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In today's increasingly inter-connected world, businesses rely on a great range of information when making important purchasing decisions. Therefore companies must commit to developing and communicating good quality content, to inform and influence their target market.
Buyers are hungry for facts when researching new business requirements, so it's up to you to address this need if you want to be a chosen supplier. Research has shown that B2B buyers will read three or more pieces of supporting information before choosing a product or service.
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Product reviews which communicate what your business offers. These should outline your products or services, and highlight features, benefits and specifications.
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News releases which communicate what your business is achieving. Building credibility by communicating occurrences relating to the business, these releases demonstrate an ongoing involvement in your industry.
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Feature articles (also known as case studies or white papers) are powerful tools if they are informative and insightful. They take an in-depth look at a particular subject and can build long term credibility for your business.
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Developing good business content is only one part of the puzzle. You then need to make sure it gets in front of your customers and prospects. Some of the most important outlets for your content include:
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Your website - This is an important place for your business content, acting as a central online brochure for your company.
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Regular newsletters - These can be delivered by email or print and are an effective way to communicate information to customers and prospects.
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Trade magazines - These were once the main avenue for distributing such content, but are now just one of many content channels.
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Online communities - These provide an effective channel to publish content to a targeted online audience. IndustrySearch and MedicalSearch are good examples of these.
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Search engines - These are key in getting your business content noticed. However they are not stand-alone, and simply find the information from the other content channels, mentioned above.
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Blogs & social media - These are similar to a bulletin board where you publish content, creating an ongoing dialogue with your target audience, and allowing them to interact with your company.
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And finally, ensuring your content strategy is not short lived is essential. You must constantly develop and publish new and interesting content in order to be relevant to your audience. This should be a co-ordinated effort within the company - involving senior management, technical departments, marketing and your customers.
Make educating and influencing your target market with powerful and informative business content your next priority
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