Below, I describe four proven content assets and incentives to reach business buyers at all stages in their purchasing process.

1.  White Papers & Webinars

White Papers and Webinars are great for B2B prospects at the very beginning of their buying cycle. Prospects at this stage know they have a problem and are trying to figure out the best way to fix it. They are in research mode. For this reason, it is critical that your White Papers and Webinars focus on the prospect and the problem you are solving and not on your company.

Done correctly, White Papers and Webinars will provide helpful information, answer the prospects questions and position your company as a thought leader in your field. Later in the buying cycle, they are more likely to remember your previous help and expertise and look for more information on how you specifically, can help them.

2.  Case Studies

This brings us to the next phase in the buying cycle. Case Studies are an excellent way to bridge the gap between business buyers engaged in general research and those who are looking for a specific solution.

Case studies have the unique opportunity of doing both. You can educate a prospect by showing how you have solved a problem, how customers benefited, and how you were instrumental in their success.

TIP: Consider combining your white papers, webinars and case studies into one offer such as an “informational kit” to add value and reach a wider range of prospects.

3.  Assessments & Audits

Assessments and Audits should be used for B2B prospects who are beyond the initial research stage and have already determined that they need to make a change or need help. These assets are customized to specifically address a prospect’s  particular situation.

Through a customized Assessment or Audit, you are now becoming more intimate with their company and their challenges. This allows you to provide insights and information that are truly meaningful and impactful for the prospect and enables you to make direct comparisons between your solutions to their needs.

4.  Demos & Free Trials

Demos and free trials work very well during the final step in the buying cycle. One of the final hurdles to overcome is commitment. How does the prospect know they are making the right decision?

Through the previous 3 content assets you have already demonstrated that you are the right partner through your:

• Thought leadership (White papers / Webinars)
• Proven success and testimonials (Case Studies)
• Insightful recommendations and solutions to the prospects specific problem (Assessment / Audit)

Demos and Free Trials are a great way to overcome any of the last reservation about commitment or unknowns. The prospect has a chance to test the waters, experience first-hand how your products or services help them, and just become comfortable working with your company and offerings.

Give Prospects What They Want

When it comes to content marketing and downloadable assets — one size definitely does not fit all. Every prospect starts at a different stages in the buying cycle so don’t only focus on those at the bottom of the funnel.

At the end of the day, marketing methods must match the buyer’s needs at all stages. By achieving this, you will successfully engage more prospects and ultimately convert more prospects into customers.

1. Implement Clean, Clear Landing Pages

The design of your website, microsite or landing page is critical to B2B search marketing success. Through extensive testing, I’ve learned that Web design that is often considered boring, uninteresting, or stale from a consumer perspective may perform quite well when targeting business prospects.

B2B landing page content is also different than consumer messaging. Remember, you are not trying to win a Pulitzer Prize with your writing! Present benefit statements, points of differentiation, and calls-to-action as quickly and efficiently as possible.

While consumers may need to be “wowed” or entertained, business buyers simply do not have time for “the fluff” and will appreciate you all the more when you acknowledge this with a simple, clean, clear landing page.

2. Focus On Visitor Benefits

All marketers tend to focus on how great their company is, but business buyers want to know “what’s in it for me”. Focus your webpage content, calls-to-action and downloadable assets on what will benefit the prospect.

Give business visitors something of value; something that helps them do their job better or educates them; information that is unique — not just another promotional piece about your company.

For example, market research studies convert much better than marketing brochures. This is especially true if you promote the study by focusing on the benefits the reader will receive.

Here are a few examples of benefit statements used to promote a software industry whitepaper:

• See how 5 software companies successfully used social media to generate leads.
• Find out why search marketing is particularly effective for software firms.

3.  Offer Choices

Not all visitors are the same and acknowledging this is the first step to converting them into prospects. Empower visitors by allowing them to decide for themselves what they want. Test various types of offers and assets.

• Prospects who are early in their buying process often prefer general market information.
• Prospects who are further along in their research appreciate comparison charts and independent user reviews.
• Prospect who are ready to buy appreciate information on pricing and terms and conditions, and are probably ready to talk with a sales representative.

Here is an example of a landing page that provides two calls-to-action with different downloadable assets.

Providing 2 offers increased leads by 63% over a single call-to-action:

4.  Ensure Promises are Accurate

Make sure your website engagement process is straightforward and simple. Ensure “promises” are accurate and consistent.

For example:  A link sending visitors to a registration form should not read “download now”.  A more accurate statement would be “register for instant access“.

5. Create Demand & Urgency

Website visitors’ attention span is fleeting. Because of this, business marketers must present compelling, actionable information and offers should instill a sense of urgency.

Utilize limited time or limited availability offers for that little extra push to compel website interaction.

This example of a time sensitive call-to-action increased lead volume by 46% over a non-time-sensitive statement.

Let Your Customers Guide the Way

True, these 5 tips aren’t rocket science! But it’s shocking how many B2B marketers don’t follow these basic principles in their search marketing lead generation efforts. Focusing on simplicity, buyer benefits, compelling information, urgency and accuracy will increase leads and lead quality.

The key to your search marketing success is to test, test, test… and discover what type of landing page works best for your target audience.