By now, I hope all B2B marketers agree that B2B marketing should aim to be more empathetic, like B2C. We can be more emotional, like B2C. We should be creating content that people actually want to read, like…
You get the idea. B2B marketers have spent the last decade, at least, cribbing from B2C. That’s a good thing — it’s made our marketing better. It’s made being a B2B marketer better.
But using B2C as a model can only take us so far. At some point, we have to concede that B2B marketing is its own discipline. We should keep this in mind as we continue to evolve our profession, and to adapt to whatever swerve 2020 throws at us next.
This week’s roundup will help you build better B2B marketing. You will find practical advice on content, influence, and marketing on LinkedIn, as well as more philosophical pondering on the current and future state of B2B.
1. B2B Marketing Is Not Just Business; It’s Personal
As our bedrooms and spare rooms become offices, the boundaries between home and work life are starting to blur. Now is a good time to re-evaluate how your B2B brand relates to buyers, says Digitas’ Ashley Smith.
Ashley recommends using account-based marketing strategies to really get to know your target accounts and the people who work there. “Using account-based marketing strategies that have tactics rooted in individual behaviors will allow your brand to address specific account needs, while ensuring your content is in formats or channels that the specific B2B buyer will engage with,” she says.
2. Blog Topics: How to Find Your Sweet Spot (Even in a Boring Niche)
It’s easy to say that B2B content should be as compelling as B2C… at least, until you’re working on your seventh blog post about advanced microprocessors to power edge computing. Part of the solution, says marketer Daisy Quaker, is to focus on the bigger picture of how your content relates to your audience. “Think about your best customers,” she says. “How are you helping them live their best life? What are you helping them solve?”
Daisy offers a blueprint for keeping your content compelling, finding an angle that best suits you and your audience, and ultimately moving that audience to action.
3. How to Create LinkedIn Videos that Work
Video content is one tactic that has long been the norm in B2C, but which must take on a new form to be useful in B2B. Video content on LinkedIn can take many forms, from LinkedIn Live to LinkedIn Events to posts on your Page. This robust guide from Amir Shahzeidi can help you both repurpose existing video and create new video to engage your audience on LinkedIn.
4. 2020 State of B2B Influencer Marketing Report
Influencer marketing for B2B is so distinct from its B2C counterpart that the two tactics probably shouldn’t share a name. In B2B, it’s not about celebrity endorsements or Instagram models — it’s about finding thought leaders in your industry that lend credibility to your content.
TopRank Marketing just released their original research into B2B marketing, complete with advice from experts in the field. This blog post from CEO Lee Odden highlights the key takeaways.
5. Is It Time to Add a New Definition for Content Marketing?
If your B2B content were a product, would anybody buy it? A. Lee Judge argues that the question isn’t hypothetical; that we should be thinking of content as a product that needs to be suited to its audience’s needs, valuable enough to be sold, and marketed to effectively reach the target audience.
“By viewing marketing as the activity and content as the product, you can clearly apply the skill of marketing your content to the strategy of content marketing,” says A. Lee.
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