5 Content Creation Rules That Convert

Content marketing has been around for a long time, but we were only able to give it a convenient name recently. Given the emphasis B2B buyers and customers place on the value of content, it is imperative that content is clear, educational, practical – especially when we speak about top of funnel content.

Here are some key practical techniques that Imran Suleman, Activate’s VP of Marketing Strategy, gives our customers every day to help them achieve their content marketing, performance marketing and lead gen goals faster than before.

First 3 Words Rule:

Assume that users will only register the first three words of your title. You want to make sure you position your most compelling and engaging element there. If you are going to be talking about the iPad, begin your title with the word iPad.

Show Don’t Tell Rule:

Film school can teach us a little bit about engaging content. A golden rule of cinema is to show, and not tell, so much. Support your arguments in your content with pictures, charts, graphs – even cartoons if it helps you get your point across.

Competitive Assets Rule:

Yeah, they actually do rule. If you have a product that competes strongly against your competition you should consider creating it (if it does not exist) or promoting it adequately (if it has not been promoted well enough). It’s also great for your sales team to refer to.

The Third Party Objective Reports Rule:

Customers trust analyst reports and peer oriented content early in the sales funnel. Do not make the mistake of pushing product specific documentation early in the awareness phase. This has to do with awareness around a pain point, not your product. So start partnering with respected analysts or research report producers, and create a broad range of analytical content with them.

“Put A Number” Rule:

“Top 5 Ways To Get Washboard Abs,” and the “6 Steps To Creating Mobile Apps” have something in common. They both create what looks like a map to a successful goal. So think about that when you are writing your next blog post.