Belkins Case Study: How We Produce Content that Consistently Ranks and Converts
TLDR
Background: Belkins is a digital marketing agency specializing in appointment setting and lead generation for SMBs and enterprise-level businesses across multiple industries.
Problem: Adding lead generation services to their wheelhouse revealed an internal lack of effective content marketing. While much of their content ranked well, they lacked the necessary consistency and conversions to deliver a significant ROI.
Solution: Belkins outsourced content creation to Kalyna Marketing, a boutique content marketing agency offering a fresh strategic approach and a small team of dedicated content specialists.
Results: within 2 months, our writers and a tailored process for content production brought Belkins 5+ directly attributable leads, 2 new deals, 2% average CTR on search, and 5+ page snippets for high-intent sales keywords.
Apply It Yourself: Use the process Kalyna Marketing created for Belkins to produce "hard-hitting" body content. Publish articles that speak directly to your searchers' intent and deliver unique and expert perspectives on any topic.
Background: Why Belkins Chose Kalyna Marketing
Michael Maximoff, co-founder of Belkins, one of the foremost leading appointment-setting and lead generation agencies in B2B, on Kalyna Marketing:
From “Being the BEST is a choice, not a given” by Michael Maximoff.
Michael published this quote in his monthly newsletter, From Zero to Agency Hero, only a few months after working with Kalyna Marketing.
However, there was a learning curve (or maybe I should call these growing pains) for “producing excellent articles… that rank as top-3 on Google search within 30 days of publishing.”
Here’s the story of how Kalyna Marketing (Kalyna) met Belkins, and the writing process we now use for all the content we produce for them.
How Belkins Found Kalyna Marketing
At first, we were surprised that a company like Belkins came to us with their foot already on the gas. They were doing over 50 million in ARR and had a roster of over 200 active clients, some of which are the most coveted businesses in B2B.
It quickly became clear what they needed from Kalyna—and why.
Belkins had an extensive company blog that ranked well, but they felt they hadn’t yet “cracked content.” Their content was ranking, but not converting at the desired level.
Belkins’s SEO expert Eugene Zatiychuk and Content Manager Irina Yelisova knew the current and potential value generated from blog content. They also had a good idea of the level of creativity and strategy needed to produce more effective content.
When Belkins saw a Search Engine Land article by Mariya Delano, they recognized what they had been searching for and started a conversation with the article’s author and founder of Kalyna Marketing.
The Trial Project
Belkins wanted to see proof that Kalyna’s content could outperform their own. The trial project consisted of two articles—an A/B test of sorts.
One piece would follow the structure produced by Belkins. The other would be up to Kalyna Marketing. Both would be written by the same writer, myself, Jeffrey Lupo.
While we wanted our piece to knock it out of the park, we also needed to prove that we could execute Belkins’s article to at least the same standard to which they were accustomed.
Here are the published trial project articles:
Considering CIENCE for Lead Generation? Read This First (content structure by Belkins)
A Guide to SDR Outsourcing: 21 Exploratory Questions To Ask (content structure by Kalyna Marketing)
While the results for both articles were reportedly good in terms of reception, ranking, and leads, the Kalyna-structured article made it to the #4 position in the Google SERP just one day after publishing!
Screenshot from Google results for “SDR Outsourcing Guide” just 1 day after publication.
The success of the trial project secured a contract with Belkins for more content. But, unfortunately, the next few pieces didn’t sail through the content production process as smoothly as the first two.
The Problem With a Fluid Approach
Our approach for the two trial articles was what you might call a “fluid” approach. We collected key resources like writing guidelines and ICP data, then let creativity lead the way.
While this approach has its strengths, it also has its weaknesses.
A lack of structure leads to a lack of consistent results. What makes for compelling content is subjective, while measurable marketing goals remain objective.
At Kalyna Marketing, we pride ourselves on our creative approach to content marketing.
However, while creativity is an essential component of producing effective content, it should not be considered an end in itself.
Moreover, Eugene and Irina’s opinions differed from Mariya’s and my own when we reviewed first drafts. Once I had changed the article to please one editor, the others would call for an entirely different direction.
Progress slowed and frustration grew for all those involved in content production.
Just a typical day in the Kalyna Marketing Slack.
The Solution: How We Discovered a Consistent Process
It was clear that the current process wasn’t going to be sustainable for producing the volume and quality of content expected from Belkins.
In my personal pursuit of improving my writing, I'd been battling with the concept of "specificity" in content for a while. I sought to understand how to apply it at the granular level.
After submitting a first draft of one of the not-so-beloved articles to Mariya, she gave edits in the form of a video. It wasn't her normal format, but she needed to communicate something too complex to be put into a simple comment.
Essentially, what she told me was this:
Every bit of content needs to arrive at a point that reinforces the main argument.
Every explanation, example, anecdote, data point, or opinion must build upon, flesh out, and reconnect with your core message.
As I saw her struggling to say the same thing over and over with different words, her meaning finally hit home. My content was meandering and too general. It lacked specificity. To move forward with the submitted piece and establish a repeatable process for creating successful content, I realized I needed to finally overcome what I'd been wrestling with.
A feisty kind of feeling came over me. The image of UFC champion Randy Couture delivering body shots as he pressed his opponent against the cage flashed in my mind.
I put up my mental dukes, and a 4-step process surfaced as I wrote.
How To “Work the Body” of Your Writing
Before I get into the actual footwork, let me briefly explain why you should use frameworks in your writing:
As you take on higher-quality clients who expect higher-quality content, you'll find yourself pushing the boundaries of your strategic and creative thinking. That's usually a messy process and it's next to impossible to consistently predict the outcome.
To save on overall editing and revision time, you need guardrails—a framework—to guide your creativity in a way that produces a consistent quality of output and more consistent outcomes.
My framework is a 4-step process for writing on-point body content that goes deep instead of wide. It goes like this:
Set it up
Make your argument
Get specific
Tie it back.
Step 1: Set It Up
Before you make your point, set it up to be easily received. This can be done several ways—here are a few common ones:
Open with a descriptive sentence that helps the reader make sense of the incoming argument
Pose a question using a second-person perspective to the reader and then follow it with the answer (your argument)
Use a section header that does either of the above.
As with all body content, setting the stage—your intro—should be as concise as possible. You want to give the reader enough information to understand what’s next, not more.
Step 2: Make Your Argument
Referring back to Mariya’s Search Engine Land article, we see that the title, subtitle, and introduction are all 100% focused on her making and building an argument.
Original article can be found on Search Engine Land - “Why we should set higher standards for content production”.
Title: “Why we should set higher standards for content production”—setting it up
Subtitle: “If we want our traffic to convert to sales or higher brand awareness, we must improve our content past ‘good enough.’ Here’s why.”—expands the setup to be more specific
Opening line: “Most online content feels like stale crackers.”—makes the argument in Mariya’s creative manner.
She uses the title to catch attention, the subtitle to further qualify and lead the reader in, and the opening line to make the argument that most content is severely lacking.
The framework for introductions tends to be more loose than the body content. However, what they should have in common is the presence of a clear and direct argument.
You can consider the argument in the introduction to be a thesis statement for the body content to echo.
Here’s what setting up and making the argument looks like in the body content of a later published competitor piece we did for Belkins:
From “Martal Group for lead generation? What high volume really means” on Belkins’s blog.
Section header (H2): “The problem with Martal’s approach to lead generation”—sets up what the problem is
First paragraph: “Martal can be a good option for startups and small businesses that are new to lead generation. They’ll get you off to the races but, for more of a sprint than a marathon.”—sets up how to think about Martal Group’s approach
Second paragraph: “The problem with Martal’s service offering is that it isn’t designed to play the long game. A heavy reliance on external tools and finely-tuned strategies makes them too rigid for the realities and nuances of something like landing a meeting with a Fortune 500 enterprise client.”—makes the argument with the key parts in bold for easy scanning
Step 3: Get Specific
If you're not a sports-fighting fan, no worries. Here's a brief dissection of how two fighters typically trade blows in a cage fight.
Smart fighters don't rush in blind and swinging—they tend to set things up. When in range, the fighter might start with a straight kick to the other’s body. When the opponent is reeling from the kick, our fighter closes the distance and throws a right hook, sending the second fighter further back against the cage.
Now that our opponent has been hit and is trapped against the cage, his defenses go up. He's ready to block and evade until he can escape.
To break through those defenses and deal damage, the first fighter must "get specific." Here is where I visualize Randy Couture delivering a barrage of devastating hits: a smack to the ear, shot to the kidney, knee to the thigh, each one dealing damage and opening up the opponent to receive the next blow.
Getting specific—in writing—is about backing up your argument with explanations, examples, and proof.
Essentially, this is the part where you tell the reader what they don’t already know. Deliver shock and awe while providing case studies, data points, external links, quotes, and real-life examples to reinforce your previous argument.
While it’s important to remain concise, getting specific is about driving your argument home to the point that there is no room for doubt in the reader’s mind.
Here’s what that looks like in the comparison post between Belkins and Martal Group:
From “Martal Group for lead generation? What high volume really means” on Belkins’s blog.
Section header (H2): “Having a single person at the helm of the entire funnel”—sets up a question in the reader’s mind
First paragraph: “To successfully run a marketing funnel means successfully executing multiple stages with a variety of tactics.”—further sets up the argument by making a well-known point to frame the argument within
Second paragraph: “Occasionally, one stage will falter, which can cause the entire process to break down. If you don’t have adequate involvement to analyze and fine-tune each stage, you won’t know why something is not working.”—makes the argument that you need increased involvement and analysis
Third paragraph: “Martal dedicates a single professional to oversee the entire lead generation funnel for your business. Without the necessary expertise, no matter how good the intentions, your Martal professional will be severely limited in their ability to adapt to challenges and optimize efforts.”—gets specific about how and why Martal Group’s service falls short
Step 4: Tie It Back
One problem I see with much of the body content posted on the web (including my own)—even highly relevant and specific content—is that it often fails to make its final point. If we continue with the fighting analogy, this is the part where you knock them out.
That means always tying things back to the question or argument made in the current section, which should reconnect with the main argument made in the introduction.
The tie-back is a cohesive element that answers an astounding number of comments made during the editing process. This is mostly true because if you’re having trouble tying things back to your core argument, your content probably lacks relevance.
As a final example of well-structured and effective body content, here’s an entire section from Mariya’s Search Engine Land post:
From Search Engine Land - “Why we should set higher standards for content production”.
Section header (H2): “Information alone won’t make anyone care”—provides a concept that frames the coming argument
Paragraphs 1-4: “Too many marketers treat content as a laundry list of facts and claims… Once we assemble a good enough fact list…”—sets up the argument with an analogy comparing content creation to cooking
Paragraph 5: “But that doesn’t work. You can’t assemble a memorable article by throwing together facts, just as you can’t plan a delicious meal based exclusively on nutritional labels.”—makes the argument by connecting it with the analogy
Paragraphs 6-9: “Imagine you’re cooking lunch… What’s the difference between a depressing Soylent lunch and a bowl of pesto fettuccine you’ll still dream about two decades later? Flavor.”—goes into a fun and highly specific comparison between content creation and cooking
Paragraphs 10-13: “If you want your content to do more than take up SERP real estate, you need to add flavor…’”—ties the analogy back to the main point by revealing that “flavor” is needed to make people care about “information”
The Results of Learning to “Work the Body” of Our Content
Here’s an overview of what came from putting this process into practice with all of the articles Kalyna Marketing went on to create for Belkins:
Drastically reduced time spent in the editing phase
Content more closely matches the reader’s search intent for increased conversions
More consistent top-10 ranking on Google SERPs for multiple keywords
But our favorite is the second shoutout we got from Michael on his newsletter:
I've invested over $500K in content from 2018 to 2022 with minimal returns, but partnering with a content specialist like Kalyna Marketing changed the game. We began seeing significantly improved results, all at a fraction of the previous cost.
- Michael Maximoff, Co-Founder of Belkins (Source).
Here are some of the reported results by articles we’ve produced for Belkins:
Data for Belkins Article - B2B appointment setting costs and pricing models explained.
Data for Belkins Article - A guide to SDR outsourcing: 21 exploratory questions to ask.
Data for Belkins Article - CIENCE for lead generation? How they’ve changed and alternatives to consider.
Data for Belkins Article - The 10 best B2B lead generation companies for 2024.
Even better, we got multiple directly attributable leads and closed deals for Belkins as tracked in their HubSpot! Here is what that looked like:
Data showing the ratio of clicks to deals for our Belkins pieces within a couple of months of publishing.
Michael’s LinkedIn shout-out to us ❤️
How to Use This Framework for Your SME Interviews
Because every piece we produce at Kalyna Marketing involves an interview with a subject-matter expert (SME) to make the piece unique, relevant, and valuable, we acknowledge this as a crucial step.
It’s preferable to build the structure of an article after the SME interview. However, this is not always possible.
If timelines dictate an outline must be created first, get the headers and main argument (to be made in the intro) approved first.
Next, create your list of questions for the SME based on the “make your argument” and “get specific” areas of the body content. What questions do you need to ask to create and back up hard-hitting content?
Remember, the arguments should expand on your main argument, and the specifics should include things neither you nor your target audience currently know.
—
If you want further guidance on how content can help you crack into your next growth phase… send us an email.
