B2B content creation can be challenging at times. Your aim is to provide valuable content that informs, educates and motivates audiences. This audience is a well-informed and busy professional who wants more than a sales pitch. If they are taking the time to read your content, they are searching for answers. It is your job to provide those answers, with peer reviews, links and researched analysis.
While creating the content is often the easy part, it is developing an idea that can sometimes take time. This can be an issue for all writers; what to write. So we have a few ideas for those days when nothing seems to be organic and content creation feels more like a job than the joy it actually is for most writers.
- Interactive Content
While this is less of a topic idea and more of a content suggestion, interactive content is a great way to keep traffic on your website and expose audiences to your business in a subtle way.
Writing a quiz is no small task, so ensure you have the time and the tools to follow this through. A short quiz that gives answers is a great way for your audience to assess your business and their needs. If the quiz is carefully crafted it should allow the user to feel confident that they know enough, but in need of your expertise to help them over the finish line.
It is also a great way to collect the contact information of your user so that you can follow up with a personalised email that offers solutions and promotes your business gently.
- Case study
Case studies are an excellent way of showcasing your business. Choose an interesting story that helps people to understand the practical uses of your product or service. You should provide statistics and figures where possible. This helps your audience create context and understand if your business is right for their needs.
Case studies are a great way of humanising your business. If you have worked with another enterprise it is a valuable way of sharing your relationship and bolstering your brand recognition.
It is also a good platform for sharing stories about any non-profit or charitable works that your company has spearheaded, generating goodwill for the business.
- Interviews
Whether formal or informal, interviews are a great way of sharing information about the industry. Having an expert speak, either in a vlog or for a blog, gives your company a voice.
Casual interviews can boost your brand, while formal interviews can improve your professional image. You do not have to choose just one style, you can add interviews as a regular feature of your content if you have a personality that is willing to take part on a regular basis.
- Infographics
Infographics are a perfect way to visually represent data that otherwise would be dry and boring. When used in combination with your written content they can draw your audience and be shared as valuable content.
While infographics take some time to create, there are many programs that allow you to use templates that are fast and easy. Remember to include your brand on infographics. If they are valuable content that is widely shared this will improve your visibility.
- Write about a past or upcoming event
Sharing information about events that you have attended or plan to participate in allows your audience to know that you are active in the industry.
Writing for events is easy because you are sharing information that already exists, so it requires little research. Such blogs can be written fast and include images and infographics to make them more interesting.
- Answer a FAQ
If you have a common question you can use your blog to answer a concern or knowledge gap. If it is not industry sensitive information, you can take the opportunity to educate your clients about how a product works or why a service is structured in a certain way.
Generosity with knowledge is part of the value of your content. Give people the answers they are looking for and they will share your content and help your business expand.
- Rework existing content
Webinars, ebooks, infographics can be reused and updated to ensure that they stay evergreen. Breaking down large content into blogs and 10-minute reads will allow more people to access your content and encourage them to view your other content.
- Try BuzzSumo to see what topics are trending
BuzzSumo allows you to see what topics are trending online, and who’s writing about them. It’s a good way to not only brainstorm new blog topics but also to find influencers in your industry.
- Write an opinion post
Opinion pieces are a good way of getting attention. Most content writers focus on ‘how to’ guides, which are best for your SEO. However, an opinion piece, especially if it is from the director or head of the company, is a great way of establishing your business.
The piece need not be controversial. It could be simple, such as your business creates glazed windows for commercial projects, and you think the triple glazed is better than the double glazed for noise reduction. It is not a sales pitch, it is a compare and contrast from the point of view of the business and it provides real details and information to help people understand the value of your product or service.
- “Behind the Scenes”
Let readers get to know your company on a more personal level. Take a tour of your office or manufacturing site. Meet with staff and interact with your own products. Tours are a fun and inviting way of opening your industry up and showing transparency.
