In this guide I'm going to tell you everything I know about marketing for technology companies. It has what you need to put together the most effective B2B content marketing strategies. I'm going to explain how to create great content that gets seen and will engage your specific audience in a way that makes them come to you.
But first, let's acknowledge something really important.
If you’re a technology company it’s never been a more vital time to put great content, with your brand stamped all over it, out there. What you create and the strategy you employ (to make sure it’s seen) will help you no matter what the economy is like. As long as there is a need for your product or service, great content will set you apart.
Let me repeat that because it’s super important: the shield your business needs is great content. Staying true to who you are as a brand and doing it consistently even as the P&L graphs go up and down. This is true if you’re 10,000-person enterprise or a 50-person start-up.
Now is the time to stand out
In this article I’m going to share with you the most effective B2B content marketing strategies that will help technology companies set themselves apart. I'm talking about fundamentals that as a business who sells in a crowded market you need to get really, really good at.
Here’s what I’m going to help you with today:
- The importance of B2B content marketing for technology companies
- Examples of the best B2B content strategy components
- Creating a content strategy for B2B marketing
- Content marketing that works for B2B
- The stuff that makes your content successful
- SEO content strategies for B2B technology companies
- I'll show you one great example of content marketing from a B2B brand
- Knowing what your customers want
- Tips for distributing your content
- The four key steps to content marketing success
- B2B content distribution tactics that actually work
- The four pillars to creating a standout content marketing strategy
I know! This is an extensive piece written to guide you to do all the right things to see those precious leads roll in - you might need to bookmark to refer back to 🙂
First things first, you need to adopt a digital-first approach to marketing, and the role of content creation is central to this. In particular, B2B content marketing has emerged as a vital tool for technology companies to connect with their target audience and drive business growth.
We work with tech companies to do this for them, and I decided why not put it all in a big article to show how we actively think about this stuff?
So, here in front of your eyes we will explore the steps needed to put together a great B2B content marketing strategy, as well as insights into how to create the most effective version for your organisation.
Let’s start with a definition of what a B2B content marketing strategy is. According to the Content Marketing Institute:
A B2B content marketing strategy refers to the process of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience.
1. Importance of B2B content marketing for technology companies
The primary goal of your marketing is to generate leads and convert them into customers. This is even more important for tech companies who are trying to differentiate themselves in an often very crowded marketplace. Add to that a bit of a bumpy patch in the economy, in seed funding, in Silicon Valley, etc. and staying front of your customers' minds becomes even more important.
As we know, technology companies are constantly developing new products and services that require effective marketing strategies to drive sales. B2B content marketing provides a platform for technology companies to showcase their expertise and thought leadership, establish their brand identity and engage with their target audience.
Let’s dive into the world of business to business marketing
The purpose of this article is to provide insights into the most effective B2B content marketing strategies that are tailored to technology companies. We will explore examples of successful B2B content marketing strategies, provide a step-by-step guide to creating a content strategy, discuss the effectiveness of B2B content marketing, and highlight the key elements that make B2B content successful. We will also examine the role of SEO in B2B content marketing, showcase a good example of B2B content marketing, discuss the type of content that your customers want, provide insights into content distribution tactics, and highlight the four keys to creating a successful content marketing strategy.
2. Examples of good B2B content strategy components
Your B2B content strategy encompasses a wide range of content types that can be used to engage with the target audience. Here are some examples of B2B content strategies that have proven to be effective for technology companies.
Thought Leadership Content
Thought leadership content refers to content that showcases a company's expertise in a particular industry or domain. This type of content is typically focused on providing insights, analysis, and opinions on industry trends, challenges, and opportunities. Examples of thought leadership content include blog posts, articles, and industry reports.
Case Studies
Case studies are an effective way to demonstrate the value of a company's product or service. They showcase how the product or service helped a particular customer achieve their goals and overcome challenges. Case studies typically include a description of the customer's problem, the solution provided by the company, and the results achieved.
White Papers
White papers are in-depth reports that provide detailed information on a particular topic. They are typically used to establish thought leadership and educate the target audience. White papers are often used to address complex topics such as technical issues, regulatory compliance, or industry trends.
Webinars
Webinars are online events that provide an opportunity for companies to engage with their target audience in real time. They typically involve a presentation or panel discussion on a particular topic, followed by a Q&A session. Webinars are an effective way to establish thought leadership, educate the target audience, and generate leads.
Infographics
Infographics are visual representations of data or information. They are an effective way to communicate complex information in a visually appealing and easily digestible format. Infographics can be used to showcase industry statistics, product features, or customer success stories.
Social Media Content
Social media content refers to content that is designed for social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. This type of content is typically shorter and more visual than other types of content. Social media content can be used to share thought leadership content, showcase customer success stories, or provide updates on product releases or company news.
Email Marketing
Email marketing refers to the use of email to communicate with customers and prospects. This type of content can be used to share thought leadership content, promote webinars or events, or provide updates on product releases or company news. Email marketing is an effective way to nurture leads and maintain customer relationships.
These are just a few examples of the types of content that can be used as part of a successful B2B content strategy. The key is to identify the types of content that resonate with your target audience and align with your company's goals and objectives.
3. Creating a content strategy for B2B marketing
Developing your B2B content marketing strategy that is unique to your business and works for your audience involves a considerable amount of thinking. And that’s before we get to the planning and execution!
Here are the steps involved in creating a content strategy for your business-to-business marketing objectives:
Setting Goals
The first step in creating a B2B content marketing strategy is to define the goals and objectives of the campaign. Goals and objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Examples of goals and objectives include increasing website traffic, generating leads, or improving brand awareness.
Identifying Target Audience
The next step is to identify the target audience for your campaign. This involves creating buyer personas that represent the ideal customer. Buyer personas should include information such as job title, industry, pain points, and buying behaviour.
Conducting Research
Once the target audience has been identified, it is important to conduct research to understand their needs and preferences. This involves analysing industry trends, competitive landscape, and customer behaviour. This information can be used to develop content that resonates with the target audience.
Developing Your Content Plan
The next step is to develop a content plan that aligns with the goals and objectives of the campaign. The content plan should include a mix of content types that address the needs of the target audience at different stages of the buyer's journey. The content plan should also include a schedule for creating and publishing content.
Measuring and Evaluating Performance
The final step is to measure and evaluate the performance of the content marketing campaign. This involves tracking metrics such as website traffic, leads generated, engagement, and conversions. The data collected can be used to optimize the content plan and improve the performance of the campaign over time.
By following these steps, B2B technology companies can create a content marketing strategy that is tailored to their target audience and helps them achieve their marketing goals.
4. Content marketing that works for B2B
Content marketing is a central pillar of your brand’s marketing. And this is especially true in the B2B world However, some companies may question whether it is worth the investment. Here are some insights on the effectiveness of content marketing for B2B and ways to overcome challenges.
Statistics and Success Stories
According to the Content Marketing Institute, 91% of B2B marketers use content marketing to reach customers. Additionally, 75% of them reported that their content marketing strategy is more successful than a year ago. Furthermore, companies that prioritize content marketing are known to generate 67% more leads than companies that don't.
Success stories of B2B companies using content marketing are abundant. For example, Adobe has been able to increase website traffic by 4x through its content marketing strategy. Similarly, HubSpot's inbound marketing strategy has helped the company grow from a startup to a publicly traded company with more than 100,000 customers.
Challenges and Obstacles
Despite the effectiveness of content marketing, there are challenges that companies may face. One common obstacle is creating engaging content that resonates with the target audience. Another challenge is measuring the ROI of content marketing, which can be difficult due to the long sales cycle and multiple touchpoints involved in B2B sales.
Ways to Overcome the Challenges
To overcome the challenges of content marketing, B2B companies can take several steps. One approach is to conduct thorough research on the target audience to better understand their needs and preferences. Another approach is to develop a content plan that includes a mix of different content types to cater to different stages of the buyer's journey.
Measuring the ROI of content marketing can also be addressed by tracking the right metrics such as website traffic, engagement, and leads generated. Additionally, B2B companies can leverage marketing automation tools to nurture leads and track their progress through the sales funnel.
Overall, content marketing is an effective strategy for B2B companies to generate leads, build brand awareness, and establish thought leadership. However, companies need to be prepared to overcome challenges and continually optimize their content marketing strategy to achieve the desired results.
5. Make your content successful
Creating successful content for B2B marketing is not just about providing information; it's about providing relevant and personalized information that resonates with your target audience. Here are some elements that make B2B content successful.
Relevance and Personalisation
One of the most important factors in successful B2B content marketing is relevance. Content must be tailored to the specific needs and challenges of the target audience. Moreover, personalization plays a critical role in engaging the audience. Personalized content not only captures attention but also increases the likelihood of conversion.
Clarity and Simplicity
B2B audiences are often busy and have limited time to consume content. Therefore, successful B2B content should be clear and concise, conveying the message effectively without being overly complex or technical. Additionally, visual aids, such as images or videos, can enhance clarity and simplify complex ideas.
Value and Insight
Successful B2B content provides value and insights to the audience. This means offering actionable advice or presenting unique perspectives that are not easily found elsewhere. Content that adds value to the audience's knowledge or solves a problem is more likely to be shared and remembered.
Call to Action
Finally, successful B2B content has a clear call to action (CTA). The CTA encourages the audience to take the next step, whether it is subscribing to a newsletter, requesting a demo, or making a purchase. An effective CTA should be clear, concise, and positioned strategically within the content.
Successful B2B content marketing requires relevance and personalization, clarity and simplicity, value and insight, and a clear call to action. When these elements are incorporated into a content marketing strategy, B2B companies can establish thought leadership, drive engagement, and ultimately generate leads and revenue.
6. SEO content strategy for B2B technology companies
Search engine optimization (SEO) plays a crucial role in B2B content marketing. An effective SEO content strategy for B2B technology companies includes the following elements:
Keyword Research
Keyword research helps identify the most relevant and valuable keywords to target. This research involves identifying the phrases that potential customers use when searching for products or services in the industry. Tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush can help with keyword research.
On-Page Optimization
On-page optimization refers to optimizing the content on the website for search engines. This includes optimizing the content's structure, using the identified keywords in the title and meta description, and optimizing images and videos.
Link Building
Link building involves acquiring links from other authoritative websites to your content. This helps establish the website's authority and improves its search engine rankings. Link building can be achieved through guest blogging, creating infographics, or simply reaching out to relevant websites.
Content Promotion
Promoting content through social media, email, and other channels is crucial for increasing visibility and driving traffic to the website. Promotion helps reach a wider audience and increases the chances of the content being shared.
7. One great example of content marketing from a B2B Brand
One good example of a successful B2B content marketing campaign is HubSpot's State of Inbound report. This annual report provides insights into the latest trends and challenges faced by inbound marketers. The report is comprehensive, covering topics like content marketing, social media, and lead generation.
The report is freely available to download, making it accessible to a wider audience. Marketers take note! Your audience will appreciate you giving away something of value for free. This works in your favour in the long run.
Additionally, HubSpot promotes their report heavily on social media, email, and through influencer partnerships. This has helped the report gain significant visibility and credibility in the industry.
Analysis of the Campaign's Success
The State of Inbound report has been successful for several reasons. Firstly, it offers valuable insights into the industry, making it a valuable resource for marketers. Secondly, the report is well-researched and comprehensive, establishing HubSpot's authority in the industry. Thirdly, HubSpot promotes the report heavily through various channels, making it accessible to a wider audience.
The report has been a cornerstone of HubSpot's content marketing strategy and the success of this campaign highlights the importance of creating valuable and shareable content and promoting it effectively.
The lesson to learn is this:
8. Give your customers what they want
Seems simple? B2B customers want content that can help them solve problems, make informed decisions, and achieve their business goals. It is simple. This whole content marketing thing is a breeze, right?
Here are some of the types of content that B2B customers want:
Informational and Educational Content
B2B customers want content that can educate them about their industry, products, and services. This can include blog posts, eBooks, whitepapers, and guides that provide insights and information on relevant topics.
Product Information and Specifications
Your audience wants content that provides detailed information about the products and services they are interested in. This can include product demos, specifications, and comparisons that help them make informed decisions.
Industry Trends and Insights
The people who you want to attract are looking to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and insights in their industry. They want content that provides analysis and commentary on industry news, emerging technologies, and best practices.
Case Studies and Success Stories
Your customers want to see real-world examples of how products and services have helped other businesses achieve their goals. Case studies and success stories can demonstrate how a product or service has solved a problem or delivered results for a customer.
9. Tips for distributing your content
Okay, once you've created your content, it's essential to have a plan for distribution to ensure that your target audience sees it. Here are some ways to distribute your content:
Owned, Earned, and Paid Media
Owned media refer to the channels you own, such as your website and blog. Earned media is content that is shared or promoted by others, such as media coverage or customer reviews. Paid media involves paying for distribution through channels such as social media advertising or sponsored content.
Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool for distributing content. You can share your content on your company's social media pages and groups, as well as through employee and influencer social media accounts. Social media advertising is excellent way to reach the specific audiences that technology companies are trying to attract and engage.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is an effective way to distribute content to a targeted audience. You can send newsletters, product updates, and other content directly to subscribers who have opted in to receive your emails.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing involves partnering with influencers in your industry to promote your content. You can work with influencers to create sponsored posts, guest blog posts, and social media promotions. In the world of the Microsoft Partner Network the power of the Microsoft MVP carries a lot of weight. If you can get them to create content for you or to associate themselves with your brand, you can gain from their following.
Events and Conferences
Events and conferences provide an opportunity to showcase your content to a targeted audience. You can host webinars, workshops, and presentations that showcase your expertise and promote your content. You can also sponsor events and conferences to increase brand visibility.
10. The 4 steps to content marketing success
To achieve success in B2B content marketing, companies need to follow a strategic approach. A comprehensive content marketing strategy typically consists of four key steps:
- Planning:
This stage involves defining business goals, identifying the target audience, conducting research, and developing a content plan that aligns with the business objectives.
- Development:
Once the content plan is in place, the next step is to create high-quality content that resonates with the target audience. This may include blog posts, white papers, case studies, infographics, videos, and more.
- Distribution:
Once the content is created, it needs to be distributed to the target audience through various channels such as owned, earned, and paid media. This stage involves determining the most effective distribution channels and tactics for reaching the target audience.
- Measurement:
The final step in a content marketing strategy is measuring and evaluating the performance of the content. This may involve tracking metrics such as website traffic, engagement rates, lead generation, and conversions. Based on the data gathered, the content marketing strategy can be refined and optimized for better results.
By following these four steps, B2B companies can create and execute a successful content marketing strategy that drives business growth and fosters brand loyalty among customers.
11. B2B content distribution tactics that actually work
One of the most critical aspects of any content marketing strategy is the distribution of content to your target audience. Without an effective distribution plan, even the best content may never reach its intended audience. When it comes to B2B content marketing, several tactics have proven to be effective in distributing content to the right people.
Social Media Promotion
Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook provide excellent opportunities for B2B companies to distribute their content. By sharing your content on these platforms, you can reach a large audience of potential customers and generate engagement with your content.
To make the most of social media promotion, it's essential to understand which platforms are best suited to your target audience and which types of content perform best on each platform. For example, LinkedIn is a great platform for B2B companies looking to share thought leadership content and connect with industry influencers.
Have a look at some of the work we’ve done for our clients.
Influencer Outreach
Influencer outreach involves partnering with individuals who have a large following in your industry to promote your content. Influencers can help amplify your content to their followers and increase your reach.
To be successful with influencer outreach, it's important to identify the right influencers who are a good fit for your brand and content. You should also provide them with high-quality content that they can share with their audience.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is a highly effective way to distribute content to your existing customer base and subscribers. By sending regular newsletters or other types of email campaigns, you can keep your audience engaged with your brand and provide them with valuable content.
When using email marketing for content distribution, it's important to segment your email list based on factors such as interests, job titles, and industry. This allows you to tailor your content to specific segments of your audience and increase the relevance of your emails.
Paid Advertising
Paid advertising, such as pay-per-click (PPC) ads, can be an effective way to promote your content to a targeted audience. By using platforms like Google Ads or LinkedIn Ads, you can target specific keywords or demographics to ensure your content is seen by the right people.
When using paid advertising for content distribution, it's important to create compelling ad copy and landing pages that entice users to click through to your content. You should also continually monitor and optimize your campaigns to ensure you're getting the most bang for your buck.
See some of the paid media work we’ve done for our clients.
12. The 4 pillars to creating a standout content marketing strategy
Creating an effective content marketing strategy requires a focus on several key elements. Here are four important factors to keep in mind when developing your content marketing plan:
- Relevance:
Your content should be relevant to your target audience's needs and interests. This means understanding your customers' pain points and providing valuable solutions that address their challenges.
- Consistency:
Consistency is key to building trust with your audience. Consistent branding, messaging, and content delivery help establish your brand as a reliable source of information.
- Value:
Your content should provide value to your audience. This means offering helpful insights, actionable tips, and valuable information that helps your customers make informed decisions.
- Promotion:
Creating great content isn't enough – you need to promote it effectively. This means developing a robust distribution plan that includes a mix of owned, earned, and paid media tactics. By getting your content in front of the right people at the right time, you can drive more traffic, generate more leads, and ultimately grow your business.
Invest in better marketing for your business
In conclusion, B2B content marketing is a crucial component of any marketing strategy for technology companies. Through the examples outlined in this article, it is clear that many different types of content (and platforms) can be used to engage and convert B2B customers. However, creating a successful B2B content marketing strategy requires careful planning and execution.
By setting clear goals and objectives, identifying the target audience, conducting research, developing a content plan, and measuring performance, B2B companies can create a content marketing strategy that is effective and sustainable.
It is important to remember that the key to successful marketing lies in providing relevant and valuable content that resonates with the target audience. By prioritising relevance, consistency, value, and promotion, B2B companies can create a content marketing strategy that drives results.
Looking ahead, content marketing will continue to evolve (Boy will it!) as technology and customer preferences change. But by staying up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices, you can continue to create content that resonates with your target audience and drives business results.
A specialist marketing agency for B2B technology companies
At Fifty Five and Five, we understand the unique challenges that B2B technology companies face in creating and implementing effective content marketing strategies. Our team of experts has extensive experience in developing and executing successful campaigns that generate leads, engage audiences, and drive business growth.
We offer a range of services tailored specifically to B2B technology companies, including content strategy development, content creation, SEO optimization, social media marketing, and more. Our goal is to help our clients establish a strong online presence, build brand awareness, and ultimately drive revenue growth.
When you work with Fifty Five and Five, you can trust that you're working with a team that is dedicated to your success. We take the time to understand your business goals, target audience, and unique value proposition, and then develop a customized marketing strategy that meets your specific needs.
Don't let the complexities of B2B marketing hold you back. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your business goals through effective content marketing.
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