If you’re planning your marketing, you likely have lots of content marketing projects in the works.
And you’re not alone.
According to research by the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and MarketingProfs, 86% of B2B marketers now use content marketing to drive business.
However, only 38% of B2B marketers think their content is effective.
What causes this gap?
According to the CMI and MarketingProfs study, only 35% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy. These marketers “are more effective in all aspects of content marketing” than those who don’t have a documented strategy.
To help you step up your content marketing game, I’ve put together An Essential Guide to Creating a B2B Content Marketing Strategy. This curated ebook contains 10 resources that walk you through the key steps of creating an effective strategy:
Here’s an outline of what’s included in the ebook:
1. 7 Questions That Will Put You on the Road to B2B Content Marketing Success
Jumping into content marketing without first documenting your strategy is like driving without a map. You’ll likely get lost and waste time along the way. This article outlines the key questions you must ask when you create a content marketing strategy.
2. Getting Buy-In for Your Content Marketing: A 3-Point Process
This Content Marketing Institute article provides a blueprint for getting executives to give you the green light for content marketing. You’ll learn how to show them the value of content marketing and find analytics to support your case.
3. How to Build Better Buyer Personas to Drive Killer Content
The more your content appeals to your target audience, the more you will drive conversions and sales. According to HubSpot, “if you panic and start pushing out content that’s a bad fit for your audience, you risk attracting the wrong kind of visitor while driving away high-quality prospects.” This article outlines three steps to building effective buyer personas.
4. 8-Step Guide to B2B Content Mapping: Aligning Your Content to the Buying Cycle
This OpenView Labs article explains how to deliver the right content to the right prospect at the right time. You’ll learn how to create a matrix that helps you prioritize content that nurtures leads.
5. How to Create Content That Converts Early-, Mid- and Late-Stage B2B Leads
A key to content marketing success is aligning your content with what your target audience wants to know during each stage of the sales cycle. This article outlines the traits of early-, mid- and late-stage B2B leads. It also provides examples of the kinds of content they want during each stage of the sales cycle.
6. 5 Keys to Creating B2B Content That Engages Different Verticals
B2B marketers create content for an average of four audiences. The more audiences you have, the harder it is to maintain a consistent voice throughout your content. This post outlines how to create content for different verticals without losing your brand voice.
7. The Step-by-Step Guide to Conducting a Content Audit
A content audit shows you know what content you already have and where you need to fill the gaps. This Single Grain article explains how to conduct a thorough content audit. According to the article, “a good content audit will help you to answer questions about the content pieces on your site that are performing best and which subjects your audience is most interested in.”
8. How to Build a Content Calendar (Plus a Free Template)
This Convince & Convert article shows you how to build a content calendar. The article states “the further ahead you plan your digital content publishing, the better placed you are to produce a consistent flow of content that builds your brand’s perceived expertise in your chosen subject areas.” The article also includes a content calendar template to help you get started.
9. How to Measure B2B Content Marketing: 3 Keys to Understanding What’s Working
This Brainrider article provides a no-nonsense look at key content marketing metrics. It will help you identify what’s working and what’s not working, so you can make the best use of your content marketing time and resources.
10. Ditch the Silos – How to Build a Great Content Marketing Team
According to Search Engine Watch, “the best content marketing teams merge all things search, social, CRO, PR, paid media, etc., into a single team.” This article outlines the key members of a successful content marketing team.
Taking these steps will put you on the road to content marketing success. Also be sure to document your strategy to get the best results from your content marketing.
Bonus Step
11. Content Marketing Quick Fixes
Learn the 10 things you can do this week – or even today – to improve your B2B content, attract more high-quality leads and increase your conversions.
