5 Content Marketing Tips For B2B Marketers
Posted by Sylvia Arce on Thu, Sep 06, 2012
There’s a lot of power in content if, and only if, seen in the right perspective by the right audience in a timely fashion. The B2B online marketing landscape is becoming more crowded and noisier each day. You need to be not just visible but to stand out by offering content that creates an impact even to the most indifferent reader and thus build relationships that last.
Creating content is not the end of the marketing funnel. Content needs to be optimized and promoted, leads analyzed and nurtured until you win the hearts and wallets of your customers. In a maturing social marketing environment, B2B marketers must be on their toes everyday to define and redefine unique marketing formulas that stick to people’s minds. The following tips can have rewarding results if done the proper way:
1. Flex your social muscles. Social media has become an integral part of doing business and content is the bond that connects people. If you’re not sure how social forums and platforms will promote your brand, you can look up to big names in business like Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola. Figures don’t lie and theirs run in the billions. Engaging tweets, likes and posts on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for instance, help maintain a powerful social visibility.
2. Provide an interactive component to your content. – Feedback, whether positive or negative, animates discussions. It is a good beginning to connect with followers and fans while sharing new ideas and alternative solutions. Aside from fresh and useful information, provocative, intriguing or argumentative material presented in the proper context can elicit positive reactions and enlivened dialogues.
3. Never underestimate your good old email. – After creating the connections, make sure to stay in touch in a more private venue, your email. You are at a point where you are beginning to establish your target’s profile and the persona that he represents. This can help you get an insight into how he thinks and his buying patterns so that you will be able to strike a marketing strategy best suited for him. At the same time, you are introducing your company and it may be helpful to provide informative content like sharing your brochure and leaflets.
4. Plan and carry out a follow-through strategy. At this point, your B2B prospect is weighing his options. Taking your cue from here, there are three stages that you need to hurdle. First, create brand awareness by providing thought leadership content and best company practices while getting your prospect to think. Second, send your customer a meaty list of resources on industry information in the form of guides and templates as he is now exploring the possibility of considering your offer. Third, if you feel that your prospective buyer is leaning toward your product, send him content that highlights your company to reaffirm his decision.
5. Share your opinion and provide solutions. – Be wary of accelerating the marketing process unless you observe a clear and relevant sign that warrants stepping it up. In the meantime, take your time in following your prospect in social media groups like LinkedIn or Twitter. Share your knowledge, opinion and experience to show that you are well-informed of your business and industry. Provide doable solutions to strengthen your credibility in the marketplace and sway your audience to your brand.
It is important to remember that content marketing should not be centered on the product but on the prospective customers and the benefits they get. When marketers give a sales pitch for the purpose of getting a sale, they are more likely to antagonize the social community and end up with a blemished credibility. A good tip is the 80/20 Rule of Focus with 20% allotted for product description and functions and 80% for credibility, image and thought leadership building.
Creating value in content is itself a valuable investment that pays off and pays off well. If you deliver valuable information and observe how audiences respond, you can make adjustments and craft a better marketing plan, one that drives customers to the points of sale. After all, any good marketing strategy should be able to propel sales, sales and more sales.