B2B Content Marketing Observations based on CMI Research

In Q4 of 2019, Content Marketing Institute released this delightful report entitled “2020 B2B Content Marketing: What the Successful Do”. You know what I love? A juicy, statistics filled report that a) I didn’t have to pay to have done and b) is well documented and trustworthy. If I were a kid on Halloween, this would be the equivalent to giving me a bucket of ethically sourced sugary morsels.

Because this report is so action-packed, we’re going to focus on one slide (just one!). Friends and neighbors, if you could flip your textbooks to slide 25, we’ll start there.

You’re probably asking yourself, “Why slide 25?” Lemme explain. Actually no, that would take far too long. Lemme sum up: slide number 25, which is focused on what marketers are doing that actually work for them at each stage of the funnel. I found this slide incredibly useful and practical for someone trying to do their best work with limited information (which is all of us, isn’t it?). First, observe. Then let’s dive in: 

​Quick caveat, before I go digging into this slide: I know not everyone’s customer journey looks the same. But if you’re working with limited information, this is a great place to start. You can create your own version of this as you learn what works for you.

Build Brand Awareness

Building brand awareness is, in my opinion, the toughest part in the B2B world. There’s this saying that it takes 50% of the fuel to get a plane off the ground and the remaining fuel is for landing. Building brand awareness is going to take 50% of your tank of gas. So, when 31% of B2B marketers cite blog posts and short articles as the top piece of content they create, it’s likely they’re talking volume. And what could those organizations possibly be writing about that much? They answer critical questions being asked in the market that directly and tangentially relates to the product or service they are selling. They’re focused on building awareness through expertise. 

The other great thing about blogs is they can address things that don’t fit into your website’s navigation. They are a market research goldmine to get a better sense for what is driving people to your site when you experiment with keywords. But, good blogging is not complete without it’s sisters: SEO and social media. 

Let’s start with SEO...

Doing the SEO research is a key part to being found. On the topic of commonly heard phrases, if a blog post gets posted on the internet but there aren’t any keywords to find it, does it ever get read? The answer is a resounding NO. 

If you’re doing it, you win over your competitor who is not doing it. And there’s a shocking number of people failing to invest in this step. Do your research. Know what people are searching for. And do it in a way that aligns with three big categories for your product: 

• ​Direct product/service relation: Think feature updates, mergers, acquisitions, new products/services

• ​Business challenges your product solves: Identify the critical issues that businesses face, answer questions about that challenge  

• Trends: What are the surrounding factors that impact the business challenge. Think about economic, seasonal, political or technological factors that drive the business challenge, and answer questions about THAT specifically​

And if you’re not sure where to start, I recommend AnswerthePublic.com. It's kind of amazing. You can put a word in and it will dump out all of the questions that people are asking around that phrase. It might make your job easier. Try it.

Don’t let SEO down. It makes your blogs sad. ​​

Did You Notice that Social Media had its Own Bullet Point?

​You’re generating content? Perfect. Those posts feed the social media machine. That’s why 25% of people are using tweets, stories, and updates to share their content. They’re using strategically chosen hashtags (critical, please do your research and find the ones that work best for you, please, please, pretty please) to help build an audience and get their message in front of people who might not have known about them in the first place by offering relevant content. ​

Oh, and keep it rolling ok? Consistent social media updates means more visitors to your site that could turn into more customers. For my clients, I recommend the 3/2/1 social media plan. 

• Do 3 updates for your most important platform. Schedule those updates 3 times over 6 months. 
• Do 2 updates for your second most important platform. Schedule those updates 3 times over 6 months. 
• Do 1 update for your least most important platform and schedule that three times over 6 months. 

Something to note: this only works for evergreen content. Events are too timely and don’t lend to long term social strategies unless you start advertising your event far in advance. Like Content Marketing Institute does for Content Marketing World. 

Doing this will ensure you have a constant stream of social media on your channels. No one will ever think to themselves, “Geeze, they haven’t tweeted in awhile. I wonder if they monitor their channels.” It will always look like you’re rocking your social media game even if you have a slow week here and there. ​

In-Person Events Rock!

​Brand-driven events can suck. There’s no doubt about that. The trick is really knowing your audience. For instance, I was working at a digital agency as their in-house marketer and we did a series of events that only met at speakeasy bars. Why? Because marketers are so, so, SO, skeptical, time starved and uninterested in being marketed to, the best thing I could do was make it too intriguing to miss. We didn’t even pay for drinks. We positioned it as a meetup, it had no host, we had a few door prizes, but otherwise it was a straight networking event. Our people networked with local marketers. Which gave them a chance to talk shop. And that’s how you nab a marketer. 

So, using events can give you an opportunity to know who you are, and how you might benefit them in some way. That could look like a networking event, a class, or a cocktail hour. This is an opportunity to build trust with them and show that the people in your organization are human beings. They want to have fun or get information and connect with other human beings. You want to give it to them in a way that’s easy to ingest, piques their curiosity and isn’t really about you. It needs to be about THEM.

Email Newsletters

This sits in the middle of the funnel for seemingly obvious reasons, but I’m going to state it anyway, because that’s the type of gal I am. You must have heard of the company in order to sign up for their newsletter. Unless, of course they’re monsters and they bought your name. Then, well, they might end up in hell...or somewhere worse, like Walmart. 

Basically, email newsletters do a great job of summing up your marketing efforts for the period of time it covers. It’s a digest of your activity. And it appeals to the introverts, people uninterested in networking and those who plain old just don’t have enough time. ​

I personally hate newsletters, on the whole. But there are a few that don’t suck: Content Marketing Institute. Ladies Get Paid. Tech Ladies. The Riveter. FBomb Breakfast Club. I’ve heard killer things about Ann Handley's as well.

The holy grail here is to get people to fanboiii over your content. You want them disappointed if it goes into the promotional folder because they’ve told Google ten times that they want it in their main inbox. If they watch out for it, you are creating a relationship.

Also incredibly useful: email nurtures. But, let’s save that for another blog.

In Person Events… Again

​Oftentimes, if your product or service is over a thousand dollars it can take some real time to close a deal like that. If that's the case for you, multiple events throughout this process make absolute sense. Can’t get married without meeting the person a couple of times (I mean, that’s my philosophy, no judgement if you are doing the arranged marriage thing). These could look like VIP parties, panel invitations, conferences, parties for an award win. 

No matter what your event is, ensure that what you’re putting on is an intersection between people’s passion or plague and your passion and solution. And when an event is done right, as Joe Pulluzi and Robert Rose like to say, marketing can be a revenue stream.

Oh, Case Studies, How We Love Thee

Case studies help illustrate the company’s ability to help their customers succeed. Oftentimes, the person who's in the decision making seat isn’t always writing the check. If that's the case, your champion needs to make the case for using you as a vendor. Using case studies as a way to help seal the deal is how your team collectively knows that the organization is making the right choice.

Of course, the case study, when done well, transcends persona-specific content. Every good case study should be part client challenge story (ooooh, who dunnit?), part business impact, part nitty gritty elements (think technology specific), and part client showcase. This ensures that you hit every level of the organizational purchase chain.

When you do it right, it’s an onion

​Marketing isn’t a one-and-done sort of project. As the slide illustrates, you need multiple efforts at each level of the funnel. When it’s done right, each layer of expertise and well-executed messaging creates… well, an onion. Layers and layers of thoughtful, data-driven, creative marketing. A delicious, and profitable onion.

Are you ready to make an onion?

​Are you ready to fine tune your marketing funnel? Let us know. We’d love to hear from you. ​

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