Content marketing is an invaluable tool for B2B entrepreneurs to generate leads and sales. But it’s not just any content; your audiences are looking for useful, informative, and engaging content that addresses their needs and issues.
Your content should help attract leads and nudge them down the sales funnel until they are ready to buy from you. In addition to channeling sales, content marketing also provides other benefits, including SEO. When you use the right techniques, results will stream in sooner than expected.
Here are five content marketing strategies used by a B2B content marketing agency that will help you garner more sales.
1. Create In-Depth Content
Before you start creating content, you need to know that the main difference between B2C and B2B customers is that the latter will, generally speaking, require more time and information to make a purchase decision. While individual customers often buy something impulsively and on a smaller scale, in B2B, the customer usually spends more money and has to get the necessary buy-in from decision makers. This will determine what type of content you will create for your B2B leads.
Content, with relevant but broader topics, can work well for top-of-the-funnel leads. For example, “project management tools” is a topic suitable for people just starting their research, looking for broad information and options.
On the other hand, in-depth content comparing the features and prices of two specific software tools for construction project management attracts customers who have a strong purchase intent. They have almost made their decision and just need to evaluate which one of the options they will go with.
That’s why your content has to be well crafted, engaging, and relevant, and provide that final nudge for the customer to make a purchase.
2. Make Your Content Invaluable
Your goal should be to create solution-oriented content and provide useful information to help solve your customers’ problems. Your content should tell your story with structural integrity that leads people to the most valuable bits. Include relevant keywords, address trends in your industry, and regularly update any stats and data.
Post consistently to build your authority for the long-term. This will make customers see you as a trusted consultant, which builds authority and brand recognition.
When your content solves your B2B clients’ pain points, they share it with other people in their circles of influence, helping to build your traffic. Add a call to action at the end of the post; this will help you get qualified prospects you can pursue.
Pro tip: For your content to boost sales, you have to first identify what your audience is looking for. Then customize your content around that.
3. Use Case Studies
Case studies are a great way to show your expertise, capabilities, and results. Use them in content marketing on your website and share them across platforms.
Content such as case studies helps your B2B business showcase other brands that have excelled using your solution. They also serve as social proof, an essential aspect since many buyers are converted through referrals.
For your B2B case studies to be useful, use a data-driven approach, and focus on addressing the customers’ specific pain points. If potential customers see that you have generated fabulous results for a company similar to theirs, they’ll be more likely to work with you.
4. Know Your Target Audiences
While your content may be top-notch and educational, it is the audience reading it that matters. Research your audiences first to know their needs and concerns. This is your first step towards engineering a content marketing strategy that will deliver high-quality leads.
Creating an ideal customer profile helps your business align your marketing and sales goals, which can boost your customer retention rate by 36% and increase sales win rates by 38%.
Build a robust B2B buyer persona and make sure you apply it to your content. You can define what position in a company your ideal customers hold, whether they manage a team or work independently, what tools they generally use, what kind of materials they work with, etc.
When you personalize their experience, your audience will feel unique and exclusive. This will lay a strong foundation for building relationships with them.
Personalization also ensures you have quality content that targets a particular group or audience. You can also take targeting to a new level by using audience data effectively by looking at what type of devices they usually browse on or what areas they come from.
When you create a buyer persona, it’ll be easy to generate appropriate content that is more persuasive. This will fetch you a good return on investment.
5. Create Multi-Layered Content
Creating multi-layered content means going beyond just written content. If you’ve been using blogs and white papers for a long time; it’s now time to incorporate videos, webinars, and infographics.
The best content should integrate both visual and text-based content to create an engaging experience for the audiences. Using text, images, and video will diversify your content marketing efforts and help you drive sales.
About 51% of marketers across the world attest that video content is key to increased ROI. The reason being that reading doesn’t generate as much interest as watching a video.
Engaging webinars are also a powerful way to inform your audience. You can use them to build trust and persuade them to take action. They are great for B2B content marketing because you can easily align them with your B2B objectives. For example, you can create a webinar that shows your audience how to use specific features of your product so they’ll be more convinced to try it out for themselves.
With engaging webinars, you’ll be able to close deals even if you have a high-end service or product. A live event delivers exceptional value because you can also address any questions in real time and go for closing a deal while your prospects are still interested and engaged.
You can also leverage the power of creative and informative infographics. Graphics are easier to consume than a wall of written text. Create visually appealing graphics to relay information to your audience. If they find it enlightening, people will share it across social platforms and give you the exposure and traffic you need.
Visual content done the right way will generate engagement and provide you with real-time results. Find out the type of videos that suit your brand and target audiences and make sure you deliver value.
Final Word
Content marketing for B2B is all about defining your target audiences and providing the solutions that make their lives easy. Their needs have to come first, so you have to tailor quality content appropriately.
With a proper framework and in-depth content that incorporates written text and strong visuals, you’ll help your audiences find solutions and, in turn, gain a loyal following, resulting in higher ROI.
Author: Michelle Laurey works as a VA for small businesses. She loves talking business, and productivity, and share her experience with others. Outside her keyboard, she spends time with her Kindle library or binge-watching Billions. Her superpower? Vinyasa flow! Talk to her on Twitter @michelle_laurey.
