At BDB, we are advocates of the role content marketing can play in nurturing prospects and customer relationships in the trade b2b environment. We help clients develop credible content marketing strategies and share our own expertise on this blog and via our free white paper downloads.
Last year, René gave an introduction to content marketing – highlighting the growing importance of the internet in b2b buying processes and looking at the challenges of creating, shaping and sharing content. Content marketing was still a relatively new discipline back then, but recent figures suggest that 90 per cent of b2b marketers now use some form of content marketing. Almost two-thirds plan to increase their content marketing spending over the next 12 months, according to the US based Content Marketing Institute.
With content marketing, there are no ‘quick wins’. People buy when they trust, and trust takes time to build. The fundamentals behind a successful content marketing strategy haven’t changed. Content still matters, but that does not just mean more content – it must be relevant, high quality and something that customers want to share.
Below are some of my top tips for creating a content marketing strategy:
See content as expertise. Aim to create an information hub and position your company as the resource for the topics that you want to be associated with.
Think first. Planning is the key to content marketing success. Agree what business outcomes you are looking to achieve and manage expectations internally. Segment your prospects and customers, and map content to specific target audiences at different stages of the buying process.
Produce content that is useful, valuable and social. Select your content marketing tools and tailor materials to reach particular audiences and achieve specific outcomes within your overall strategy. Provide content that you would want to share to improve search engine visibility.
Consider how you generate content. Who and what will help you create content that is informative, engaging and gets shared? Prepare an editorial calendar and work with colleagues to develop material well ahead of time. Put processes in place to enable your brand to respond to topical issues quickly. Repurpose and repackage material to achieve maximum visibility.
Monitor your success and refine your strategy. Evaluation will help you create more engaging content in the long term. Use the data you collect to establish which content your customers find most valuable and optimise your approach accordingly.
Get in touch today to discuss your content marketing strategy, and for support putting it into action.
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