There is no doubt that business-to-business (B2B) content marketing is a must-have strategy in today’s marketing landscape. It is a trend that is only gaining more and more traction as companies seek higher quality leads and opportunities to convert. This is why many companies are turning to blogs, magazines, and newspapers with several articles written to push their content marketing.
As a new business, it can seem daunting to explore a world that preexisting companies are already pushing, but b2b content marketing isn’t something to scare but rather encourage. So how does one start with b2b content writing and b2b content marketing?
What is B2B Content Marketing?
B2B content marketing is not a strategy that just appeared out of thin air. Content marketing has existed since the 1700s but evolved as the years went on.
B2b content marketing is creating content that helps a company sell its products and services to other businesses rather than consumers. The goal behind this marketing strategy is to generate leads for your business.
Businesses use b2b content marketing to reach existing customers and potential clients who may be interested in purchasing the company’s services or products. In many ways, the b2b content marketing strategy is similar to consumer-based marketing but has distinct differences.
Businesses often use content marketing tactics to increase their online presence and reach out to new customers. So how else can you reach out to a new audience if not by platforms and modes they would understand. A lot of time, social media is the medium of use, and the results speak for themselves.
Why is content marketing important for b2b?
Remember that earlier; we said that the primary goal for this content marketing strategy is to generate leads for your business. Well, that is what makes b2b content writing and marketing so important.
It helps businesses grow their customer base by informing customers of the company’s products and services. Businesses can build a reputation for quality and expertise in their industry by providing valuable information about themselves through their blog posts, video tutorials, white papers, and more. This allows people to trust the business more than they would otherwise, leading to higher sales and increased profit margins.
Other reasons why content marketing is essential for b2b are;
- Content makes your business more transparent about who you are and what you do
- It provides a platform for building relationships with your customers by helping them solve problems or teaching them something new.
- Content enables you to build brand awareness and loyalty through word-of-mouth advertising when customers share it with others or even randomly browse it online.
To see results within your content marketing strategy, your content has to be valuable, timely, and relevant to build relationships and increase sales leads.
B2B content marketing trends
The b2b content marketing landscape is changing. The industry is moving away from its previous focus on personalization towards a focus on storytelling and data-driven content marketing.
With these, the trends to b2b content writing have changed;
Focus on the customer experience
The first trend has been significant and will continue to rank no matter what changes arise: the importance of customer experience. We’re now at a point where customer experience is not just a nice thing but a business imperative. The best way to improve your customer experience is through content marketing, which can help you build an audience and create value for them.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning
Artificial intelligence and machine learning technology will become as important in marketing as in other industries — like medicine and manufacturing — but it doesn’t mean that we won’t see some exciting developments in this space over the next few years.
For example, there are already bots that can answer questions on Quora or Twitter and even recommend products based on a user’s previous purchase history or what they’ve read online. In the future, these AI-powered services will be able to provide more personalized experiences by using big data from across various platforms like Facebook Messenger and Google Assistant, so businesses will have access to more information about their customers than ever before.
Video content
Video content increase should not come as a surprise. Research has proven that consumers prefer video content over text-based content. Why? The human eyes are naturally attracted to movement, and videos equal movement. Thus 69% of businesses have said to increase their b2b content marketing budget to push video content.
The growth of live video webinars
Live webinars are becoming increasingly popular with b2b marketers because they allow you to connect directly with customers who want your advice or knowledge about an industry.
B2b content marketing strategies
B2B content marketing is a vital part of your business strategy. It’s a meaningful way to attract and retain customers by providing valuable information that helps them make purchasing decisions.
Companies that create B2B content marketing strategies often use specific tactics to drive traffic to their websites and nurture leads into paying customers. Here are some of the most popular B2B content marketing strategies:
Content creation
Creating original, high-quality content for your target audience is one of the best ways to build trust with potential clients and make them feel like the company cares about them as people rather than just as a source of revenue.
Social media
Social media is a great way to engage with current customers, prospective clients, and the general public. For example, you can use blogs, podcasts, and video podcasts to promote your company’s products and services through social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing allows you to earn commissions by referring customers who purchase products or services from other companies through links on your site or via social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter.
One could employ different content marketing strategies to ensure business growth, but the critical thing is to remember to choose a strategy that fits in with your business.
B2b content marketing in five simple steps
Ditch the idea of B2B content marketing
It’s not just about making sales. It’s about making your customers more successful, leading to more sales. And that means you have to help them solve their problems and make their lives easier. So that’s where content marketing comes in.
Choose a niche that really resonates with your audience
There are so many different niches out there, so if you’re new to this content marketing industry, start by finding one that really resonates with you, then refines it until it feels right. You don’t want to be too broad or too niche-y – both will result in a lack of engagement and growth potential.
Understand their challenges
Understanding the challenges of your target audience will help you create relevant content for them and address their pain points. For example, if your target audience is a mortgage lender, you might want to write articles about how to get approved for a loan or what life as a homeowner is like if they’re new to the market.
Create your content plan
Create a plan for all your content pieces; that way, you know what you will write about and when it should be published on social media channels or whatever platform you choose. This is to ensure that you can monitor the goals for each post and note If the content is achieving the goals.
Be authentic in what you say and how you say it.
People won’t care if your company runs a blog or has an email newsletter or even if they know who the CEO is – they just want to see real people naturally communicating with them, which means being genuine and personal and authentic in everything that comes out of your mouth or reaches their inboxes (and vice versa). This goes for all aspects of your brand: from website copy to landing pages, email newsletters, and product descriptions.
B2B content marketing examples
If we keep in mind that B2B content marketing is a way of engaging with your target audience, rather than just focusing on consumers, it becomes easier to figure out what examples you can use.
Your b2b content marketing should help you create a relationship with your customers and prospects, which is vital for developing long-term business relationships.
Some examples you should know of are;
Case studies
Case studies are an excellent way of demonstrating how you’ve helped other companies solve their problems and achieve their goals. They show potential customers how your products work in practice, which makes them more likely to trust your advice and recommendations.
White papers
White papers are a great way to showcase case studies or other pieces of content unsuitable for blog posts or articles. They’re also a great way to showcase your knowledge and expertise in an easy-to-read format.
Infographics
Infographics are another type of B2B content marketing popular right now because they’re so simple to create and share online — no matter what kind of content you want, an infographic can help make it easier for people to understand what you’re talking about.
Articles
These are the most popular types of content marketing strategies. For example, businesses often use them in many ways, such as providing information about how to use a product or service, fixing a problem with a product or service, and more.
Podcasts
Podcasts are also becoming more popular than ever because they allow you to create engaging and entertaining content while still educating your audience. For example, you can use podcasts as an interview tool or host discussions on your industry or niche market topics.
Videos
Videos are another popular content marketing strategy used by small and big businesses because they allow you to simultaneously create videos that educate, entertain and promote your brand!
Where b2b content writers step in
Business to business (b2b) content marketing is one of the best ways to grow your business.
B2B marketers are always looking for new ways to reach out to their target audience and provide them with helpful information and resources.
The problem is that most B2B marketers don’t have enough time to create all the content they need. So that’s where content writers come in!
Content writers can help you create compelling, high-quality content that will help grow your business. You’ll be able to focus on growing your business while they handle all the work!
The results from B2b content writing agencies have been so positive that these content writers have become synonymous with simplification. The best part is that content writers are adaptable to whatever industry your business operates in.
Key takeaways
Content marketing is a great way to generate leads, but if it is not done right, it can also be a waste of time and money.
The best content marketing strategies focus on solving problems for your target audience. This means that you should pay attention to what they want, not what they say they need.
Without content, your business doesn’t exist. It’s one of the most fundamental pieces of any business marketing plan, and it shouldn’t be left until last. So don’t let poor content doom your marketing efforts—start now, and start right.