Content marketing is one of the most crucial parts of B2B digital marketing strategies. According to a report by Content Marketing Institute and Marketing, 89% of B2B marketers use content marketing to stay ahead of the curve. Although every business understands the importance of content marketing, only a few succeed in implementing effective content strategies.
A successful content marketing campaign helps B2B businesses keep the audience engaged and educated about the products and services. But before you jump right into creating content, you must understand the importance of an effective content strategy. Skipping the planning stage in content marketing can be a costly mistake. Continue reading this post to learn about the different aspects of B2B content marketing.
What is B2B Content Marketing?
B2B content marketing is the art of leveraging content to increase brand awareness, build brand affinity, and ultimately generate leads and sales. It is one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies that can support a business’s long-term objectives. Building a content marketing strategy helps you create the right content at the right time to reach your target audience. Here’s how you can build an effective content marketing strategy –
- Identify your audience and their needs so that you can create content tailored to their demands.
- Research competitors in your niche and observe what makes them successful. It’ll help you prepare a strategy that can set you apart from your competitors.
- Set SMART goals so that you can stay on track and measure your progress.
- Use multi-layered content, which includes the use of text, videos, and images to captivate the target audience.
- Don’t forget to use link-building and collaborations. Guest posts can help build brand exposure.
- Once you post the content, the next step is promoting it on different channels.
Lastly, keep tracking the performance of your campaign so that you can see whether you are achieving those SMART goals or not.
Popular Content Formats for B2B Marketing
Content formats are not limited to blog posts or videos, as there are various ways to offer fresh content to the audience. Some of the popular B2B content formats that marketers should try are listed below –
1) Blog Posts
As stated earlier, blogs are one of the most common and popular types of content format. It can help boost your SEO, position you as an industry leader, generate leads, and help increase brand awareness. This is the backbone of a content marketing strategy.
2) Case Studies
Many marketers do not consider case studies as content, but it is an effective strategy to win the trust of customers. You must choose the right clients for the case studies and interview them. Next, choose the right format to ensure that your content is consumed by the right audience. You can also use B2B marketing frameworks to create compelling case studies. It can be either in the form of a blog post, video, or slideshow. Lastly, do not forget to include a CTA in the case study.
3) White Papers
According to a report, 79% of B2B buyers admit that they are most likely to share white papers with their colleagues. These are authoritative reports exploring complicated problems and proposing solutions. White papers are long-form content that presents information in an organized way.
4) Research Studies
In the competitive B2B market, it is crucial to do something unique to help you stand out. Original research studies distinguish you from your competitors. Moreover, research studies will help you establish yourself as the thought leader in the industry. Pro-tip – you can research trending and relevant topics in your industry for the studies.
5) Infographics
In the digital world, most people avoid lengthy and detailed content, which is why you should use infographics to make your content quick and enjoyable. You can include infographics in the blogs to give a simple overview of the article, and they are also helpful to present multiple statistics or a step-by-step guide. Pro tip- avoid using too many graphics as infographics should be pleasing to the eyes.
Use Company Expert’s Playbook Products to Boost Your Content Strategy
If you want to boost your content strategy, you can use the following B2B playbook products from Company Expert –
1) Content Planning
This is a powerful tool that helps you produce the right content so that you can emerge as a thought leader in your B2B industry. The playbook can be used in content planning to produce solution-oriented content. If you need help preparing the content strategy for your B2B firm; you must use the content planning playbook.
2) Content Idea Generation
The content idea-generating playbook makes it easier than ever to create engaging content on trending and relevant topics. It will assist you in writing B2B blogs and articles that will appeal to your target audience.
3) Content Repurposing
Repurposing is the process of modifying existing content to produce new content. The content repurposing playbook can help you boost utility value, while decreasing content production costs. It addresses a number of issues, including how to organize, create, and improve the current content.
4) Developing Effective Case Studies
Case studies enable you to showcase your clients’ achievements to prospects. It can also help to establish your business as a trusted industry leader. Our playbook offers a 6-step process for creating compelling case studies that draw readers’ attention, hold their interest, and prompt them to take action.
5) Editorial Guidelines
There must be editorial standards for content writers in every B2B company. This playbook will guide them in creating blogs and articles that will appeal to their target audience and build a consistent writing style for the business. You can also use our playbook to build or update the editorial policies for your company.
The Bottom Line
Sometimes B2B content marketing can seem extremely difficult. With an increase in competition, it’s only going to get harder in the future. We hope this in-depth guide to content marketing for B2B businesses helps you plan an effective content marketing strategy in 2023.
Keep the important points shared above in mind while building your content strategy, and don’t forget to use Company Expert’s playbook products. From content planning to content repurposing, you can use the playbooks for various purposes. Our B2B consultants can also guide you in preparing effective digital marketing strategies for your firm. Schedule a free consultation to learn more!
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