In the B2B marketing space, creating quality content can seem like a resource strain, continuously being thrown to the back burner for more pressing, time-sensitive projects.
The truth is B2B content tends to take longer to generate profit than B2C content does. Why? Because the conversion funnel is longer. You’re not marketing a $20 pair of discount blue jeans. Your content is establishing trust along a sales cycle that can typically span several months.
However, content remains an extremely valuable part of B2B marketing campaigns when executed properly. Need somewhere to start? Keep these three strategies in mind in order to develop top-notch, profit-driving digital content for your B2B content efforts.
First things first – identify the content types that are already performing well in your industry. Content-driven B2B profits come from creating content that’s valuable for your industry and, in turn, your brand.
For example, if you find infographics work particularly well in your vertical to explain the benefits of your complex B2B business solution in a visually pleasing manner, explore other sites similar in your space and see if their infographics are creating a conversation around their brand.
Keep in mind that B2B content profits start with establishing trust. Quality content development isn’t cheap, especially in a specialized B2B space, but it’s absolutely essential to building your brand’s credibility and relevance in the digital world. Creating, distributing, and amplifying your B2B content is a process that will pay off, in the long run. Think about the content your target customer needs to make an informed purchase, and provide that in a way that compliments your sales team and other marketing initiatives.
Look for ways to leverage your piece(s) of quality content in a variety of formats. Branch out into video, blogs, white papers, social media posts, infographics, interactive widgets, downloadable templates, etc. See what different content types draw the most engagement, and use that feedback to hone your future efforts.
As with any marketing campaign, the ultimate goal of your B2B content marketing is to earn profits. However, it’s important to keep creating goals and milestones before you get to that point. Continually refine your goals based on how your content performs on certain platforms or to certain audiences. Simply put, you can’t judge your content performance if you don’t have an objective you’re trying to accomplish.
It’s also imperative you understand your content’s shelf-life. Pay attention to how it’s performing over time. If, for example, your blog posts tend to remain relevant for a week, it doesn’t make sense only to be posting one per month. Plan your content schedule thoughtfully based on performance and goals. If you don’t know which is best, try a mix of news and evergreen content to start.
Most importantly, document your goals and strategy. Keep track of what is working. This will ensure you have reliable data for measuring your ROI when the time comes.
For more information about leveraging high-quality digital content to drive B2B profits, check out our ebook!