Creating a B2B content marketing strategy is crucial. But where do you start?
Content itself is what drives SEO and lead generation. More than that, it’s a key factor in building credibility and thought leadership. So why leave it to chance? Creating a B2B content marketing strategy will give you greater control over your efforts, boosting awareness and potential leads.
Within this post, you’ll find an introduction to the 5 core elements of a content marketing strategy. Thinking on each idea will give you a strong foundation to get started.
For more detailed instructions on how to create your plan, check out our free B2B content marketing strategy workbook. By the time you’re done, you’ll have your very own strategy ready to go.
Why Is B2B Content So Important?
The content you produce defines how your audience finds and interacts with your business. And how do most of us find new businesses? Google.
The backbone of content, according to Google, is E-A-T. This stands for a given website’s expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. These three areas are how Google ranks you, and therefore affects what readers will see. By producing content, you’re rated higher on E-A-T by Google.
5 Core Elements of a Content Strategy
Buyers
The content you produce should be about answering the questions your buyers have (or may have in the future). So, you need to identify their intent. If you know what questions your audience wants answered online, you can engage them by answering.
Just be aware of the nuances of search engines. On Google, for example, similar phrases can give dramatically different results. A quick search for “pigment dispersions” will bring you information on colorants, pigments, and code. Meanwhile, a singular “pigment dispersion” will turn up details on a form of glaucoma. The smallest detail makes the difference. Be sure to understand exactly what your buyers want and are searching for.
Our workbook gives you simple exercises to get into the heads of your buyers. By better understanding their intent, you can produce both better content and results.
The Content Itself
The main purpose of creating content is to get your audience to engage with your business. This can be through reading a blog, listening to “how-to” videos, or even attending a webinar. The goal is to attract a lead’s attention and convince them to stay for more.
Think about your buyers, and give them what they want! Put yourself in their shoes. Would you rather an educational eBook on a topic you had questions on, or one filled with nothing but promotions and ads?
With this in mind, brainstorm topics that may fulfill your audience’s needs.
Distribution Channels
Identifying your target market is important for content production and distribution. Sure, you may have the best blogs or newsletters around. But what good are they if your potential buyers won’t ever see them?
It’s time to go where your buyers are. Knowing where your desired audience hangs out and how they interact online is a huge part of the battle. You want to distribute your content to channels where it will be seen by as much of your target market as possible. For example, it may be the case that your buyers only use Twitter and LinkedIn. If that’s true, there may be little use in posting to Instagram. Focus your efforts and publish your content where it will make the most impact.
This will change from industry to industry, so do your research and locate your audience! By going through the exercises in our workbook, you’ll get more detailed instructions on how to find your buyers.
Tactics
Tactics is all about planning and timing. Posting content regularly is ideal, so come up with a schedule of when and how each item will be published. The more often you can pump out quality content, the better. Similarly, the more specific you can be with timing each blog, social media post, and email boost, the easier it is to carry out.
That being said, don’t burn yourself out. Make sure the goals and schedule you set are realistic for you and your team. Once that’s done, commit to your schedule and stick to it.
Metrics
Marketers today use powerful analytic tools to track and improve upon their content. Big names include Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Semrush.
While they may look daunting, don’t be overwhelmed. You don’t need to use every tool available right away. Pick a few functions on a platform, and break the learning down little by little into bite sized chunks. It may take some time, but understanding these three analytic tools can create new opportunities for growth at every corner.
Our eBook provides a list of all the important B2B metrics you should be regularly tracking. Whether its Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or Semrush, we highlight a few key areas for you to watch on each.
tl;dr: Building a B2B Content Marketing Strategy
Focusing on your buyers, content, channels, tactics, and metrics are the core elements to a successful content marketing strategy. The last tricky bit comes with putting them all together. We will dive into these next steps and provide more specifics on the five core elements in our free workbook. Functioning as a workbook, you’ll get clear and detailed directions on starting your very own B2B content marketing strategy.
