I’ve been doing this marketing and communications thing for a long time (don’t ask how long; I’ll lie to you) and have tried nearly every tactic possible.

I’m here to tell you, the very best way, particularly for business-to-business organizations, to generate leads is through content…and it’s also the most fun.

I want you to think about your content in two ways: Free and paid. The paid doesn’t necessarily mean money is going to exchange hands. Rather, they’re giving you something in exchange for your content. Something such as an email address or phone number.

Let’s say you want to have a successful webinar you’ll host every month and for free, but people have to register to attend. This is both a free and paid model. They are paying you with their email address, which means they have given you permission to market to them.

But how do you generate leads with successful webinars? This is the fun part! You get to use traditional and new tactics to gain registrations. You’ll use media relations, email marketing, social media, direct mail, content, and advertising. In most cases, you’ll be marketing to prospects who haven’t made a decision yet to work with you, former clients, or someone new entirely. (more…)