Sunday, December 29, 2024
Most content marketing strategies are designed to improve discoverability or stimulate inbound calls. But can inbound marketing materials be used in an outbound marketing and business development context?
The answer is unreservedly yes. But it takes some thinking, both in the original creation of the content, and how it will eventually be used.
Most marketers understand how a web-based lead magnet works: Provide something of value (an eBook, Whitepaper, assessment, etc) for free, but require the web user to “pay” for the item with their contact details. The lead magnet is an inbound marketing example. Prospects Google their problem, find the lead magnet (which presumably holds the key to solving their problem), and then find their way to your website.
Another classic example is the blog post. It gets indexed by Google, people read the the blog post (which also presumably holds the key to solving their problem), and then reach out to you.
Using content designed for inbound marketing in an outbound marketing or business development context takes a bit of planning, but can be incredibly powerful. Here are five examples:
- Sending an ebook to a prospect prior to your meeting.
- Sending a link to a blog post as a “PS” in an email to a prospect.
- Meeting a prospect to walk through an assessment tool that was originally a website lead magnet.
- Asking a prospect to be a guest on your podcast.
- Including a white paper as an appendix of a proposal
In each case of these examples, your unique content – originally used for inbound – differentiates and credentializes throughout the business development process.
Does this topic resonate? Reach out to Randall: he can present it to your group. (More presentation topics)
Download Randall’s professional credentials: Speaker credentials one-sheet or Management Advisory credentials.
Content Authenticity Statement: 100% original content: no AI was used in creating this content.
@RandallCraig (Follow me for daily insights)
www.RandallCraig.com: Professional credentials site.