Content marketing continues to be one of the best mediums to engage with a potential lead for many reasons. Traditional advertising does not communicate with a specific audience, whereas content marketing can directly target and lead nurture customers who are interested in your company. The streamlined approach to digital content can be your best means to captivating future customers at an affordable cost to you.
Before we explain content strategies for effective B2B selling, it’s important to understand what it is B2B buyers are looking for.
Obviously B2B audiences are different from B2C audiences. In general, B2C is marketing to individuals through emotional messaging that relates to their life and needs. B2B content marketing differs because you’re marketing to an organization or business rather than an individual. These organizations are coming to other businesses via B2B content marketing in hopes of receiving expertise and ROI for a certain asset of their business. Odds are they need this expertise from a particular skill or product because their own employees and resources are inadequate.
Examples of B2B Companies
- An email marketing automation agency (like REAS!) that outsources lead nurture assistance to businesses that need to increase their brand awareness or sales.
- A financial institution that offers loans to startups in immediate need of covering expenses or invoices.
- An apparel print shop that sells wholesale discounted shirts to businesses or events.
- A software platform that organizes a company’s sales figures, workforce tasks, or data.
- An electric company that manages the power and energy used in an office building.
Now that you better understand your audience, it’s time to learn how content marketing can be used as a powerful tool to nurture clients.
Your content should reflect the following goals:
- A clear and concise ROI. How will this product or service make their company more efficient? Businesses are always driven by financial incentives.
- Proof of your expertise. How are your skills or products better than or unique from the competition?
- Awareness of your audience. Which organizations do you want to communicate your services to? Do you use similar messaging that they jive with?
- Educational resources. How can you prove through your content that you’re an expert in your field? Make your audience want to return to your webpage because they know you’re a valuable source for information on the topic at hand.
- Next steps. Make it easy for the reader to contact a representative, purchase a product, or take the next step to completing a purchase or conversion.
- Sentiment. B2B can sometimes come off as less “human” or emotional than B2C content marketing. Make sure your audience knows you care about them.
- Establishing Trust. If all your content comes off as “sales-y” then a reader might see this approach as desperate. Create trust with leads by offering industry news or insight that isn’t always pushing a purchase.
Types of Content to Use:
Email is usually the most valuable type of B2B content. A whooping 93% of B2B marketers use email marketing automation. Sending out regular marketing automation emails and email newsletters are good ways to consistently engage with these leads.
Website
Good website content is crucial for a B2B business. The majority of buyers visit a website before making a purchasing decision. If your site has errors, looks outdated, or doesn’t use compelling messaging then you might lose a potential lead to a competitor.
Influencers
If you hire an influencer to promote your brand, their personalized content can give your brand a more intimate feel to prospective buyers. Influencers aren’t relevant for all B2B businesses, but you’d be surprised how many B2B brands do use influencer marketing to promote their content and lead nurture customers. For example, the software company SAP used influencers to promote their conference, and Point Blank SEO hires influencers as guest bloggers for their site. Both companies experienced big gains when working with influencers.
Blog
A blog can be the leading educational resource your audience refers to when learning more about your specific industry. If a potential buyer sees a consistent blog full of expert advice, then they’re more likely to trust your services. Adding more blogs to your website improves your SEO and could reel in potential leads. You can also link back to newly posted blogs in your marketing automation email newsletters to receive more views.
SMS
Text messaging has proven its effectiveness with the highest read rate of any content. If you’re fortunate enough to gain a lead or subscriber’s phone number, then take advantage of this form of communication by giving them personal messages straight to their phone. SMS is also a good method for continuing the conversation after a recent purchase, survey, or demo sign up.
The options are endless for how you interact with your audience. Content marketing can be represented through many mediums that work together to nurture your potential customers through the sales funnel. If you’re looking to align your content cohesively into your email marketing automation platform, contact REAS Marketing today to get professional help with your email and content marketing strategies.
