In our digital-obsessed world, no one is safe from the influx of content marketing \u00e2\u20ac\u201d even in the B2B realm. So long to the days where all B2B lead generation efforts depended on outbound marketing tactics such as cold calling, direct mailers and salesperson drop-bys. Welcome to the reign of inbound B2B content marketing materials like infographics, ebooks, blogging and social media!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Customer acquisition has matured to become web-centric, with potential leads turning to Google for answers and recommendations before they look anywhere else. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve become smarter searchers, expecting more specific results for whatever we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re looking for. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re also incredibly perceptive to ads and capable of dodging campaign-bait, which means catching and holding someone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attention is key for success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Skeptical? Try this:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Think about the last time you were on the phone with a telemarketer \nfor more than 10 seconds. Or the most recent piece of mail you received \nand hung on your fridge that wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a bill. Now compare those to the \namount of Google searches you make each day and how often you download \nan ebook or read an infographic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hate to say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I told you so,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d but here we are\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n\n\n\n B2B companies are not exempt from the power of content. In fact, 88% of B2B marketers claim to use content marketing. While that high percentage may not mean anything to you right off the bat, think of it in terms of your competition. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a large chunk of businesses with at least some kind of online presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, is your content marketing plan able to compete?<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you know how many leads your latest marketing efforts generated? \nThis could include anything from an ad in a magazine to that sole blog \non your website that you wrote just to try out the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chances are that if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not utilizing content marketing to its \nfullest potential, many of your leads are all over the place, minimal or\n probably low-quality. This can create a mess when it comes time to \nanalyze the year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lead totals and set goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An effective content marketing strategy helps enforce a strong baseline for lead analysis, since every piece of content can be measured. That best practices how-to guide generated 10% of your digital leads for the year? Great\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwrite another one! Your long-form blog on do\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ts was your most viewed of the year? Awesome\u00e2\u20ac\u201dshare it on social media and write a follow up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through your efforts, you can see where every single potential customer comes from, whether it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a PPC landing page or a form submission to download your latest how-to guide. From there, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re able to tailor your marketing plan based on what works and what doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n With the shift to a more digital scope comes some necessary \nadjustments from sales and marketing departments. Sales teams no longer \nhave to hunt for leads. Through inbound content marketing, the leads are\n coming in to the sales team without any effort on their part. This \ncreates more time for them to devote to closing new leads and \npotentially upselling existing customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The successful B2B marketing department\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s responsibilities have \nevolved, too. It used to be that their main duty was to establish a \nstrong sense of brand awareness within their company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s industry. Now, a \nB2B marketer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s job has transcended into bringing in the leads by \ncreating this valuable content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The effectiveness of your marketing will increase if both departments are on the same page. Marketing needs to understand what types of leads their content is bringing in and sales needs to know what content marketing is pumping out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once your sales and marketing teams are on board with a content marketing strategy, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be able to achieve the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Content is the foundation of a healthy website. Search engines, like the almighty Google, will favor your pages if you follow the EAT guidelines<\/a> in your content, which include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\nFirst Things First: How Are You Tracking Your Lead Generation?<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
B2B Content Marketing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Secret Weapon: Aligning Sales and Marketing<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Generate More Web Traffic, Generate More Leads<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n