Benefits of B2B Content Marketing
Did you know a whopping 96% of B2B buyers want content with more input from industry thought leader (Source: HubSpot)? Additionally, 47% of buyers actually view between 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep.
In 2019, content is still king and these stats prove the importance of content marketing for B2B brands.
You see, content marketing has become a top strategy for engaging your audience, attracting new clients, and increasing revenue for your business. Marketing tools like your business blog, email content, videos, and social media are key assets for driving awareness and connecting to your ideal buyer.
Yet, less than 30% of B2B marketers have a solid content marketing strategy in place. This means that your brand has a big advantage over the competition by simply developing a content strategy – and executing it.
This also means you’ll significantly improve your results across the board. You’re giving your audience more of what they want while staying fresh in your digital marketing.
In fact, here are the top six advantages of B2B content marketing and why it’s a must for your business.
6 Reasons Why B2B Content Marketing is Effective
#1 Cements Your Authority and Credibility
A big benefit of content marketing is it allows you to showcase your expertise and knowledge in the industry.
Your business blog, for example, provides a platform for you to dive deep into topics to offer value to readers. In fact, blog posts that are optimized for search (SEO) and exceed 2,000 words are perfect candidates for first page Google ranking.
Also, webinars are shown to work well for B2B audiences, giving you the chance to connect and interact with attendees while sharing useful content that positions you as a thought-leader.
#2 Increases Awareness and Exposure
Content marketing consists of two components: the actual content itself and the promotion of that content (the marketing element).
Amazing content that speaks to your target audience, answers their most pressing questions and solves problems is perfect for creating awareness around your brand. It highlights who you are, the value you offer, and how you’re a solution in the marketplace.
However, it’s the strategic marketing of that content that drives exposure and puts your message in front the right people. Your B2B content marketing strategy ensures that you’re not simply creating content and hoping it sticks.
With a true plan, you can hit your target every time and boost your online results.
#3 Improves Lead Generation
One of the biggest challenges small businesses face in their digital marketing is generating leads. Actually, only 1 in 10 marketers feel their lead generation campaigns are effective!
Your content marketing plan is a serious way to overcome the drought in capturing leads to grow your funnel.
There are a plethora of ways to optimize your content to build a high-quality email listand give your sales team some qualified leads to work with. Adding video content to a landing page has been proven to increase conversions by as much as 80% (Source: IMPACT). Also, sharing helpful information solidifies trust with your audience, boosting the know, like, and trust factor to get them to take favorable action such as opting in.
#4 Drives Website Traffic
Another obstacle small businesses experience is traffic generation. You can have a state-of-the-art website design, but with no consistent website visitors, your hard work (or dollars) will go in vain.
Content marketing is a top solution to attract new visitors and keep them on your pages. Through SEO techniques, you can better position your content on search pages. By improving user-experience with video, surveys and polls, slideshows and audio, you’ll maintain your audience interest and keep users engaged (thus, improving dwell-time).
Also, keep in mind that a staggering 43% of B2B marketers say blogging is their most important type of content. A good reason is that B2B companies who blog 11+ times per month had almost three times more traffic than those blogging 0-1 times per month (Source: HubSpot).
#5 Stand Out and Get Noticed on Social Media
According to Social Sprout, a lot of B2B brands haven’t fully grasped the concept of social media marketing or choose to simply ignore it all together.
But a strong B2B social media strategy can boost awareness, engagement, and leads. Sharing valuable content on your social channels is a smart way to attract new clients and drive traffic to your website.
In fact, here are a few compelling stats and facts revealing how important social media marketing is to your business:
- 74% of people say they use Facebook for professional purposes (Source: HubSpot)
- LinkedIn has 562 million members with 40% of these members visit the professional social network each day (Source: HubSpot)
- When it comes to delivering content and securing audience engagement, LinkedIn is the most effective social media platform (Source: HubSpot)
- 65% of senior executives navigate to a site after viewing a related YouTube video (Source: HubSpot)
- Companies who embrace employee advocacy can tremendously increase their reach and engagement on social media (Source: Sprout Social)
Therefore, your social media strategy will help increase your following and amplify your overall digital marketing results. The good news is, when you develop a strong content marketing strategy, your social media marketing simply aligns with that plan.
#6 Boosts Your Bottom Line
Lastly, a content marketing strategy can have a huge impact on your revenue. You see, 59% of B2B marketers say email is their most effective channel in terms of revenue generation. Additionally, it’s the third most influential source of information for B2B audiences.
Through lead nurturing, you’ll easily convert your prospects into buying customers, successfully moving them through the buyer’s journey.
Yet, it doesn’t stop there. A working content marketing strategy seeks to convert your customer’s into loyal fans and advocates of your brand. It’s easier and more cost-efficient to retain a customer than it is to gain a new one. Email marketing keeps your followers connected to your brand so they keep coming back to you.
Develop Your Strategy for 2019
Honing your B2B content marketing strategy is a must in 2019. If you desire to win, separate yourself from the competition and attract buying clients, content marketing will get you there!
Need guidance on developing your strategy for 2019? Reach out to us here for a free consultation. We have the experience and drive to help move you forward this year.
