If you want to generate more sales and grow your business, you need to know which type of content is the most effective.
Which content attracts the most leads? Which content enables the most sales?
Which content is best able to increase your bottom line?
It’s a trick question.
Because the most effective content for generating sales is ANY type of content
Traditionally, content has been split into two distinct types – two distinct disciplines – in the sales funnel.
1. Content marketing content used to boost awareness, generate interest and attract leads
2. Sales enablement content used to turn those leads into paying customers
Marketing teams create content to appeal to your target audience, and sales teams create content tailored towards prospects who are ready to buy.
But the two types of content shouldn’t be distinct. Because they can’t exist independently. One doesn’t work without the other.
Any content in the sales funnel is content that’s working to generate sales. It can be used for content marketing or sales enablement, but it has one goal – to convert more customers and increase your bottom line.
So all your content needs to work together.
“Every piece of content you create and share should help you generate sales… if you position it correctly.” Olafur Thorkelsson, Data Dwell Co-Founder.
There is no magic bullet, no one single piece of content that’s most effective at generating sales.
Some content – like blogs or ebooks – work equally well at attracting new leads as they do convincing prospects that you’re the organization they need to work with.
Some content – like listicles – do a brilliant job at getting your audience’s attention but might not be as useful convincing them to sign a contract.
The key is making sure you choose the most effective content for each stage of the sales funnel.
Top of the funnel content helps you attract leads
Content at the top of the funnel is all about building awareness and attracting interest. To start the process of converting a lead into a sale, you first need to attract them.
The most effective content here grabs your audience’s attention. Content that promotes your business and puts your products front and centre – or, more subtly – content that identifies a problem your audience has and shows them how to solve it.
“Sometimes the content that’s more effective at generating sales is that which takes a longer, less direct approach.” Olafur Thorkelsson, Data Dwell Co-Founder.
Effective content here includes:
● Blog posts
● Articles
● Listicles (Top Ten)
● Infographics
● Check lists
Middle of the funnel content helps you turn leads into prospects
In the middle of the funnel, the most effective content focuses on helping your audience understand their problems and their needs, building a recognition and desire in prospects that they need the kind of solution you offer.
It’s content that pushes that interest a little bit further, encouraging your audience to keep learning more, to keep your business front and centre.
Effective content here includes:
● eBooks
● White papers
● Case studies
● Guides & Demos
● Product information
Bottom of the funnel content helps you convert prospects into customers
Lastly, at the bottom of the funnel, your content has one purpose. To get your prospects across that finish line.
“The types of content here that are most effective are those which convert. It’s as simple as that. Anything which helps a prospect overcome those barriers to buying.” Olafur Thorkelsson, Data Dwell Co-Founder.
That content could be anything. It could be a blog post you published at the top of the funnel that, when shared directly with your prospect again here, convinces them that they need your product.
It could be a simple email with a discount code – just the push your prospect needs to sign on the dotted line.
Or it might be a teardown or analysis of their current set-up or processes, a personal walkthrough of where they’re going wrong and how your organization can help fix it.
Effective content here includes:
● Free trials
● Competitor analysis
● Customer stories and testimonials
● Irresistible incentives
● 1-to-1 consultations
Good, targeted content at every part of the funnel is essential for generating sales
If you want to increase your bottom line with more sales, you need effective content. You need it at every stage of the customer journey.
Content that converts prospects into customers is irrelevant if you don’t have leads or prospects in the first place.
There isn’t a single piece of content that’s most effective. To have an effective sales funnel, you need to have different types of content, deployed in the right place, at the right time.
By looking at the whole customer journey, and aligning marketing and sales, you should be able to create effective content for every stage of the journey.
Data Dwell’s sales enablement software can help you make sure that content is positioned as effectively as possible. Learn more here.
