The Importance of Keeping Your Lead Generation Pipeline Full

WSI Team
January 20, 2024

As a business owner, understanding why lead generation is important is crucial. You aim to connect with a broad audience, ensuring that your product or service reaches as many people as possible.

The growth of your business and sales depends on your ability to identify interested people who might benefit from what you have to sell and encourage them to make the journey from interest to purchase. The higher this number, the greater your chances of success. So how do you ensure this queue of people keeps growing? You want it to extend out the door, round the block, and even further.

The process of building this pipeline of customers requires you to get their attention first, often through digital marketing. This approach is known as lead generation. Let’s try and understand this concept a little better.

What is a Lead?

Let’s start with the basics. If you have spent even a short time in the world of digital marketing, you will hear the term lead more times than you can count. Lead generation is one of the two main goals of digital marketing (the other being brand building) - so what is a lead anyway?

A lead is any person who indicates interest in a company's product or service. Any lead has the potential to become a paying customer and thus needs to be nurtured toward that end. A lead can demonstrate their interest in various ways, from simply visiting your website to signing up for your newsletter. The important thing about a lead in the world of inbound marketing is that the individual initiates contact with the business, not the other way around. A lead is someone who has actively expressed interest in a company.

For example, let’s say you do a Google search on a particular product or service. You click on one of the top-ranking results, and when you get to the website, you are invited to answer a short questionnaire about your needs regarding that product. You answer the questions and leave your email address. You have just become a lead for that company, and the process is unobtrusive. When you receive a follow-up email a short while later, it is because you have provided your details and asked for more information.

In addition, that follow-up email won’t be some generic sales pitch sent to thousands of other people. It will have been personalized according to the information you provided in the questionnaire. Now that you have become a viable lead, it is the marketer’s job to guide you carefully along the rest of the buyer’s journey through valuable content and by clarifying how their products will meet your needs.

What is the Definition of Lead Generation?

Simply put, the people or organizations interested in what you are selling are called leads. You could also think of them as potential customers. Now, there may be thousands of people, if not more, who might know that you exist but haven’t shown any interest in what you have to offer. 

They can’t help your business grow if they remain indifferent toward your brand. You have to pique their interest before considering selling to them. This process of getting someone’s attention and converting them into potential customers is known as lead generation.

Why is Lead Generation Important?

To ensure your business continues to grow and expand, you need to reach more people who could be your potential buyers and elicit interest in your product or service. You should see a steady inflow of people who are interested in exploring what you have to offer. Of course, you are not alone in wanting this for your business. Every business owner or marketing executive has the same goals as you. 

In a world where attention spans are limited and distractions are infinite, attracting potential customers is getting trickier. More and more businesses are vying for this attention, so why should individuals lend their eyeballs or ears to you? 

While it may sound simple, generating the right kind of leads can be challenging. Therefore, it is vital to invest time and effort into getting this right. Here are a few statistics to set the context:

  • As per a Marketo study, companies with effective lead generation strategies have at least 133% more revenue than companies that have not put the right strategy in place.
  • It is only natural, then, that the number one priority for marketers is lead generation, as Hubspot noted in their report on marketing statistics.
  • Despite lead generation being the number one priority, 61% of marketers consider lead generation to be their biggest challenge. This is where partnering with the best lead generation company becomes crucial. A reputable company can navigate the complexities, optimize strategies, and ensure a steady flow of high-quality leads for your business.

You now understand the importance of lead generation and want to do this well. The surest way to do so is to have the right strategy in place. Before you develop this strategy, there’s one key question you need to answer. 

Why do we do it this way instead of using those old-fashioned outbound marketing techniques like cold-calling? In short, it enables customer relationships to develop more naturally and builds trust in your brand. When you reach out to a stranger from out of the blue and attempt to sell your product, the process is unnatural, even obtrusive. Many potential customers may end the discussion without even hearing what you have to say because they don’t appreciate the intrusion.

With lead generation, on the other hand, you invite people to initiate contact with you. They show an organic interest in your brand, prompting you to respond in kind, and so the relationship grows.

Who Is Your Target Audience?

Every business caters to a particular audience. These people may want to explore your product or service, and they’re the ones you want to identify and sell to. There are various factors such as age, income, geographical location, and gender which will determine your target audience.

For example, there may be two businesses selling handbags. However, one sells luxury handbags, and the other focuses on affordable handbags for everyday use. Their target audience will be very different even though they sell the same category of products. The buyer's income is the criteria that separate the target groups of these two businesses.

Before you start designing lead generation strategies, jot down as many details as possible about your target audience. In fact, go a step further and create buyer personas. It will help you design a lead generation strategy that is much more effective since it is tailored to the needs of a particular group of people.

Lead Generation Strategies You Can Use

Once you’ve identified your target audience, the next step is to determine how you will reach these people with digital marketing. There are two ways of doing this:

Outbound Marketing

Outbound Marketing is when you initiate contact with people to generate interest in your product or service. It could be through cold calling, direct emails, billboards, radio, TV, magazine, and newspaper advertisements.

Inbound Marketing

Inbound Marketing focuses on drawing people in by creating content that is relevant to them. You pull them towards your company through content that aligns with their needs and interests. 

Which One Should You Choose?

While it is a decision you need to take, keeping your target audience and the buyer personas in mind, here are some statistics that will help:

  • 86% of people skip television ads
  • 44% of direct mail is never opened
  • 91% of email users have unsubscribed from company emails they previously opted into.
  • 200M Americans have registered their phone numbers on the FTC’s “Do Not Call” list.
  • Inbound Marketing costs 62% less per lead than a traditional outbound marketing campaign.
  • Inbound Marketing not only helps generate leads but also increases customer acquisition.
  • 3 out of 4 inbound marketing channels cost less than any outbound marketing channel.

If we go by these statistics, it is evident that inbound marketing is far more effective and provides a greater ROI than outbound marketing. It is primarily due to customers being bombarded with information left, right, and center. This has made them pickier about what kind of content they want to consume. 

Customers are also spending more time doing their research and actively identifying brands they want to engage with. So, you now want to make it easier for your potential customers to find you rather than the other way around.

While inbound marketing is great, you should definitely not write off outbound marketing. Depending on your target audience, certain outbound marketing tactics can be beneficial. Trade shows, conferences, events, and published content in print media can help reach certain categories of people.

Lead Generation Channels

If you’re sold on inbound marketing and want to build your lead generation strategy around it, you need to identify what channels you will focus on to generate leads for your business. Here are the best digital lead generation channels:

Website

One of the easiest and most effective ways of generating leads for your business is through your website. Having a responsive website that looks good and is easy to navigate can be great for helping build a pipeline of leads. It is important to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly since most users access websites from their mobile devices.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

People often look for products and services through search engines. You can have a website and a social media presence, but a potential customer will only be able to find you if you’re ranked high on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP). The ranking depends on how SEO-friendly your website is. SEO includes the keywords found on your website and the kind of links included in your content. 

It is not enough to have a website. You need to ensure it is optimized for search engines so that people can find you when they look for certain phrases and keywords associated with your business.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is considered one of the best ways of generating leads. The stats make it clear - two-thirds of subscribers like to receive branded emails at least once a week, and beyond that, 87% of B2B marketing professionals say that they consider email one of their top free organic distribution channels. 

It is also the channel that provides the best return on investment. As per a 2023 Litmus study, for every dollar you spend on email marketing, you can expect a return of $36 (with A/B testing increasing your marketing ROI by as much as 37%). If you want to know more about the latest email marketing best practices, check out our most recent webinar and its recap, How to Make Email Marketing Work for Your Business.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is considered the second most effective in generating leads. To generate leads, you must ensure your content is interesting, useful, and adds value to your potential customers. That alone doesn’t guarantee traffic since your content has to also be easy to find on the platforms your target audience frequents the most often.

You can experiment with various types of content, such as blogs, videos, and infographics, to see which works best for your target audience. Thankfully, it’s straightforward to track engagement through various analytical tools. You should evaluate your content’s performance regularly to determine which of these formats is most effective at generating leads and focus more on that.

Social Media Marketing

There are over 4.95 billion social media users globally, which is 61.4% of the world's population! If you are looking for more leads, you must tap into social media. In fact, 54% of social media users are using these mediums to research products. Not having a social media presence or not utilizing it to generate leads is like leaving money on the table.

These channels will help you build a solid foundation for lead generation. It will require you to consistently put in the time and effort to ensure your content, social media feeds, and website remain updated and relevant. However, this will allow you to build a pipeline that remains full and continues to grow.

Along with this, you can complement your lead generation channel strategy with digital advertising. It can give you another avenue to reach your ideal customers and generate leads faster. 

You can also try some other lead generation ideas such as Pay-Per-Click advertising, remarketing, and landing pages for your business.

How to Attract Quality Leads

You may know exactly how to nurture your leads once you have them, but how do you attract them in the first place? There are several ways to do so. Social media is perhaps the most prevalent lead creation tool. In the B2B world, marketers claim that they generate most of their leads through LinkedIn (around 49%). B2C marketers would have a different emphasis, with the likes of Twitter and Instagram drawing more of their ideal leads. Social media is a great way to gain great leads, but it is important to find the right platform that suits your business and customer base.

Aside from social media, there are many other options at your disposal. For example, you could set up a quiz or questionnaire on your website, you could set up a platform for existing clients to refer friends and family to you.

The Essentials of Lead Generation

At its simplest, lead generation is the process of unearthing prospects with a strong chance of being converted to sales. Sales and marketing professionals have focused on lead generation since long before the advent of digital marketing. With digital platforms, however, generating good leads depends on knowing and applying many key concepts.

Capture Web Visitors Before They Bounce

It is not enough just to generate a lead. If the conversion isn’t instant - or as near to it as possible - it is very likely that the salesperson will lose the sale. It is not enough to gather contact information from a prospect and then hand it on to a salesperson to initiate contact at a later stage. That iron grows cold very quickly!

The ideal is automated, an immediate conversion that feeds prospects directly into your sales funnel. There are several digital marketing lead generator tools available for doing just that. Even if it isn’t always achievable, it should be the aim: capture your visitors before they bounce.

Top-of-Funnel Focus vs. Full-Funnel Focus

Many digital marketers get caught up in a top-of-funnel approach. At the top of the sales funnel, you are focusing on offering content that introduces your business and entices people to give you their contact details. It is the Awareness stage of the funnel, and it is more about quantity than quality.

As you progress down the funnel to the Consideration and Conversion stages, some of your prospects will fall away, and you will focus on converting those leads who are more interested and committed. The problem with putting most of your focus on the top of the funnel is that your team may be more inclined to build up large contact lists and think they have done well. In reality, however, there is no saying how many of those contacts will lead to sales. You should instead adopt a full-funnel focus dedicated to taking qualified leads through the entire length of the funnel from Awareness to Conversion.

Slower Sales vs. Faster Sales

Many of the sales principles—which have been in place since well before the digital age—remain the same. One well-tried dictum states that a fast “no” is better than a slow “yes.” Even though you need to nurture leads, you obviously want to convert them as quickly as possible.

That being said, you need to find a favorable middle ground. If you try to go too fast, you may lose the customer. And if you go too slow, the customer may lose you! Fast conversion is not about pushing. You should rather focus on getting in sync with your prospects. If you offer them what they want, when they want it, they will convert.

Contacts Creation vs. Customer Creation

Looking back at the contrast between the top-of-funnel and full-funnel approaches, it is easy to see that one focuses on the acquisition of contacts, while the other is aimed at finding paying customers and taking them through the sales process. It is very important that digital marketers don’t get caught up in merely compiling long lists of contacts.

Your marketing success is measured by the number of sales you close, not the length of your mailing list.

Why You Should Automate Lead Generation

Sales staff have a lot to do during the day. And on top of it, they also face a constant barrage of information that they then need to interpret as they seek to convert leads into sales.

How should they prioritize leads? What leads should be nurtured? How should they track their progress? Rather than expecting your sales team to grapple with these questions, set up automated processes that can handle these queries for them instead. You can automate large parts of your lead generation process to ensure that good leads don’t get lost—and that time isn’t wasted on poor ones.

Beware of Bad Leads

Not all leads are worth your while - this has always been true for sales and marketing professionals. Generating a lead is not, in itself, a measure of success: only converted leads matter at the end of the day.

Unfortunately, it is all too easy to run after a bad lead thinking it is a good one. Avoiding this requires not only discernment on the part of your sales staff but also judicious use of lead automation systems. Automation frees your team from performing time-consuming admin tasks and lets them focus on identifying and pursuing only the strongest leads.

Look out for red flags, such as when leads tell you they don’t have the budget for your products or avoid your calls and emails. Most importantly, make sure you are talking to people who have the power to make a purchase decision.

The Art of Identifying the Decision-Maker(s)

One of the biggest mistakes that salespeople make is wasting time and energy chasing people who are not in a position to make buying decisions. You may have the contact details of a particular staff member at a company that seems to be a perfect client for your business. However, no matter how interested they are in your product, they cannot sign off on a sale.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that only top-level management can make these decisions. Purchase decisions are often left in the hands of mid-level management, such as procurement managers or team leaders. Before you try to convert your leads, you need to know that you are addressing a decision-maker.

The question is, how do you identify a decision-maker? To make sure you get in touch with the right people, ask your lead:

  • Who will be using the product every day?
  • What departments would most benefit from the product?
  • Who made the decision to look for a new solution in the first place?
  • Who else should be contacted or invited to meetings and product demos?

Planning, Implementing, and Optimizing Your Lead Generation Campaign

Before you get started with a lead generation program, you need to make sure that your sales and marketing departments are in sync. They must agree on their goals and what constitutes a good lead. Follow these five steps to develop and implement a lead generation plan:

Step 1: Define your leads
Start off with a serious discussion with the sales department. What do you want to achieve? Who do you want to target and why? Don’t just talk about leads in general terms. Think hard about what would make a good lead for your company. There are many ways to define and identify leads. At its most basic, a lead is simply someone who shows interest in your product. Once you get that initial interest, you need to narrow it down according to factors that are most relevant to your business: demographics, firmographics, etc.

Step 2: Align with sales
Once sales and marketing agree on the ideal lead, they also need to decide at what point a lead will be directed to sales. That transition is crucial and must happen at a carefully planned moment in the process. Sales and marketing need to agree on how and where a marketing-qualified lead (MQL) becomes a sales-qualified lead (SQL).

Step 3: Plot your course
Now you know where you are going, you can draw up a map to get you there. What tactics will you use, and at what stages?

Step 4: Nurture and score your leads
You will have to deal with many different leads, all at different levels of your sales funnel. It is easy to generate plenty of top-of-funnel leads - those at the initial stage who have done no more than give you their email address. You must focus on progressing these further, obviously, but you must also pay attention to those in the middle of the funnel. Use scoring techniques to deal with different categories of leads, adjusting your approach according to where they are positioned in the sales funnel.

Step 5: Measure and optimize
As you put your lead generation plan into action, you will need to try different techniques, measure their success, and adjust your approach as you go. Learn how to use A/B testing and calls to action. Play around with copy and image choices and see what works. Aim for the best possible results and use the metrics and analytics at your disposal to determine whether you are hitting that mark.

Automation Tools That Make Lead Generation for Your Business a Breeze

Lead automation involves using some separate tools that work together to refine and focus the lead generation process. One example is conversational chatbots, which enable businesses to automatically qualify and talk to more leads, book more meetings, and close deals faster.

Landing pages are also extremely helpful: they can be tailored to perform different functions, from gathering data to offering information to leading directly to sales pages. There are also online tools that can help you organize and prioritize your leads and track specific information that will help your sales team to identify good leads and decision-makers.

Lead Generation FAQs

What is the lead generation process?

The lead generation process can be divided into different ways, depending on who you ask. Here is a seven-step approach that we find useful:

  1. Research your target market: Make sure that you have a secure handle on your target market. Research them and the best ways to reach them. The more insight you have into your audience, the easier it will be for you to reach them.
  2. Create compelling content: Generate good content that is designed to appeal to your target market. Great content is the key to lead generation.
  3. Share the content: Post your content on your website and promote it across your social media platforms. Optimize the content so that potential leads can find it, and be sure to include calls to action to draw customers into your sales funnel.
  4. Nurture existing leads: Your content and promotion should bring new prospects into your sales funnel. Now you need to nurture them and move them towards conversion. Direct email marketing is an extremely effective tool in this regard.
  5. Prioritize your leads: You should be able to work out which leads are worth pursuing - or your automation tools will do it for you. Prioritize the best leads and pursue them.
  6. Pass strong leads to the sales team.
  7. Assess your lead generation process and adjust where necessary: Always monitor your strategies and check the results. Don’t be afraid to make adjustments if something is less effective than it should be.

What is the difference between pipeline and lead generation?

The main difference between these two approaches is that lead generation is oriented towards the top of the funnel, while pipeline marketing looks at the bigger picture and takes a full-funnel focus.

How do you structure a pipeline?

Sales pipelines are often represented as a funnel and sometimes as a horizontal line. It works either way. What is important is that the pipeline should be divided up into parts that represent your company’s sales process. In general, a pipeline might be divided up into the Awareness, Consideration, and Conversion sections, for example. You may want to name these sections differently or break them into even smaller parts. Just make sure that it is a logical and easy-to-follow representation of your sales process.

Is lead generation dead?

Lead generation remains a vital part of any digital marketing strategy. In fact, it is the main objective of online marketing. As such, it is still very much alive.

What is fading out is the old conception of lead generation as a top-funnel-focused activity. Effective lead generation is now expected to follow a full-funnel-focused model.

How can we use AI for lead generation?

To leverage AI for lead generation, consider these strategies:

  1. Automated Lead Qualification: AI can efficiently qualify leads by analyzing data and behaviors, enhancing efficiency, and reducing cost per lead.
  2. Real-time Lead Tracking: AI tools use external data sources to monitor and track leads in real-time, providing businesses with up-to-date insights.
  3. Content Creation: AI aids in content creation for lead-nurturing emails by analyzing competition, and ensuring targeted and relevant communication.
  4. Data-driven Analysis: AI enables a data-driven approach, allowing businesses to analyze vast datasets for insights that inform effective lead generation efforts.
  5. Utilization of AI Tools: Employ effective AI tools like Lyne AI, Smartwriter AI, Instantly AI, Leadzen, and Seamless AI for high-quality lead generation.

Incorporating these AI-driven strategies enhances lead generation, making the process more efficient and targeted.

What's Next

So now you’ve seen the importance of lead generation and keeping your pipeline full. You’ve identified your target audience and built buyer personas. Based on this, you’ve identified your lead generation channels and built your strategy.

Leads are now slowly trickling in. The pipeline is filling up steadily. Is your work done here? Nope. Not all leads are equal. As they keep coming in, it is important for you to continuously evaluate these leads, segment them, qualify them, and eventually convert them. 

A person has taken the first step by showing interest in what you have to sell. You must take them from the top of the sales funnel to the bottom. However, it is important to understand that not all your leads will buy from you. It is believed that only 10%-15% of all leads convert into paying customers.

It becomes critical to identify those leads most likely to buy from you and focus on them. You can do this by scoring your leads based on certain criteria. You can look at factors such as how closely aligned they are to your buyer persona if they have visited your website, engaged with your social media posts, opened your emails, or shown any intention of purchasing from you, and so on.

Once the scoring is done, focus on converting those with the highest scores. Also, try to keep the ones with median scores engaged since they may convert later. Rinse and repeat for a great pipeline of leads.

Conclusion

Lead generation is the cornerstone of any business. It helps you reach more people and boost revenues and plays a vital role in building your brand. When it comes to lead generation strategies, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. It is a process of continually evaluating who your target audience is, how best you can reach them, and what it would take to convert them into happy, paying customers.


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Why is proper LinkedIn etiquette essential for succeeding on this platform? LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network, so it’s easy to understand why it’s such a force to be reckoned with in the digital marketing world. With a user base projected to reach nearly 1 billion by 2028 and ranked the #1 most trusted platform by brands, LinkedIn offers unparalleled opportunities for businesses to connect with potential clients, partners, and employees. However, to succeed on LinkedIn, you need to understand the nuances of platform etiquette. Read on for your guide to mastering LinkedIn. Content is King (But Context is Queen) Share insightful content relevant to your industry. Think thought-provoking articles, industry news, and actionable tips. Avoid blatant self-promotion and position yourself as a thought leader and resource. You should also: Tailor Your Message: As with all digital marketing, the best place to start is to consider your audience and tailor your content accordingly. What are their interests and challenges? How can you provide value to their professional lives? This is crucial for building meaningful professional relationships and growing your network. Engage, Don’t Just Broadcast: Most LinkedIn strategies focus purely on posting... but what happens after that? Responding thoughtfully to comments, participating in discussions, and building diverse LinkedIn connections are just as important. Over 70% of marketers see LinkedIn as a platform with solid ROI potential—but you’ll only reach that potential through engagement, not passive posting. Remember, maintaining a positive professional image on LinkedIn is essential. LinkedIn Post Frequency and Timing Matter It’s important to share content regularly to maintain visibility and boost brand awareness, but remember that it’s better to post less frequently with high-value content than to inundate your audience with irrelevant posts. Strategic timing is also crucial—consider when your target audience is most active on LinkedIn and experiment with different posting times to determine what yields the best engagement. Tools like LinkedIn analytics can provide valuable insights into audience activity. This can help increase the reach of your post and keep your content at the forefront of your mind with your new connections. Build a Compelling Company Page Your company page is often the first impression potential clients and partners have of your business. Make it count with a professional logo and a visually appealing cover image that reflects your brand identity. Here are a few other tips for building a LinkedIn company page: Evocative Company Description: Go beyond a dry recitation of your services. Write a compelling company description articulating your value proposition, target audience, and unique selling points. Demonstrate Your Expertise: Use your company page to highlight your industry expertise, showcase client success stories, and share valuable content relevant to your target audience. Position your business as a thought leader and go-to resource in your field. Engage Respectfully Maintain a professional tone in all your interactions. Avoid slang, jargon, and overly casual language. You’ll also see better results if you personalize your connection requests. Explain why you’re reaching out and how connecting would be mutually beneficial. Avoid sending generic requests at all costs! Following these guidelines shows respect for others' time and helps you nurture relationships effectively. When sending messages, focus on providing value. Don't respond to every message with an immediate sales pitch. Instead, build rapport and establish a connection before pitching your services. Leverage LinkedIn’s Features LinkedIn has many features that enhance its value as a professional networking platform. Here are a few worth exploring: LinkedIn Groups: Join relevant groups to expand your network and participate in industry discussions. LinkedIn Articles: Publish long-form content to establish thought leadership. Articles can also be a powerful tool for driving traffic to your website and generating leads. LinkedIn Live: Use live video to engage with your audience in real-time. Host Q&A sessions, share behind-the-scenes insights, and build a stronger connection with your followers. Visuals Enhance Engagement Try to incorporate visuals into your posts to grab attention and increase engagement. Most importantly, use high-quality images and videos relevant to your content. Infographics and data visualizations are especially effective. These tools present complex information in an easy-to-understand format, which can be very useful for engaging audiences. LinkedIn Hashtags Expand Reach Use relevant hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts. Research popular hashtags in your industry and incorporate them strategically – but be strategic about it. While hashtags are beneficial, avoid using too many. Focus on a few highly relevant hashtags (up to five) rather than a long list of generic ones. Don't Post Anything That Might Hurt Your Professional Image Avoid posting unprofessional, controversial, or irrelevant content to your network. Always keep business etiquette in mind when making connections. The content you share on LinkedIn contributes to your online professional reputation, so it’s essential to maintain a high standard of professionalism. Here are some things to avoid: Personal Drama or Controversial Topics: Keep personal opinions, especially on sensitive topics, to a minimum. LinkedIn is a professional platform, so focus on discussions that align with your industry and business interests. Sharing polarizing or inappropriate content may damage your credibility and alienate potential connections. Negative Comments or Complaints: Whether about your current employer, a client, or a competitor, airing grievances on LinkedIn reflects poorly on your professionalism. Instead, focus on solutions and constructive discussions that showcase your expertise and problem-solving skills. Overly Casual or Irrelevant Posts: While it’s great to show personality, LinkedIn is not the place for casual memes, jokes, or posts unrelated to your professional life. Remember, the goal is to foster real relationships and connect with new clients or business partners , not to gain popularity through viral content. Always think about how your post might reflect on your brand before sharing. Self-Promotion or Sales Pitches: Although LinkedIn is a platform for building relationships and growing your network, avoid using it as an overt sales channel. Posting content that is too promotional or focused on selling can come across as pushy and insincere. Always provide value and context before mentioning products or services. Ways to Maintain Professionalism on LinkedIn When connecting with others on LinkedIn, it's important to uphold professionalism. Here are some do's and don’ts to guide your behavior: Do's: Share relevant, insightful content related to your industry. Your profile must have A professional headshot, as it helps establish credibility. Regularly navigate LinkedIn to engage with new and existing connections. This will help expand your professional network, especially if you add people relevant to your industry or job opportunities. Don’ts: Avoid spamming connection requests. Instead, send a polite connection message when you want to connect with someone new. Always show respect for others, especially when initiating conversations. Don't use automation tools to send generic messages or requests, as it could harm your relationship-building efforts. LinkedIn Inbox : If someone views your profile or a new LinkedIn connection sends you a message, respond in a timely manner. Connecting with the right people is essential, but maintaining that connection is just as crucial for your professional growth. Other Best Practices Connect with people who share common professional interests, even if you're not interested in immediate business opportunities. LinkedIn is a professional social network, and relationship-building should be at the core of your efforts. Consider exploring topics that LinkedIn recommends to spark meaningful conversations. Be mindful of your privacy policy settings to control who sees your posts and interactions, protecting both your personal and professional reputation. Update your choices regularly to ensure you're safeguarding your presence on LinkedIn. Lastly, when you use LinkedIn to tag someone in a post, ensure it’s relevant and adds value to the conversation. Tagging unnecessarily or excessively can come across as spammy and harm your reputation. As you can see, we’ve done our LinkedIn strategy-posting etiquette homework so you don’t have to. Contact your local WSI Consultant today for more LinkedIn etiquette tips and to develop a bespoke strategy that aligns with your business objectives.

Combating Content Decay and Refreshing Your Marketing Strategy

By WSI Team • April 25, 2025
Content is a vital component of a successful digital marketing strategy.  However, even the best-performing content can experience a decline in traffic, engagement, and rankings over time. This phenomenon, known as content decay, can significantly impact your search engine visibility and overall marketing effectiveness. By understanding content decay and implementing strategic updates, businesses can maintain their content's relevance, improve search rankings, and drive consistent organic traffic. Understanding Content Decay and Its Impact on Organic Traffic As search engine algorithms evolve and new content enters the digital landscape, older content can lose its ability to attract visitors and rank well. This decline in performance, or content decay , occurs when a webpage's relevance and authority diminish over time. Left unchecked, content decay can lead to decreased organic traffic, lower search rankings, and reduced engagement. As Neil Patel says, updating content actually takes less work and delivers faster results, which can only benefit your overall content marketing strategy. However, understanding why content decay happens and how it impacts your website's visibility is essential for developing an effective content refresh strategy. Why Content Decay Matters for SEO As we mentioned, content decay refers to the gradual decline in a webpage's performance over time. This decline typically manifests as lower search rankings, reduced traffic, and decreased user engagement. Several factors contribute to content decay, including outdated information, increased competition, and changes in search intent. If left unaddressed, content decay can weaken your website's authority and reduce your visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs). Search Engine Rankings Content that is not regularly updated may slip down the SERPs, making it harder for users to find. Search engines prioritise fresh, relevant content that aligns with current user queries. If competitors publish more up-to-date and comprehensive content, they may outrank older pages, leading to a drop in organic traffic. User Experience and Engagement Outdated or irrelevant content can also negatively impact the user experience. If visitors land on a page only to find information that no longer applies, they will likely leave quickly, increasing the bounce rate. For instance, if an article still discusses pandemic lockdowns in the present tense, users will question the credibility and freshness of the content, reducing trust in the website. Search Intent and Click-Through Rates (CTR) Search intent evolves over time. According to Ahrefs, search intent shifts happen because words change meaning over time, and Google needs to reflect this change—otherwise, it can't fulfill its mission to provide the best search results for its users. Content that previously aligned with user searches may no longer meet their expectations. As a result, click-through rates may decrease, reducing overall traffic to the page. Keeping content aligned with evolving search intent ensures it continues to attract and engage visitors. Algorithm Updates and Competitive Shifts Google and other search engines frequently update their algorithms to provide the most relevant results to users. According to SearchEngineLand, Google launched 4,725 changes to its search—including changes to its ranking systems, user interface, and more—in 2022. That means Google Search changed 13 times per day, on average, that year. These updates often reward high-quality, fresh content, while outdated content may lose rankings. Additionally, as competitors create new and improved content, they may push older pages further down the SERPs. Identifying Your Best-Performing Content It's also true that not all content contributes equally to your website's success. Some pages generate steady traffic, engagement, and conversions, while others struggle to gain traction. Identifying your best-performing content allows you to focus on high-impact updates, ensuring that your most valuable pages continue to drive results. By analysing key performance metrics, you can determine which content deserves a refresh and which may need a complete overhaul. Tracking Key Performance Metrics To maintain an effective content strategy, businesses must continuously evaluate their existing content and determine which pages perform well and which require updates. Not all content maintains its relevance and effectiveness indefinitely—search algorithms change, competition increases, and user behavior evolves. By tracking key performance metrics, businesses can identify content that drives traffic and engagement and spot opportunities for improvement. Organic traffic is one of the most critical metrics to monitor. It measures the number of visitors arriving at a page through search engines. A steady flow of organic traffic indicates that the content remains relevant and well-ranked. At the same time, a noticeable decline suggests that the page may need updates to maintain its position in search results. Engagement rates provide deeper insights into how users interact with a page. Metrics such as time spent on the page, scroll depth, and interactions (e.g., clicking on links or playing embedded videos) indicate whether visitors find the content valuable. If engagement rates are low, it may be a sign that the content lacks depth, is outdated, or does not effectively address user intent. Another crucial metric is the click-through rate (CTR) , which measures the percentage of users who click on a page after seeing it in search results. A high CTR suggests that the page's title and meta description are compelling and relevant to search queries. If CTR is low, businesses should consider revising their meta descriptions, optimizing title tags, or incorporating more engaging elements such as structured data (e.g., FAQ schema) to enhance visibility. Keyword rankings play a significant role in content performance. Monitoring where a page ranks for specific keywords can help businesses understand how their content compares to competitors. A gradual decline in keyword rankings may indicate that competitors are outranking the page with more up-to-date or comprehensive content. Regularly refreshing content with new information, better optimization, and improved formatting can help regain lost rankings. Another important metric to track is impressions , which measure how often a page appears in search results. Even if a page has many impressions, a low CTR might indicate that the content does not align with user intent or that its title and description are not enticing enough. Conversely, if impressions are dropping, it may suggest that search engines consider the content less relevant over time. Bounce rate is another factor to consider when assessing content effectiveness. A high bounce rate means visitors leave the page quickly without taking further action, which could indicate that the content does not meet their expectations. Businesses should evaluate whether the page provides clear and valuable information, has a strong call to action, and loads quickly to improve user experience. Finally, backlinks —the number and quality of external websites linking to the content—serve as a strong indicator of authority and credibility. High-quality backlinks from reputable sources can significantly boost a page's search rankings. In contrast, a loss of backlinks over time might signal that the content is becoming less relevant or authoritative in its industry. By regularly tracking these performance metrics, businesses can determine which pages continue to generate value and which require optimization to remain competitive in search results. Tools for Identifying Content Decay Businesses should leverage various SEO tools to monitor content performance and detect early signs of content decay. These tools provide insights into traffic trends, keyword rankings, engagement metrics, and other crucial indicators that help businesses make informed decisions about content updates and improvements. Google Analytics Google Analytics is an essential tool for tracking organic traffic trends and user engagement metrics. It allows businesses to monitor traffic fluctuations over time and compare performance across different periods. Businesses can assess how effectively their content keeps visitors engaged by analyzing session duration, pages per session, and bounce rate. Google Analytics also provides data on traffic sources, helping businesses understand whether their content attracts visitors from search engines, social media, or referral sites. Google Search Console Google Search Console is another powerful tool for tracking keyword rankings, impressions, and click-through rates. It helps businesses identify which keywords are driving traffic to specific pages and whether rankings are improving or declining. Businesses can refine their content strategy by analyzing search queries and more effectively target relevant keywords. Search Console also provides valuable insights into indexing issues, mobile usability, and technical errors affecting search visibility. Semrush and Ahrefs Semrush and Ahrefs are advanced SEO platforms that provide in-depth analysis of keyword positioning, backlink profiles, and competitor performance. These tools allow businesses to track their rankings across multiple keywords, analyze traffic trends, and compare their content performance against competitors. Ahrefs, in particular, excels at identifying lost backlinks and providing insights into which pages are gaining or losing authority. Sermush, on the other hand, offers detailed content audits and keyword research tools that help businesses identify content gaps and optimization opportunities. Clearscope Clearscope is a content optimization tool that evaluates content relevance, readability scores, and keyword coverage. By analyzing top-ranking pages for a given keyword, Clearscope provides recommendations on related terms, content length, and structure to improve search rankings. Businesses can use Clearscope to ensure their content is comprehensive, well-structured, and aligned with current search trends. Content Auditing and Proactive Optimization Regularly auditing content using these tools allows businesses to identify declining performance early and proactively optimize their pages. When signs of content decay appear—such as dropping rankings, reduced traffic, or lower engagement rates—businesses can update their content with fresh information, improved formatting, and better keyword optimization. Some effective strategies for updating existing content include: Refreshing outdated statistics and references: Keeping content current ensures accuracy and trustworthiness. Expanding content depth: Adding new sections, case studies, or expert insights can improve value and relevance. Enhancing readability and formatting: Breaking up large blocks of text, adding bullet points, and incorporating visuals improve user experience. Optimizing for new keywords: Adapting content to include emerging search terms helps maintain rankings. Internal linking improvements: Adding links to newer content and related pages helps search engines understand content relationships. By staying proactive in content monitoring and optimization, businesses can prevent content decay, maintain search visibility, and ensure their content continues to attract and engage users over time. Strategies for Updating Content to Answer More Complex Questions As search engines evolve, so do the expectations of users. Simply providing basic information is no longer enough—modern searchers expect in-depth, well-structured answers that thoroughly address their questions. Updating content to reflect current trends, emerging best practices, and more nuanced insights ensures that it remains relevant and valuable to users and search engines. This requires a strategic approach to content updates, focusing on improving accuracy, depth, and usability. Conducting a Comprehensive Content Audit A content audit is a crucial first step in identifying areas for improvement. This process involves reviewing existing content to determine whether it remains relevant, useful, and competitive. Businesses should assess whether their pages are experiencing traffic or ranking declines, as these can be indicators that the content needs updating. Beyond performance metrics, a content audit should also evaluate search intent alignment. Over time, the user intent behind certain queries may shift. For example, a search query that previously indicated informational intent (e.g., "best marketing tools") may now suggest transactional intent, with users expecting product comparisons and purchase options. Ensuring that content meets current search intent improves its chances of ranking well. Comparing existing content with top-performing competitor pages is another essential audit step. Search engines favor comprehensive and authoritative content, meaning businesses should analyze competing articles that rank higher and identify gaps in their own content. Questions to consider include: Do competitors provide more in-depth explanations or updated data? Are they incorporating additional subtopics that we have overlooked? Do they use a more engaging structure, such as interactive elements or visual aids? Businesses can develop a targeted plan to update and expand their content by identifying weaknesses and opportunities. Expanding Topic Coverage for Greater Depth Search engines increasingly prioritize comprehensive content that provides users with a one-stop solution to their queries. Updating existing content to include more nuanced explanations, detailed insights, and additional subtopics can significantly improve its performance. For instance, a blog post from 2020 about social media marketing trends may no longer be relevant due to platform changes, new algorithms, and shifting user behaviors. Instead of simply tweaking old information, businesses should expand the scope of the content by addressing the following: The latest updates from major platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.) How AI and automation are reshaping social media marketing New engagement strategies that reflect current user behavior Emerging trends, such as short-form video dominance and influencer partnerships Incorporating these elements transforms outdated content into an authoritative, up-to-date resource that will likely rank well and attract new readers. Providing Actionable Advice While Removing Irrelevant Details Content should inform and guide users toward practical solutions. While expanding topic coverage is essential, businesses must ensure that content remains actionable and easy to digest. Instead of overwhelming readers with unnecessary theory or overly technical explanations, content should provide clear steps that users can implement immediately. For example, in an article about SEO best practices, rather than delving deeply into the history of search engine algorithms, the focus should be on practical steps such as: Use Google Keyword Planner to identify high-traffic, relevant keywords. Analyze top-ranking competitor content to understand keyword placement and structure. Optimize on-page elements such as meta descriptions, headers, and internal links. Regularly update existing content with fresh insights and new statistics. Improve page speed and mobile-friendliness for better user experience. By structuring content with clear steps, real-world examples, and concise explanations, businesses can ensure that users quickly find the information they need, leading to higher engagement and better retention rates. At the same time, it's crucial to eliminate outdated or unnecessary details that do not contribute to solving the reader's problem. For example, an article about email marketing automation might still reference tools that are no longer in use or strategies that have been replaced. In that case, those sections should be removed or rewritten to reflect current best practices. Enhancing Content Format and Readability Even the most well-researched content can underperform if it is not structured in a reader-friendly format. Improving readability and engagement involves several key strategies: Breaking up large blocks of text into smaller paragraphs for easier scanning. Use subheadings strategically to guide readers through different sections. Incorporate bulleted lists and numbered steps to present key takeaways. Add visuals such as charts, infographics, or screenshots to illustrate complex points. For example, in an article about effective time management for entrepreneurs, rather than presenting a long, text-heavy explanation, businesses can break down advice into easy-to-follow sections with step-by-step guides, real-life examples, and visual representations of productivity frameworks. By making content more accessible and engaging, businesses increase the likelihood that users will stay longer on the page, interact with the content, and share it with others. Optimizing for Voice Search and Conversational Queries Updating content to include natural language phrases and conversational keywords as voice search grows can help it rank for voice-assisted queries. Users who type searches may enter short keywords, but those using voice assistants often phrase their searches as complete questions or conversational prompts. For example, instead of targeting a keyword like "best coffee shops NYC," businesses should consider incorporating long-tail, conversational phrases like: "Where can I find the best coffee shops in New York City?" "What are some highly rated cafés near Central Park?" "Which coffee shops in NYC have the best cold brew?" Integrating FAQ sections with direct, natural-sounding answers can improve content visibility for voice search and featured snippets, making it more likely to appear as a top result. Enhancing User Experience A well-structured page improves readability and keeps users engaged. Consider leveraging the following tactics: Add a sticky table of contents for easy navigation. Use branded graphics and high-quality images to improve visual appeal. Break up long paragraphs into smaller chunks for better readability. Use bullet points and bold key takeaways to highlight important information. Adding Trust Factors and Freshness Signals Here are a few strategies to add trust factors and freshness signals to your content: Updating Statistics, Case Studies, and Examples: One of the most effective ways to signal freshness is by updating data and statistics. Incorporating recent industry studies, surveys, and real-world case studies enhances credibility. Users trust content that reflects the latest trends and insights. Adding Authoritative Sources and Expert Quotes: Including expert opinions, references from credible sources, and interviews with industry leaders can strengthen content authority. Citing well-known research institutions, government sources, and trusted organisations enhances credibility and trustworthiness. Leveraging User Engagement Signals: Encouraging user interaction through comments, polls, and discussions can help keep content relevant. Regularly updating blog posts with user-generated content, such as testimonials or frequently asked questions, signals ongoing engagement and relevance. Republishing and Promoting Updated Content: Once content has been refreshed, businesses should actively promote it across various channels: Share updated articles on social media platforms. Include refreshed content in email newsletters. Leverage paid promotion to reintroduce the content to a broader audience. Encourage backlinks by reaching out to industry partners and influencers. Optimizing for Featured Snippets and Voice Search Optimising content for featured snippets and voice search as search behavior evolves can enhance visibility. Structuring content with direct, concise answers and using natural language improves the chances of appearing in voice search results and position-zero rankings. Content decay is inevitable, but proactive content refresh strategies can ensure sustained visibility, engagement, and SEO performance. By identifying declining content, updating it with fresh insights, and implementing trust factors, businesses can maximize the impact of their existing content and strengthen their digital marketing efforts. Regular content audits and a commitment to continuous improvement will position businesses for long-term success in an ever-changing search landscape. Need help with your content marketing and SEO? Contact WSI today.
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