What Is B2B Content Marketing?
According to the Content Marketing Institute:
“Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”
These principles remain the same whether you’re using a B2B content marketing tactic or for your B2B or B2C company.
Where things differ is the decision process and promotion channels that can be successful in customer acquisition and conversions. And we’ll look at these differences shortly.
If we turn to Google Trends to see the growth in popularity of content marketing as a channel, there’s continued interest and demand for content marketing because it works.
As consumers, we’re becoming immune to advertising. In fact, at least 30% of internet users now use an ad blocker. We have increasingly complex purchase journeys where we’re wanting to connect and engage with a business before making an inquiry or a purchase.
And this is where content marketing comes in.
When we look specifically at B2B, we’re usually talking high-average order values and long-term commitments. These aren’t throwaway consumables. Those buyers want that increased confidence that they’re working with the right service provider or supplier.
Content marketing helps brands to attract, engage, and delight their audiences, both before, during, and after they make a purchase or engage a service. It’s a massive opportunity to position your brand as thought leaders; as experts at the top of your field and to become a key voice in your industry.
B2B Content Marketing vs. B2C Content Marketing
The main differences between B2C and B2B content marketing is based around the purchase journey and promotion channels, as well as the intent of the audience.
B2C marketing is often working with relatively simple and quick purchase journeys; the path between a customer discovering a business and making a purchase.
B2B content marketing is more likely to involve a lengthy and complicated purchase funnel that could take weeks, months, or longer, of nurturing a prospect through.
However, the underlying ethos of content marketing remains the same regardless of the audience: to use great content to engage potential customers and clients and to use this to drive a strong ROI.
