While content plays a significant role in B2B content marketing, its benefits can only be reaped if it is applied the right way. Content can be used for product or service promotion, lead generation, and making a connection with prospective and existing customers. However, marketers often tend to overlook the potential that content can bring into B2B marketing.
Content must be used in a smart way. Instead of taking the sell, sell and sell approach, marketers can use good content to provide vital information about the product or service to the customer. Although a large percentage of B2B marketers incorporate content marketing in their promotional campaigns more than half of them admit that they do not use it effectively. A reason for this could be the lack of knowledge about what content can do for businesses, and how a solid brand can be built using content.
Marketers use a concept called the sales funnel where they hope to gain loyal customers by introducing customers to a product, and eventually convincing them to make a purchase. However, the sales funnel is not the strongest pillar in marketing any more. Consumers nowadays have an opinion, and have the ability to do their own research to find out whether a product is right for them. Therefore, marketers must be able to use content and the sales funnel technique paralelly in their campaigns.
Instead of an over-used, pushy approach, B2B companies can apply content at each stage of the sales funnel. By offering product information, marketers can take consumers through the awareness stage and lead them into the consideration stage using comparison guides, and other helpful visual content. Consumers can then be gradually eased into buying the product.
Prospective customers are more likely to purchase a product because they heard good reviews from friends and family. They can get exposure to a product through various ways like promotional events, social networking, content marketing and word-of-mouth publicity. They do not necessarily need someone to hold their hand and help them make a decision.
With this change taking place in the buying process, B2B companies should take an initiative and train their marketing teams to understand the proper use of content and the growing importance of quality content in promotional campaigns. Along with that, companies must invest in talent with skills such as content creation and distribution.
Content marketing is here to stay, and the sooner B2B companies start to incorporate content in their campaigns, the sooner they can start reaping the rewards.