Is all content marketing always the same? No matter your target audience? The answer is no. When you invest in B2B content marketing, you must think differently from marketing to the end consumer.
B2B content marketing is the art of using content to communicate your company to a larger audience, strengthen and develop the brand and, not least, generate leads and sales. And you do that by reaching out to other companies.
All that really distinguishes B2B content marketing from other types of content marketing is that it is only used by companies, for companies. At the same time, you can not think the same way as when communicating to an end consumer.
B2B content must above all be useful
If the reader/viewer/listener can not apply the meaning of your content to their own work or business, you have failed. Of course, you can sometimes publish one or two funny stories or odd anecdotes. Still, as a B2B marketer, your only and highest priority should be to be seen and known as a thought leader for professionals in your industry.
Starling’s client PDS Vision helps companies with their digital transformation. They deliver solutions and services around 3D design (CAD), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Internet of Things (IoT) and Augmented Reality (AR). It is highly complex; therefore, the recipient must understand what you are talking about. Starlings have helped PDS Vision with sales material in the form of articles, guides and brochures that describe the company’s services in a clear and understandable way. Extremely useful for the target group being a resource for professionals in the PDS Vision industry.
But don´t be boring
However, this does not mean that your B2B content can get away with being bland or boring. If anything, B2B content marketers need to balance all three elements of content marketing – it should be useful, engaging and of high quality.
Our client Clarion Hotel is big in conferences and events. With its location next to Arlanda Airport, customers are spread all over the country. But how do you show clients, i.e. companies in other parts of the country, what you have to offer? You bring the hotel to the client!
Clarion Hotel Arlanda Airport gave us the assignment of creating a presentation material that the travelling sales agents could bring to their client meetings around Sweden. Instead of pictures in a binder or a traditional video, we stepped into the VR world, produced a film in 360 ° format and opened up the possibility of bringing the hotel to the clients. With the help of VR glasses, the agents let customers around Sweden visit Clarion Hotel Arlanda Airport. Each conference room became like an exciting peephole, with fun surprises wherever you turned. Helpful, high quality – and not least engaging.
So how can you use the power of B2B marketing effectively?
Start by identifying your target audience
Before you start distributing content, you need to know your target group. You can segment them in the traditional funnel, but at the same time, each target group consists of individuals. This is why B2B personas are essential.
Maybe your audience is too large to define in this way? Then you can still find a lot of detailed information by exploring data from Google Analytics, where you can learn a lot about who visits your site. You can see basic demographic information such as age, gender, and location and data showing which topics they are interested in. This also gives you an overview of new relevant subject areas for future content.
One of the biggest challenges is coming up with new content ideas. One of the best ways to identify new topics in your niche is to see what people share and talk about on social media. Or, for that matter, find out what information your client’s customers need.
Our client Convatec Sweden is one of the major players in colostomy and wound care, and we were commissioned to take a grip on the company’s content – both articles and video. Of course, a lot of information is needed that describes the products and how they work, but eventually, you´ve said it all. What should you then communicate?
We produced a website aimed at patients containing testimonials and solutions to their real problems. Commitment grew rapidly due to our newly created content, and as a result, Convatec has been able to reach many of its goals. Their clients are primarily healthcare facilities and pharmacies – not end consumers. At the same time – if the end consumer shows interest in a particular product, it can get the pharmacy or care company to include them in their supply.
“How does this benefit me?”
Regarding intent, you also need to remember that the recipient only has one question in mind when evaluating whether your content is valuable or not: “How does this benefit me?” This is the same question that salespeople always keep in mind when talking to prospective clients, and you need to think the same way.