Content Marketing – Guiding the Customer through the Funnel
Ashutosh Gupta
Head of Marketing Solutions, India
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions

Your buyers’ behavior is forever changed

90%
Before customers
reach out directly
Source: Forrester, “Buyer Behavior Helps B2B Marketers Guide the Buyer’s
Journey,” October 2012
10
Pieces of content
are consumed before
a purchasing decision
is made
Source: Zero Moment of Truth Study, Google
It’s a challenging world…

Increase targeted reach and quality conversions
The Challenge
5%
Fill out a form*
20%
Open emails**
1%
Opportunities captured
*B2B campaign form conversion rates range from 1-5%, Sirius Decisions Benchmark Survey. **Ayaz Nanji, “Email Open and Click-Through Rates: Benchmarks by Vertical,” MarketingProfs, May 13, 2013

6
Reach only the right people
Deliver highly relevant
and helpful content
Tailor your message based on
where they are in the decision process
Imagine if the funnel worked like it should…

Reach only the right people
Groups
Content Strategy
B2B Social Media
Friends of LinkedIn
Occupation
Sales
Standardized
Job Titles
Director
Function
Sales
Company
LinkedIn
Industry
Technology
Size
5000+
Demographics
Age
gender
Geo
India
Education
IIM
1

7 More
engagement with
content v/s jobsx
Content is our core
482,514 3,369 1,972
Share 12K Send a message
2 Deliver highly relevant and helpful content

Set up a test of different updates to reach different audiences
Sponsored Update 1:
Targeted to CMOs
These insights can help you drive
transformational change to your business.
[link to white paper landing page with tracking tag 1]
Sponsored Update 2:
Targeted to Marketing Directors
Need to demonstrate the ROI of your
marketing efforts? These insights can help.
[link to white paper landing page with tracking tag 2]
Sponsored Update 3:
Targeted to Social Media Managers
Social media managers: Get the insights you
need to drive the engagement you want.
[link to white paper landing page with tracking tag 3]
Big Rock
Content
Example: B2B Marketing company XYZ
has recently launched a new piece of
research and is publishing updates to
LinkedIn to drive marketers to download it.

Use targeting on LinkedIn to deliver the right
message to the right person at the right time
But be careful NOT
to over-target.
It’s important to reach everyone
who could influence a buying
decision, so cast a wide net and
then refine your
targeting preferences.

Mapping Content to the Top Funnel
Typical top-funnel buyer needs:
• Do I have a business challenge?
• Who can solve my challenge?
• What should I be looking for a solution?
Education
Evaluation
Proposal
Purchase
AwarenessAwareness
Education
Evaluation
Proposal
Purchase
3 Tailor your message based on where they are in the
decision process

Meet top-funnel needs with content
that is educational, “ungated,” and
addictively shareable:
• Blogs
• Infographics
• Videos
Mapping Content to the Top Funnel
3 Tailor your message based on where they are in the
decision process

Meet top-funnel needs with content that is educational, “ungated,” and
addictively shareable
Mapping Content to the Top Funnel

Promote Adobe thought leadership to
marketing DMs
Result: After exposure, decision makers were:
• 50% more likely to agree that “Adobe is
shaping the future of digital marketing”
• 79% more likely to agree that “Adobe can help
me optimize my media spend”
Mapping Content to the Top Funnel

Typical mid-funnel buyer needs:
• I’m ready to start learning about this
product/service.
• How does this compare to other products?
• What other companies have used this solution? Education
Evaluation
Proposal
Purchase
AwarenessAwareness
Education
Evaluation
Proposal
Purchase
Mapping Content to the Middle Funnel

Mid-funnel content begins to
address specific interests and
questions around the
product/service :
• eBooks
• Webinars
• Demos
• Case Studies
Mapping Content to the Middle Funnel

Mid-funnel content begins to address specific interests and questions
around the product/service :
Mapping Content to the Middle Funnel

Typical bottom-funnel buyer needs:
• How much does this cost?
• Do I need to get buy-in from others?
• I need customer references to make a decision Education
Evaluation
Proposal
Purchase
AwarenessAwareness
Education
Evaluation
Proposal
Purchase
Mapping Content to The Bottom Funnel

Bottom-funnel content is the “deal-closer”:
• Evaluation guides
• ROI calculators
• Free trials
• Case Studies
Mapping Content to the Bottom Funnel

Bottom-funnel content is the “deal-
closer”:
Mapping Content to the Bottom Funnel

Promote gated content offers to marketers Result: Delivered 400% more leads –
and higher quality leads – within target
audience than lead generation efforts
on any other platform
Mapping Content to the Bottom Funnel

The Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide to LinkedIn

Repurpose, repurpose, then repurpose some more
Infographics
Blog Content
Physical Book
Mobile Download
SlideShares Influencer Blogs
WebinarsPodcasts

MQL
Turkey Slices (Non Gated)
Lead Capture
No Yes
RevenueSales
SDR
Sales Qualified?
BIG ROCK
(Gated)
Nurture
No
Yes

Impact Every Stage of the Journey
• Generate Awareness
• Increase Education
• Influence Evaluation
• Impact Proposal
• Drive Purchase

Welcome To The Funnel!
• Generate Awareness
• Increase Education
• Influence Evaluation
• Impact Proposal
• Drive Purchase

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