Leaders don’t create followers; they create new leaders. To lead, your content should share unique data that nurtures, teaches and grows your prospects. If your content merely shares opinion and product hype — and sounds like just another sales pitch — it could actually damage your thought-leadership profile.
To drive leads and trust, offer value no one else is offering. No one will buy from you until they buy into you.
Trying to reach CMOs? Survey marketers about why their last product launch succeeded, and share your insights with gated e-books, infographics and a slide deck your sales reps can present.
Are you targeting HR directors? Survey top-performing employees on how to recruit, retain and engage them at work. Turn your data into a PR pitch, a webinar and SEO-optimized blog posts.
20 Ways To Make Content Perform Better With Research
1. Bring data to issues already trending in your industry.
Share survey research on topics the media and influencers are already discussing. Not only does this draw readers, but it can also drive media coverage, backlinks and shares.
2. Inject high-value keywords into your research.
Seed your research with high-value keywords that earn Google up-ranks. For example, a report on the "Top 10 Ways Clothing Retailers Disappoint Customers" should include keywords that increase traffic from retail professionals, such as "retail CX" or "retail NPS."
3. Compare groups and find gaps.
Use research to show contrasts and disconnects between groups. For example, Bain & Company research found that 80% of CEOs say they deliver a great customer experience but only 8% of customers agree.
4. Use sound research methodology.
Use survey research best practices like proper random sampling, nonleading survey questions and transparent analysis to bring credibility to your research. Your research will also be more credible if you have an independent research agency conduct it on your behalf.
5. Write hooks.
Research used to be boring, but today it requires creativity, humor and new perspectives. Research should be as creative as advertising. While designing your research, add “hooks” or surprising insights that draw a reader in for more. For example, a company with research for the hotel industry could lead with a hook such as, "21% of guests say they have slept in a haunted hotel room" or "7% have snuck a pet into a hotel room."
6. Begin at the end.
With each study, begin at the end by drafting the sample headlines you hope to reveal. Reverse-engineer your sample headlines into unbiased survey questions. This approach will ensure your survey questions will deliver the data you expect.
7. Give research a 'home.'
Create a new area of your website to archive your survey research. This "research center" is where customers, journalists, prospects and even your own employees can go to access your portfolio of insights.
8. Make snackable infographics.
Breaking out research into infographics sets the table visually for snackable insights that media, partners, customers, employees and other industry players can easily link to and share.
9. Share gated e-books that create marketing qualified leads.
Data insights, crisp writing and SME expertise are the ingredients for powerful thought leadership that promote you from vendor to partner. Shareable e-books can boost your SEO presence and position you as an authority in your market.
10. Release quarterly or annual trend sheets.
On a regular basis, publish a “trend sheet” or “highlight reel” of your top insights. Trend sheets build your thought-leadership profile by presenting insights and patterns over time. Trend sheet reports can be some of your top-performing lead generation assets.
11. Make your own news.
Press releases are too often marketing disguised as news. But with survey research, data can back up your claims and give credibility to your news.
12. Give reps a reason to prospect.
Prospects want to know about emerging trends, disruption, customer perceptions and what peers are doing. When your reps call prospects offering to share insights, doors and calendars are more likely to open up.
13. Start a positive feedback loop.
Link your research to your product pages to drive sales. Link your product pages to research to build trust.
14. Give your leaders gravitas.
When on camera, during interviews or at events, your leaders need powerful stats to support their claims and provoke new thinking. Each quarter, provide your best stats to key leaders so they are always ready to impress with trends and market dynamics.
15. Turn one report into 10 with industry breakouts.
Each industry has different challenges and cultures. By breaking results out by industry, you can turn one report into 10. Industry-specific PR pitches are more likely to land because industry trade publications are always hungry for vertical-specific research.
16. Back up sales decks, one-pagers, landing pages, etc.
Survey research can buttress your product story, so weave key insights throughout your product copy and presentation talk tracks.
17. Build webinars that deliver value and build trust.
With gated registration, recorded webinars make excellent evergreen lead-generation assets.
18. Make news with your blog.
Your blog shouldn't just be a stream of product announcements and opinion pieces. Make news by posting new data no one else has. Each study can easily spin off two or three blog posts that start prospects along a nurture track.
19. Get to value faster on social media.
More prospects and customers will follow you when your feed is a constant source of knowledge they can put to work. Each study can spin off five to 10 social posts that link to an infographic, webinar, e-book or other assets.
20. Share research in email campaigns that have a clear benefit and CTA.
Each study can be channeled into its own email campaign with an inviting link to free research. Top stats can go into existing campaigns to back up your claims and support your product story.
Research Drives Your Thought Leadership
When you bring data to the table, you don't just join the conversation; you change the conversation. Those conversations build trust, and trust drives your business.
