By Michelle Etherton, The Partner Marketing Group
Content marketing isn’t new. It’s been around longer than we have. But the way your customers search for, consume and use (yes, use!) your content has changed dramatically even over the past year. When you want to differentiate your company and improve customer engagement, B2B content marketing is the hottest ticket in town.
Do you know…
- How many pieces of content it takes for your customer to engage?
- Which piece of content can double sales?
- What you can do to deliver 54% more leads into the marketing funnel?
Go download our new infographic, Content Marketing – Rockin’ the world of B2B, and you’ll find the answers to these questions and more surprising facts around how your customers are interacting with content right now. We had some fun with the infographic, but the facts are very compelling.
Your customers are coming prepared, all because of content marketing
The lines are becoming blurred between B2C and B2B content marketing because even in business, decision makers are still consumers. They’re connected, they’re social and they are using many of the same channels to educate themselves whether they’re buying a new ERP solution from you or a new lawnmower from the hardware store down the street.
Particularly in the technology and software space, by the time prospects talk to you, they’ve done their homework. They searched online. They’ve scoured your website—and those of your competitors and vendors—looking for answers, articles, downloads, testimonials from businesses like theirs. They might have looked you up on social media. They’ve read reviews, know about features, compared pricing, and have probably checked out a demo or two on YouTube.
This is content marketing at work. It’s powerful stuff.
B2B content marketing isn’t a one-stage show; it’s a 365-day-a-year performance
Sure, you’ve got a great brochure, some informative sales sheets for your best selling products and, hey, you even updated your website a few years ago. Friends, it is simply not enough today. We are strong advocates for quality over quantity, so even if that’s all you’ve got to work with, your site should be written to convert and optimized with the keywords your customers are using to find you online. Your sales sheets should focus on helping customers solve challenges, not just list a bunch of general products and features.
If you haven’t yet discovered the value of content marketing within a multi-channel, or omni-channel, marketing strategy, you are losing fans by the minute. Investing in targeted, consistent and relevant content is the first step, but only one step. You’ve got to know how to USE IT if you want it to get you to the next level.
- How can you best use your content to engage prospects and customers?
- Where should you use your content to get the best results for different channels, personas and markets?
- Which keywords, platforms and types of content will drive people to your business?
- When should you use specific content for each stage in the buying cycle?
Amazing content has no value if it is not seen, socialized and supportive of an overall marketing strategy.
Ready to amp up your content marketing?
The Partner Marketing Group specializes in helping technology and software publishers, resellers and ISVs get continuous results from their content. With thousands of pieces of targeted B2B content delivered, specialized industry expertise, and tailored solutions for content development, campaigns and marketing strategy—we know what works for your customers and how to make them fans of your brand. Get in touch and let’s make you the content rock stars you want to be so you are top of mind, center stage if you will, all year round.
