In a digitally omnipresent world, communication has become more of an annoying noise rather than a heartfelt conversation with a consumer. Digital channels have grown so much in the past 50 years that the digital landscape now is almost unrecognizable to what it once was.
Back in the 1970s, the average person saw about 500 ads a day. If that seems like a lot to you, buckle up — estimates show that average Americans are now seeing about 5,000 ads per day. But this doesn’t mean that we’re actually seeing all the ads out there. Recent studies show that 11% of the world’s internet-connected population runs adblocking software on their digital devices.
So, how can you stand out as a small fish in a large pond? The answer is a robust B2B content marketing strategy.
What Is B2B Content Marketing?
B2B content marketing is the process of using content to expand the reach of your brand. Brands publish content in a variety of different formats to speak directly to their target audience and to develop and promote brand recognition, awareness and affinity, while driving conversions and sales. In fact, B2B content marketing is such an important tactic that 60% of marketers consider this initiative to be extremely important in their overall brand marketing strategy, which is why it's important to invest in this initiative. Additionally, it's important to follow B2B content marketing best practices to ensure you remain competitive in an already saturated market.
How Are B2B and B2C Content Marketing Different?
The biggest difference between B2B content marketing and other forms of content marketing is that it is specifically for business. There is no consumer-facing content, rather it is focused on brand-specific materials. Your overarching goal is for the readers to recognize the actionable elements of your content and to identify what needs to be done as a business.
Is Content Marketing Good for Business?
Content marketing is a valuable tool for businesses trying to reach decision-makers, engage with audiences and cultivate customer loyalty. High-quality content marketing can also have a real effect on the bottom-line.
Approximately 48% of decision-makers have done business with an organization after engaging with thought leadership. Additionally, 54% have made a purchase from one of these organizations, although these companies had not been previously considered.
8 Reasons B2B Content Marketing Is Important
B2B content needs to be useful, beneficial and actionable. Here are eight reasons to implement a B2B blog content strategy for your brand.
1. Content Marketing Educates Audiences
The majority of the world gets their information from digital channels — and more than just news sites and media outlets. Businesses that share content on their websites have an advantage over their competitors who aren’t sharing anything. Content marketing provides B2B marketers with the unique opportunity to educate audiences not only on their products and services but also on relevant thought leadership topics.
And when you stay consistent with producing relevant and timely content, your readers will soon come to recognize your brand as one that they can rely on and trust. Building trust through an educational content strategy is a fantastic way to make a lasting impression with both your potential consumers and returning customers.
2. Content Marketing Builds Brand Awareness
It should be the goal of any brand to appeal to consumers in all stages of the customer journey. You will want to promote yourself in as many ways as possible, as you’ll never know what kind of consumer will come across your brand.
This includes higher funnel content for people who are new to your brand, middle of the funnel content for those with some brand familiarity and bottom of the funnel content for consumers ready to convert. By casting a large net for your content, you’ll have better luck appealing to consumers of all kinds.
For example, since higher funnel content usually targets pain points, creating these pieces can be a great way to generate brand awareness through SEO rankings, social shares and paid online advertising.
3. Content Marketing Strengthens Customer Relationships
Content marketing is generally viewed as a more authentic approach to connecting with existing customers and new prospects. Since consumers are often inundated with multiple brands communicating with them from sunup to sundown, businesses have the uphill battle of resonating and appealing to their target audiences.
When a business is personable through its content marketing efforts, this can help to strengthen relationships. And building relationships is one of the easiest ways to increase sales and conversions.
4. Content Marketing Builds Credibility
At its core, content is how a business communicates with its consumer base. Whether it is via a blog, a social media post, eBook, infographic or video, marketers can easily build credibility with consumers and prospects through their content.
However, creating and executing a robust content marketing strategy can be extremely time-consuming and expensive. Utilizing content licensing packages from the NYTLicensing Group enables businesses to leverage articles from industry experts and can be a great way to further build your reliability with audiences.
5. Content Marketing Increases Conversions
B2B marketers, in particular, are looking to get leads over to their sales team, with the majority citing that sales are the most important KPI for content marketing. But a good amount of businesses need a bit more help with this, as 48% of marketers surveyed are looking to improve their interactions with customers and prospects, and the quality of these conversions. After all, if the consumer doesn’t return again and again, you are missing out on huge sale potential.
6. Content Marketing Speaks Directly to Customer Pain Points
By using content marketing, you can speak directly to your consumer’s pain points and help your prospective customers visualize exactly how your solutions can mitigate their problems.
Content is extremely versatile, so if your consumers are more visually inclined, go ahead and promote your business through videos, infographics and photos. Or, if your readers want more of an in-depth explanation, consider longform articles, blogs and eBooks.
7. Content Marketing Reaches Multiple Audiences
Since content marketing is more personal than a traditional television ad or a billboard, you can target different audiences with different content pieces. This goes back to the idea of targeting customers where they are in the marketing funnel.
Plus, reaching more than one audience increases your chances for more conversions. This is a useful industry practice as well, as the majority of content marketers report that they target three audiences with their entire content strategy.
8. Content Marketing Showcases Success Stories from Your Customers
If you have a niche product or service, showcasing success stories from your customers might be the way to go. This is because potential customers want to be sure that your products work and that you can be trusted. Customer case studies are a valuable way to demonstrate how effective your product is, while boosting brand awareness and recognition.
Plus, consumers are going to want to research what they are purchasing online. Approximately 74% of B2B buyers are looking for more information before they convert, so why not give them the information they crave before they even go looking for it?
When you are completely transparent, this lower-funnel marketing strategy can help to drive prospects away from your competitors and onto your website.
Final Thoughts
A great content marketing plan can take your brand from good to great. There are plenty of reasons to invest in content marketing, but if you are feeling a bit strapped in terms of content development and execution, the NYTLicensing Group can help. We have a variety of different content options that will inspire your audience with our expert storytelling.
Let us do the heavy lifting in terms of content marketing. Explore more about our licensed content solutions today.
