More than half of B2B audiences engage with 3–5 pieces of content before ever contacting the supplier. Content is absolutely crucial for your brand. However, many companies struggle with where to begin and they often let their blogs languish. This needn’t be the case – you can write content that attracts high quality B2B audiences.
The B2B content niche
B2B content stands out for being highly detailed and informative. B2B audiences are intelligent, driven, and demanding, so your content will also have to capture their attention. B2B customers go through many stages before making a purchase decision and this content exists to help them on their way.
Without being too salesy, B2B content should be designed to warm customers up to the idea of buying your product. So how to create this type of content for your customers? We’ll go through the steps now.
1. Know your target audience
It’s crucial to have a clear idea of who you’re writing for or there’s no point in proceeding. This step doesn’t have to be intimidating, as your audience is likely to be your company’s target customers. You should have information on who these people are and be able to get at least a vague idea of who you’re writing for.
2. Choose the right topics
Then, once you know who your target audience is, you need to find topics to write about.
Your content ideas can come from customer queries, Google’s People Also Ask box, tools like BuzzSumo, or forums like Quora and Reddit. Answer the questions that your B2B audience is already asking in order to create compelling content.
3. Research the topic
Research, research, research.
This means reading existing content on the subject, seeing where the gaps are, and how you can increase your post’s credibility. You’re unlikely to be the first person writing on this topic but you can make your content stand out by going the extra mile.
Collect a list of informative posts on your subject and use this as the basis of your new content.
4. Consult subject matter experts
You’re unlikely to be the most qualified person in your company to write on every subject. This is where your colleagues can help you out.
You don’t have to do it all on your own. If you have subject matter experts available, schedule an interview to pick their brains. Include direct quotes from your SMEs in your content to give it more authority.
5. Understand industry trends
Any blog post should be written with a consideration of what’s going on in your industry at large – for example, Artificial Intelligence is a popular topic. Seasonal posts often do quite well too, so Black Friday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas can inspire your posts. Use tools like Moz and Buzzsumo to find content that is already popular to give you inspiration for what to write.
6. Write the first draft
Now comes the actual writing part. If you’ve done your research, it shouldn’t be too hard. You should be aiming for at least 1200 words which makes a substantial post.
Use a compelling tone and style to write your content. Keep your language informal and sentences short. Avoid jargon as much as possible, although don’t shy away from using industry terms if relevant.
It’s okay to make the odd cultural reference and stab at humour, which will make your posts more enjoyable for your B2B reader. Don’t be afraid to let your brand’s personality shine through, using a voice that is uniquely yours.
7. Show the ROI of your product
To mention, or not to mention? The key here is to avoid being too salesy about your own products.
It’s okay to drop in light references to your product if it’s relevant. In fact, B2B audiences expect it. Show how your product would improve your customers’ lives in keeping with the theme of the post. Demonstrating appropriate features of your product for existing customers also works very well here.
8. Include actionable tips
Your audience is here to learn and be educated. You should be teaching them with your blog posts rather than relying on purely opinion-based pieces.
It’s crucial to include actionable tips in your B2B company blogs to make the posts worth your audience’s time. They want to learn how to do their jobs better and to stay ahead of the curve.
Actionable takeaways make your posts more rewarding for your readers.
9. Offer relevant data
You shouldn’t be making wild claims in your content without having the data to support your points.
B2B audiences want to see that the claims you are making are credible. Include links to relevant data where you have it. There are many resources online where you can find data for your industry, and you can use these to back up the point you’re trying to make in your posts.
10. Use storytelling
B2B audiences can be engaged by storytelling. Storytelling provides an authentic human touch that makes your post more than just facts and data.
Writing the post from a subjective point of view can make your content stand out. This is where involving subject matter experts can come in very handy.
11. Make your posts accessible
You need to write your posts in a way that enables your readers to scan the page. Sadly, not many people will read your post from beginning to end.
Everyone is looking for the information that directly benefits them, and that’s why a wall of text is a huge turn-off. Clearly structure your posts with headers, bullet pointed lists, and images. Consider a table of contents and use short paragraphs and sentences.
12. Edit
This is the part where you kill your darlings. No post is complete without hefty editing, but don’t try to edit as you write the draft. Editing should be reserved for a separate stage to ensure that you get into the flow of writing.
Edit your post for readability, proofread, and fact-checking. Here’s where you make sure your post stands out above the rest.
13. Write impactful headlines
Bad news: writing content is only half the battle. Your headline is what grabs attention and compels the reader to dive into the post, providing the impetus to ‘click’.
“How to” posts are very popular, as are numbers and data points. Consider “How to X in 5 steps” or “The future of X” as examples of headlines that grab attention.
Final remarks
It’s not all about sales. Quality B2B content is all about building a relationship with your audience and establishing a sense of trust.
Know your audience and the topics you want to write about, and ensure you thoroughly do your research. Write outstanding B2B content to engage your audiences and encourage them to become paying customers.
