As a marketer, you know that simply capturing your target audience‘s attention is only half the battle. To actually convert those prospects into leads and customers, you need to gain their trust and demonstrate your unique value proposition.
That‘s where digital marketing collateral comes in. This content — which is closely tied to your sales process — plays a critical role in educating prospects, overcoming objections, and nurturing relationships.
In fact, recent research found that 95% of buyers choose a solution provider that "provided them with ample content to help navigate through each stage of the buying process." And on average, prospects consume 3-5 pieces of content before even speaking with a salesperson.
In other words, your digital collateral lays the foundation for sales success. But what types of assets should you prioritize? Let‘s take a look at six of the most essential formats.
1. Blog Posts
Blog articles are the bread and butter of digital content. By publishing keyword-optimized posts on topics your ideal customers are searching for, you can attract organic traffic and start building relationships with potential buyers.
Some blogging best practices to keep in mind:
- Aim for articles of at least 1,000 words to provide in-depth coverage of your topic
- Incorporate relevant keywords naturally throughout the post, including in the title, meta description, subheaders, and body
- Use short paragraphs, bullet points, images, and other visual elements to break up the text and keep readers engaged
- End each article with a relevant call-to-action to subscribe, download a related resource, or contact sales
The key to a successful blog is consistency and quality. Create an editorial calendar to keep yourself accountable to publishing on a regular schedule – ideally at least 1-2 times per week.
And don‘t be afraid to show some personality in your writing. Incorporate storytelling, make pop culture references, and write in a conversational tone to put readers at ease.
Blogging Benchmarks & Trends
- Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to see a positive ROI (HubSpot)
- The average word count of top-ranking articles in Google is 1,447 words (Backlinko)
- Articles with images get 94% more views compared to those without (Jeff Bullas)
2. Ebooks & Whitepapers
Ebooks and whitepapers enable you to provide an even more comprehensive look at a topic than a blog post. These long-form assets are usually gated behind a form fill, making them an effective lead generation tool.
The difference between the two? Ebooks tend to be more visual and design-heavy, while whitepapers generally have a more academic or technical tone. Ebooks are great for providing actionable tips and use cases, while whitepapers are suited for analyzing industry trends and data.
Some tips for creating effective ebooks and whitepapers:
- Choose a topic that aligns with your audience‘s pain points and your solutions
- Conduct original research, including surveys and interviews with experts
- Incorporate storytelling and specific examples to make the content relatable
- Hire a professional designer to ensure the layout is clean, skimmable, and on-brand
- Create a dedicated, SEO-optimized landing page to gate the asset and drive organic traffic
Like blog posts, ebooks and whitepapers should be published regularly to generate a consistent flow of new leads. Aim to release at least one new asset per quarter.
Ebook & Whitepaper Benchmarks & Trends
- 60% of B2B buyers are willing to share their contact information in exchange for an ebook (Demand Gen Report)
- The average cost per lead for ebooks and whitepapers is $39 (WebFX)
- Interactive ebooks have a 73% completion rate on average, compared to 33% for static ebooks (Ceros)
3. Case Studies
Few content types are more powerful for building trust and credibility than customer stories. By showcasing how you‘ve helped similar companies overcome challenges and achieve positive results, you can make a more compelling case for why prospects should work with you.
Effective case studies typically follow this format:
- Introduce the customer and their primary challenge
- Detail the specific solution your company provided
- Share the quantifiable results and impact on the customer‘s business
- Provide a strong call-to-action to request a demo or contact sales
To find compelling customer stories, look for clients who have experienced impressive results, have an interesting background, or faced unique challenges. Reach out personally to request their participation.
Once you‘ve created a case study, be sure to promote it widely. Publish it on your website, share on social media, include a link in relevant sales emails, and even consider reformatting the content into a video or infographic to get more mileage out of it.
Case Study Benchmarks & Trends
- 78% of B2B buyers use case studies when researching solutions (Demand Gen Report)
- The average reader spends 4-5 minutes reading a case study (NetLine)
- Video case studies have an average engagement rate of 65% (Vidyard)
4. Infographics
Human beings are visual creatures by nature, and infographics use this to their advantage. By combining data, copy, and design elements, these assets communicate information in a highly engaging and shareable way.
Infographics are especially effective for:
- Visualizing data from a survey or research report
- Simplifying a complex process or topic
- Providing a timeline of events
- Comparing and contrasting multiple options
- Highlighting statistics or key takeaways
To create a compelling infographic, start by gathering your key data points and crafting a clear narrative arc. Then, work with a designer to bring that story to life visually. Use bold colors, clean lines, and simple charts or icons to make the information easy to digest.
When publishing your infographic, be sure to optimize the image file name and alt text for relevant keywords. You should also provide an embed code to encourage others to share the asset on their own sites, expanding your reach.
Infographic Benchmarks & Trends
- People following directions with text and illustrations do 323% better than those following directions without illustrations (Springer)
- Infographics are liked and shared on social media 3x more than any other type of content (Mass Planner)
- Searches for infographics have increased over 800% in the past 2 years (Unbounce)
5. Videos
Video content is dominating the internet, and it‘s not hard to see why. These dynamic assets are incredibly versatile and engaging, enabling you to connect with your audience on a more personal level.
Some popular types of marketing videos include:
- Product demos and tutorials
- Customer testimonials and case studies
- Thought leadership interviews
- Webinars and event footage
- Company culture spotlights
The key to effective video is storytelling. You need to hook the viewer within the first few seconds and then keep them engaged by building suspense, incorporating humor, and evoking emotion.
Investing in high production values will also help your videos stand out. Use professional lighting and sound equipment, animated graphics, and add closed captions to ensure your message comes across loud and clear.
Once you‘ve created a video, be sure to optimize it for search by including relevant keywords in the title, tags, and description. Add a custom thumbnail image and end screen with calls-to-action to keep viewers engaged.
Video Benchmarks & Trends
- 84% of people say they‘ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand‘s video (Wyzowl)
- The average engagement rate for videos is 52.17% (Databox)
- Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to 10% when reading it in text (Insivia)
6. Interactive Content
Last but certainly not least is interactive content. This emerging category covers any asset that requires the user to actively engage, such as quizzes, assessments, calculators, polls, and contests.
The key benefits of interactive content include:
- Improved engagement rates and time on page
- Increased shareability and virality potential
- Valuable data capture and insight into user preferences
- A more memorable and differentiated user experience
To create effective interactive content, start by considering what type of asset would be most valuable and interesting to your target audience. Then, craft questions and results that tie back to your products or services and provide genuine value to users.
Be sure to incorporate your branding elements throughout the experience and optimize the asset for mobile devices. And gate the results or offer an incentive for users to share their contact information, such as a coupon code or entry into a contest.
Interactive Content Benchmarks & Trends
- Interactive content generates 2x more conversions than passive content (Kapost)
- 88% of marketers say interactive content is effective at differentiating their brand from competitors (CMI)
- The average quiz has a 31.6% lead capture rate (Outgrow)
How to Measure the Success of Your Digital Marketing Collateral
Creating high-quality content is only half the equation – you also need to track and analyze its performance to ensure you‘re getting a positive ROI. Here are some of the most important metrics to monitor for each type of digital collateral:
- Blog posts: Pageviews, unique visitors, time on page, bounce rate, social shares, comments
- Ebooks & whitepapers: Downloads, form submissions, cost per lead, lead-to-customer conversion rate
- Case studies: Pageviews, downloads, lead quality, sales usage and reference
- Infographics: Pageviews, social shares, inbound links, embed placements
- Videos: Views, average watch time, engagement rate, click-through rate, cost per view
- Interactive content: Pageviews, completions, lead capture rate, social shares, engagement rate
By tracking these metrics over time, you can identify which assets are resonating best with your audience and driving the most meaningful business results. Use these insights to optimize existing content and inform your future content strategy.
There are a variety of tools you can use to measure your content performance, such as:
- Web analytics platforms like Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics
- Social media management and analytics tools like Sprout Social and Hootsuite
- Marketing automation and CRM platforms like HubSpot, Marketo, and Salesforce
- Heat mapping and user engagement tools like Hotjar and CrazyEgg
The specific tools you use will depend on your budget, team size, and overall marketing tech stack. The most important thing is to have a plan in place for consistently tracking, analyzing, and reporting on your content metrics.
Fuel Your Business Growth with Digital Marketing Collateral
Digital marketing collateral is a powerful tool for educating your audience, building trust, and driving conversions. By creating a variety of high-quality assets that align with your buyer‘s journey, you can attract more qualified leads and nurture them into loyal customers.
The key is to approach your collateral strategically, focusing on the formats that are most likely to resonate with your specific audience. Conduct thorough research, incorporate storytelling and original insights, and adhere to SEO and design best practices to ensure your assets stand out.
And don‘t forget to promote your content through a variety of channels, including social media, email, paid advertising, and industry partnerships. The more eyeballs you can get on your assets, the greater impact they‘ll have on your bottom line.
By consistently producing valuable, relevant content and analyzing its performance, you can refine your digital marketing collateral strategy over time and stay ahead of the competition. So what are you waiting for? Start creating and watch your business grow.
