B2B Lead Magnet

5 Types of Content That You Can Use as B2B Lead Magnets

Content is a powerful tool to promote brand awareness, establish thought leadership and, most importantly, generate B2B leads. It can used as an effective strategy to collect contact details and other pertinent data from prospects in exchange for information that is of value to them. These B2B lead magnets can come in many forms and it is important to align each type with your company objectives and the appropriate distribution channels. Keep in mind that you are building a relationship with your customers as you guide them through the buyer’s journey. Here are the different types of content that you can consider developing for your business.

 

White Papers

 
White papers are well researched, in-depth reports that establish your authority about a certain topic. The main purpose of a white paper is to educate your reader about a certain challenge or issue and help them come up with solutions. It can also be used to present innovative ideas or to call attention to industry trends.
 
Before you begin creating a white paper, make sure you are clear who your target audience will be. Writing for executive level leaders as opposed to technical specialists will entail different approaches. They will also have different agendas and motivations for seeking certain types of information.
 
A well-researched white paper includes evidence or supporting facts from reputable third-party sources such as industry studies, academic papers or trade reports. But you may also cite statistics from your own surveys or data points. The key to maintain credibility is to stick to the facts and provide a balanced view rather than only espousing marketing hype.
 
Remember that the goal of a white paper is to inform: don’t go overboard with your sales pitch. You want the reader to see you as a trustworthy source of information before they will consider your offered solutions.
 
VA Partners has created various sales and marketing white papers to address the common challenges of professionals in the field. Download one of interest to see the information we’ve gathered and how we’ve chosen to present it.
 

Case Studies

 
Case studies show a more personal side of your company by featuring your real clients. It focuses on human relationships that you have built and showcases the confidence your customers have in your products or services. White papers can come across as cold and academic while case studies can drive a more interesting and personal story.
 
Create a “hero journey” narrative that describes how your clients overcame challenges and their subsequent transformation. Keep the story concise and avoid making it too complicated to get your message across. But don’t forget to mention specific strategies that you have employed to reach your clients’ goals. Tell your reader precisely how your solutions impacted your customer. Include tangible results both qualitative and quantitative.
 
VA Partners has developed various case studies that describe success stories of previous customers. Feel free to use these as a guide when building your own.
 

Audio Podcasts

 
A podcast is a digital audio file that can be streamed or downloaded, and is available for subscription. It’s akin to a radio show focused on a particular theme or topic. Podcasts can showcase your company as a subject matter expert while also showing off your company’s personality. With the right tools, they can be easy to produce with a low budget. All you need is a good host or two, a reliable microphone and an audio editing app or software. The ubiquity of smart phones made podcasts readily accessible and most people listen to them during their daily commute.
 
But before you jump on the bandwagon, carefully assess if your target audience is likely to use this medium to get their information.
 
When planning topics for discussion in your podcast episodes, it pays to check out competitors in that space. Do you have something that makes you stand-out? What are your differentiators? It can be effective if you can feature interesting people as well as relevant topics that don’t need any visuals to be engaging.
 
Podcasting can be a time-consuming endeavour so make sure you have the resources to produce them consistently.
 
To optimize the reach of your podcast, publish a blog post with the podcast that transcribes what was talked about during the episode. Use this channel as a good lead generation tool by requesting your listeners to subscribe to get updates.
 
Our podcasts focus on providing tools and insights on the needs of B2B Startups.
 

Webinars

 
Quite simply, a webinar is a live seminar that is broadcast over the internet. It provides an interactive interface that allows the audience to ask questions and chat with the host. A recorded version can often be downloaded after the presentation. It is a strong lead generation tool since participants are required to register before the webinar.
 
It is a valuable type of content for establishing thought leadership about your industry vertical. For a webinar to be successful, it needs a lot of careful planning and preparation.
 
You need to create an Apple keynote or MS Powerpoint presentation similar to what you would use in company meetings or public lectures. You can also embed short videos when appropriate although playing them too long runs the risk of losing the interest of your audience. It helps to do a dry run with your colleagues before the live session.
 
There is a danger of overhyping a webinar that fails to deliver on its promises. This can erode your credibility and damage your brand. A webinar requires a considerable time investment from your audience so make sure you cover topics in detail, avoid generic solutions and provide unique insights.
 
After the webinar, follow-up with your audience to keep them engaged. You can also gather feedback about what they thought about the webinar and get suggestions for further improvement.
 

Templates

 
People are always in search for ways to make their job easier and more convenient. If you can offer templates that simplify the process and save them time, these can be used as B2B lead magnets.
 
Templates help users by providing them with an outline and guide to initiate their own projects or tasks so there is no need to start from scratch each time. Examples of templates are business plans, proposals, calendars, worksheets, sample letters, and slide presentations.
 
Templates can help professionals create business documents and files to ensure that they provide complete information. It is easy to miss certain details when you are not using a template as a guide. They also have the added benefit of standardizing documents to maintain consistency. This streamlines the process, saves time and reduces stress.
 
Here’s an example of a sales template developed by our company.
 
To find out which lead magnet works best for you, test them and monitor results. You may discover that some work better than others. Your results would shape your decisions on which content types to invest your time and money on in the future.
 
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5 Types of Content That You Can Use as B2B Lead Magnets