Developing impactful content has become an integral part of all aspects of marketing, influencing SEO, lead nurturing and social media presence.  Without content you stand little chance of being found online.  But it’s not enough to just churn it out.  While quantity does matter, quality is what will lead to sales.  Here we explore how to develop content that will make an impact on your sales pipeline.

Open Strong

Good writing can become addictive and it’s your first sentence that provides the initial hook. Crafting a strong opening sentence is worth the time, as even those who scan catch that first line. Don’t bury the lead. Clearly communicate the purpose of your work in as few words as possible. This will increase the initial impact your words have on the reader, thus creating intrigue and a reason to read on.

Answer A Question

What are the questions your target audience is asking? When developing blog titles and content ideas, it’s important to focus on what information your prospects are looking for. When researching a product, consumers tend to enter questions into their search bar. When your title or content answers that question, you are likely to be found organically.

Educate The Reader

Often times B2B buyers are not aware of a solution or even their need for it. Strong content seeks to educate the reader and provide solutions that fit their specific need. Offering tips that help a company grow without making a purchase provides great exposure and an opening to begin communications with truly interested prospects.

Change Perspectives

True thought leadership challenges the norm and changes people’s perspective on a given topic. When a piece is persuasive enough to alter someone’s thinking or long-held beliefs, you know you have a strong piece of content. The power of persuasion plays a key role in marketing and advertising. Knowing your topic, finding a solution and having the facts to back it up will allow you to change minds.

Clarify Complex Ideas

When dealing in the tech space, there are often complex ideas and principles that need to be communicated in order to show the value of a new product or service. In this case, graphics, infographics and even video can be used to simplify your concepts. When creating a written work, be sure to include charts, visual descriptions and diagrams that further explain your writing.

Easily Digestible

Images, whitespace, bullet points, subheadings and numbered lists are all simple ways to make your written content more easily digestible. With such a high percentage of people scanning the content they consume, optimizing the layout and design of your content has never been more important.

Next Steps

The underlying goal of most content is to draw in prospects and convert them to leads. This can only happen if you are providing them value at every stage of the buyer’s journey and nurturing them through the process. Building a relationship through sharing ideas and content will pay off when it comes time to close a deal.