Leverage Content Marketing for B2B Demand Generation
Content marketing has grown to be much more than just a buzz term—it’s a vital tool for businesses, and it should be a non-negotiable within your marketing strategy. By creating valuable content, businesses can capture their audience's attention, build trust, and boost demand for their products or services. In 2023 alone, 58% of B2B marketers reported an increase in sales and revenue due to content marketing.
Below, we’ll explore just why content marketing is so crucial for brands to adapt if they want to see exceptional results.
What do we mean by ‘Demand Generation’?
In simplified terms, demand generation is all about getting people interested in your products or services to drive leads and–eventually– conversions. It’s a comprehensive strategy that covers the entire buyer's journey, from when they first hear about your brand to making a purchase and beyond. Successful demand generation will keep potential customers engaged and moving towards a sale—or other desired action–at every step of their experience with your brand.
Unfortunately, demand generation isn’t always a simple or straightforward process. In fact, 61% of marketers believe generating high-quality leads is their biggest challenge, and 68% of B2B businesses struggle with lead generation. Due to its challenging nature, it comes as no surprise that wise B2B businesses are turning to solutions such as content marketing to strengthen their funnel.
What are the benefits of content marketing for B2B businesses?
One of the top reasons that content marketing is so effective for demand generation is because it focuses on providing real value to potential customers. Instead of just constantly pushing sales, content marketing—when done right—piques customer interest by giving them something worthwhile in return. According to a recent study the Content Marketing Institute, 76% of marketers report that content marketing generates demand and leads.
In addition to boosting brand awareness and generating demand for your offerings, content marketing will also help you:
Build trust and authority: Consistently producing valuable content will position your brand as an authority within the industry, distinguishing it from your competitors. When people understand that your content addresses pain points and helps them stay informed, you’ll build trust and make potential customers more likely to choose your brand.
Increase customer loyalty: The trust you build (above) among audiences will lead to brand loyalty and greater customer retention. When people find your content helpful and engaging, they feel a stronger connection to your brand and are more likely to remain loyal customers--and 50% of marketers agree!
Educate audiences: B2B buyers are understandably often searching for detailed information and insights on products/offerings before deciding to purchase. High-quality, educational content will not only help audiences discover your brand, but inform them about your solution, making it clear to them how your brand can address their unique needs.
Nurture leads: Content marketing makes it simple and straightforward to nurture leads by providing them with helpful, timely information at every stage of the buyer's journey. This keeps customers supported, informed, and your brand top-of-mind while moving prospects down the funnel and closer to making a purchase.
Best ways to use content marketing for B2B demand generation
Define your target audience: The first step in every content marketing journey should be to clarify the people your content will be targeting. Take some time to research and get to know their pain points, challenges, and what motivates them.
Create valuable content that caters to your targeted audiences: Your content strategy should centre on producing timely, quality content. Strong types of content that will perform well include blog posts/articles, case studies, videos, whitepapers, ebooks, infographics, webinars, and podcasts. Ensure your content address the needs of your audiences and offers actionable insights. According to the Content Marketing Institute, the top 3 performing B2B content assets in 2023 were case studies/customer stories, videos, and thought leadership e-books/white papers.
Optimise your content for SEO: Optimising your content for search engines will increase its visibility and, in turn, help your brand get discovered by potential clients. Use a keyword tool like Google’s Keyword Planner to research which terms you should be incorporating into your content.
Pick the right channels to distribute your content: Once your content has been made, it’s time to release it into the world. However, you’ll need to be strategic about this in order to make sure it’s distributed effectively. We recommend covering all your bases and using a mix of channels to make sure you’re reaching every potential client on their preferred platform and not leaving any leads on the table. Your website, social media (84% of B2B marketers say LinkedIn provides the best value), and email newsletters are all top channels to reach your target audience. In-person events and webinars are used by 56% of marketers and are reported to produce the best results.
Encourage engagement with your content: Ask questions of your audience, encourage feedback and aim to spark discussions. Be sure to respond promptly and thoughtfully to any comments or queries to show how present and accessible your business is. This process will help you build report with your audience and reveal useful insights into their interests, needs, and desires.
Monitor and optimise: Use analytics tools to keep an eye on metrics such as clicks, impressions, website traffic, engagement rates, conversions, and leads. Use the data you've gathered to inform your decisions going forward, ensuring you're always making the best choices when it comes to your content strategies.
For B2B businesses, content marketing is a very useful tool for increasing demand generation. The right kind of content will capture your audience's attention, offer them something valuable, and move them closer towards a conversion. If you're a B2B business looking to boost leads and succeed within the crowded marketplace, embracing the power of content marketing is one of the smartest things you can do. Find out where to start by getting in touch.