO optimization to enhance content visibility.

Action Points:
1. If you haven’t yet adopted a CMS, consider implementing WordPress or another suitable platform to streamline content publication and management.
2. Incorporate SEO tools into your content creation process to ensure your content is optimized for search engines and can reach a wider audience.

Conclusion

“Content That Converts” by Laura Hanly is an invaluable resource for anyone aiming to build a robust B2B content marketing strategy. The book’s actionable insights and concrete examples pave the way for creating content that not only attracts but also engages and converts leads into clients. By understanding your audience, producing high-quality content, effectively distributing that content, and continuously measuring success, businesses can achieve significant growth and a strong online presence.

Final Action Points Recap:
1. Evaluate and integrate content marketing into your business strategy.
2. Develop audience personas and a content calendar.
3. Start a blog and produce long-form content like whitepapers and e-books.
4. Create a content distribution strategy for social media and email marketing.
5. Use analytics tools to measure and optimize content performance.
6. Learn from successful case studies and implement practical strategies.
7. Utilize recommended tools for content management and SEO optimization.

By following these steps, businesses can execute a content marketing strategy that drives results and provides a competitive edge in the B2B market.