B2B Content Marketing continues to change as business marketing gets more complex. Everyone has heard of the classic search engine optimization where businesses fight for rankings for a few specific keywords. But this system doesn’t work in all industries.
In some industries, the product is so new that people are not aware of its existence. Most of the time, they are not even aware of the problem that this product or service can solve. This means that customers don’t know the keywords exist.
In certain industries, customers rarely rely on social media or e-commerce. Buying often happens on an offline network. And categories for these products may not exist on big-box e-tail sites like Amazon.
So, with all these difficulties, is it possible to make content marketing effective for these types of situations? The answer is yes, but content marketing campaigns need to be flipped on their head.
Brand Your Own Keywords
One way to address a niche market is to create your own keyword branding. Choose a new keyword or phrase that fits your business and go crazy with new content.
Write hundreds of articles if you need to. Write about your competitors’ processes and why yours are better. Your audience will learn the new search term by researching the old one. Don’t be afraid to coin your own phrase.
These articles are designed to inspire and build credibility in the new business methodology. These articles may not be found through traditional searching. Target company newsletters, company slack channels, and direct email. This targeted marketing strategy will place your business as the founder for this inspired new way of approaching business.
Target Specific Accounts
Another marketing strategy is to use targeted case studies to close larger accounts.
This approach uses an account-based content strategy which is a set of articles specifically tailored to the needs of the large white whale account you are targeting.
These focused articles are delivered to a few specific people who are key decision makers in the targeted organization. Pull all the knowledge you have about the targeted organization in a case study. What are the greatest challenges? Demonstrate proof of how your organization can solve these challenges. You can reach your targeted audience via cold email, LinkedIn sponsored emails and direct mail.
Partner with Industry Publications
Another approach is to partner with an industry publication. Many industries have old fashioned websites that are straight transfers of physical magazines. Placing an article in one of these online publications instantly builds credibility for your business.
And in addition to credibility, your article will be distributed to large numbers of key professionals in your industry. In addition to the articles, this medium often shares content via webinars, case studies, free tool distribution, and longstanding personal blogs by known industry experts in your field. This will help build a name for your business.
Target Related Keywords
Targeting related keywords is also an option. In your industry, it is possible there are related keywords that don’t relate directly to your business, but that are searched often. For example, if you sell moisture resistant flooring, that is a small component of the general keyword “flooring”. You can use many terms related to “flooring” to expand the depth of your content and offer expert advice on a wider scale.
Learn which keywords in your general business are targeted the most. Try to pick keywords that are used often but have less competition. Use these larger more generalized topics to raise awareness for the specific problem that your business solves. Use your keyword branding in these articles and you will help educate the population on your niche.
Use Question & Answer Platforms
Many websites offer FAQ or other questions-and-answers formats related to your business model. You can search on sites and forums such as Quora, Reddit, and Stack Exchange for questions specific to your business. As an expert in your field, you can answer these questions.
If you can create content to answer hundreds of these kinds of questions, you will reach a wide target audience. Answering questions will demonstrate credibility and expertise, build brand recognition, and encourage clients to visit your website by placing it in the author bio and answer links.
FAQ websites are also a great resource to find topics for your content. Combine multiple questions with expanded answers into a single document. Add great images and infographics – and you’ve got an e-book ready to be shared with big clients and targeted customers.
To Wrap It Up
There are many ways to skin a cat, and in the world of B2B content marketing, you are limited only by creativity. Don’t let the traditional keyword market stifle your ability to find customers. These are just a few of the ways that complex, niche businesses can use internet content creation to market their organization or product. These creative forms of content marketing generate leads, demonstrate your credibility, create brand awareness, and target key industry leaders. The sky is the limit!
