Get a quick overview of content marketing for your B2B firm.
Definition of Content Marketing
Content marketing includes any resource crafted to educate or engage your target market, such as
- blog posts
- articles
- white papers
- ebooks
- case studies
- use cases
- webinars
- videos
- social media posts
- infographics
- charts
- etc.
Content Strategy for the Entire Customer Experience
Content marketing pieces address every step of the buyer’s journey from discovery to decision to upgrades. They explore things like challenges, problems, answers, how-tos, and education.
The Audience Is Your Target Market
The audience for content marketing is your target market and includes potential prospects, leads, and customers. The focus for your B2B content marketing is on the end-user and what matters to them, not your company.
Always ask, “What value does this offer my audience?”
Your Website Is Central to Content Marketing
For B2B firms, all content marketing centers on your B2B website. This is often the conversion point for any leads. Most of the content you create will either live on your website (downloads, blog posts, white papers, etc.) or will point back to your website (ebooks, social posts, email newsletters, etc.).
Goals of Content Marketing
Goals can vary from lead generation to buyer awareness to attracting investors to retaining existing clients to nurturing leads. The one thing to keep in mind is that content marketing is not meant to overtly promote your business, products or services. Rather, it is to educate your target market and give them the information they need to make a decision. If you provide something of value to your target market, you become a trusted source of information and a potential partner. However, if all your content revolves around the features of your products or services – you are just another company selling something.