According to the “Quarterly Intelligence Briefing: Digital Trends for 2013″ report from Econsultancy and Adobe, content has “vaulted” to the top of the marketing priority list for 2013. We all know content marketing is a huge focus this year, which has teams contributing a majority of budget towards such initiatives. 

But what about conversion optimization? Well, on that very same report, conversion optimization ranks a very, very close second.

So, what happens when you combine conversion optimization with content marketing? You put all of that great content to work for you in a more active manner. Its called active content marketing.

Dollars are being allocated to the generation of white papers, videos, interactive widgets, webinar productions, and blogs. Another form of online content that is (sadly) less talked about are the digital content experiences used to promote or frame these white papers, a brand, a webinar, a new product release, a feature update, a press release and so on. 

These experiences consist of landing pages, microsites, conversion paths, and mobile pages. Once that video is produced, white paper is written, or webinar presented, these types of experiences can help further portray the quality time and effort you put into the development of the content.  

The time and resources dedicated to creating thoughtful and helpful content could change someone’s very way of doing business. Why would you want to use a boring and cliché landing page to promote such a valuable piece of content? You are about to change someone’s life! 

I recently came across a microsite from UPS, which is an example of a great digital content experience. UPS is putting their content to work through an engaging experience that is sure to be memorable.  You can check out the experience here: http://thenewlogistics.ups.com/customers

Besides creating a memorable experience for visitors, what are some of the other advantages to using an engaging microsite for your content marketing efforts?

  • Staying conversion-focused: With an engaging microsite you are actually building interest in real-time. As you build this interest, a conversion focused microsite can give you the opportunity to turn that interest into a business opportunity.
  • Gain insights: Create an experience that is engaging and the marketing team will be able to see which elements and messaging are most appealing to their audience. What is learned can be used in the optimization process and allow for better performing campaigns in the future. 
  • Rich, meaningful content: Use content to connect deeply with your audience. Rather than just skimming the surface with enticing content, a microsite allows the visitor to dive in and truly determine whether the company is the right fit for their needs as well as if they are an organization they can trust. 
  • Opportunity for testing: When combining conversion optimization with content marketing you cannot leave out testing. Microsites provide opportunities for testing and improved results.

No doubt your content is king. So if your content is king, have it sit on a king’s throne…or an amazing web experience!