Whether you are a business to business (B2B) or a business to consumer (B2C) organization, quality content is key not only on your website but throughout all aspects of your marketing efforts. Print materials, newsletters, social media posts, and so on need a consistent brand voice and need to provide value-added information to the viewer.
Most organizations are either B2B or B2C, but some dabble in both arenas. Strong marketing strategies work across businesses but there are different considerations when selling to people buying for themselves versus people buying for others. We’ll look at how to effectively implement quality content into your online marketing strategy geared towards both businesses and consumers. While one concept or another may be better suited for a particular type of customer, knowledge is power and you never know what you’ll run into in any business arena!
SEO
Regardless of whether your brand’s focus is on B2B or B2C marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) is important to the success of your online businesses. Keyword implementation automatically comes to mind when people think SEO but there are other aspects that benefit from key terms that you might not consider right away. We’ll take a look at content as a general topic, blogs, and e-newsletters as specific content, and alternative text (Alt text).
Creating engaging and informative content is a regular focus for all online businesses. While that, in and of itself, is challenging and time-consuming, it also needs to be original. The Google algorithms have new filters that look for originality both in text and graphics. You’ll see a decrease in SEO if your content tends to be repurposed from other sites or authors. Invest in high-quality writers that deliver content that responds to the diverse needs of your customers depending on where they are in the buyer’s funnel. Original and valuable content that provides answers to questions and solutions to problems will best nurture sales and rank highest with search engines.
Blogs and e-newsletters are, obviously, content, but can be used effectively to increase customer engagement and brand awareness in addition to increasing SEO. Blogs provide layers of content on your site that exists forever, can be filled with important keywords and can provide a link to specific landing pages on your website. The ability to use content to drive traffic where you want it to go is a powerful thing. E-newsletters can also be used to provide valuable information and to bring customers to your website.
The purpose of alt text is to provide a description of the contents of an image file. This is important for consumers who are sight-impaired or when screen readers and browsers block an image. Alt text is also important for your SEO. Google bots and those of other search engines don’t “see” images so your alt text tells them what is in the image. Titles and descriptions should contain important key terms to help the bots understand what your site is about and which consumers might be interested in seeing the information. Paying attention to alt text is an easy and clear way to increase your site’s SEO.
Content Marketing Platforms (CMP)
Content marketing platforms are software that let brands manage all of their digital marketing processes from one place. They provide tools for tracking demographics, analyzing the effectiveness of content, and helping organizations increase their exposure. We’ll share details about a few examples but know there are many CMPs available on the market. We’d suggest you take a look to see which might best serve the specific needs of your organization.
Marketo.com is an all-in-one platform that is specifically aimed at B2B marketers. Marketo features include email and mobile support, social media generation, account-based marketing, generating campaigns across channels and more. Ads can be personalized based on information gathered from interactions regarding consumer interests and preferences. In addition, Marketo has the capability to handle anonymous visitors by analyzing and responding to information about location, industry and company size.
Curatea.com is a platform that easily integrates with existing systems. It lets businesses compile data from multiple content contributors from different systems to understand how their content is performing. Curatea includes content curation and management software, preference learning software, editorial calendars, and more. The tools within this CMP allow markets to plan and distribute content across channels and timelines while keeping their team on the same page.
Pardot.com focuses more on small and mid-sized marketing teams. It provides information regarding how customers interact with content and also analyzes all the steps of a campaign to determine the impact on ROI. Pardot allows businesses to create unique marketing campaigns and share information across departments.
Images Speak Loudly
Pictures help people understand what something is or what it does. Pictures of other people interacting with a brand help them even more. Such images allow consumers to envision themselves using the product or taking advantage of the service. Images are also easy to share across all of your communication channels. With just a few tweaks of the tagline or the addition of subtitles, an image can be shared on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and more.
And if something is easy for you to share, it is also easy for your followers to share. Easy opportunity to expand your reach! Invite customers to share your content, use limited-time promotions to create a sense of urgency.
Speak to People’s Feelings – B2C focus
Individual consumers tend to be more emotion and impulse-driven in their purchasing behavior than are businesses. As such, B2C marketing is most effective when it can grab someone’s attention and then make them feel something. Information is important, but so is the need for individuals to be entertained and excited. Headlines, titles, and subtitles, need to be flashy and catchy and are a great place to embed those important keywords that will quickly grab a viewer’s attention and make them want to read more.
B2C content needs to appeal to the human psyche. Tell consumers about your products or services, then tell them what they gain from interacting with your brand. Outline the benefits, problems solved, or challenges met when a consumer purchases and uses your products or services. And if you can relay that information in six words or less, even better. The attention span of today’s consumer is notoriously short so be concise, be exciting, and connect.
Final Thought
Content creation and distribution shouldn’t be a burden for anyone on your team. If you don’t have a dedicated writer, social media team, or web designer, considering reaching out to a professional for assistance. Many marketing companies will make the effort to blend seamlessly into your team for however long you need them and for whatever projects you could use their expertise.
Content that is engaging and dense with keywords doesn’t happen by accident. Professional writers with SEO experience and the sophistication needed to present rich information to other businesses are a necessity. If your in-house team is challenged with the task of producing high-quality content, consider outsourcing to ensure that your keyword research, content review, and SEO copywriting are on target every time.
As you know, there is no set path for online marketing and the more knowledge you have, the better!
The team at Strategy Driven Marketing would love to use their experience and expertise to help you create and distribute high-quality, engaging content. Contact us today to learn more about how we can provide assistance and take some weight off the shoulders of your team!