Make Sure B2B Content is Information Based
Writing by Brick Marketing in B2B SEO Marketing
Perhaps the most important component of a B2B online marketing campaign is content. The content that is created on behalf of a business allows that business to be presented in a positive light as an industry insider and source of knowledge. Unlike traditional advertising, marketing content is created with the purpose of being found when someone is looking for what you have to offer. B2B decision makers spend time conducting research to find the best company that fits their needs. A business that clearly “knows their stuff” will be remembered. The B2B sales cycle is long. It can even take years for a decision maker to pull the trigger. The content that is created continues to educate prospects over time and improves the chances of your business being first on the list come decision time.
One of the biggest issues that B2Bs struggle with is creating the right kind of content for marketing purposes. The initial instinct is to write content that is promotional in nature and about your business. After all, that’s what you know best and you want everyone else to see how great you are. However, you need to take a different approach to showing everyone else how great you are. If content is consistently about your products or services it gets old after a while. What potential customers and clients really want to know is more about your industry. They want to learn how certain problems they are having can be solved and they want to learn about best practices in the industry. Creating B2B content that is information based without specifically mentioning your own products or services is an indirect way to in fact promote your products or services.
The idea of creating informational content on a regular basis can be a little scary to B2Bs. There’s the constant “what do I write about?” struggle. Creating informational content can be a challenge but it’s important to be prepared and spend time deciding on potential topics to discuss.
Here are some places to look for inspiration when writing informational content:
Other industry publications
If you’re a smart business/website owner you should be keeping up with things that are going on in the industry anyway by reading the news and relevant industry publications and blogs. See what others are saying and work off of that information by putting your own spin on the information. Maybe your business would approach a certain situation differently. You never want to copy what is already being said because that adds no value, but contributing to the conversation with your own unique opinion is a good strategy.
The customer service team
The customer service team deals directly with clients and customers on a daily basis. They know what kinds of questions and issues people are having. Create content that addresses these concerns.
Other internal teams
What are other people within your business noticing in the industry? Maybe the sales team has picked up on some new trends or the consulting team has been dealing with some new issues. Just talking to others can bring out some great topic ideas.
When it comes to creating B2B content it’s important to not overthink it. As long as the content is relevant to the industry and provides some good insights, that’s really all that matters.
