Recently, The Content Marketing Institute published their 2016 report on "B2B Enterprise Content Marketing". The results were insightful to say the least. While 87% of those surveyed said their organizations use some form of content marketing, a mere 35% say they have a documented strategy in place, and only 22% thought their organizations were effective at using any type of content strategy. We already know that creating compelling content is an extremely powerful tool for generating traffic and leads. So somewhere along the way, B2B enterprises are missing an essential step to effectively utilizing their content marketing strategies.. This is where Inbound Marketing steps in.
First, let’s look at how those surveyed currently use content marketing. Content Marketing Institute defines Content Marketing as, “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience—and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.” B2B enterprises seem to be using the appropriate avenues in their content marketing strategy, including ebooks, white-papers, videos, social media, blogs, email, and more. At first glance, you might be scratching your head wondering how B2B companies are struggling to effectively use their content marketing if they seem to be publishing on all the right channels.
The answer lies in the survey results. When looking at the overall sample, the report reveals that 74% of enterprise marketers are planning to produce more content this year compared to in the past. When looking at their priorities, creating more engaging content is at the top of their list. While this is a noble goal, only 43% listed getting a better understanding of their target audience and buyer persona as a top priority. Why is this an issue?
Inbound Marketing focuses on the buyer - especially the buyer persona. Where traditional marketing can be perceived as intrusive & interruptive, Inbound Marketing works well because it is tailored specifically to the buyers. When you know what your buyer is looking for, what problems they need to solve, what challenges they face, and what type of solutions they look for - creating engaging content just happens as a result. Current B2B businesses may not find their content strategies effective BECAUSE they don’t prioritize understanding their buyers inside and out. How can you know what content is effective if you don’t know who you’re creating the content for?
Using Inbound Marketing as part of your content marketing strategy can totally turn your results around. It isn’t enough to create the content you think your buyers want. Buyer behaviour has changed.
With the growing popularity of adblocking software and social media, the Inbound methodology is becoming more and more prevalent. For B2B, this is especially important. By following the Inbound Marketing process, your enterprise will find it easy to create compelling content that generates the leads you need to grow your business. Organizations looking for the solution you can offer them will find you, especially if you cater your content marketing directly to them.
Want to know how we can help you implement an effective B2B content matketing strategy using Inbound Marketing that gets results? Book a free Inbound Marketing consultation with The Brit Agency today.
If you want to know more about Inbound Marketing, you can read some of our other blogs.
- How to Use Inbound Marketing for B2B Lead Generation
- 5 Compelling Reasons to Start Inbound Marketing
- Ad-Blocking Makes Inbound Marketing Even More Important
THE BRIT AGENCY is a B2B Inbound Marketing Agency providing Inbound Marketing, Inbound Website Design and Inbound Sales services to companies around the world. We're focused on growing website traffic, qualified leads and sales, using the Inbound lead generation and marketing automation process.
THE BRIT AGENCY is a certified Gold Tier Hubspot Partner, a HubSpot COS certified Inbound Website Design Agency, a Shopify eCommerce Partner, and a certified "Google Badged Agency Partner". We have offices in Toronto and Barrie, Canada, and Salisbury, UK.
