Blog
If we've said it once, we've said it tons of times here on the Savvy B2B Marketing blog – to 
connect with today's B2B buyers, you need to produce and make easily accessible a range of content that guides prospects through the buying cycle. Consider a few data points that back this up:
- According to IDC's Third Annual Buyer Experience Study: Guidance for Sales & Marketing, released in April 2010, respondents rated "consumption of vendor content" as the most important part of their pre-purchase activities for IT products or solutions.
- As ITSMA and Pierre Audoin Consultants revealed in their study released last September (How Customers Choose Solution Providers, 2009: The Importance of Personalization, Epiphanies, and Social Media), after asking colleagues for referrals, the next most popular activity for B2B buyers seeking an alternative solution is to conduct an online search.
And the report Breaking Out Of The Funnel: A Look Inside the Mind of the New Generation BtoB Buyer published by DemandGen Report highlighted the following:
"Almost 95% of recent purchasers said the solution provider they chose provided them with ample content to help navigate through each stage of the buying process.' " (Of note: "case studies, best practices data, white papers, ROI tools, and vendor comparison analysis were cited as the most helpful content sources.")
All this means that a critical component of your content marketing strategy is making sure your content is found in the search engines. After all, it's where the research process often begins.
A recent article on MediaPost summarized a Webinar presented by Jennifer Howard, who leads Google's B2B market group. Here are the stats that caught my eye:
- 79% increase in query volume for B2B terms during the last two years.
- Approximately 62% of business buyers now spend more time researching product and services online than they did prior to the recession.
- 65% of C-Suite executives conduct six or more work-related searches daily.
- About 99% of small-business owners use the Internet for research and cite it as the most effective tool to find suppliers.
As the article explains:
"The new analysis identifies the role online search contributes to the decision-making process as the 'zero moment of truth' (ZMOT)…with online marketing, marketers have an opportunity to stay with the consumer all along the purchase path as they consume content, watch videos and participate in forums." (Note that "consumer" here is used in reference to a B2B buyer.)
These trends underscore the importance of embedding keywords into every content asset and related web page on your site and others where you maintain a presence. This includes your white papers, blog posts, case studies, competitive comparisons, brochures, press releases, video and podcast abstracts, and even discussions on sites such as LinkedIn.
And if you're not already doing so, create dedicated landing pages for each content asset. Not only does this help prospects easily access the content they came across in the search engine results, it boosts your rankings in those results pages when you embed the keyword terms your prospects are searching on.
It goes without saying, but make sure you align your keywords with the terms your prospects are searching on. For example, at the beginning of the research process, they're mainly interested in trends, issues, and best practices – that means they won't be searching for a specific product type or vendor name. The following diagram from a Google webinar on using paid search for B2B provides more details.
I was going to lay out ALL the steps marketers should take to capitalize on these trends, but Rob Garner, a senior strategy director for digital marketing company iCrossing, just contributed a timely article to MediaPost about content publishing strategy. He suggests the following for marketers that want to succeed as online publishers:
- Perform in-depth keyword and market research
- Identify types of content to be targeted (videos, images, news, text, etc.)
- Plan to develop containers for the asset types that will be promoted (HTML, feeds, Web site architecture, etc.)
- Develop a detailed content strategy
- Develop a strategic plan for social content dissemination and engagement
- Identify primary and secondary metrics
- Customize dashboards and analytics platforms to accommodate new metrics
- Determine the specific resources needed for content development, deployment and social interaction, based on the scale determined in the strategy
For the details behind each step, check out Rob's article.
What are your suggestions for making sure content is found by B2B prospects?
About the author: Stephanie Tilton is a content marketing consultant who helps B2B companies craft content that nurtures leads and advances the buying cycle. You can follow her on Twitter or read more of her posts on SavvyB2B.
Image source: (c) SUJOY DAS on flickr
Related Posts:
The other week I had a post on the Content Marketing Institute about how to develop an editorial calendar for content marketing. I was trading some tweets about this, and Beth Harte (via Serengeti Communications) asked me: “How can people stick to an editorial calendar when other work pops up?”
Ah yes, the realism of taking marketing theory and turning it into practice (execution is the tricky part!). As Beth aptly said, “writing isn’t scalable.”
It’s a fantastic question. There isn’t an easy answer to this question, but here’s how I think through the process.
Decide if the content is needed
Before you add something to your editorial calendar, ask yourself if this content will help you get closer to your business or marketing goals. For instance, I’ve talked with clients who are excited to write an eBook or a white paper. But, when I ask them how they are going to use this or what the call to action will be, they have no idea. Or, you hear people talk about starting a blog all of the time, but they don’t really have a specific plan for how it will help their business (not to mention how they’ll measure its success).
If a particular type of content isn’t going to play a key role in helping you get closer to your business goals (such as helping customers move through the buying process), chances are, you don’t need it.
Estimate the time requirement
Once you decide that certain content is needed, be realistic about the time and resources that will be required. I bet most of us have fallen into this trap of underestimating how long something will take (I know I have). For instance, I was talking to a client who was interested in starting a blog, and he estimated 20 minutes per post – no big deal!
Of course, for those of us who have blogged, we realize that the time commitment is far more – and it can quickly become overwhelming (and a burden) if we haven’t planned appropriately. Not only do you need to write a draft, but you also need to come up with ideas, edit it, get set it loaded, promote, answer comments, and, (occasionally) deal with technical difficulty.
I love this post from Mark Schaefer on his blogging process (and he’s someone who has this down to a science!) – it’s a thoughtful and time-consuming process when done well.
In short, be realistic. If you are new to a content project, think about how much time you think something will take and then double it (or even triple it). Then, think about how often you’ll need to repeat that process (Every day? Every week? Every month?). This will give you a good idea of how long something will take per month or quarter.
Say no to non-essential content
One of the best ways to make time in your schedule is to think about the activities that you are doing that are no longer needed.
I heard Mitch Joel speak at the MarketingProfs B2B Forum in May, and one his comments that stuck with me was this (and I’m paraphrasing): If you could start all over again with your marketing strategy, what would you do (and, implied in this – would you not do)? Take a hard look at what you have committed to doing, and see if there are activities that aren’t producing value.
(I know – this can be quite tough to do, especially if you are part of an organization who likes to do things as they have always been done, but it really is a worthwhile exercise.)
Prioritize
Once you have an idea of everything on your plate, you need to figure out how to get it done. I suggest prioritizing your content projects with your management. Of course, new projects and ideas will pop up, but if you can refer back to this list, and continually re-prioritize what you need to do. This isn’t a silver bullet, but having this kind of agreement across the team should help keep you on track.
One caveat to this: If you commit to doing something like an eNewsletter or a blog that requires frequent content, consider the content project as a whole instead of each specific post or issue (i.e. if you have a monthly eNewsletter, it’s not a good idea to say that it’s a priority to write the issue one month but not the next.) If you can’t commit to making this a priority long-term, my suggestion is to wait until you can.
Think small
It can feel overwhelming to think about all of the content you need to create. As I have referenced on Savvy B2B before, I love this content marketing plan from Russell Sparkman that provides suggestions on what you can do daily, weekly, bi-weekly, etc.
Use internal resources
Of course, you probably have many subject matter experts in-house who can provide assistance with content. As Daniel Burstein, editor of the Marketing Experiments blog explained, experts often take what they know for granted and don’t necessarily think this is something that is worth sharing.
Here are a few suggestions to capture this knowledge:
- Have a list of topics that you want your content to address, and circulate it with your experts. Again, focus on topics that will help you get closer to your business objective. You will likely have a lot of knowledge in-house that you can use.
- Interview your experts instead of asking them to write. This should save them substantial time - and make them more willing to help.
- Think about how you can use the content from the interview in multiple ways (it often comes back to repurposing content, doesn’t it?).
Get help
Of course, don’t overlook the possibility of outsourcing your content.. Yesterday, Joe Pulizzi had a great post that offers a number of reasons why companies can benefit from outsourcing content development. My favorite:
“Many will point out that outsourcing costs more than in-sourcing. When I used to sell custom publishing for Penton Media, we used to go into meetings with charts showing that, ultimately, clients would be spending the same or less if they really looked at all the resources they were employing. Do the math yourself.”
(And, for additional fodder for justification for outsourcing, check out Joe’s post about how multitasking makes you stupid.)
Commit
At the end of the day, once you decide that content is indeed needed, you simply need to commit to it – commit to publishing on a consistent basis and commit to doing it well (you never know how a customer will come across you – and you want every first impression to be as positive as possible).
If you are finding that you have problems following through or getting content created in a timely manner, go through this list again and ask yourself where the issue is: Are you working on too many non-essential projects? Is everything needed but you need to justify getting help?
I’d love your thoughts: what other ideas do you have keep up with the demands of content creation?
Related posts:
- Is Less Content Better? 5 Steps to Simplify B2B Content Marketing
- Are You Giving Your B2B Prospects Too Much Information?
- Creating "The Content Grid": Eloqua and JESS3 Share Insights into the Why and How
About the author: Michele is the Executive Editor of the Content Marketing Institute where where she works with a fabulous group of contributors who know a lot about content marketing. She's also a B2B content marketing consultant who has a passion for helping companies use content to connect with their ideal buyers. You can follow her onTwitter @michelelinn or read more of her posts on Savvy B2B.
We’re honored to present this flattering guest post by Chris Koch of ITSMA. We’re constantly picking up tips and insights from other bloggers — including Chris -- and are thrilled to see that it’s paying off. That said, we can’t wait to see what valuable lessons lie around the corner. Here’s to a lifetime of learning!
When I first started my most recent blogging gig for ITSMA, I spent many lonely weeks speaking to the crickets. I was lucky to get ten people happening by my microscopic slice of the blogosphere on any given day (and my guess is that most of those were people stubbing their virtual toes on my blog on their way to somewhere more vibrant).
But then one day I was thrilled to see my first pingback and incoming link. It was from the Savvy B2B Marketing blog, where the sisters had linked to a recent post and had the courage to put this nascent blog on their blog roll.
I’ve been jealous of them ever since.
Here’s why. They do all the things I tell myself and ITSMA clients we should be doing in social media but we never seem to get around to doing. Here are just a few best practices by the Savvy Sisters that if you’re smart, you’ll emulate:
- Be generous. Mine wasn’t the only unproven blog to make it onto the Savvy Sisters’ list. They are constantly scouring the internet for new and interesting content and they share all of it. Every week, in addition to their own fine content, they feature posts from other bloggers. And they don’t do it in a smarmy, scratch-my-back-and-I’ll-scratch-yours kind of way; they highlight the stuff that they genuinely like and that is most relevant to their chosen focus of B2B content marketing.
This is something I call the aggregation strategy. It does a number of smart things. First, it builds loyalty to your blog from other bloggers, who appreciate you sharing their stuff—which of course, means they are more likely to share your stuff, thereby increasing your influence in a way that’s harder to do organically.
Second, blog readers come to rely on the aggregator as a filter for all the crud that is out there. When I’m having a particularly rough week and I can’t get to all my RSS feeds, I just go to the Savvy B2B Marketing blog and see what the Savvy Sisters recommend reading. That’s an invaluable way to build loyalty among your readers.
- Be smart. But there are plenty of good aggregators out there. When you drive people to your blog, you need to demonstrate mastery of your chosen topic area. When you arrive at the Savvy Sisters’ site, you see plenty of their own posts, each of which focuses on the author’s own area of interest and expertise. With all the rich content sitting there, it seems ridiculous not to check out the links to their services. How could you not, when they know so much about what they do? Look, fancy flash ads and come-ons certainly don’t hurt to get people to your site, but once they get there, you have to look so smart that they can’t help wanting to know more about who you are and what you do.
- Be focused. I’ve alluded to this already, but is there any doubt what the Savvy B2B Marketing blog is about or what each of the Savvy Sisters does in her own business? B2B Marketing. They do a particularly good job at maintaining this focus in spite of managing all of this virtually—I met two of them at a conference where they were meeting each other for the first time in person. Damn. Now that’s communication and discipline.
- Be deep. I’ve met some of the Savvy Sisters and I have no doubt that they are deep people. But that’s not what I’m talking about. One of the reasons that they do all these things well is that there are so many of them. Seems like an army sometimes. If one’s away on vacation or gets really busy working, the others take up the slack. Readers expect high frequency and high quality. It’s harder to sustain both as a solo act.
- Be visible. The Savvy army is out there on Twitter all the time being good members of the B2B marketing guild. Almost everything they share is links to others’ stuff, which makes them MVPs to follow in Twitter or in other social media channels. As my presence in Twitter grows, I always know that the Savvy Sisters will have at least double (usually three times) the number of followers that I do. Being more visible brings more followers (and more leads).
- Be patient. The thing that really drives me crazy about the Savvy Sisters is that they seem invulnerable to social media’s most pernicious disease: impatience. So many blogs practice BS link baiting to drive the numbers up, with titles proclaiming the sudden, painful death of some marketing practice that we all know is never really going to die, but we click anyway just to make sure. Pisses me off not only because it wastes my time but because I always find myself tempted to do the same thing. I’ve never seen it in one of their posts, have you?
- Be genuine. One thing comes through in everything the Savvy Sisters do: They are there to help. They don’t sell. They want to talk to you and they want to help you. That’s it. No hidden agenda. That builds loyalty and community.
I’m sure there are other things the Savvy Sisters do that I don’t (like keeping their posts below 700 words) but I don’t want to hear about them because I’m starting to get really depressed. Maybe I’ll get going on my three-year-old pledge to handle myself in social media more like they do.
Right. It only took me a year to follow up on their invitation to write a guest post for their blog. Excuse me. I need to go to my quiet place now.
About the author: Chris Koch, the Associate Vice President of Research and Thought Leadership at ITSMA, is a leading researcher and writer in B2B marketing, a prolific blogger and social media enthusiast. He's also an award-winning writer and editor and a public speaker with more than 20 years experience in journalism and more than 10 years covering information technology and business.
While summer may be slipping away, great reads on the blogoshere are holding steady. 
We've rounded up a few of our faves from this week. Enjoy!
Make Your Content Do Double Duty When Writing to Multiple Audiences by @diannahuff via @junta42
How do you best connect with all the people involved in today's B2B buying decisions? Dianna Huff offers practical tips for cost-effectively addressing more than one audience.
What’s the Difference Between CRM and Marketing Automation in B2B Demand Generation? by @abneedles
If you've ever asked yourself this question, this well thought out and thoroughly researched post by Adam Needles will surely clear up it up.
Three Ways to Kick-Start a Sales Cycle by @corpv via @MarketingProfs
MarketingProfs recycles an evergreen post by Tim Riesterer of Corporate Visions, spelling out how to create preference vs. parity in your value propositions.
Where does "tone and voice" fit into your content strategy? - by @KathyHanbury
I like how Kathy Hanbury breaks down these two concepts to make your web writing stronger.
Increase Your Effectiveness: Think Small to Go Big
While most companies can't communicate in a highly-personalized way to every customer, Joseph Stucker of tippingpoint labs provides some ideas on what you can do with your content to help it resonate a bit more with your audience.
Content approval - is your process working?
If you have ever been involved in the process of approving content, you know it can sometimes be a painful and slow process. Here are some tips to make the process run more smoothly.
Introducing Juan Eloqua and The Grande Guides by @Eloqua
Eloqua developed a persona who is expert in "coffee and revenues" to help it launch a series of marketing-related guides, each meant to be consumed in the time it takes to drink your morning cup of joe. Check out the video for a chuckle, and download the first guide to get up to speed on lead scoring.
One of our favorite things about Savvy B2B is all the guest posts we get to feature from some of our favorite marketers. We also have fun writing for other blogs. Here are a few of 
the original posts we’ve contributed to the blogosphere this month.
3 Ways to Handle the Unpredictable Behavior of a B2B Buyer
Source: MarketingProfs Daily Fix Blog
As is often the case with Michele, she finds inspiration for B2B marketing from her toddler daughter. Here she compares how her daughter is similar to the unpredictable B2B buyer – and what you can do to deal with these frustrations.
How to Put Together an Editorial Calendar for Content Marketing
Source: The Content Marketing Institute
Michele provides some guidance on what should be included in your editorial calendar for content marketing. While it’s important to track the basics, she lays out a plan to use your calendar to help you see connections in your content to get ideas on how you can repurpose what you have and what you are planning. In addition, she suggests things that you should track to make sure key information for things such as SEO and conversion.
Content Marketing Group Therapy: What Suggestions Do You Have for this eNewsletter?
Source: The Content Marketing Institute
The comments of this post are what make it worthwhile. Check out the ideas from other marketers on how to improve this eNewsletter – and add your suggestions!
How to Establish a Solid Marketing Foundation
Source: Rocket Watcher
In their rush to go to market, many start-ups fail to strategically address their content requirements. As a result, they struggle to nurture prospects throughout a buying process that can extend for many months. Stephanie offers step-by-step guidance and tips to help start-ups market their offering and engage prospects throughout the buying cycle.
The Writer's Platform – Part 3
Source: Live to Write – Write to Live
In part 3 of a 4-part series, Jamie presents the "360 degree marketing plan" and describes what it is, where it lives, and how all the pieces work together in beautiful harmony.
Writers' Platform – Part 4: 4 Key Elements to Using it Wisely
Source: Live to Write – Write to Live
Jamie shares four important concepts that can make or break your writer’s platform.
Photo source: (c) thirdpersonpossessive
