Content creation is a vital part of marketing for all types of businesses. This is the case for both B2B and B2C companies. However, more B2C companies seem to have embraced content creation than B2B companies. Also, while several B2B companies create content as part of their marketing, many others are yet to understand the subtle differences between B2C content and B2B content, and how to make the most of them.
Some of these differences exist because of the types of customers they serve. B2B companies serve other businesses as opposed to individuals, yet they have to market to individuals who make decisions on behalf of those businesses. Also, the products and services they offer require more significant investments than their B2C counterparts.
Another critical difference is that B2B businesses serve a small, focused target market while B2C companies serve large target markets. Also, B2B audiences seek efficiency and expertise, while the audiences for B2C businesses typically seek deals and entertainment.
With these differences in mind, while creating B2B content, you have to think differently from a B2C content creator. This should be obvious by now, but many B2B companies still miss it. In this article, we’ll explore some content marketing tips to help boost your marketing. Let’s dive in.
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If You Can Sell The Story, The Product Will Sell
One of the first places where most B2B copywriters make a mistake is that they write articles that are either too formal or boring.
While it is true that you are writing content for professionals, don’t forget that those professionals are also human beings. Yes, your content should include some of the professional terms used in the industry you serve. This is part of the identification process and helps to show your reader you are not a novice, but don’t fill your copy with unnecessary jargon.
Some of these professionals that you are writing for are tired of the jargon they have to use to describe simple things. They’re longing for a break, and your simple article can be that break – pun intended.
Anyway, you need to mix professionalism with simple writing. This makes your articles user-friendly and professional at the same time.
When you add storytelling to it, you can get anyone (your target audience) to connect with your content. Read different B2B copywriting examples from competitors or other companies that are excelling in their marketing to see how it’s done, or at least get ideas for what to do.
You can incorporate stories (testimonials) of customers who have used your service and are satisfied with it. Instead of just stating that customer ABC had a need and our product filled that need, tell the story. Talk about the pain she went through and how her previous tool couldn’t get the job done. Talk about how she found your products, the doubts she had because of her previous experience with other tools. Take your audience through her experience and the joy she now exudes for using yours. Let them connect with her story…and your product!
Sometimes, a good story is everything you need to sell your products. If you successfully sell the story, the product will sell itself…with little effort!
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Create Engaging Multi-Layered Content
This next tip shouldn’t come as a surprise since you should already know it, but it is worth emphasising.
As much as possible, never use only text-based content. Humans are more visual than you think. They remember information in a graphic format more than what they read. Besides that, you want to reach different categories of people (learners). There are visual learners as well as auditory learners.
So, do your best to ensure your content caters to all kinds of learners and information seekers. Depending on the platform for which you’re creating the content, break up your text-based articles with images and videos, especially when it is lengthy.
Yeah, videos will require more efforts to create, but if you can incorporate them, your content will be better because of it. An infographic demonstrating how something is used or done is great, but nothing beats a video demonstration of the same thing.
A note of warning regarding the use of video: people hate poor-quality videos. It does more harm than good, so if you don’t have the experience or do not want to invest in video creation, entrust your content creation to a reputable B2B copywriting agency. The investment will be worth it.
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Content Validation And Brand Tracking Are Important
It’s always very tempting to assume the content that your audience wants to consume and just put it out there. But that is a mistake you shouldn’t make. Yes, you may not need to validate every content idea you have, but you should validate as much as you can.
Research your industry to find out the gaps in the content being produced and fill that gap. One way to do this is to check out the different comments and reviews on blog, forums and review sites. Look out for frustrations, complaints, and dissatisfactions of your clients then go ahead to create content to fill them.
Go through reviews of your products to know what your customers think is great about them, and what they find annoying. These may be on your website or other websites or social media platforms. This is part of brand tracking.
You may find that a customer has given your product a bad review due to not understanding how it works. Without saying much, you just found an idea for a post you should put out there to address the misconception or (better still) show clients how to use the product.
Also, you may have to validate your content ideas on platforms like Twitter actively. You can do this by posting an infographic of your content idea, then watching the replies and reactions of your audience to it. If they respond well to it, you can go ahead with a blog post or other content forms. If not, you may or may not decide to axe it.
If all of these seem like too much work because it will distract you from focusing on the core activities of managing your business, you can choose to get an agency to handle your B2B copywriting service. They have different ways of researching and validating your content before creating them.
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Webinars Are Not For B2C Companies Alone
Many B2C companies in the service space are embracing webinars. B2B companies should do so, too. Webinars shouldn’t only be an option; they should be an integral part of your online marketing. Why? Since the products and services offered by B2B businesses are often high-end or costlier than those offered by B2C companies, your clients may need something more than a blog post or a video demonstration to reach a decision. That’s where webinars come in.
Even if your clients don’t need another form of content, it is great to plan and run webinars as a B2B business. Why? It has the power of shortening your product’s sales cycle because it engages your prospects, presents them with valuable information they need on specific subjects, and leaves room for live discussions and demonstrations.
But before you run into scheduling a webinar, understand that this is a great sales platform, so it has to be properly planned and scripted. This is one place where a B2B copywriting service will come to the rescue. An agency offering this service would consist of copywriters who are also great at sales. Don’t just push your chief technician to present the seminar.
No matter the size of your company, applying these content marketing tips will help you engage and convert your leads into clients. And if you’re already converting prospects without implementing them, there’s no limit to how much more success you will see using these tips.