Creating Relevant, Engaging B2B Content

Problem: Finding effective ways to differentiate yourself in the marketplace.

Solution: Create Content marketing that is relevant and engages customers.

Today, B2B marketers are publishers. That's because Content marketing can help B2B companies differentiate themselves in the marketplace -- one of the toughest challenges today.
This can translate into:

• Increased website traffic
• Greater customer loyalty/retention
• Lead generation
• Direct sales

But how can you write and produce relevant content that really engages customers and prospects?

Obtained feedback from colleagues
While I currently develop marketing content for my clients in the form of articles, e-newsletters, e-books, etc., I wanted to delve further to see what others in the B2B world had to say.

I recently posed that very question to my colleagues in the B2B Technology Marketing Community on LinkedIn and it sparked a very active discussion. I'd like to share their thoughts with you. Before I do, lets first define Content marketing.

Content marketing defined
The Content Marketing Institute defines Content marketing as "the art of communicating with customers and prospects without selling".

Instead of pitching products or services, you deliver information that makes your buyer more intelligent and knowledgeable.

2010 Content marketing survey
Nine out of ten B2B marketers are using relevant, engaging content to grow their businesses because it can break through the clutter and make meaningful connections in an increasingly complex environment. That's according to a 2010 B2B Content Marketing Survey conducted by MarketingProfs and Junta42.

With the help of the Business Marketing Association and American Business Media, they surveyed 1,100 North American marketers; making it one of the largest, most comprehensive content marketing study of its kind in the world.

Relevant content biggest challenge
However, the study found that the biggest challenge is "producing the kind of content that engages customers and prospects". According to the survey, the most popular tactics are:

• Social media (excluding blogs) 79 percent
• Articles - 78 percent
• In-person events - 62 percent
• e-Newsletters - 61 percent

Thoughts from colleagues
Here are some of the highlights from the LinkedIn discussion I started on tips for producing compelling content that really engages customers and prospects:

• The most engaging content my team has produced has always been customer stories -- whether it's a case study, video, contributed article, etc.
• We implement micro social networking, where we integrate all possible forms of online social marketing into one single platform.
• Segment your customer data and find the most relevant message dependent on their behavioral characteristics. This may require conducting research on them first.
• Think about competitive differentiation in everything. Consider appropriate content for different stages in the buying cycle.
• Find out what content your customers and prospects are looking for and then present it in a clear and concise way that follows the buying process.
• Make the content easy to share via Slideshare, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
• Conduct research on customers who purchased your products or services to find out what type of content helped them the most during the buying process.

Re-purposing content
Once you've developed relevant, engaging content, it can then be re-purposed across multiple media. For example, you can take a white paper and turn it into a newsletter article, blog post, video, etc. Make sure, however, that you have a solid brand foundation that includes positioning that differentiates your products or services in the marketplace.

I'd love to get your perspective on this topic.