Two guys are walking in the woods when suddenly a huge bear jumps out at them.  They take off with the bear in hot pursuit.  One guy stops to change into his running shoes.  The other guy shouts, “What are you doing?  That won’t help you outrun the bear!”  The first guy replies, “I don’t have to outrun the bear.  I just have to outrun you!”

This bit of modern folklore is usually used in a business context as a cue to be aware of your true competition and to stay ahead of them.  For B2B Marketers who leverage organic search engine optimization, it is a good reminder for them to beat the competition by focusing on what happens after the prospect has landed.  They know well that targeting popular keywords related to their product or service brings with it a downside:  Their competition has targeted the same keywords and are right there in the same search results. That’s right, the competition is only a click or two away.

So it is wise to assume that any prospect who has found your website will also check out the websites of your competitors.  When businesses are seeking products and services that will enhance their own productivity and competitiveness, the typical sales cycle has changed.  Businesses spend more time researching before they actually engage vendors.  In this research phase there are two marketing pitfalls worth highlighting:  First, the visits are anonymous unless you can entice the prospect into filling out a form.  Second, prospects are unlikely to stay (or return) on your website unless it informs and educates them.   Offering up superlatives without any real substance won’t cut it.  And warmed over product brochures won’t cut it.

Fortunately, a single tactic addresses both pitfalls.  Offering high-quality content (such as white papers) that answers prospects’ questions will elicit basic contact information with a brief, easy form fill.  Moreover, with a modern marketing automation system, you can enhance your lead scoring by tying any earlier anonymous visits with your newly-identified prospect.  This more complete set of data will help your sales team with superior lead information, faster response and help outrun their competition.