6 must-have contents for a successful inbound strategy

Does inbound marketing sound familiar? If so, let me explain the content that's essential to your strategy. Simple, coherent tools that enable you to generate qualified leads continuously on your site.

6 must-have contents for your inbound marketing strategy in 2023

Looking to fine-tune your inbound marketing strategy and turn prospects into long-term customers? Let me explain the different types of content and how to use them throughout the buying process.

1 - Blog posts, always topical

Starting with blog posts. A must-have piece of content for several years now, they automatically attract a certain amount of traffic to your website (as long as you've got a killer article). And for an article that sends traffic, it's important to bear in mind that it has to be relevant to your sector of activity, and answer the key questions your target audience is asking. Otherwise, you might as well say that if it doesn't meet any of your users' needs, your article will go down the drain, which would be a shame and a waste of your time. So it's best to optimize it and work on the themes of your articles.

2 - White papers to enrich and convert your visitors into prospects

Once you've attracted users to your website, you need to convert them. And for that, white papers, or free content, are a real gold mine. As a reminder, a white paper (or freebie) is a downloadable document on a particular topic. To access them, users generally agree to provide their e-mail address, enabling them to download the content or receive it directly by e-mail. They are widely used in the B2B sector, but are also gradually making inroads into B2C companies. The user or visitor to the website then goes from being a simple visitor to a lead or prospect following this download.

3 - Newsletters for loyal prospects

Another way of converting a visitor to your website is the newsletter. In fact, it can have 2 objectives: to convert and to build loyalty.

Why convert? Because to access it, the user has to send you their best e-mail address, thus entering your sales cycle. Lead nurturing then comes into play, to nurture this prospect and qualify him further so that he becomes a customer over the coming weeks.

Why does it build loyalty? Because once your customer has already bought or consumed something from you , you know they're interested in your services. So why not offer them content that complements the offer they've already purchased from you? It's a golden opportunity! This is just one example, of course!

More generally, a newsletter can be used to pass on useful advice, promotional offers (but please don't overdo it!), or to share company news in line with your target audience and objectives!

And remember, a newsletter is not a blog post! So have fun making an attractive article that really makes you want to read, and that doesn't drown in the mass! Your subscribers want quality content that's different from the website!

4 - Webinars, a source of qualified leads

Another rather useful and effective way of generating leads and attracting visitors is, of course, the famous webinars. I don't think I really need to introduce them, but let's just say they're online events or conferences enabling participants to learn more about a specific topic and ask questions in real time. Depending on the topic, this can attract more or less people, and therefore help you achieve your objective of generating qualified leads or prospects. When setting up these events, be sure to work out the theme and focus beforehand, and provide quality content for the webinar! Because if you don't, web surfers will tend to flee from you rather than anything else!

They are effective for generating qualified leads and establishing your authority in your field of expertise.

5 - Reinsurance elements, the essentials of conversion

Don't tell me you haven't read my article on the reassurance elements you absolutely must include on your website?

On a more serious note, the reassuring elements of a website are essential. It's what's really going to enable you to close sales and convert your prospects into customers. You'll find labels, testimonials or customer reviews, money-back guarantees, secure payment platforms and more.

It's up to you to reassure the user that your service is reliable and meets their needs.

6 - Podcasts, the high value-added format

Podcasts are another good source of traffic. Currently in full swing, they enable us to share knowledge, conduct interviews, give advice or discuss certain topics in a format other than visual, while bringing quality content to listeners.

It's a relatively complete format (with high added value) that is gradually gaining in popularity. Not only does it attract an audience when well referenced on platforms using keywords, but it also converts prospects, since it's a format that lets you share a lot of added value (more than social networks!), and builds loyalty, since by being punctual listeners get used to it and wait for the next episodes to come out.

7 - Interactive tools to become a reference site

Have you ever converted files on an online site using an online tool, or even used a currency converter when you go abroad? Often, by reflex, we use the same tools every time we need the same service. Well, if you do, you should know that it's something that can be very useful and generate you quite a lot of traffic through your content.

Examples of tools you could use and implement on your website would be an engagement rate calculator, a conversion rate calculator, or even personalized advice based on each person's website (right now, AI is wreaking havoc, so you might as well make use of it)! These are just ideas, but keep in mind that interactive tools can be a great way to attract and retain customers by getting into the minds of your website's users.

What are the 4 stages of inbound marketing? And what are the different types of content for each stage of the cycle?

The cycle of an inbound marketing campaign is something of a must before embarking on relentless content creation. So if you're not quite up to speed, take 1 minute to reread the pillars of a successful inbound strategy.

1 - To attract

Like any self-respecting inbound marketing strategy, the first pillar is to attract users. Because, yes, without visitors your site isn't worth much... So, to implement your strategy for attracting users, you can produce useful content with real added value, answering questions that users are asking, while optimizing your natural referencing (SEO). And why? Because thanks to your SEO, users will come across you in the first results in search engines like Google (SERP), and that, as we all know, is a guarantee of traffic for your website.

The right tools: blog posts, social networks, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), podcasts, SEA (Search Engine Advertising), etc.

2 - Convert

Once users have been attracted to your site, it's time to turn them into interested visitors, aka prospects. This is an essential step, and one that many companies block and lose traffic to... In addition to using and implementing the right content, you also need to optimize your landing page, product pages, etc. to avoid having too high a bounce rate (cuckoo for the 3-click rule). There are several ways and techniques of doing this.

The right tools: newsletter, podcast, webinar, white paper, etc.

3 - Conclusion

The most important one, and the one that will bring you the highest return in terms of sales, is closing the sale. To turn a prospect into a customer, you first need to optimize your pages with the various reassurance elements mentioned above, then implement a lead nurturing strategy.

The right tools: the famous reassurance elements to include in your page content.

4 - Build loyalty

The final stage in the cycle is loyalty. This is the stage where you can make a lot of money, because a satisfied customer who is also loyal to the brand or to your company, is also likely to talk about it to others and recommend you to their friends and family (the famous word-of-mouth, which still works just as well). So, okay, you may have made a sale, but don't stop there! There are a number of tools you can use to put this pillar in place.

The right tools: podcasts, newsletters, exclusive webinars, loyalty programs, personalized customer follow-up (email marketing), etc.

Time for a recap

As you can see, each piece of content belongs to a specific moment in the buyer's journey. So it's important to keep them in mind, so you can adapt your content strategy across your website.

To transform and convert a prospect into a customer, beyond letting your sales teams manage your prospects and turn them into direct sales, we're going to leave lead nurturing to you. This is the strategy that will enable you to nurture your prospects, and help them mature to the point of purchase.

Don't forget that quality content always takes precedence over quantity (on social networks, but also on your website).

‍