Content Syndication for Lead Generation: A Comprehensive Guide

Are you a B2B marketer struggling to generate significant ROI (Return on Investment) through your content assets? Maybe, you’re creating excellent resources but not seeing enough engagement.

Or, you may need help reaching the right prospects at the right time and boosting your traffic volume, as well as MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads). Well, here’s the thing. 

You may lack the right tactics for repurposing your existing content assets. This is where content syndication comes in. 

This tactic involves republishing or distributing your content on third-party platforms. It allows you to leverage the same content multiple times by tapping into new audiences. 

In fact, as per research, at least 65% of demand-generation marketers already use content syndication as a primary lead-gen tactic.

Additionally, in 2020, nearly half of all marketers (specifically, 46%) aimed to enhance their content distribution tactics, primarily focusing on content syndication.

Yes, content syndication is highly beneficial. By syndicating your content, you can:

• Increase content visibility
• Improve your image as an authority
• Stay top-of-mind with potential customers

However, remember that different syndicating platforms have different guidelines for syndication. So, it's essential to research and tailor your approach accordingly. 

In this article, we'll explore the benefits, steps, and best practices of B2B content syndication campaigns for lead generation.

What Are the Benefits of Content Syndication?

Here are the eight significant benefits of content syndication:

1. Increased MQLs: Syndicated content reaches a wider audience on third-party websites, attracting more potential customers and generating more MQLs.
2. Improved ROI from Content: Syndication expands the reach and visibility of your content, increasing its potential to attract leads and drive conversions, resulting in a higher ROI.
3. Targeted In-Buyers and Accelerated Sales Pipeline: By strategically syndicating content to platforms where your target audience actively seeks information, you can identify and engage with in-buyers, accelerating the sales pipeline.
4. Greater Audience Outreach: Syndication allows you to tap into third-party websites' existing readership and followers, exposing your brand to a larger and more diverse audience, thereby expanding your customer base.
5. Enhanced Value Addition: Syndicated content showcases your expertise and insights to a broader audience, positioning your brand as an authority in your industry, which builds trust and credibility with your target audience.
6. Higher Content Performance: Syndication exposes your content to a wider audience, driving increased website traffic and attracting more backlinks. This ultimately improves search engine rankings and generates higher lead engagement and conversions.
7. Same Content, Multiple Usage: Repurposing and syndicating your content on various platforms allows you to leverage the same valuable content multiple times, maximizing its reach and impact without creating new content from scratch.
8. Access to Various Platforms: Syndication grants you access to high-authority websites and industry-specific publications, enabling your brand to gain exposure to specific audiences and diversify your lead generation channels.

How Do You Create a Foolproof Content Syndication Strategy for Lead Generation?

Content syndication can significantly benefit your demand-generation efforts and help you reach a broader audience in real time. In fact, you can syndicate your content via multiple channels:

• Direct communication with contacts via cold calls
• Republishing your content on other websites
• Cold emailing resources like PDFs of eBooks, whitepapers, etc.
• Cold outreach on social media, such as LinkedIn, etc.

To ensure the effectiveness of your content delivery, start by understanding your target demographic comprehensively and accurately. This knowledge allows you to optimize your channels strategically.

Plus, you can nurture your leads with valuable information – a crucial aspect of successful advertising, both online and offline.

Let’s discuss our 10-stage content syndication approach to improve your B2B lead generation strategy. 

1. Pinpoint Lead-gen Targets

The first phase of B2B content syndication strategies involves identifying your lead generation goals. These goals will serve as a benchmark for evaluating the success of your campaign and measuring its performance.

• Set Specific and Realistic Targets

Here is one example of B2B content syndication: Let’s say your goal is to increase lead generation by 20%. Then, ensure you have a clear plan for achieving that goal and have allocated the necessary resources.

One key benefit of setting lead generation goals is that it helps you focus your content syndication efforts on the proper channels and platforms. 

For instance, the goal may be to generate more leads for a B2B software product. In that case, you might target industry-specific publications and platforms that cater to decision-makers in that field.

Moreover, by defining your lead-gen goals, you can create content tailored to your target audience’s needs and interests. As a result, it can improve the quality of your leads. Plus, it can increase the chances of converting them into paying customers.

NOTE: You must measure the performance of your content syndication campaign against your lead generation goals. In addition, you should also track key performance metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and engagement rates. 

Regularly monitoring these metrics allows you to monitor how you’re utilizing content to grow leads and improve your results.

For example, let’s assume your target is to generate leads for a B2B software product. Now, your content is not performing well via email campaigns. Then, you can shift your focus to another platform (like LinkedIn), delivering better results. 

Alternatively, consider adjusting your content strategy to better align with the interests of your target audience.

So, what are the two most significant lead-gen goals for your organization: MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads) and SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads):

• Lead-gen Goals: MQLs

Several B2B marketers opt for content syndication in their marketing strategy to generate high-quality MQLs.

You can import the MQLs from content syndication into your CRM or marketing automation platform for lead nurturing.

• Factors to Consider When Deciding Lead-gen Goals

When developing your content syndication goals, consider various factors, such as:

• Your target audience
• The content assets you have available
• Your campaign budget and timeline
• The agency or supplier you'll be working with
• The level of nurturing you want for your leads

For example, you can engage your leads with a single piece of content before nurturing them further in your CRM. Or, you can design a nurture track campaign to help them become more familiar with your brand before reaching your marketing automation platform.

2. Identify Your ICP

Your next focus should be identifying your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). It is a detailed description of your ideal target customer, including their:

• Industry
• Company size
• Job title
• Location
• Pain points

A specific ICP allows you to create content that resonates with your target market, boosting the chances of engagement and conversion. 

For example, let’s say your target audience is small business owners in the technology industry. Then, you can create content that addresses the unique challenges faced by this group.

Creating content that speaks directly to your ICP can induce a round of communications with your sales executives. As a result, they can further engage with your potential leads. 

It can lead to a more efficient and effective lead generation process. Why? Your sales team is better equipped to communicate with potential customers interested in your content.

Furthermore, understanding your ICP can help you choose the most relevant and effective syndication channels. 

For instance, your ICP may consist of financial service decision-makers. Then, you might syndicate your content on industry-specific publications or social media platforms catering to that audience.

3. Build a Targeted Contact Database

As we’ve reiterated multiple times, to maximize the conversion potential of your content, you must ensure it reaches your target audience. Hence, after thoroughly researching your target market and identifying your ICP, you can:

• Refine your contact lists
• Identify the most promising leads

By leveraging data and insights, you can identify prospective leads and existing clients who will most likely engage with your content. This targeted approach helps you tailor your content distribution to the right individuals, increasing the chances of conversion.

4. Identify Your Content Assets

Choose the right content assets to appeal to your target audience and achieve your campaign objectives. It means considering factors such as:

• Content type
• Content uniqueness
• Content quality
• Content educational value
• Content’s problem-solving ability to a reader's problem

For instance, let’s assume you are a B2B tech firm offering email security software. In this case, an in-depth research paper with unique insights might resonate well with your audience. 

Conversely, if you are targeting marketing professionals, an educational course or video may be more effective. 

NOTE: The type of content should always depend on your target audience and the pain points your product or solution addresses.

Next, consider the results of previous content assets and campaigns. Also, check the languages and localized websites to reach your target audience. 

Finally, select the best types of content based on your industry knowledge and content syndication expertise. The types of content to consider for your content syndication campaign include the following:

• eBooks
• Whitepapers
• Research reports
• Case studies
• Templates or Resources
• Videos (webinar recordings or tutorials)

5. Strategize and Select the Apt Formats

Effective content syndication demands a well-crafted strategy and a careful selection of topics and formats. 

As such, you should collaborate closely with your team or content syndication provider – to determine the most relevant and compelling topics for your target audience. 

By understanding your audience's interests and pain points, you can create content that resonates with them and drives engagement. 

Additionally, identifying the most effective campaigns for each topic ensures your content reaches the right people through the most impactful channels.

6. Distribute Your Content

The sixth critical stage is choosing the right distribution platform for your B2B content syndication for lead generation strategy. Start by identifying the platforms your target audience uses to find and consume content. 

For example, if your target audience is active on LinkedIn, then it makes sense to distribute your content there.

To find the right platform, you can follow the below-mentioned tips:

• Research content syndication vendors and assess their suitability for your industry, audience, and type of content. 

• You can read testimonials and reviews of businesses that have succeeded in syndicating on those sites to get an idea of their credibility and effectiveness. 

• Check the traffic levels of the platform you are considering. If your goal is to reach new audience types, ensure they have more traffic than your website or match your traffic levels.

Some suitable outlets for content syndication include:

• Email marketing campaigns that share your content
• Social media websites like LinkedIn, Quora, and Facebook
• Blogs that showcase several authors
• Instant articles and notes
• Blogging platforms like Medium and Tumblr 

However, remember that it's not about syndicating on platforms with the most significant traffic but identifying the right platforms where your target audience spends most of their time.

7. Follow Comprehensive Multi-channel Syndication

Adopting a multi-channel approach to content syndication is important to achieve optimal reach and engagement. It means leveraging various channels, such as:

Email, social media, industry publications, and more

– Distribute your content to different segments of your audience. 

By covering critical touchpoints and utilizing the channels your target audience frequents, you can ensure broader exposure for your content. Hence, you increase the likelihood of capturing their attention. 

Analyzing the performance of different channels and campaigns helps you allocate your resources effectively. Therefore, you can focus on high-return activities and maximize results.

8. Capture and Report Leads

Capturing and nurturing leads is a fundamental aspect of content syndication. By utilizing email marketing and cold calling, you can identify and engage leads most likely to respond to your content. 

Tracking and reporting on lead engagement provides valuable insights into their preferences and behaviors, enabling you to optimize your campaign strategies. 

In addition, filtering out high-engagement leads and moving them through your sales funnel allows you to prioritize and focus on prospects who have demonstrated genuine interest. Thus, it ultimately increases your chances of conversion and maximizes your ROI.

9. Commence Syndication for Each Funnel Stage

You MUST tailor your content syndication efforts to each stage of the buyer's journey. 

• Targeting people in the awareness stage: Your content should provide educational and informative materials to help them learn about your product or service. 

• Targeting people in the consideration stage: Your content should be more persuasive and provide more details about your product or service. 

• Targeting people in the decision stage: Your content should focus on helping them make a buying decision.

To determine what type of content is most effective at each stage of the buyer's journey, you can utilize various analytics tools such as Google Analytics. By analyzing user interaction with your syndicated content, such as:

• Average time spent on each page
• Page views
• Bounce rate

– you can determine which content is most successful at generating leads. 

Hence, you can create and distribute content tailored to each stage of the buyer's journey. As such, you ensure your target audience is engaged and generates more qualified leads.

10. Calculate Your Fixed Cost-Per-Lead (CPL)

CPL is the cost of generating one lead through a specific marketing campaign. The formula for calculating CPL is:

• CPL = Total cost of the campaign / Number of leads generated

Suppose you spent $1,000 on a content syndication campaign and generated 100 leads; your CPL would be:

• CPL = $1,000 / 100 = $10 per lead

Let's say you want to generate 500 leads through content syndication with a fixed CPL of $10 per lead. The total cost of your campaign would be:

• Total cost = Number of leads x CPL

• Total cost = 500 x $10 = $5,000

Thus, you must budget $5,000 for your content syndication campaign to generate 500 leads at a fixed CPL of $10.

In addition, to ensure you generate high-quality leads, track the conversion rate of your campaign. The conversion rate is the percentage of leads that take the desired action, such as:

• Filling out a form
• Requesting a demo

The formula for calculating the conversion rate is:

• Conversion rate = Number of leads that take the desired action / Total number of leads generated

Of the 500 generated leads, 100 of them request a demo. Then, the conversion rate would be:

• Conversion rate = 100 / 500 = 20%

By tracking the conversion rate, you can optimize your campaign and make adjustments to improve lead quality and increase conversion rates. It can ultimately lead to a lower CPL and higher ROI for your content syndication campaign.

Content Syndication for Lead Generation Best Practices

Now, let’s check out some recommended tips for developing a successful content syndication plan for lead generation:

1. Syndicate Only High-quality Content

Make sure your syndicated content is:

• Top-notch and original
• Informative and engaging
• Well-written and provides value to your target audience

As such, you'll be more likely to attract and retain your audience’s attention.

Examples of high-quality content include:

• In-depth articles
• Case studies
• Whitepapers
• Research reports
• Infographics

Example:

As a technology company selling cybersecurity solutions to small businesses, consider creating a valuable whitepaper that addresses the following points:

• The current cybersecurity threats that small businesses face

• The consequences of cyber attacks

• How your solution can help protect them

2. Add a Lead-gen Form

Make it easy for your audience to provide their contact information. Adding lead-gen forms to your syndicated content can help you capture leads and build your email list. 

Examples of lead-gen forms include:

• Pop-up forms: These forms appear on top of the content or in a new window as a user interacts with a webpage. They can be triggered by a user's actions, such as scrolling or clicking on a button. Pop-up forms can effectively capture leads as they grab the user's attention.

• Exit intent pop-ups: These forms appear when a user tries to exit a webpage. They can offer an incentive, such as a discount code or a free resource – to encourage the user to stay on the page or provide their contact information.

Pro tip: 

Place your lead-gen forms on the right side of your web pages. This aligns with the audience's natural reading and scanning pattern.

Research has shown that people tend to scan pages from left to right. So, placing the form on the right-hand side can make it more visible and accessible to readers. 

Additionally, when readers finish reading the content, they are more likely to take action, such as filling out a form, if it is prominent and visible on the right side of the page. Therefore, it can increase the chances of generating leads from your syndicated content.

3. Include a CTA 

Including a Call-to-Action (CTA) can generate leads by encouraging readers to take action and engage with your brand. It could be as simple as asking them to:

• Share your content on social media
• Subscribe to your newsletter

By clearly directing readers to what to do next, you increase the chances of them becoming leads or even customers.

For instance, you could include a CTA in your content asking readers to download an ebook or whitepaper – related to the topic they are reading about. 

• It gives readers more information on the subject. 

• Plus, it lets you capture their contact information (email address), which you can use to nurture further leads.

Additionally, you can include subscriptions as qualification criteria. It helps ensure those who want your content are genuinely interested in what you offer. 

Subscriptions can also provide valuable insights into how your content is performing and being received by your audience.

4. Focus on SEO

It is essential to practice SEO-friendly syndication to:

• Avoid duplication of content
• Ensure the original publication is given credit

To do so, implement a rel=canonical tag. 

• Canonical tags are HTML tags that point search engines to the original source of the content. 

• It ensures the search engine attributes all SEO equity to the original version. 

• Plus, it guarantees your original content appears on search rankings, not the syndicated version.

In addition, you can also follow the below tips:

• Include a canonical link in your posts: It helps mitigate traffic cannibalization by linking back to your original content. As such, you ensure the search engine attributes all SEO equity to your original version.

• Use no-index tags for SEO-friendly content: This tag blocks a page from being found and indexed by Google search. This strategy is useful when you want to avoid duplication of content.

• Use clean crawlable links: It’s helpful for syndication partners who want their article version to be indexed. A crawlable link gives credit to the original author. In addition, it ensures the search engine attributes all SEO equity to the original version.

5. Establish a Nurturing Sequence

A nurture series involves creating a sequence of targeted content pieces. You can distribute it through syndication channels. Your end goal here is to capture and qualify leads – based on their engagement with your content.

To create a compelling lead nurturing series, develop highly customized content that addresses the needs of your target audience. It can involve:

• Identifying the pain points and challenges that your ideal customer faces
• Creating content that provides solutions to those issues

You can also segment your audience using demographic information, such as job title or industry, to create more targeted content.

After creating your series, start syndicating it through various distribution channels such as:

• Social media
• Email marketing
• Paid advertising

Choosing the proper channels to reach your target audience where they are already spending their time online is crucial.

By setting up a lead nurturing series and leveraging content syndication, you can generate more leads and qualified prospects for your business.

For example, a B2B software company could create a nurturing series of whitepapers and webinars. These resources aim to help potential customers solve common problems with their current software. 

By distributing these assets through targeted syndication channels, they can attract and engage new leads likely to convert into paying customers.

6. Choose Publishing Times Carefully

Make a thoughtful decision about the timing of your content. It can help you attain the highest possible visibility for your original post. 

For instance, let’s say you simultaneously publish and syndicate your content. Then, your syndicated post may rank higher due to the increased traffic and authority of the syndicating site. Hence, ensure your content is indexed before syndicating.

If you publish your content on several sites, space out the publication dates. It will extend the lifespan of your content and make it more accessible to a broader audience over time.

7. Promote Original Content Alongside Syndicated Content

While content syndication can effectively reach new audiences, paying attention to your website is essential. Promoting your original content alongside your syndicated content can help:

• Drive traffic to your site
• Increase your search engine rankings
• Position your brand as a thought leader in your industry

Wrap It Up

In today's competitive business landscape, reaching as many people as possible is crucial. One effective way to achieve this is through content syndication. By leveraging a platform like Revnew, you can distribute your content to a broader audience and generate real-time leads.

Revnew offers a comprehensive platform for syndicating your content through email campaigns and direct contacts via calls. It ensures your content is delivered effectively to your target audience, ultimately increasing your chances of converting leads into customers.

If you want to connect and market your training programs to your target personas, check out how Revnew helped an L&D service provider in this case study.