Blogging has been an important part of many B2C content marketing strategies for many years now, and has been used by businesses not only to share their expertise with their customers, but also to optimise their website for improved visibility and better ranking. But does blogging fit into a B2B environment?
Yes! In fact, content marketing — and blogging in particular — is becoming an increasingly vital aspect of B2B customer engagement. If you don’t already have a small business blog, now is the time to make one.
Evolving Buyer Behaviour
One of the primary reasons why blogging is becoming increasingly important within the B2B environment is due to the changing behaviours of B2B buyers. Today’s buyers want more than just the right products/services at the right prices; they want to partner with companies that really matter.
A recent report shows that almost all B2B buyers surveyed want their sales partners to be able to clearly demonstrate an increased understanding of their industry as a whole; a sign that buyers want to know that a business can help them to solve their problems, not just sell products. Blogging is an effective and efficient way to do this, providing sellers with a platform to expand their business voice beyond their products and services and weigh in on important issues within the sector. In doing so, businesses can successfully generate more leads and encourage their audience to convert.
It’s also important to look at how today’s B2B buyers are approaching the purchasing process. While sales reps are still an integral part of the process, there has been a significant rise in recent years of the ‘self-reliant’ buyer; the buyer who wants to conduct their own research before reaching out to a rep. This is supported by a Gartner study which shows that buyers want more simplicity in accessing information themselves. A small business B2B blog is the ideal way to provide prospective buyers with additional information about your brand, your products, or your services, enhancing their research.
How to Create a Small Business Blog
Here are some tips for creating a small business B2B blog that succeeds in achieving its goals:
Communicate: Communicating regularly with content writers, as well as other members of the team, is hugely important in terms of content generation. It’s an opportunity to brainstorm ideas to ensure that subject matter is not only relevant to the industry but engaging to the audience.
Post Regularly: Blogging isn’t a one time thing. In fact, research shows that businesses that blog 16+ times per month generate 3.5 times more traffic than those who publish less than 4 posts per month. Scheduling and forward planning is therefore essential for B2B blog success.
Be Authoritative: What do B2B buyers want from a blog? According to research, they want to see more industry-related data and analysis, and they want to see input from industry thought leaders. Take an authoritative approach to blogging, and consider accepting guest posts.
Share: While SEO can help to improve the visibility of a blog post, many posts will need a little helping hand to ensure it’s seen by the right people, at the right time. Plan how you will share and promote your content. This may result in a need to improve your existing social presence.
