Table of Contents
- What Is Content Marketing in B2B?
- The Rise of Content Marketing
- B2B vs. B2C
- Related Reading
- Why Is Content Marketing In B2B Important?
- 1. Empower B2B Buyers with Knowledge
- Boost Your B2B Reach with Educational Content
- 2. Boost Online Visibility on a Budget
- 3. Create Evergreen Content for Long-Term Impact
- 4. Build Strong Connections with Your Audience
- Build Trust and Loyalty with Expert Content
- 5. Capture High-Quality Leads with Targeted Content
- 6. Showcase Your Offerings in an Engaging Way
- 7. Stay Ahead of the Competition
- No-Code, No-Hassle Blog Publishing
- Related Reading
- 7 Best Practices for Content Marketing in B2B
- 1. Identify Your Audience
- Content is Key
- Segmentation Based on Sales Funnel Stages
- Segmentation Based on Needs and Behavior
- 2. Audit Your Existing B2B Content
- Purposeful Content: Why Does It Exist?
- Assess and Optimize
- 3. Define Aims
- 4. Determine Distribution Channels
- Owned Media
- Paid Media
- Earned Media
- 5. Determine Content Types for B2B Markets
- Balancing Speed and Quality
- 6. Create a Content Calendar
- 7. Measure Results and Analyze Your Content Performance
- 5 B2B Content Marketing Examples
- 1. Slack: Mastering Social Media for B2B
- 2. McKinsey: Case Studies That Tell a Story
- McKinsey’s Masterclass: Effective B2B Storytelling
- 3. Mailchimp: Holistic Podcasting for B2B Marketing
- 4. Deloitte: Elevating Thought Leadership Content
- 5. Semrush: Education as B2B Content Marketing
- Strategic Approach
- Go From Notion to Blog With Ease Today with Feather
- Streamline Your CRM and Blog Management
- Effortlessly Connect with Your Audience
- Get Started with Feather Today
- Related Reading
Related Posts
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In the B2B world, connecting with other businesses demands a unique approach. You can’t just shout into the void and hope the right people hear you. This is where the B2B content marketing funnel comes in. It’s about using content strategically to guide your audience through a journey — from awareness to interest and, ultimately, to action. Think of it as building a relationship, not just making a sale. This article offers insights to help you master this process and succeed with your B2B content marketing efforts.
Feather's notion to blog can be an excellent tool for getting started. It can help you achieve your goals and maximize your content marketing efforts.
What Is Content Marketing in B2B?
Business-to-business marketing, or B2B marketing, appeals to a business audience rather than a traditional consumer audience. A B2B content marketing plan includes creating, processing, and sharing content such as:
- Images
- Videos
- White papers
- Letters
- Blogs with a prospective business audience
This includes other business owners, corporate investors, and those with a vested interest in learning more about your business for their business purposes.
The Rise of Content Marketing
Content marketing isn’t new, and it’s not slowing down. The pandemic increased content usage by 207%, and that trend will likely continue to grow in 2023. Indeed, 55% of marketers plan to post content more frequently, and 53% plan to boost the quality of their content in 2023. It all comes down to choosing the right mix of content marketing media that will turn more heads.
B2B vs. B2C
B2B content marketing targets niche audiences with deep expertise, address complex sales processes, and focuses on delivering value, while B2C content aims for broad awareness and virality.
B2B content must address each stage of the long B2B customer journey. Execs want to see how you’ll impact their bottom line, and many influencers in the buying group have a say in the final purchase decision.
B2C content, in contrast, casts a broader net and segments audiences using demographic and psychographic data. Popular B2C tactics include:
- Quizzes
- Contests
- Interactive content
B2B content must deliver exceptional value to earn trust and drive conversions in a niche market. B2C content focuses on entertainment and inspiration to build brand affinity with the masses.
Related Reading
- Content Marketing Inbound
- Optimized Content Marketing
- SEO Content Marketing Strategy
Why Is Content Marketing In B2B Important?
Content marketing is just as crucial for B2B companies as it is for any other type of company. Recent research by Backlinko shows that 72% of B2B companies have a blog on their website. That leaves 28% without a blog and, therefore, without a solid content marketing strategy.
There are so many reasons as to why content marketing is an essential aspect of growing a B2B company, including the following seven benefits:
1. Empower B2B Buyers with Knowledge
Content marketing isn't just about promotion; it’s about lending a hand to B2B buyers trying to make informed decisions. Your business has expertise; sharing it through educational content can inform and guide your audience. Consider using the following:
- Instructional videos
- How-to articles
- Infographics
Boost Your B2B Reach with Educational Content
These resources become reference points for buyers, helping them make confident purchase decisions. Educational content is also shared, expanding your reach and building your reputation. B2B blogs focusing on education receive 52% more organic traffic, demonstrating the value of this approach.
2. Boost Online Visibility on a Budget
Content marketing is a budget-friendly strategy for increasing your business’s online visibility. Crafting quality content plays a critical role in improving search engine rankings through:
- Keyword targeting
- Consistent output
If your team has the skills, creating content like social media posts and blog articles can be cost-effective. But if you lack expertise, low-quality content might hurt your rankings. In such cases, consider outsourcing to a performance-based SEO agency.
3. Create Evergreen Content for Long-Term Impact
The content you publish today can keep benefiting your business for years. By developing evergreen content, you can extend the longevity of your resources. This content can be repurposed for cross-promotional activities like:
- Social media
- Email marketing
Sales and customer support teams can also use this content to improve customer interactions. Evergreen content that ranks well in search results consistently brings traffic to your site, proving the long-term value of good content marketing.
4. Build Strong Connections with Your Audience
Content marketing is more than just producing content; it’s about building meaningful connections with your audience. You can attract, engage, and convert your target audience by delivering engaging and informative content.
Build Trust and Loyalty with Expert Content
Establishing yourself as an industry expert through consistent, high-quality content builds trust and positions your company as a go-to resource. Focus on creating solution-focused content that resonates with your audience. A solid connection can increase customer lifetime value and foster loyalty.
5. Capture High-Quality Leads with Targeted Content
How does content marketing bring in new customers? By capturing high-quality leads. Tailor your content to target specific stages of the customer journey.
Valuable content can attract leads in the awareness or consideration stages. Use lead magnets to guide prospects further down the funnel.
- Use email marketing to nurture and engage potential leads.
- Offer downloadable resources that provide value and encourage action.
For example, a pop-up encouraging newsletter sign-ups lets you target your audience with relevant content, increasing trust and speeding up conversion.
6. Showcase Your Offerings in an Engaging Way
Complex or niche products and services benefit from content marketing, which presents them in an engaging, digestible format. Creating content that hooks your audience quickly is crucial, as attention spans are shrinking. Engaging content complements long-form pieces and gets initial buy-in from your customers, making your business stand out.
7. Stay Ahead of the Competition
Want to be the best? Content marketing can help. With 28% of B2B companies lacking a blog, there’s room to outpace competitors. Even among those with blogs, many aren’t fully utilizing them.
A consistent content marketing strategy strengthens your brand’s reputation and visibility, keeping you ahead. Competitor analysis ensures your content delivers long-term results, setting you apart.
No-Code, No-Hassle Blog Publishing
Run your blog and newsletter with Feather today! Create a new account and send emails from Notion, or go from notion to blog in minutes! Feather easily manages your CRM and blog content through Notion, offering SEO-friendly publishing without coding or design skills.
Related Reading
- B2B Content Marketing Types
- B2B Content Marketing Metrics
- How To Do Content Marketing Competitor Analysis
- How To Measure Content Marketing Success
- How Do You Integrate SEO Into Your Content
- Content Strategy for Inbound Marketing
- Types of Content Marketing
- Content Marketing SEO Tips
- End-to-End Content Marketing
- How Content Marketing Drives Sales
7 Best Practices for Content Marketing in B2B
Many B2B businesses need help making content marketing work. One reason is the need for more strategy. Other pitfalls are limited budgets and resources and the use of the wrong tools. A further aspect is the need for more knowledge from B2B content strategists on establishing a content marketing plan step by step.
1. Identify Your Audience
What’s the point of publishing a blog post or creating valuable content no one knows about or sees? You want people to read it! Thus, you need to identify your target audience first. The segmentation of your audience can be based on different perspectives. You either focus on one aspect or combine them.
Content is Key
Nevertheless, audience segmentation is only relevant if you have content to distribute to these segments. You need the resources to adapt your content to segment your target audience.
Segmentation Based on Sales Funnel Stages
Needs are different in each stage. A prospect looking for first orientation requires content different from that of a hot lead about to buy from you. These segmentation criteria work best if the human or personal influence is limited. This is when selling standardized or “one fits all” products.
Segmentation Based on Needs and Behavior
The “Buyer Personas” concept assumes there are archetypical personas. They are representative of a specific audience. The extent of segmentation knows no limit. It all depends on how well you know your audience. Use Buyer Personas if the targeted audience is heterogeneous and needs further segmentation. This is especially true if media behavior differs from audience to audience.
Further options include all types of classic market segmentation. For example:
- Geographics
- Demographics
- Psychographics
2. Audit Your Existing B2B Content
A content audit (also called a ‘content inventory’ or, for websites, a ‘site audit’) is a great way to identify the gaps in your existing content. The audit phase is when you examine your existing content:
- Strengths
- Weaknesses
- Opportunities
Purposeful Content: Why Does It Exist?
This is essential for planning your content marketing strategy because you want it to align with your business's goals. Not just created because you thought, “Oh, we should have some ‘brochure’ type content on our site somewhere.” Simply put, ask yourself, “why does this content exist?”
Note: If you are creating a content strategy for the first time, you must define your aims first. Otherwise, you will be going around in circles.
Assess and Optimize
Evaluating your current state will guide you through creating and promoting new content and help you determine what you should be doing with your existing content and where to focus your efforts.
First, review the current status of each piece of your existing content: what it is, who created it, and when it was made. Then, analyze its performance, e.g., views and engagement. This will give you a clear picture of how to develop this B2B content asset further.
3. Define Aims
Defining your goals is vital to creating a good B2B content marketing strategy. Without defining the purpose of your content marketing strategy, you cannot create an effective campaign.
B2B content strategists start by brainstorming how content marketing can affect the product portfolio. Then, rank those opportunities based on their value and relevance to your audience.
The goals should be specific and measurable so you don’t waste time and money on content that doesn’t drive results. Don’t set vague goals like:
- Generate more traffic
- Improve SEO
Instead, think about what action you want people to take after reading your content, such as making a sale or downloading an eBook.
Then, map out how many people need this action to succeed. For example, if your goal is to collect 500 qualified leads monthly, you might need 2,500 eBook downloads for this strategy to succeed.
4. Determine Distribution Channels
This is the most crucial step. Choosing which channels to publish on is essential for all the stages in developing a content marketing strategy for B2B. You must narrow your options, select the right publishing platforms, and decide if you need the supplier’s help.
Publishing content on various channels is the heart of your content marketing strategy. This, again, reflects where your audience spends time. Ultimately, you have to decide which channels are relevant for your business. And how you can distribute your content using those channels.
Distribution channels are the paths that deliver the content to your customers. Here is a breakdown of each distribution channel type, including advantages and disadvantages:
Owned Media
Owned media is a term used to describe the different media channels that a business or brand wholly owns. The term is used for online and offline marketing resources. Examples are:
- Your company website and blog
- Newsletter
- Social media
Although social media posts are still bound to the social media network.
Paid Media
The opposite of owned media is paid media. But these are channels you pay for. Examples are:
- All social media ads
- Search engine advertisements
- Industry magazines or platforms you advertise with
Fast access to your audience and scalability are the biggest advantages of paid media. The downsides are high costs and total reliance on these media channels. If you stop spending money with them, you lose access to your audience.
So, paid media is only to leverage owned media and balance the shortcomings of your media network.
Earned Media
Thought leadership builds earned media. Magazines, influencers, and other social media users will write about you if you are the go-to person in your industry. Earned media and active PR management are closely linked. An advantage is the high credibility you achieve when others talk about you. Social proof happens on social media when customers testify about your skills.
Offline vs. online is still valid in complementing the categorization of media channels. Nevertheless, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more hybrid channels are evolving. For example, an online version now accompanies a former offline industry event.
5. Determine Content Types for B2B Markets
This is the logical step after deciding on your distribution channels. Each channel has its own strategy and audience. Before starting, you will want to know which style and type of content to create.
Each platform influences the content type, as some work better than others. For example, you want to publish videos on YouTube, not animated infographics. This content is suitable for your website or an educational blog.
As a B2B content marketer, you’re expected to create different content formats, including:
- Text
- Graphics
- Audio
- Video
The formats are okay if the content is engaging and meets the audience’s needs. Therefore, a basic definition of content types is:
- Text
- Graphic and Image
- Audio
- Video and Animation
- Content Types| B2B Marketing World
- 4 Content Types © B2B Marketing World
All assets (the final content piece) often contain many content types. For example, a blog post consists of text and graphics and may include a video. Yet, a printed brochure only consists of text and graphics.
In B2B marketing, you may have seen much multimedia content pushed aside in favor of written articles. The main reason is that most B2B marketers consider multimedia formats expensive.
Balancing Speed and Quality
There is also the issue of delivering content fast. The average online reader expects new content on a regular base. This requires quick turnaround times for writers. Small marketing teams often have other responsibilities beyond writing, like:
- Updating social media accounts
- Monitoring comments
- Others
6. Create a Content Calendar
A content calendar is also known as an editorial calendar. It will help you organize, prioritize, and schedule your content marketing process. The calendar is the center of your content planning and production efforts. It includes all distribution channels like your:
- Blog
- Social media presence
- Email marketing
A good editorial calendar helps you stay organized and on schedule, so your audience stays engaged. Content calendars typically include the following information:
- Upcoming contents
- Topic
- Content type
- Distribution channels/media the content is published
- Copy date/publishing date
- Status or production updates
A content calendar is essential if you simultaneously handle many media channels, topics, and markets. Let’s use some math here. Let us assume you publish on three channels and have 4 main business topics you want to communicate. Further, your company has two focus markets:
- Germany
- UK
A reasonable aim is to publish at least two pieces of content per channel per week. Have a look at this simple example on your content calendar per week:
- A total of 48 content pieces
- 24 content pieces per language
- 16 publications per channel
- 12 contents per topic
Further, a good content calendar also documents the content production process. Each content production has at least four states:
- Planned
- In production
- Ready for publishing
- Published
That's 192 information updates for the 48 pieces of content described above. So, a content calendar is vital for small and large businesses.
7. Measure Results and Analyze Your Content Performance
B2B Content Marketing is an ongoing process. It’s not something that you set up and then forget about. At this stage, you have:
- Defined the goals of our content strategy
- Targeted a relevant audience
- Decided on publication channels
- Created the right assets
Now, you can measure the results and analyze and review the content performance. You have to measure results to find what is and is not. This data is the basis for further content analysis and adjusting your strategy based on it. Which data to measure depends on the publication channels and your aims.
A basic set of KPIs may look something like this:
- KPI Set for B2B Content Strategists
- Total Impressions or Total Views: The total number of times your audience has seen your content. This number indicates your reach.
- Total Engagements: How many people interacted with your content? For example, how many people liked, commented, or shared your posts on social media? Engagement can be measured via click actions or call-to-action (CTA) on your corporate website.
- Engagement Rate: The ratio of engagements and impressions is called engagement rate. This ratio indicates how interesting your content is perceived.
- Average Session Duration: If your website has a high average session duration, users will likely value it. ASD and similar KPIs indicate content quality, based on the assumption that people dwell on the content they like.
- Number of Shares or Mentions: How often is others sharing, mentioning, or quoting your content? This number indicates high interest in the subject and positively influences your reach.
5 B2B Content Marketing Examples
1. Slack: Mastering Social Media for B2B
Slack's approach to B2B content marketing through social media is a masterclass in authenticity. Their strategy is all about valuable content, not intrusive ads, a method that resonates with savvy decision-makers doing brand research on platforms.
Slack's bio is concise and mission-focused on Instagram, using Stories and Highlights to spotlight new features. They cross-promote on X (Twitter) and Instagram for updates and support and get the event buzz going with short, engaging videos.
On Facebook, Slack opts for a minimalist style, cleverly repurposing content across channels. Their YouTube strategy stands out with regular, thought-provoking videos featuring eye-catching thumbnails.
Slack balances fun and professionalism on LinkedIn, crafting engaging blogs and creative ads that capture attention. Their social media presence is a blueprint for B2B brands seeking to make a genuine connection with their audience.
2. McKinsey: Case Studies That Tell a Story
McKinsey & Company can turn complex business transformations into captivating narratives with their case studies. Instead of dry reports, they craft compelling stories that take readers on a journey from opportunity to challenge and resolution. McKinsey’s client-centric approach focuses on the objectives and impact of their interventions, using stakeholder quotes to add a human touch.
McKinsey’s Masterclass: Effective B2B Storytelling
They provide tangible proof of their strategies’ effectiveness by backing McKinsey's narrative with metrics. Their language is professional yet accessible, establishing McKinsey’s authority without overwhelming readers with technical jargon. McKinsey’s case studies exemplify how B2B brands can showcase their expertise while engaging their audience.
3. Mailchimp: Holistic Podcasting for B2B Marketing
Mailchimp’s entry into the podcasting world is a masterstroke in content marketing. Their podcasts go beyond content creation to craft an experience that resonates with listeners. By exploring the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, Mailchimp speaks to the heart of its audience’s journey without the hard sell.
Variety is key to their podcasting strategy, offering a content buffet of:
- Interviews
- Stories
- Insights
- Humor
Mailchimp’s podcasts are seamlessly integrated into their broader strategy, with emails and social media buzzing with podcast updates. They also provide transcripts:
- Aiding the hearing-impaired
- Boosting SEO with keyword-rich content
Mailchimp’s holistic approach to podcasting is a prime example of how B2B brands can leverage this growing medium to connect with their audience.
4. Deloitte: Elevating Thought Leadership Content
Deloitte’s thought leadership content is a shining example of how to go beyond expertise sharing. Their website, Deloitte Insights, is a treasure trove of industry reports, expert insights, and specialized studies that offer practical insights and success stories.
Deloitte doesn’t limit itself to written content, offering audiovisuals to engage their audience, such as:
- Eye-catching videos
- Entertaining podcasts
By placing its key figures at the forefront of its content, Deloitte established itself as a respected authority and valuable asset to its audience. Their thought leadership content is a testament to the power of integrating expertise sharing into a B2B content marketing strategy.
5. Semrush: Education as B2B Content Marketing
Semrush’s educational content strategy is a standout example of how B2B brands can leverage their expertise to engage their audience. Recognizing that not all visitors to their site are SEO pros, Semrush offers a variety of free courses covering diverse topics like:
- Technical SEO
- Keyword research
Strategic Approach
They seamlessly integrate product-led marketing into these courses, positioning Semrush as a thought leader without making their products the sole focus. Their robust SEO strategy employs keyword placement and effective internal linking to enhance content visibility in search engine results.
Semrush’s educational content approach is a blueprint for B2B brands leveraging their expertise to connect with their audience.
Go From Notion to Blog With Ease Today with Feather
The power of B2B content marketing lies in its ability to:
- Engage
- Educate
- Convert
Feather takes this to a new level by seamlessly integrating your blog and newsletter operations with Notion, eliminating the need for coding or design prowess. Imagine crafting compelling blog content in Notion and publishing it to an SEO-friendly blog with a few clicks.
Feather allows you to set up a subfolder blog (domain.com/blog) instead of a subdomain, which is better for SEO. This means more visibility and authority for your content with search engines.
Streamline Your CRM and Blog Management
Feather lets you manage your CRM and website blog through Notion, giving you the HubSpot experience without the complexity. This integration means you can collaborate with your entire team during the publishing process, ensuring:
- Everyone is on the same page
- Your content is consistently high-quality
Feather offers flexible content marketing tools tailored to your needs, including:
- Custom CSS
- Email collection
- And more
Effortlessly Connect with Your Audience
Feather also allows you to set up and send newsletters to your email subscribers directly from Notion. This means you can easily keep your audience informed and engaged with your latest:
- Content
- News
- Updates
With Feather, you can easily run your blog and newsletter, freeing up your time to focus on creating great content that resonates with your audience.
Get Started with Feather Today
Feather makes it easy to get started with your blog and newsletter. Create a new account and send emails from Notion, or go from notion to blog in minutes. With Feather, you can streamline your content marketing and focus on what you do best: creating great content that drives results.
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- Benefits of Content Marketing
- B2B Vs B2C Content Marketing
- Digital Marketing Vs Content Marketing
- B2B SaaS Content Marketing Agency
- B2B Tech Content Marketing
- Effective SEO And Content Marketing
- Content Strategy Vs Content Marketing
- SEO And Content Marketing Trends
- Content Marketing Vs Social Media Marketing
- Content Marketing Vs SEO
- SEO And Content Marketing Platform
- B2B Content Marketing Best Practices
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