B2B content marketing is poised to come into its own in 2020 and beyond. Just like their counterparts in B2C marketing, B2B marketing professionals must be ready to evaluate changing buyer needs and adapt their approach accordingly.
Content marketing is shaping up to be the most powerful deciding factor in online visibility. This is likely to stay the case for many years to come – it may well be the new normal in digital marketing – but crucial details of implementation are changing fast.
Here’s what to know about modern content marketing for B2B:
1.Brands Will Need Longer Content and More Of It
Over the last several years, search engines have shown a pronounced preference for “long-form” content. On average, posts that appear on page 1 of Google exceed 1,800 words. Likewise, the most visible B2B brands online post a minimum of five times per week.
2.An Omnichannel Content Marketing Strategy is Imperative
Content marketing starts with blogging, but it doesn’t end there. Content marketing for B2B must take into account rich opportunities to amplify content on other channels. While LinkedIn is the biggest source of B2B leads, YouTube is also growing in importance.
3.Video Will Be Crucial to Expanding Your Distribution
Video content is no longer a niche subject in content marketing – it’s the second engine on your rocket. Empowering your best-written blog posts with video makes them more likely to rank high in search engines, to be shared, and to inspire users to take action.
4.Pillar Pages Will Give Brands the Opportunity to Differentiate
A pillar page is a central hub that allows users to find all of your content on a given topic. For example, a content marketing pillar page may be a 7-chapter guide with links about social media, video, and blogging. Pillar pages have enormous potential to capture high search rank for B2B firms.
5.Content Will Be Tailored to Voice Search
Content marketing already underwent a huge transformation with the shift from desktop to mobile. Now, voice search from services like Siri and Alexa will become prominent. This calls for content focused around natural language questions like “What are the top content marketing trends?”
B2B enterprises that prepare to leverage these trends will be positioned for success in the new decade of content marketing. Publishing consistent, strategically aligned content is essential for developing a reliable funnel of online leads.