Beyond blogs: the power of a good B2B content mix

Jan 10

As a copywriter, there are some content essentials I need to make sure are present in every piece: a captivating headline, a clear structure and engaging copy that helps persuade my client’s audience to act: make a purchase, watch a video, register for an online account.

And with every blog, it’s never just what you say - it’s also how you say it. I don’t just mean getting your tone of voice right; I mean thinking about the delivery method. Using the right type of content at the right moment can be the difference between nobody ever reading (or hearing) a word of your wonderfully crafted copy, and winning the valuable attention of your target market.

Here, we look at some different content types and consider their place in the B2B content mix.

Blogs

Let’s start with the humble blog…

Blogging has been a favourite pastime of B2B marketers for some time now, and for good reason. A blog provides a straightforward way for B2B brands to connect directly with audiences and share timely and meaningful information with them – while injecting a little more personality than more formal, long-form content. Regular blogging, done well, can help you boost your organic search engine optimisation (SEO) and drive traffic to your website – and if your blog is easy to find, it can be used to nurture leads and convert them into customers. Over time, a good catalogue of blog content can help establish a company as a thought leader in its industry.

So what makes a good blog?

One that is well written, obviously – but a good post should also provide valuable information to the audience, answering their questions by addressing a specific pain point or need. It should be well-researched, well-structured and easy to read. In addition, it should include some top keywords and internal and external links for SEO purposes.

Blogs in numbers:

The latest figures, for 2021, show blog articles ranked 3rd in the B2B content assets that generated the best results that year¹
70% of readers prefer to information from blogs than traditional ads²
76% of content marketers used blogs to distribute content⁴

Videos

According to the Content Marketing Institute, video is set to be the top investment this year for B2B brands. That’s because if done properly, video can be a powerful way for a brand to spread its message and access a large, targeted audience – with people watching over a billion hours³ of YouTube every day. The key phrase there, however, is “done properly”. The way people consume video is constantly changing and evolving, so the video needs to be authentic, relevant and relatable – and snappy. Research shows a third of viewers drop off after 30 seconds with viewership peaking at around a minute.

Video provides a huge number of options for your business to reach its audience:

Video ads, explainers and teasers can all be posted to YouTube
Short videos, or “Stories”, can be uploaded to social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
Sites such as Facebook and Twitch enable businesses to stream live videos

Webinars can be an extremely powerful way to interact directly with your audiences, allowing you to establish yourself as a content matter expert, share information on a particular product or service or answer specific questions. They also make for engaging on-demand video content your audience can access afterwards, at a time that suits them. Watch this space for more detail on creating successful B2B webinar content.

Video in numbers:

87% of video marketers say that video has increased traffic to their website⁵
80% of video marketers claim that video has directly increased sales⁵

Podcasts and audio

Despite not being new, Podcasts have made a pretty major return to the media scene with a surge in popularity – these days, it seems as though everyone’s got one (including us, obviously). But, in all seriousness, it’s a great opportunity for businesses to connect with more on-the-go audiences. Where video can act as an effective bite-size asset, Podcasts can allow companies to dive deeper on topics that can help potential customers. They can also help humanise a brand and amplify voices within an organisation – to showcase your experts in a more personal way.

Podcast in numbers:

80% of marketers who used podcasts last year plan to invest the same amount or more budget this year²
There are more than 19 million Podcast listeners in the UK⁶
Statista estimates by 2026, there will be more than 28 million listeners⁶

Infographics

Ever tried to explain the difference between, say, the current linear system of electricity generation and tomorrow’s greener, renewable, decentralised energy system using words? Try and you’ll see why an infographic could be a better way to go for B2B marketers. Infographics are great at capturing the attention of an audience and give marketers the opportunity to explain important concepts, break down complex processes and educate audiences in a way that is easy to read and digest. They can also be used in a variety of ways: integrated into blog posts, gated downloadable content or to visualise content in an eguide.

Infographics in numbers:

45% of marketers are already using infographics while 38% plan to leverage it for the first time this year²
84% of marketers, who used infographics in the past, claim they are effective⁷
Infographics are 30 times more likely to be read than a complete article⁸

The right content, at the right time

It sounds obvious, but suffice to say all of these techniques for presenting your marketing content come with the same caveat – they must be used at the right time, in the right place, with all content tailored to your audience and channel.

That’s where a solid marketing plan comes into play. As audiences travel through the sales funnel their needs vary – so your content must reflect that.

Awareness: At the awareness stage, your audience is looking for informative content to help grow their knowledge of a particular problem or opportunity. You should provide non-promotional, neutral content such as infographics, eBooks, eGuides, white papers, PR, expert advice and blog posts, as well as industry research and analyst reports.

Consideration: Now it's time to nurture your audience. They're likely to be looking for information to solve a problem or create an opportunity, so show that you understand and can help, with Webinars, events, podcasts and expert guides.

Decision/action: Now your audience knows what it wants, they’ll need the information to support and enable that decision. Here, brochures, case studies, free trials and demos, consultations and comparison sheets work brilliantly. Across the funnel, video content can be a good way to educate, nurture and call your audience to action.

At The Pod, our five centres of excellence mean we have everyone you need to make sure your content hits the spot. If your business could use our support, give us a call on 01564 742848 or email team@themarketingpod.co.uk.

SOURCES:

1. Content Marketing Institute, 2021
2. https://ahrefs.com/blog/content-marketing-statistics/
3. https://www.globalmediainsight.com/blog/youtube-users-statistics/
4. Semrush
5. Wyzowl, 2020
5. https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1147560/podcast-reach-uk
6. https://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2017/10/19/the-data-is-in-infographics-are-growing-and-thriving-in-2017-and-beyond/
7. https://venngage.com/blog/infographic-statistics/
8. Content Marketing Institute, 2021