content marketing tactics & strategies for business 2 business industries
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Pieter S Verasdonck:Digital Marketing ConsultantCo-Run: Online Marketing Sydney MeetUp Group
(2100+ Members)Panel Judge: Growth Hacking CompetitionFeatured in:• Industry Expert Roundups & Blog Articles• StartupSmart Magazine• SEMRush Webinars
Spoke at: • Online Retailer 2015• SMX Sydney 2014 - Bootcamp• Advanced Online Marketing Events• Numerous Meetups
Pieter S Verasdonck:
• 10+ Years in Digital Marketing• 5 Years in Search Agencies:
• Croud Australia & Columbus - Aegis Media• Areas of Expertise:
• Technical SEO & Website Redesigns• B2B and B2C - Content Marketing & Outreach• Social Media Marketing (Facebook, LinkedIn,
SlideShare, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc)
• Marketing Automation Solutions (Marketo, Hubspot, Act-On) & Lead Nurturing
• Training & Knowledge Transfer
Our team has experience working with…
Agenda
• The Current State of the Industry• What is the Role of Content for
Brands / Sales • Using Content to Attract the Right
Target Market / Segment • Combining Multiple Content Types
for the Best Result • Content Marketing Examples
The Current State of the Industry
Effective B2B Content Marketing Channels
Source: contentmarketinginstitute.com
The Content Strategy CanvasAudience• Who are you targeting,
and why?• What makes them tick?• Where do they live, and
when are they most active?
Audit• What have you already got
going on?• Where are the gaps?• What’s working well for
your competitors?
Brand• What are your brand
guidelines?• What should you definitely
not do?• What tone of voice do you
use?Production• Who is in your team, and
what do they do?• Where does the style guide
live?• Do you have a pre-
publishing checklist?
The Content Strategy CanvasFormats• Which content formats will
you be using?• What do you need to start
creating content?Workflow• What tools will you be
using?• Have you produced a
content calendar?• How will you manage your
evergreen content?
Distribution• Where will you distribute
your content?• Are you going to do any
paid promotion?• Can your PR team help?Stakeholders• What does your boss
expect you to do?• Who will be involved in the
sign off process?
The Content Strategy Canvas• Goals• What are the main goals
for your content?• How will you measure
success?• Who needs to see the
stats?
Vanity Matrix• Number of page views• Form submissions• Content shares• Content downloadsCore Matrix• Conversion Rate• Leads generated• Content influence• Customer Lifetime
Value/Average Order Value
The Role of Content for Brands / Sales
Earned, Owned, Paid & Social Media
Working Together: Traditional & Digital Content Marketing
Source: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2227499/SEO-Content-Confusion-Clarity
Using Content to Attract the Right Target Market / Segment
Psychology of Decision Making & Purchasing Behaviour Thinking Feeling
HighInvolvement
Informative (thinker):e-bankingBooksFinancial servicesComputer equipmentHouseAutomobilesHouse Furnishings
Affective (feeler):JewelleryCosmeticsFashion ApparelLuxury WatchCDs
Low Involvement Habit formation (doer):FoodFast FoodHousehold ItemsShampoos
Self-satisfaction (reactor):Flowers
The FCB Planning Model adapted from Belch & Belch. 2004. Advertising andPromotion. An Integrated Marketing Communication Perspective. 6th Edition. Singapore
A hierarchy of B2B sales/purchasing needs
Selling a product or service to a business--to a non-owner--consider this hierarchy, from primary needs on down:
• Avoiding risk• Avoiding hassle• Gaining praise• Gaining power• Having fun• Making a profit
Customer Segments & Buyer Persona’s:
Companies who segment customers into persona’s benefit from highly targeted and successful strategies for persuasive messaging, content marketing, product or solution launches, campaigns and sales alignment.
Key questions to ask:Who: As a (buyer persona) What: I want or need to (goal) What: The information I need (topic) When: And is most helpful when (preference) Why: So that I know or in order to (solve/value)
Perceived B2B Customers Buying Journey
Indentify a Need
Purchase Criteria
Initial Research Commercial Investigatio
n
Comparison
Justification
ProductSelection
Trail/Purchase
Evaluation/Evangelism
Sales Rep InvolvedCustomers Research
Awareness Stage Consideration Stage Decision Stage
B2B Buying Process Can Be Long
Source: https://www.distilled.net/uploads/the-content-matrix.png
Combining Multiple Content Types for the Best Result
Different Stages in B2B Purchasing• Awareness• Scoping• Planning• Selecting• Purchasing / Repurchasing
Awareness Stage: Questions to Ask• What is my media strategy? • Do I have a plan for influencer
marketing? • Are analysts discussing the problem
my solution solves? • Are buyers talking about my brand? • How do I meet buyers at the right time
and the right place?
Awareness Stage Tactics: • Earned Media: Organic social media and
press traction add credibility and authenticity to your integrated campaign. Ensure that you outline an ironclad media strategy with a PR people keen to get your news into the news.
• Word-of-Mouth, Forums, Q&A: Be there to jump into the conversation and make an impression from the start.
• Online Advertising: SEM, Sponsored Posts, Highly targeted Banners.
• Targeting: Time to aim for the bulls-eye. No sense wasting marketing efforts on buyers who just don’t give a hoot. Ensure that you get the right message to the right buyers by segmenting your audience as granularly as possible.
Scoping Stage:Questions to Ask• What resources are subject matter
experts/pros turning to for their research?
• Is my Search Engine Optimisation proving high rankings on search engines?
• Have I contributed to online communities to help boost my credibility and traffic to my site?
• Am I managing and monitoring my customer reviews?
Scoping Stage Tactics:
• SEO/SEM: Don’t hack SEO by optimising around the hottest keywords, because those landing on your site won’t convert. Focus on what you do well and optimise around that.
• Social Media Presence: Drive fans and followers to your company or product page within social communities. Your updates will flow into their feeds, so you’ll be top of mind when they’re ready to buy.
• Ratings & Reviews: Read them. Respond to the good, the bad, and the ugly. Show you care and they’ll show some love in return.
Planning Stage:Questions to Ask• How can I easily show my product’s
cost-effectiveness and efficiency? • Can my buyers calculate the ROI my
product will deliver? • Now that I have their attention, is my
brand approachable, helpful and trustworthy?
Planning Stage Tactics:• Content is King: The key during this
phase of the buyer’s journey is providing the right content at the right time. Remember, lose the marketing fluff – buyers want helpful, nitty-gritty techie info
• Infographics: Who doesn’t like a snazzy picture that’s loaded with stats and quick takeaways? For time-constrained IT pros, content that gets right to the point (and has data-rich ammo to back it up) is exactly what they’re looking for – plus it’s super-simple for them to share on the world wide web.
• Email: Get it in gear. But be sure to focus content and message on your target audience -- it’s also a great opportunity to show off your brand.
Selecting Stage:Questions to Ask• How do I differentiate myself from my
competitors? • Where can I show my product in
action? • How can I highlight the ROI for my
customer? • What free offerings and product trials
can I, well, offer?
Selection Stage Tactics:• Case Studies: People want to hear from those that
have gone before them. Pull together a case study that features a customer that your target market relates to and tells the story of the full purchase process, to implementation to customer support.
• Webinars: The key to staying top of mind when it’s time to buy? Deliver valuable content on the latest trends and technology and give them the opportunity to have their questions answered LIVE.
• Videos: Deliver engaging/teaching video content to help inform your buyers - while providing a bit of entertainment to separate your brand from the masses.
• Free Trials: They want to get behind the wheel and take your product for a ride before signing on the dotted line. Anywhere from 60 to 90 day free trial is plenty of time for your potential customers to take your product for a spin.
Purchasing / Repurchasing Stage:Questions to Ask• How are we merchandising our
products online? • How and where we should be retailing
our product? • What’s the ease of purchase like for
the purchasing department? • What’s my support plan for customers? • What am I doing to foster lasting
relationships with my buyers?
Purchasing / Repurchasing Stage Tactics
• Intent: Get a clear read on where your buyers are in their journey. Define and learn where the threshold is in their purchasing process where they turn from an inquiry to a marketing qualified lead, then continue to track and optimise.
• Word-of-Mouth: Post-purchase support might be the single most crucial stretch of road. Repeat business will likely end up being the bulk of your business, and attribute to the bulk of your new business.
• Community Accounts: Establish a social presence as a brand rep in forums where your buyers hang out to create a direct line of communication with a human before, during an after purchase.
Optimising Content
SEO: Onsite Content
Most Important: Content
https://moz.com/search-ranking-factorshttp://www.searchmetrics.com/knowledge-base/ranking-factors-infographic-2015/
Research of 1 Million SERPs
http://www.quicksprout.com/the-advanced-guide-to-content-marketing/http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/developing-a-strategy/
Research of 1 Million SERPs
https://contently.com/strategist/2015/08/04/how-often-should-you-publish-moz-and-hubspots-new-experiment-gives-a-surprising-answer/
Their benchmark strategy: (23 posts per workweek)LVHC: Low volume, high comprehensiveness: (11.5 posts per
workweek)HVLC: High volume, low comprehensiveness (34.5 posts per
workweek)
MA In Layman Terms!W
H O Persona
Users Needs
BusinessNeeds
Marketing Automation
When to Send What Kind of EmailsAwareness:• Welcome email• Follow us on social media• Introduce research resourcesResearch:• What are you interested in?• Content that explains their problem• Content that gives tactical advice and actionable insights• Content that points to your solution and explains why it’s
the best solution in various formats
When to Send What Kind of EmailsComparison:• Have time to talk? • How can I help?• Here’s a buyer’s guide• Here’s what makes us different/better• Here’s why our solution is perfect for you
When to Send What Kind of EmailsPurchase:• Thank you and welcome• Everything okay?• Product use guidance (product consumption)• Best practices and pro-tips• How did It go?Retention:• Support resources• Q & A convo• Newsletter
When to Send What Kind of EmailsSatisfaction:• Are you satisfied?• Would you refer us?• Here’s an incentive to refer us• Please give us feedback
Examples:
Marketing Output Frontier:Cost of Doing “all the things”
Credit: @DennisGraham7
Return on Marketing Effort:Continued Cost Marketing Initiatives
What are “Continued Cost Marketing Initiatives”?Marketing initiatives that have an ongoing cost associated with maintaining a marketing presence.
For example:• CPC / CPM marketing• Search Engine Marketing
(SEM)• Display advertising• Affiliate programs• Sponsorships & media buys• Subscriptions (i.e. email
marketing platforms,testing platforms, social monitoring platforms)
• Retainers (PR, media agencies)
Credit: @DennisGraham7
Return on Marketing Effort forInertia Marketing Initiatives What are “Inertia Marketing
Initiatives”?
Marketing initiatives that DO NOT have an ongoing cost associated with maintaining a marketing presence.
For example:• Search Engine Optimization
(SEO)• Conversion Rate Optimization
(CRO)• Blogging / Content• PR / Media coverage
The gradient of the Return on Marketing dependson visitor volume and the effectiveness of the sales process.
Credit: @DennisGraham7
Xero: Acquisition Cost EstimatesXero: Saas Accounting SoftwareTheir CLV = $2,008 (95 month subscription)Target CPA = $100 (5% of CLV)
Channels Acquisition Costs: (75% leads from Partners)
• Brand CPC: $5-15• Non-Brand CPC: $100 - $200• Display: $150-$200• Remarketing: $50-$80
