With your B2B content marketing strategy ready to go, it’s time to start the creation process. If you’re unsure as to what kind of content will work for a B2B audience, here are five ideas to help you get started:
1. Blog Posts/Guest Blogging
If you are stumped as to where you should begin, always go back to your website! Content marketing aims to draw your audience to your website, even if they aren’t necessarily looking to purchase at the moment.
Studies show that 409 million people view more than 20 billion blog pages each month! Not product landing pages – but blog pages. Research also shows that businesses with their blogs (which they update regularly) bring in nearly 55% more website visitors than businesses that don’t have an active blog.
Blog topics need to cater to your audience. However, they can come in multiple formats, including:
- Promotional/introductory (as in product launches)
- Newsworthy (updating followers on what’s going on with the brand)
- Educational (covering topics they find of interest)
The key to success is to have a nice balance of content being published so that your information doesn’t come off as too promotional or too generic.
2. eBooks/White Papers
Other excellent types of content worth exploring are white papers and eBooks. These tend to come in the form of helpful guides or in-depth reports on specific topics. Content such as this is often sought after when looking for detailed information. White papers and eBooks may not be as detailed as, say, research reports, but readers still get a wealth of knowledge from them.
What makes these forms of content so valuable is not only that they help present you as an authoritative speaker on a subject, but they are effective lead magnets as well. Instead of taking the information and publishing it in blog format, you can use this as a piece of downloadable content that requires interested parties to enter some basic information about themselves to gain access to it. Once they do, you will gain critical insight into who your audience is, allowing you to build your audience profiles further and improve your lead-generation tactics.
3. Research Studies
If you’re looking to become a thought leader in your industry, you will want to include plenty of research studies in your content marketing mix. People turn to thought leaders for detailed information, and the only way to get that is through conducting regular research into your industry, your audience, and competitors.
These studies, much like eBooks and white papers, can be used as downloadable content to help you increase your lead generation and better get to know your ideal audience and what kind of information they crave.
4. Templates/Checklists
If you’re looking for an excellent way to attract your audience through the use of freemiums, then you’ll want to consider building and sharing free templates and checklists that can be easily recreated and used by your audience.
People are constantly on the hunt for templates, checklists, and how-to guides to help them solve their pain points. You can feature these pieces of content in dozens of different ways, including:
- Blog posts
- Infographics
- Downloadables
These are excellent ways to draw immediate attention to your brand. Just make sure you are going the extra mile and providing your audience with a reason to continue coming back for excellent information.
5. Video Content/Webinars
While written content should be a priority for anyone building a B2B content marketing strategy, it’s also crucial that you consider sprinkling in a mix of video content as well. Studies have shown time and again that video is a preferred form of content because it’s easier for the average individual to digest as opposed to long-form written content. Research has also shown that 84% of consumers cited video content as an influential factor in a purchase they’ve recently made.
What’s even better is that video content can be repurposed and used in dozens of different ways, including:
- Shared on social media
- Embedded in email content
- Embedded on a website/blog page
- Repurposed for an online webinar
Revisit Your B2B Content Marketing Strategy with CadenceSEO
Content ideation, creation, and strategy building can quickly become overwhelming – especially if you’re working with a small in-house team. Here at CadenceSEO, we understand just how challenging it can be to get your content marketing strategy off the ground. Our team of dedicated digital marketing professionals can help you get sorted and on the path to success.
Curious as to how we can help? Then contact us today for more information!
