A B2B Content Strategy Template Deck You Can Build On

A B2B Content Strategy Template Deck You Can Build On

Ask any savvy marketer the secret behind their content marketing success and here’s what they’ll tell you – great content begins with a thought-out and documented content strategy.

The Content Marketing Institute’s annual B2B report has consistently shown that a documented strategy is a key indicator of success in content marketing. It isn’t surprising, therefore, that the number of content marketers who document their strategy has been steadily on the rise.

However, many marketers still falter when it comes to conceptualizing and creating a successful content strategy for B2B businesses. While some struggle because their approach is too myopic, others set themselves up for failure by being over-ambitious. So, here’s a nifty guide on how to create a B2B content strategy deck that will help you get the results you’re aiming for.

What is the difference between B2B and B2C Content Marketing?

B2B content marketing refers to businesses. Its purchase funnel is more complicated and could take months or longer to nurture a prospect toward the sale. That’s why the content creation process will be a little bit different.

A B2B content strategy is oriented toward increasing brand awareness, and you need to provide actionable tips to show other companies how you can solve their problems. Then B2C content is designed to create content for entertainment, and you need to keep your audience engaged.

In brief, B2B buyers mostly rely on logic and data to take action, while B2C customers are driven by their needs and desires. One thing remains confident that your need to produce excellent content to attract potential clients and customers and use this to increase your sales and conversions.

The top linked & shared B2B content marketing examples

Methodology

(The links referred to throughout are from unique domains – ie. in BuzzSumo we only count one link from one domain to a piece of content, even if that domain has linked to it multiple times.)

Which B2B customer journey stage drives the most links?

From our research, we found that conversion content at the bottom of the B2B marketing funnel drove the highest amount of links, with 2.78 links on average per content.

Which B2B customer journey stage drives the most engagement?

Explore the top B2B content marketing types & topics

Entertaining B2B content examples

They interviewed the founder of the game sensation, Wordle, to find out how he managed to catalyze a trend so huge it was mentioned 7m times on social media, covered 1.6m times in the media (Source: BuzzSumo Content Analyzer), and played by 2m people in less than three months.

In Rayson’s words, this content “challenged an existing orthodoxy” (ie. the idea that we need to be preparing for and getting excited about Web3) and provided a “provocative viewpoint” (ie. that we, in fact, don’t need to be preparing for and getting excited about Web3.)

Educational B2B content examples

The education part of the customer journey is where your reader is looking to learn. It’s at this point they may start to take an interest in your brand, as a result of the useful resources it provides.

Paddy Moogan

Persuasive B2B marketing examples

The persuade part of the customer journey is where you are able to influence your reader to convert with your B2B brand. They are already in the consideration stage at this point, and will be gathering information to make their decision.

Converting B2B marketing examples

But what I (and apparently many others) like about this guide is that it focuses on “Uncommon keyword research tools” – the ones you won’t always come across in your bog-standard lists.

Tips For Optimizing Your B2B Content Marketing Efforts

Research Your Audience Needs

The better you understand the challenges and pain point your potential customer is dealing with, the easier it will be to create the right content for engagement. Don’t skimp on the research phase. While this can help you create your buyer personas or ideal customer profiles, the research must go beyond that to truly understand what’s happening in your buyer’s world.

Nobody wants to be sold products. They do, however, want to find solutions to their problems. When you can craft content that addresses their concerns, you can capture their attention.

Research Your Keywords

With this understanding of your audience’s needs, you will have a good idea of what type of content they are looking for. The next step is to make sure you are using the right terms and phrases within your content marketing that will help get your content ranked in search.

There are various platforms online that can help you research keywords and automate this process for you. If you are just getting started, you can use Google’s free Keyword Planner tool . Type in a phrase and it will show you search results for that phrase plus suggest similar phrases that are also generating interest.

Develop Content for Each Stage of the Buyer’s Journey

Different B2B buyers will be at different stages of the buyer journey. Some are in the initial phase of doing research or trying to find answers to their questions. Others are comparing products and services. Others are ready to buy. You need different content for each stage to optimize your results.

In the Awareness phase, B2B buyers are recognizing they have a problem or area where they need to improve. Customers are researching potential solutions and looking for advice on how to solve problems.

In the Consideration phase, buyers have identified a need and are now looking for the best solution for their problems. They will research categories and products and weigh the pros and cons as they begin to narrow their choices.

Have a Goal For Every Piece of Content You Create

Promote Your Content

Many companies make the mistake of generating content and then letting it sit there. They wonder why it doesn’t attract an audience on its own. While using optimization methods to gauge effectiveness is important, you also need to promote the content to get it in front of the right audience.

Sources:

https://brewinteractive.com/b2b-content-strategy/
https://readwrite.com/b2b-content-marketing-practices-that-work/
https://buzzsumo.com/blog/b2b-content-marketing-examples/
https://www.bol-agency.com/blog/content-marketing-is-important-for-b2b