This blog is a guest post by Erik Gebhardt, digital media supervisor at Movéo.
In February, Formstack conducted a survey of U.S. senior-level marketers asking them what their biggest challenges are in 2016. One key finding is that 54 percent identified obtaining better quality leads to be their primary goal. More specifically, 67 percent of B2B marketers said it is their main objective. Partnering with a media vendor to distribute your content is one tactic to generate lead volume, but there are factors you should consider before working with one. Below is an overview of the different types of vendors and what questions you should ask to ensure you receive leads that drive high conversion rates and more sales.
There are two types of media vendors who can promote your content.
1. Individual Websites
Going directly to a publisher is one option as long as its audience matches the demographics/firmographics you want to reach. This is oftentimes preferred if you have a very specific job title target or want to run a campaign over an extended period of time utilizing many different tactics (i.e. webinars, white paper postings, display ads, etc.). The downside is it offers limited reach, can be expensive and may not guarantee a specific number of leads.
2. Content Distribution Networks
Content distribution networks come in different forms. Some will host your asset themselves and promote it through e-mail or e-newsletters to an audience who has opted in to receive those messages. You select the criteria you consider to be a marketing qualified lead before the campaign starts and those who don’t match your selections are filtered out.
Another type of network utilizes native advertising, which are text ads embedded within the content of a website. They rely on demographic, geographic, behavioral and contextual targeting to reach your desired audience with the ad directing people to a landing page on your website.
Whatever their methodology is, both reach a wider audience compared to advertising on a single website. It is also typically a less expensive option on a cost-per-lead basis. However, they are limited to promoting specific pieces of content like white papers as opposed to doing larger scale programs including webinars and display ads.
How do you determine which option is best for you? Here are some questions to ask.
1. What process does the vendor follow to generate leads and how is the asset promoted? There must be some level of advertising support. Leads are rarely collected without it. Dedicated e-mails tend to perform best.
2. Will they filter out any undesirable contacts, including students and retirees? Doing so will give you higher quality leads. Note, the more filters selected, the higher the cost-per-lead. You can expect to pay at least 2-3x more if you’re looking for sales-qualified leads rather than marketing-qualified leads.
3. Will they accept a custom registration question? Depending on what is asked, it can help indicate how sales-ready the person is.
4. Will they guarantee a specific number of leads or a minimum amount? Is it capped once the limit is reached? Receiving a minimum or set number of leads holds the vendor accountable for the campaign’s performance.
5. Is the cost a flat fee or based on a cost-per-lead (CPL)? A CPL buy is preferred, as you only pay for the leads delivered and it protects you in case the campaign doesn’t perform up to expectations.
6. How many assets can be posted at a time? If only one, can they be switched out? Knowing this upfront will allow you to outline a content marketing strategy for the vendor.
Movéo has worked with all of these vendors and can help you decide if one or more of them can work together to achieve your goals. Generating leads is only the beginning though. Contact us and we can provide strategic direction on what to do with the leads once they are in-hand.
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