Ten Tips for Cross-Promoting your Content, Part I

As B2B marketing content libraries start to grow, our new challenges won’t be just how to promote our latest eBook or video or Slideshare. We now need to be thinking about a wider ‘Library Marketing’ strategy that looks at the entire content resource in the context of the conversion funnel.

I wrote about this on the Content Marketing Institute blog recently, but wanted to pull out one specific discipline that I didn’t emphasize and that feels particularly relevant here on B2B Bloggers: cross-promotion.

Cross-promotion is simply the art of using one goodie to sell another. Amazon is a pro at it but we B2B marketers are nowhere near as good at is as we should be.

Done right, cross-promotion is the low-cost, low-effort way to drive downloads and other types of conversions. It’s like the old chestnut from the sales department: a new sale to an existing customer is 16 times (or whatever) easier than a new sale to a new customer.

In the same way, someone who has already interacted with you is far more likely to want your next piece of content. So let’s get really good at cross-promoting our content, shall we?

Here are the first chunk from my ten tips for successful cross-promotion:

1) Don’t let cross-promotion inhibit primary promotion

It’s always tempting to cram a whole bunch of stuff on every email, landing page and newsletter. It feels like it increases your chances of getting someone interested and earning that download. But in reality, you’re decreasing your chances by cluttering up your stories and diverting people from your offer.

A landing page should lead people to one desired action. Stick to that and cross-promote at other points in the funnel, such as:

2) Use auto-responders

Automated emails that are triggered by an online action are great places to cross-promote.

When people download your latest eBook, remind them in your Thank You email about another great piece of content (or, okay, two) that they might like.

It’s an open door here. Go on and give it a gentle push.

3) Use your web Thank You page

Same idea but on the web page that you deliver when someone has done something desirable – like signing up for your e-newsletter or requesting a demo:

‘Thanks for that. Did you know about our cool fridge-magnet infographic?’

4) Don’t forget outbound email

Every month or quarter, send out a mail to different segments of your database (you are segmenting aren’t you?) to say, “Hi. Since you attended our webinar, we’ve produced this video on exactly the kind of thing I think you’d be into…”

5) Get personal

We’re all so in love with marketing automation that we sometimes forget the power of the personal note.  A simple three-line text email that feels (or better still, is) personal can dramatically out-perform that sexy HTML number that took your lazy-ass designer two weeks to secrete.

The equivalent of a digital Post-It Note (Ooh. I feel an iPhone app coming on) that says, ‘Thought you’d like this.’ Can work wonders.

For Part II of this post – Tips 6 through 10 plus one BONUS TIP that I’m calling Tip 11, just pop on over to the Velocity blog.

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About the B2Bblogger: Doug Kessler is the co-founder and creative director of Velocity, a London-based B2B marketing agency.

He started his career in advertising at Ogilvy & Mather New York, moved to London 20-odd years ago and hasn’t escaped yet.Velocity focuses on marketing consulting, content, creative and campaigns for a wide range of clients in and around technology markets. Read more from Doug at the Velocity blog.

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Photo: Flickr Creative Commons: sl-fotografie