3 Trends for B2B Companies to Elevate Their Content Marketing Today

You've probably heard these three trends for today's B2B marketing: data-driven, content-rich, and buyer-centric.

Despite the seemingly straightforward nature of these terms, it can be challenging for businesses to implement the concepts into their day-to-day marketing strategy. So today, we're going to be taking a more in-depth look at three key areas that will help you start applying these concepts – creating evergreen content, generating your own data, and speaking to your ideal customer profile.

 1. Creating Evergreen Content

Evergreen content is any type of blog post or piece of content with no expiration date or sell-by date. The beauty of evergreen content is that it can be used repeatedly — and shared across multiple platforms — without losing its effectiveness or relevance. 

It's not easy to create evergreen content, but there are some tried-and-true methods for doing so. Start by creating lists (e.g., "10 Ways Your Customers Can Use Your Product") or curating articles from other sources (e.g., "5 Ways to Improve Customer Service"). This way, you'll always have something new to share with your audience, even if it's an older piece of information.  

One of the biggest mistakes B2B companies make is producing content that doesn't have longevity or value beyond its initial release date. This means that even if your content does well initially, it won't have any staying power because people won't be able to find it later when they're looking for something similar. 

2. Show Your Value and Credibility with Social Proof

Social proof is the most powerful tool in your marketing bag. It’s a concept that’s been around for a long time, but it has never been more powerful than it is today. 

Social proof is the proof that you are trusted by others. It’s about showing what other people have said about you, as well as what they have done because of you. Social proof can be found in many places: testimonials, reviews, recommendations from other people, case studies, and even media coverage.

The more social proof you have, the more likely people will trust and buy from you. Leveraging social proof in your content marketing is a great way to educate others while also showing your success.  

3. Speak Directly to Your Ideal Customer Profile

If you do not know what that profile looks like, then start by figuring out who you are trying to attract and why. What is their goal? Why does your company exist in the first place? What are their needs and wants? 

Ask yourself these questions as often as necessary until you find the answer that makes sense for your business. For example, if you are a media company, ask yourself:

• What would make a person want to do business with you instead of the other media companies in town?

• What do they want from sales process?

• What do they need from their sales rep?

• What kind of goals do they have?

The answers may vary depending on what type of media services you offer or how much more affordable you are. Once you identify this information, you can use it to create content that attracts people who may fit the bill. 

Conclusion

The ultimate goal is to earn the attention of your target audience in a way that makes them feel like you specifically are the solution to their problem and are worth their time.

If you're looking to elevate B2B content marketing in your organization, there are plenty of proven strategies to pull from. These three can be effective whether you're a small business or a large corporation, and they're useful today more than ever. So, what's stopping you? Start experimenting with new techniques for creating valuable content! 

*Editor's Note: This blog have been updated since its original publish date.