If you're a business-to-business (B2B) company, you know that generating leads and growing your customer base is essential to your success. But when crafting a content marketing strategy, many business-to-business (B2B) marketers find themselves at a loss. After all, what works for consumer brands doesn't always translate well in the corporate world.
So, what is a B2B blog content strategy strategy, and how do you create one?
Below, we'll unpack what a B2B content marketing strategy is, describe different types of B2B content marketing best practices, and offer tips on how to create your own and discuss the future of B2B marketing.
Keep reading to learn more!
What is B2B Content Marketing?
It's no secret that content marketing has become one of the most buzzed-about topics in the marketing world.
But what exactly is it? And why does it matter for businesses?
Content marketing is a strategic approach to marketing that focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
So, what sets B2B content marketing apart from other marketing areas?
For one, the typical B2B buyer is more informed than ever before. They're turning to Google and other search engines to do their own research before they even contact a vendor. This means that your content needs to be top-notch if you want to attract their attention.
Additionally, the decision-making process in a B2B purchase is often much longer than in other industries — meaning that you need to create content that can keep your audience engaged over an extended period of time.
Finally, B2B buyers usually seek solutions to specific problems, so your content needs to be laser-focused and address their needs directly.
With all of this in mind, it's clear that crafting a successful B2B content marketing strategy isn't easy, but it's crucial to the success of your business.
Why is B2B Content Marketing Important?
If you're not already using B2B content marketing, you may wonder what the hype is about. After all, doesn't marketing to businesses require a different approach than marketing to consumers?
The answer is yes... and no.
While there are some critical differences between B2B and B2C content marketing, the core principles are the same: produce quality content that your target audience will find valuable.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at four reasons why B2B content marketing is vital:
1. Connect with Customers.
In the B2B world, it's all about relationships. By producing quality content, you can establish your brand as a trusted thought leader and build loyalty with your customers.
2. Establish Your Brand as a Thought Leader.
To succeed in the B2B world, you need to establish your brand as an authority in your industry. Content marketing is a great way to do this by positioning yourself as a go-to source for information and insights. Thought leadership content marketing can become an extremely useful tool when used properly.
Quality B2C content will help you position your brand as an expert in your industry. Then, when prospects are looking for information, they'll be more likely to turn to you first.
3. Generate Leads.
You also use content marketing to generate leads and sales. You can nurture prospects through the buyer's journey by providing helpful information and eventually convert them into paying customers.
4. Improve Sales.
Finally, in addition to generating leads, B2B content marketing can also help you close more deals. By providing your sales team with quality content and educating your prospects, you can build trust and establish your brand as a go-to solution for their needs.
The Differences Between B2B and B2C Content Marketing
The world of business-to-business (B2B) marketing is a complex one. There are countless factors to consider when crafting a B2B content marketing strategy – from the nature of your product to your target audience's specific needs. And then, of course, there's the question of how to create and distribute the content itself.
When it comes to content marketing, there are two main types: B2B and B2C. Both have their own unique strategies and goals.
Below are the key differences between them:
B2B content marketing is all about building relationships with other businesses.
This includes creating helpful, informative content that will position you as a trusted expert in your industry. By contrast, B2C content marketing is focused on directly selling to consumers. This means creating content that is compelling and visually appealing to get people to make a purchase.
B2B content marketing tends to be more text-heavy than B2C content marketing.
This is because businesses are looking for in-depth information from sources they can trust. B2C content marketing, on the other hand, relies more on visuals and less on text. This is because consumers often make quick decisions based on what they see rather than taking the time to read through long articles.
B2B content marketing requires a different tone than B2C content marketing.
When talking to other businesses, you need to sound professional and knowledgeable. But when talking to consumers, you can be more casual and friendly. The key is to find the right tone for your audience.
B2B content marketing is often more complex than B2C content marketing.
This is because businesses have more complex needs than consumers. As a result, B2B content tends to be more technical and detailed.
B2B content marketing takes a longer-term approach than B2C content marketing.
This is because businesses are more likely to make decisions based on long-term relationships rather than on a single purchase.
As you can see, there are some critical differences between B2B and B2C content marketing. However, the goal of both is to create quality content that will help you achieve your business goals.
Getting Started with B2B Content Marketing
If you're in the B2B content marketing game, you know it's not all about creating listicles and blog posts – although those can be important, too.
No, B2B content marketing is a different beast, requiring a level of strategy and planning that most B2C marketers could only dream of.
But don't worry – by following these simple steps, you'll be well on your way to creating a successful B2B content marketing strategy:
1. First, you'll need to create personas for your target audience.
This will help you determine what content will be most relevant and engaging for them.
2. Next, it's time to audit your existing content.
Look at what you have and see what's working and what isn't. This will help you determine what kinds of content you should focus on creating going forward.
3. You'll need to decide what content you want to create.
Will you produce blog posts, infographics, ebooks or something else entirely? You’ll need to determine who will create this content. Most organizations have a small team (or even just one person) handling the entire company’s content needs. Although it’s important to have quality content, it’s also necessary to have a high quantity of content to ensure that your organization stays top of mind. Many companies have turned to outsourcing their content development to fill in this gap. Before deciding how many pieces your team can create, it’s important to determine your current bandwidth and how you can address any gaps.
4. Finally, you'll need to decide how to distribute your content.
Which channels will you use? Social media? Email marketing? Paid advertising? Once you've answered all these questions, you'll be well on your way to creating a successful B2B content marketing strategy.
The bottom line?
Content marketing is a vital part of any B2B marketing strategy. By creating quality content, you can build relationships with other businesses, position yourself as an expert in your industry and generate leads for your business.
Types of Content in a B2B Marketing Strategy
When it comes to B2B content marketing, there are a few different types of content that can be particularly effective.
White Papers
White papers are a great way to showcase your company's thought leadership and expertise on a given topic. By producing high-quality, informative white papers, you can position your company as a go-to source of information for other businesses.
News Content
News can be a valuable tool to provide valuable insight to your target audience. According to a recent survey done by Reuters, households are beginning to rethink their subscriptions as bills continue to rise. Some of those surveyed noted they will be cutting subscriptions to further save money. Since 19% of US households currently pay for online news, there will be an opportunity for brands to showcase or curate news to engage consumers.
According to the survey, 71% of decision makers say that less than half of what they read delivers insightful information. Trending news from world-renowned publications such as Harvard Business Review or The New York Times can give your audience access to unique content, while delivering value.
Blog Posts
You can use blog posts to keep your audience updated on news and developments within your industry while also providing valuable insights and perspectives. Consider incorporating a mix of content into your blog strategy, such as trending news, company updates and case studies. A blog is a great way for you to connect with your consumers on a more personal level.
Videos
Video content marketing is a great way to convey your message in an engaging and visual way. They can be used to showcase your products or services or to simply provide valuable information that your audience will find helpful.
Podcasts
Podcasts are a great way to reach out to potential customers and partners and build relationships. You can also use them to generate leads for your business.
Webinars
Webinars are another excellent way to showcase your company's expertise and thought leadership. By hosting a webinar, you can reach out to a broad audience and provide valuable information to help them make better decisions for their business.
Newsletters & Emails
B2B emails can be a great way to provide company updates or to showcase new assets such as white papers or ebooks. Curated newsletters can allow you to show a mix of content from your blog, content library and reputable third-party sources.
As you can see, there are a variety of different types of content that can be used in a B2B content marketing strategy. By producing high-quality, engaging content, you can reach out to other businesses and build relationships that will help your business grow. Ultimately, the best B2B content marketing strategy will use all of these different types of content to reach the broadest possible audience.
15 Tips for Creating a Success B2B Content Marketing Strategy
As a B2B marketer, you know content is key to success. But crafting a killer B2B content marketing strategy can be challenging.
Where do you start? How do you create goals and KPIs? What kind of content should you create?
Below are 15 tips for creating a B2B content marketing strategy that will help you achieve success:
1. Document your strategy.
Make sure to document your B2B content marketing strategy so that everyone on your team is on the same page. There are a number of ways to document your strategy, whether that be via a simple Google sheet or an online tool such as Monday or Coschedule. Each content piece should have an author assigned, a due date, content format, associated steps and goals.
2. Set goals and KPIs.
What are you looking to achieve with your B2B content marketing strategy? Set some goals and KPIs to make sure you stay on track. These goals should be measurable so that you can ensure you are reaching your targets. For brand awareness goals, you can consider tracking website visits, email open rates, surveys or website engagement. Lead generation goals can be easier to track, but as your lead scoring becomes more sophisticated, you can begin incorporating details such as how long it took a lead to convert and how qualified they were.
3. Create buyer personas.
Who is your target audience? What kind of content will they be interested in? Create buyer personas to help you figure this out. Buyer personas should include job titles, industry publications they read and challenges in connecting with them. To create these personas, conduct interviews with clients to understand how they use your solution. Also be sure to incorporate input from business development and sales, since they have direct conversations with consumers and can provide insight on gaps in your content strategy.
4. Find content ideas.
Once you know who your target audience is, it'll be easier to come up with ideas for content that will resonate with them. Try conducting research, brainstorming with your team or looking at what your competitors are doing for inspiration. Industry publications can be a great source of information as well, since they speak to pain points and challenges in your industry.
5. Distribute content across multiple channels.
Don't just limit yourself to one channel when distributing your content. Instead, get creative and explore different channels to reach your target audience where they already spend their time online. You should already have this information from the personas you have created. However, don’t be afraid to test new distribution channels to see if they generate leads for your business. Also make sure to share content via your internal email lists and blog. New leads are important for a business, but it’s also important to engage those who are already in the sales funnel and along with current customers.
6. Engage your customers.
Attracting a new customer costs your business between 5-25% more than keeping an existing one. For this reason, it’s important to make sure your current customers are engaged. Consider creating a newsletter that showcases product specific updates and industry news they can leverage. Customer-focused webinars can also be a good strategy to engage current clients.
7. Create an email drip campaign.
Email drip campaigns are a great way to nurture leads and keep your company top-of-mind. By sending emails over time, you can build relationships and eventually convert leads into customers.
8. Test and optimize.
Always test and optimize your B2B content marketing strategy. Try different tactics and see what works best for your business. Testing can be as simple as running an A/B test for email lists or as complex as running a new content campaign with a new third-party vendor. When testing content, it’s important to have metrics that define success prior to launching any new asset. Your team can then use this data to determine what was most successful and what items will need to be adjusted.
9. Create follow-ups.
Once someone reads your content, what's the next step you want them to take? Make sure to create follow-ups so that you can keep the conversation going. A great way to do this is to include CTAs in the assets or on your blog posts. Be sure to use your website data to determine which pieces are most likely to convert.
10. Track your performance.
Keep track of your performance to see what's working and what's not. This will help you adjust your strategy as needed. Use your KPIs as the metric for success for each content piece. Not every piece of content will have the same goal. It’s important to keep this in mind when tracking performance.
11. Stay current and research competitors.
Keep an eye on what your competitors are doing. This will help you stay ahead of the curve and ensure that your content is always fresh and relevant.
12. Leverage thought leadership.
Use your content to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry. This will help you build trust and credibility with your target audience. You can also leverage thought leadership from world-renowned publications to further boost your editorial calendar.
13. Incorporate news into your editorial and content calendar.
This will help you keep your content timely and relevant. News curation is a great strategy to showcase high-quality materials and relevant insights to your audience.
14. License content from world-renowned publications.
If you want to impress your target audience, license content from world-renowned publications. This will show that you're serious about your content and are willing to invest in high-quality materials.
15. Experiment with different kinds of assets.
Content comes in many different forms. Don't be afraid to experiment with different types of assets to see what works best for your business.
Examples of Successful B2B Marketing Strategies
In the business-to-business world, content marketing is king. After all, what better way to build trust and credibility with potential clients than by providing them with informative, helpful and entertaining articles, blog posts, infographics, podcast episodes and more?
Of course, simply producing content is not enough – it must be high quality and adequately promoted to be effective.
With that in mind, here are four examples of B2B content marketing done right:
AdvisorStream
AdvisorStream is a B2B content marketing platform that helps financial advisors provide their clients with relevant, educational content through email, social media and other channels. Their articles are from highly respected sources like The New York Times and Harvard Business Review. They are well-written and cover a wide range of topics that would interest someone looking to invest their money. This helps the advisors using the AdvisorStream platform show their value and expertise to their clients.
Fidelity Investments
Fidelity Investments is one of the largest asset managers in the world, and they have used content marketing to significant effect. Their website features a variety of articles on topics like investing, retirement planning and saving for college. These articles are written in an accessible style that makes complex concepts easy to understand. In addition, Fidelity actively promotes its content through social media and other channels. Finally, they offer a variety of tools and resources that financial advisors can use with their clients.
Charles Schwab
Charles Schwab is another large asset manager that has made content marketing a crucial part of its marketing strategy. Their website features a wealth of articles, videos and other resources on investing, retirement planning and saving for college. They also offer a variety of tools and resources that financial advisors can use with their clients. In addition, they actively promote their content through social media and other channels.
Vanguard
Vanguard is one of the largest asset managers in the world, and they have used content marketing to significant effect. Their website features a wealth of articles, videos and other resources on investing, retirement planning and saving for college. They also offer a variety of tools and resources that financial advisors can use with their clients. In addition, they actively promote their content through social media and other channels.
B2B Content Marketing in 2022 and Beyond
The content marketing landscape is always evolving, and B2B marketers need to keep up with the latest trends to stay ahead of the competition.
Here are some B2B content marketing trends that you should be aware of in 2022:
1. Doing more with less:
With the Great Resignation taking place, teams are often left scrambling and forced to produce content with fewer people. This means that B2B marketers need to be more efficient with their content marketing strategy.
2. Hybrid workforce:
The move to remote and hybrid offices make digital efforts even more critical. B2B marketers need to focus on creating useful content for customers who are both in the office and out of the office.
3. Standing out with unique content will become harder:
With more businesses producing content, it will become more challenging to differentiate your business from generic content. B2B marketers must get creative and create unique content that will attract attention.
4. Personalization will be key:
To appeal to customers, B2B marketers need to personalize their content marketing strategy. This can be done by segmenting their audience and tailoring content to each segment.
5. Interactive content will be more popular:
With the popularity of video and audio, B2B marketers should consider creating more interactive content. This could include podcasts, webinars or even quizzes.
H2: What Makes The Best B2B Content Marketing?
When it comes to B2B content marketing, there's no one-size-fits-all strategy. Instead, the best approach depends on your audience, goals and budget. However, there are some essential elements that all successful B2B content marketing campaigns share.
Here are four of the most important factors to consider:
1. Relevance:
Your content must be relevant to your target audience. It should address their needs and pain points.
2. Authority:
Your content must come from a credible source. If you're not an expert on the topic yourself, be sure to partner with someone who is.
3. Timing:
Timing is everything when it comes to B2B content marketing. Ensure your content is published when your target audience is most likely to be online and engaged.
4. Measurement:
Last but not least, you need to measure the success of your B2B content marketing campaign. Set up analytics from the start so you can track progress and ROI.
Frequently Asked Questions
B2B content marketing can be a challenge. How do you make something dry, like industrial equipment, sound interesting? And once you've caught your audience's attention, how do you keep it? If you're struggling with B2B content marketing, never fear!
Below are the solutions to some frequently asked questions to help get you on the right track.
How do I make B2B content engaging?
The first step is to understand your audience. What pain points are they trying to solve? What are their interests? Once you know this, you can start creating content that meets their needs and speaks to their interests. Remember to keep your tone engaging and your topics interesting, and you'll be well on your way to B2B content marketing success.
What are some strategies in content marketing?
One popular approach is thought leadership – sharing your company's expertise on a given topic to establish yourself as a leader in the industry. Another common strategy is gated content – offering white papers, eBooks and other valuable resources in exchange for contact information. Whatever strategies you use, make sure they align with your overall business goals.
How can content marketing improve B2B marketing?
Content marketing can improve B2B marketing in many ways. It can help you generate leads, build relationships and establish your brand as an authority. Additionally, if you create high-quality content, it can be a valuable sales tool.
What are some reasons a B2B marketing strategy may fail?
There are many reasons why a B2B marketing strategy may fail, including:
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The content is irrelevant to the target audience.
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The content is not published regularly, so it doesn't have a chance to build an audience.
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A lack of measurement can make it difficult to track the campaign's success and make necessary adjustments.
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A lack of budget can limit the reach of the campaign.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to B2B content marketing, one of the most important things to consider is where you source your content. After all, your content's quality will reflect your brand's quality!
NYTLicensing is an excellent solution for high-quality sourcing content. We offer a wide range of licensing options that allow you to choose the perfect piece of content for your needs. And because we're backed by The New York Times, you can be confident that our content is of the highest quality.
