Using content marketing for leads-to-sales optimization

The growing importance of content in online marketing is nearly matched by the increasing competition for prospects' time and attention. According to Intel Corp., every minute there are 3,000 photos uploaded, 100,000 tweets, 1.3 million YouTube video views, 2 million Google search queries, 6 million Facebook views and more than 200 million emails sent.

Fortunately, the intersection of SEO, social media and content provides an incredible opportunity to optimize for customers' attention during their journey through the sales cycle from awareness to purchase.

With the right goals and measurement approach, an optimized, “socialized” framework for content marketing can help marketers deliver more qualified and motivated prospects to sales. That framework begins with better defining customer segments while understanding customers' pain points and goals that allow you to develop a content plan.

Keyword optimization and social media promotion are essential pieces of the content-marketing process. By optimizing and socializing content relevant to the stages in the buying cycle, prospects can find solutions through search and be inspired to share what they've found through social media.

Business value from optimized and socialized content marketing comes in different forms. To get a good picture of what that means, it's important to understand the role of content across the customer life cycle.

The value of content marketing goes beyond attracting leads and sales. It also fosters good will, brand value and fan empowerment to refer products and services they like to others. As you develop and implement your content plan, consider the holistic impact of content on reaching and engaging with your customers throughout the relationship.

Excerpted with permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., from the book "Optimize: How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media, and Content Marketing" (Wiley, 2012) by Lee Odden.

Lee Odden is CEO of TopRank Online Marketing (www.toprankmarketing.com), and author of “Optimize: How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing” (John Wiley & Sons, 2012).