Content marketing for products is somehow easy and it comes natural to most people even if they are just tapping into advertising and promotion. However, using written content, images and videos can be tricky when you are offering a B2B service. The challenge comes from the fact that most times that service is intangible and the target audience is sophisticated. So how do you use content to market a B2B service? Let's have a look at a few pointers.
Getting the Target Market Right is Key
I will never stop reminding you that in anything you do in marketing, whether it is content, digital, traditional, whether you sell products or services, your starting point of a good campaign will always be identifying and understanding your target market. Study their behaviour and find out what their buyer journey looks like. This way you would be able to create good content that resonates with them and their needs.
Sounding Professional Will Take You to the Right People
You are focusing on businesses, therefore you shouldn't sound too casual all the time. Professional language in all your communication, whether on social media, your website or blog posts will give you credibility and will make you stand out. Of course, this again, is dependent on your specific target market. If you offer business services to small or micro organisations you may get away with a few slang phrases or unpretentious sentences. If you know that the business you target is owned by a sole trader or employing less than 5 people, you can afford to be more personal in your communication. In any other case, sounding professional would be your best policy and will attract the right people to your website.
Testimonials Will Increase Your Integrity
When businesses are looking for services they will always want to see if what you offer actually works. You can offer them a free trial, but in the cases where this is not an option, testimonials from real customers and reviews play a huge role. Get your clients to say a few words about your organisation and the service you provided for them. You can then edit their text to sound more compelling (and probably add a few keywords for a better SEO) without losing the main message.
Using Inspirational Content Will Make Your Posts More Visible
Everybody needs some inspiration and motivation from time to time. It's far more refreshing to see a great quote or an inspirational image on your social media than the constant promo lines and call to action. But that's not the main reason why experienced content marketers use such images and text. Especially when you are marketing your service on Facebook you will have to be very careful what you post and how you sound. Too much promotional content will be filtered and will actually not reach even 20% of your followers. It's a waste of time and efforts, isn't it? In addition, mentioning that you have taken part in some social causes (if you have) will make more businesses want to associate with you.
Videos Sell
It is no coincidence that videos are the biggest segment of content marketing and also the most expensive service. It captures the attention easily, keeps the message flowing and it is entertaining. Using videos in your content marketing mix will position you in the top places among your competitors. If you don't have the budget for purchasing professional videos, there are plenty video production courses you can do online and they don't cost a fortune.
Simplified Contact Options Bring More Calls and Messages
It is essential for any B2B service provider to be reachable without a struggle. You may not need to respond to messages or calls 24/7 as it would be the case with B2C models, but you must make it very easy and simple for any business representative or even an owner to contact you. This includes a well designed and visible contact form on your website, phone number, neatly placed on your home page and social media platforms, and a very good hang at replying to tweets and Facebook messages. Speed here is essential.
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