Are you struggling to create content that drives leads? If so, then you’re not alone. In fact, the average B2B company spends more than $4 per lead, according to research by HubSpot, but less than half of those companies generate enough leads to make their content worth the cost.
One way to change that is to steal my proven content creation checklist and use it to drive traffic and capture leads while positioning your business as an authority in your niche.
Checklist #1 Have a content goal
Your content should always have a goal. Whether that’s to educate, entertain, or convert, setting a goal will help you keep your content on point and relevant to your audience. Plus, having a goal will help you measure your success and ensure that your content is result-driven.
Remember to start with the end in mind: Think about what you want readers to do after reading your content. What are the benefits of completing this action? How can they benefit from it?
For example, if you want readers to click on an offer for new subscribers, think about how their life would be better after signing up for the service (e.g., more tips delivered straight to their inbox). Give them a compelling reason to act by painting a picture of what life could be like after signing up.
Checklist #2 It should speak to a specific person
Think about who you’re trying to reach with your content. What are their pain points? What are they interested in? Where do they live? What are their desires?
Creating a target customer persona will help you generate more leads because you’ll be able to talk more clearly if you can imagine yourself talking to this one person. Plus, when you know who your target customer is, you can create content that appeals directly to them.
Checklist #3 Your content should speak your brand voice
Your content is one of the most important ways you communicate your brand to your audience. It should be consistent with your other marketing materials and should reflect your brand’s unique voice. Keep in mind who your target audience is and what they want to see from you. Read your content out loud. If it doesn’t sound like something you or your brand would say, revise it. Creating great content that has your unique voice, will help you build trust and likeability with your audience, and can ultimately lead to more sales.
Checklist #4 Have a clear and captivating headline
Your headline is the first, and sometimes the only chance you have to make a good impression and entice someone to click through to your content. A good headline will be clear, interesting, and relevant to your target audience. Make sure it stands out from the rest of the content on your page. You want them to know what they’re clicking on so they don’t get frustrated scrolling down trying to find it. This will be your chance to make a meaningful impact, so try to make the most of it.
Checklist #5 It should be well structured
When creating content, always keep your audience in mind. Write for them, not for yourself. Make sure your content is well structured and easy to read; if it’s dense and difficult to get through, people will ignore it.
Below are a few easy questions to ask yourself:
- Is it easy to read and understand?
- Are the sentences short?
- Is there enough white space?
- Is my content conversational?
- Have I used relevant imagery to add more context?
Always proofread your work before you hit publish, and consider using grammar and style checkers to help you streamline the editing process.
Checklist #6 Have a clear and compelling Call-To-Action
A clear and compelling Call-To-Action (CTA) is essential if you want to generate leads from your content. Without a CTA, your readers won’t know what you want them to do next, and they’ll likely move on to something else.
Here are my golden rules with it comes to creating a compelling CTA:
- Make it unmissable – make the text larger and/or use bright colors
- Fill it with personality – use your brand tone to keep it genuine
- Make it simple and direct – you want action at this stage, not thinking
- Use FOMO (if applicable) – sometimes people need a push to get moving forward!
- Create a sense of urgency – use a countdown, highlight limited stocks etc.
Checklist #7 Your content should be share-worthy
If you want to generate more leads, you need to create content that people will want to share. That means creating content that is interesting, informative, and well-written. But it also needs to be visually appealing and easy to read. Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to creating content that is share-worthy:
- Do your homework. Find out what inspires and excites your target audience
- Produce unique content
- Use an emotional hook
- Provide them with educational content
- Make your content easy to share
If you want to generate more leads, you need to create content that resonates with your target audience. But creating high-quality content can be a challenge. That’s why I’ve created this content creation checklist to help you get started.
Also, read 6 Top Content Marketing Trends You Need to Know for 2022 and stay ahead of the competition with your content marketing strategy.
If you’re ready to take this show on the road and need expert guidance, then I’m your guy! Book a complimentary consultation and stop second-guessing your content marketing strategy.
