Content marketing is essential for B2B brands. It’s an excellent way for brands to establish their expertise in a given industry and then acquire leads because of it, but it can seem like an overwhelming addition to a team with an already demanding workload. According to recent research, it’s affecting half of B2Bers. When B2B content marketers were asked what their greatest challenge was, 52% said producing engaging content, 45% said producing a variety of content, and 64% said producing enough content.
These can seem like difficult hurdles to overcome, but they’re easier to deal with if you have a plan of action. We asked some fellow content marketers for advice based on their own experiences.
Look to the top.
When it comes to producing a engaging content, Edwin Vlems suggests focusing on your brand’s thought leaders for inspiration, “The best content is knowledge from the thought leaders that work at your company.” They might be hesitant to participate, but Vlems has a solution. “My biggest challenge is motivating them and their managers to share their knowledge. One technique is to write a shabby article about their expertise, and ask them to read it. They will be motivated to rewrite.”
Make variety manageable.
To create more variety, Jasmine Sandler suggests establishing a content plan based on the brand and its values and services, then establishing themes that fall within that content plan that can be switched out or adjusted on a weekly basis. For example, one week might revolve around tips, the next could be guest posts by thought leaders, and the next could be interviews with industry leaders your brand admires. Giving yourself that weekly challenge will make the challenge of variety manageable.
Make it a team effort.
Producing that great content, though, can be just as much of a challenge. To avoid burnout, and stay on track, Sandler suggests sharing the content load. “It is important to have a content team … to help to develop and deliver consistent varied content.” If all of the duties are falling to one person, it will be difficult to produce the quantity and quality of content needed. Look into expanding your team, or outsourcing some tasks to share the workload and make it less overwhelming.
Research has shown that B2B marketers are taking their content into the visual realm. Check out our guide to see how can you make your content more visual and approachable.
