Get More Value Out of Your B2B Content

Writing by Nick Stamoulis in B2B SEO Marketing

I’ve spoken with many B2B marketers who say that content creation is one of the biggest problems in getting their content marketing strategy off the ground. They just don’t have the time to write as much content as is needed to really have an impact—but it doesn’t have to be that complicated! You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time you sit down to right a new piece of content. B2B content recycling, the idea that you’re taking one piece of content and reworking it to fit multiple platforms (not to be confused with article spinning) helps B2B marketers get more bang for their content marketing buck.

Here is what a B2B content recycling strategy might look for a company that has recently released a new product:

1. New product page.
Obviously the first step is to write and launch a product page for your new product. There is no “right” amount of words, but it needs to be long enough to give your customers enough information that they get interested and take the next step towards converting. While it’s imperative that your content be written for a human reader, you want to keep best practice SEO in the back of your mind. Optimize the content, Meta data, URL structure, internal linking and so forth so that new pages gets to fully leverage the SEO value and trust of your site and gets off on the right foot in the SERPs. You might need to do a little keyword research to make sure you’ve got the right terminology incorporated into your new product page as well, helping ensure the RIGHT person is finding your site.

2. Press release announcing launch of new product.
Using that new product page an outline, the next step in your B2B content recycling campaign would be a write and distribute an online press release announcing the launch of your new product. You want to keep the messaging the same from the product page to the press release and highlight some of the most impressive features that are most likely to catch a reporter’s attention. What makes your product unique? What pre-existing problem does it solve? Who is this product designed to help? Make sure you include a few links (both the full link and a variety of anchor text) in the press release so readers can click right through to your new product page.

3. Promotional blog post announcing launch of new product (company blog and reviews).
While I typically recommend that promotional content only be about 10% of the content going live on your blog, a product launch is definitely good fodder for a promotional blog post! In addition to the online press release, a promotional blog post on your site is a great way to help spread the word about your new product. Anyone that subscribes to your blog via RSS or email notification will get pinged about your latest product update, ensuring that people already invested in your company and brand know about your latest venture. Again, be sure to include links directly to the new product page so people looking for more information are only one click away.

4. Video demonstration (YouTube, product page and company blog).
If at all possible, a video demo or how-to video guide is a great way to introduce your new product. You can walk potential customers through the process, explaining how to use your product and make the most of its features. Being able to see the functionality of a product makes for a compelling case to buy. Even a short 2-3 minute clip can make a big difference. Obviously YouTube is a great place to upload a product demo (be sure to link in the video description!), but you can also embed that video in your promotional blog post, as its own video blog post, on the product page itself and more!

6. Email blast or company newsletter.
Another way to help make existing customers aware of your new product is send out an email blast to past and current customers, as well as everyone who may have given you their email in exchange for a white paper download or signed up for a webinar you hosted. Drop the product video in the email (or just give them the link), encourage them to sign up for a trial period and check out the product page for more information.

5. Social promotion.
Everything you publish, be it PR or blog post or video, can be shared on your social networks. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and any niche social sites you might be a part of are great places for sharing the news and content surrounding your new product. Let people know what’s going on! Every time a piece of content is shared on a social site is creates a social signal, which is becoming increasingly important in the ranking algorithm.

The key to content recycling is to ensure that the messaging remains the same throughout all the channels. While the platform may change, the tone and strategy needs to remain constant. You want someone, regardless of where they find your content, to have all the information they need and a direct line back to your website.